Ctrlk
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

WhatsApp / SMS

Reach your guests where they actually read messages — on their phone.

💬 WhatsApp & SMS in OkupAI

WhatsApp and SMS are two of the channels OkupAI can use to talk to your guests. They work in both directions:

  • Automatic messages — message rules can deliver any template via WhatsApp or SMS (check-in instructions, door codes, review requests, …)

  • Live messaging — WhatsApp and SMS conversations arrive in your inbox like any other channel, and your replies go back out the same way

All the guest needs is a phone number on the booking — from the platform data or from Online Check-In.

⚙️ Getting set up

WhatsApp messaging runs over a dedicated WhatsApp Business sender number that the OkupAI team provisions for your account — there is nothing to install or configure yourself.

Contact us at office@okup.ai (or directly on WhatsApp) to enable it. Once your sender number is active, WhatsApp appears as a channel in your message rules and inbox conversations.

You can manage your WhatsApp templates and check recent message statuses at any time via the WhatsApp entry in the Integrations card on the Properties page.

If a conversation shows "Messaging is not set up for this conversation — no sender phone number is configured", the sender number for that property is not active yet — reach out to us.

🤖 Using WhatsApp in automatic messages

  1. Write your message template as usual — languages, variables, and images all work on WhatsApp

  2. In the message rule, select WhatsApp as the channel

  3. Done — the message is delivered to the guest's phone at the scheduled time

WhatsApp requires message templates to be approved before they can be delivered. OkupAI submits your templates for approval automatically whenever you create or change one — brand-new or freshly edited texts can therefore take a little while before they start sending on WhatsApp.

📱 When to use which channel

Channel
Best for

WhatsApp

Direct-booking guests and anyone who left a phone number — highest read rates, supports images

SMS

Guests without WhatsApp — short, critical messages like door codes

Platform chat (Airbnb, Booking.com)

Guests from those platforms, before you have their phone number

A common setup: booking confirmation via platform chat, then check-in instructions and the door code via WhatsApp once the guest has completed Online Check-In.

🧭 Related

  • Message Templates — write the content once, in every language

  • Automatic Message Rules — choose channel and timing

  • Live Messaging — answer WhatsApp replies from the inbox