Release notes and system updates

The latest release brings one of the most-requested capabilities to StayReply: end-to-end automated handling of guest lockouts. When a guest sends a message saying they can't get into the property, StayReply now detects the situation, verifies the guest, generates a temporary access code from your connected smart lock, and delivers it via SMS — all in under 30 seconds, without you lifting a phone.

This is one of the most stressful moments in short-term rental hosting, especially when it happens at 2am or while you're on holiday. StayReply now handles it end-to-end while keeping you in the loop with full audit trails and emergency override controls.

Key improvements include:

• Native integrations with August Home, Yale, Schlage Encode, Level Lock, and Nuki

• AI-powered lockout detection across 20 message classification categories

• Multi-factor guest verification before any code is generated (booking match + phone verification)

• Configurable code expiration (default 30 minutes, fully customisable per property)

• Multi-channel delivery: SMS via Twilio and email via Resend for redundancy

• One-click emergency unlock for genuine emergencies (medical, fire, etc.)

• Complete audit trail of every code generated, used, expired, or revoked

Security & compliance:

Smart lock credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM at rest. Every code event is logged for GDPR compliance. Rate limiting prevents abuse of the emergency unlock feature. Guest verification attempts are tracked separately so failed attempts never trigger an unlock.

Why this matters:

Guest lockouts are one of the highest-stress, highest-urgency situations in short-term rental hosting. Manual handling typically takes 15-45 minutes from the first guest message to a usable solution. StayReply now resolves it in under 30 seconds while keeping every action logged for security review. This is a real capability no other AI guest messaging tool offers.

This release introduces a more refined approach to deciding which messages StayReply auto-replies to and which get escalated to your team. The new confidence-based routing system gives every reply a 0-100% confidence score before sending, with configurable thresholds you can tune per property.

Sensitive message categories — refund requests, complaints, emergencies, and special requests — now always escalate to a human, regardless of confidence score. You set the rules. StayReply respects them.

Key improvements:

• Confidence scoring on every reply (0-100%) with explanation of how the score was reached

• Configurable confidence thresholds per property and per message category

• Auto-escalation rules for refund requests, complaints, emergency situations, and special accommodation requests

• Severity scoring for emergency messages (lockout vs. water leak vs. medical)

• Manual override and takeover from any conversation, at any time

• Full visibility into why a message was escalated or auto-replied

Why this matters:

The most common reason operators distrust AI messaging tools is the fear that a wrong reply will go to a guest in a sensitive moment. The new confidence-based routing system makes that fear unfounded — you set the rules for what auto-replies, you control the thresholds, and sensitive categories always escalate to a human.

StayReply now auto-detects the guest's language and responds in it — not just translated text, but culturally-adapted communication that respects the formality, tone, and structural conventions of the guest's culture. A French guest gets a more formal reply structure. A Brazilian guest gets warmer, more personable language. The reply still sounds like you, just in the right cultural register.

This release adds support for 12+ languages on Scale plans and all major languages on Enterprise plans.

Key improvements:

• Auto-detection of guest language from incoming messages

• Cultural adaptation of tone, formality, and structural conventions

• Knowledge base entries auto-translated to detected guest language

• Multi-language replies maintain your voice across every language

• Language preference learning per repeat guest

• Full support for European, Asian, and Latin American language conventions

Languages supported on Scale plans: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Hungarian.

Why this matters:

STR operators with international guests have always faced a choice: reply in English (impersonal), use translation (mechanical), or reply manually in the guest's language (impossible to scale). StayReply now handles it natively while keeping your voice consistent across every language.

The biggest release in StayReply's history. Auto-Reply Engine 2.0 changes how the knowledge base is built — instead of asking operators to write templates or fill in forms, StayReply now auto-extracts your knowledge base directly from your past guest messages, listing descriptions, house manuals, and PMS data.

The first auto-reply now fires within 4 minutes of connecting your PMS, with zero template writing required.

Key improvements:

• Auto-extraction of knowledge base entries from past messages, listing data, and house manuals

• Property-specific knowledge bases — each listing gets its own AI-trained foundation

• 20-category message classification with confidence scoring

• Sub-2-second average reply time (down from previous 8-12 second average)

• Voice training from your existing past replies — auto-replies now sound like you, not a generic AI

• One-click review and approval of auto-built knowledge base entries

• Multi-property dashboard for managing knowledge bases across portfolios

Why this matters:

Most "AI guest messaging" tools require hours of template-writing and knowledge base configuration before they're useful. Engine 2.0 collapses that to under 4 minutes. Connect your PMS, review the auto-extracted knowledge base, and StayReply is replying in your voice within minutes.

This release introduces full guest journey automation — 13 trigger types that fire automatic messages at key moments across the stay lifecycle. Welcome messages on booking, check-in instructions 24 hours before arrival, mid-stay check-ins, checkout reminders, review requests, and more. Set once. Runs forever.

Key improvements:

• 13 guest journey trigger types covering booking through post-checkout

• Configurable timing for each trigger relative to check-in or check-out

• Per-property trigger variations (different properties can have different sequences)

• Conditional logic: only fire upsell messages if calendar has gaps, only request reviews if no complaints

• Upsell detection: identify early check-in, late checkout, and extra night opportunities

• Enable or disable any trigger globally or per property without losing your settings

Why this matters:

Every operator wants to send guest journey messages — welcome notes, check-in details, review requests. Few actually do it consistently because it's manual work. StayReply now handles all 13 touchpoints automatically, in your voice, while letting you maintain full control.

StayReply now tracks guest sentiment across every message in a conversation, identifying early warning signs of dissatisfaction before they escalate into complaints or negative reviews. When sentiment shifts negative, StayReply flags it for your attention and suggests preventive actions.

Key improvements:

• Sentiment analysis on every incoming guest message (positive / neutral / negative)

• Sentiment evolution tracking across the full stay lifecycle

• Early warning alerts when sentiment shifts negative

• Suggested preventive actions when issues are detected early

• Churn prediction for repeat guests based on historical sentiment patterns

• Retention strategy suggestions for at-risk guests

Why this matters:

The cost of a 1-star review is enormous in the STR business. The cost of catching dissatisfaction early — while there's still time to fix it — is almost nothing. StayReply now does this automatically across every conversation.