Product guide · Updated October 25, 2026

What is an AI concierge for a vacation rental?

By GuestsBoard

An AI concierge lets vacation rental guests ask questions in ordinary language and receive answers based on information about their stay. GuestsBoard’s included concierge uses the property information you provide and opens on the guest’s phone through a QR code. Guests do not need to install an app.

What can guests ask?

Start with questions your guide can answer: how to use an appliance, where to find towels, when checkout is, or which nearby places you recommend. The value is helping guests find the right instruction without searching through a long document. Accurate, specific house information matters more than a long list of AI features.

For example, a useful coffee-machine answer needs your machine’s actual instructions. A general description of the kitchen is not enough. Our knowledge-base guide explains how to prepare that content.

Are AI chat and AI messaging the same thing?

No. Guest chat answers a question inside a guest experience. Booking-channel AI messaging drafts or sends replies in a host’s inbox. AI content generation helps a host write a guide or recommendations before the stay. A product can offer one, two, or all three; the word “AI” does not tell you which is included.

WelcomeScreen’s pricing, for example, lists AI Messaging separately and in its Pro Plus bundle. Touch Stay describes a guest-facing chatbot. Compare the particular job and plan entitlement, rather than assuming every concierge automates your booking inbox.

How does GuestsBoard’s phone concierge work?

For the Raspberry Pi setup, guests join the property Wi-Fi and scan the concierge code on the display. Their phone must be able to reach the local GuestsBoard device. Wi-Fi client isolation can prevent that connection. AI answers also require internet access; cached display content does not make AI available offline.

Before a guest arrives, try the QR flow on a guest phone using the property network. Ask several common questions and check the answers against your house instructions. Keep host contact details easy to find.

What AI usage is included?

AI concierge can be enabled per property without a separate AI subscription charge. New standard properties start with a configured allowance of 500 AI requests per UTC calendar month. Existing or customized properties can differ; your dashboard shows your actual monthly allowance and usage. That allowance is pooled per property across its displays and guest sessions; adding a display does not add AI requests. Each property supports up to five paired displays across Pi, iOS, and Android. Guest phones using QR links and host dashboard access do not use display slots. See the display policy. A reservation has a shared limit of 50 requests across its sessions and devices, even if the stay crosses into a new month. Without an active reservation, guests share a 50-request monthly allowance for unassigned use.

These are ceilings, not a guarantee of that many completed answers. The Pi service also limits requests per session and over shorter time windows. Shared service traffic controls can temporarily stop chat before a property reaches its monthly allowance. A generation attempt can count even if its answer is interrupted; confirmed failures before generation are refunded to the allowance.

At a limit, further requests are stopped rather than automatically billed as overages. Guests can still consult the guide and contact their host. Confirm your intended usage with us before ordering, and see hardware and subscription pricing for the current offer.

What about the GuestsKey web guest portal?

Guest Portal Premium, powered by GuestsBoard, is a separate upcoming web experience exclusively for GuestsKey customers. It uses the GuestsKey guest link and does not require a Pi, display, installed app, or property Wi-Fi connection. Internet access is required. It is currently in development and testing; the Pi usage description above is not its purchase offer. See the GuestsKey portal details.

What should stay with the host?

Approval-dependent requests, such as late checkout, should go to the host. AI can make mistakes and does not replace emergency services. Keep clear house instructions available alongside chat, and update the knowledge base whenever an appliance, rule, or recommendation changes.