Answer
Can AI answer my Airbnb guests' calls at 1 AM?
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Short answer
Yes. AI can answer every guest call, message and messaging-app call at any hour, so nobody phones you at 1 AM for an entry code. It looks up the caller's phone number in the booking system and gets only that guest's booking, and a person takes over when a call needs one. The hard part is accuracy: a wrong number or address given to a tired guest at the door, so a second AI checks every call afterwards.
What was going wrong with the guest calls?
This is the story of one of our customers, a business that manages multiple bookings and multiple nice apartments. People are forgetful. They do not check their emails, or the emails go to spam. They forget where their access codes are, how to enter the apartment, or they just want the Wi-Fi code or an early check-in.
So the calls came at any time. A call at 8:00 AM about a late checkout, and a call at 1:00 AM about the entry code, because the person had just flown in, was tired, maybe it was raining outside, and just wanted to go into the apartment.
At 1:00 AM the company did not even pick up, which was a quite poor customer experience. In the morning it did pick up, but it was a bit of a waste of time, because the question was something very basic.
What does the AI take over?
The AI started picking up all the calls, all the messages and all the messaging-app calls. Your first concern might be why anybody would speak to an AI. It sounds counterintuitive, but it is more productive than you: it picks up at any time, and you do not need to worry about somebody calling to ask something basic.
| Before | With AI | |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM, late checkout | Picked up, but a bit of time wasted on a basic question | Answered by the AI |
| 1:00 AM, entry code | Nobody picked up, a tired guest outside | Answered by the AI, with that booking's codes |
| Messages and messaging-app calls | Handled by hand, when someone could | Answered by the same system |
| The owner | On call around the clock | Interrupted only when a human is needed |
The majority of calls through the system are very basic: where the location is, where the keys are, what the Wi-Fi code is. And this system handles all of your calls.
How does it know which guest is calling?
It works from the phone number. The system finds the reservation by the number, so a person who calls or messages gets their own booking details: how to enter, the Wi-Fi, where the trash bin is, whatever information you have about the booking, and only about that booking.
Can the AI be tricked into giving out a code?
Any AI system can be played with, and you can somehow hijack it. So where an AI system is not reliable by itself, we make it reliable with server-side checks. The AI has information only through the phone number: the server gives it the access code and the like.
If a phone number is unknown, it has nothing. You can try to play with it, and it just does not have the information in the first place. If a caller is unknown, it says the caller is unknown.
What happens in an emergency, or when nobody picks up?
There are crucial cases where a person needs a human. This is not necessarily what happened, but imagine a fire. The AI cannot just wait and inform the owner until something stops being on fire. So it can transfer the call to a human.
The caller hears that they will be transferred to a human specialist soon, hears hold music, and gets connected to the person, who assists them with the booking or whatever else. If the manager does not pick up, an automated message plays: sorry, we cannot pick up right now, we will call you back as soon as possible.
When a transfer happens, the AI briefs the person on the conversation and on the booking, so they do not need to look it up. That saves time for both sides, and it is extremely convenient: you do not need to be on the phone 24/7 or be pulled out of quality work to be asked something basic.
What can go wrong with AI guest calls?
The main bottleneck of such systems is accuracy. Sometimes AI likes to invent things or does not pronounce numbers and addresses correctly, and precision is very important when a guest is standing at the door.
What we developed for this client is an AI that pronounces everything very precisely. We also run a review agent: after each call it checks whether everything was processed correctly, and if not, it informs the manager by email, text or a call, whatever needs to be done. This way the system only gives information it has access to, and gives it precisely.
Can it switch languages and sound the way I want?
It switches languages mid-call. The voice can be customized too: male or female, a different accent, the speed and the intonation, so you can provide a truly tailored experience. It is a complete assistance you would otherwise need to hire for and have around the clock.
Think about all the free time you would have to invest in your business, and about the guest at 1:00 AM standing at your booking's door, unable to get in while you sleep, because you need to rest sometimes.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work on messages as well as calls?
Yes. Calls, messages and messaging-app calls all go through the same system, which checks the phone number and helps with the booking, or passes a message to the team.
What if the caller is not in the booking system?
Then the AI has nothing to give them. It says the caller is unknown, and the server never hands it a code.
Can a guest still reach a person?
Yes. When a call needs a human, the AI transfers it, the guest hears hold music, and the person is briefed on the booking first. If nobody picks up, a message says you will call back as soon as possible.
How do you know the AI read out the right number?
A second AI reviews every call afterwards. If something was not processed correctly, it tells the manager by email, text or a call.
Is there a way to find my own call bottlenecks?
Yes. There is a free prompt linked in the video's description that interviews you and diagnoses where your calls and time go.
Justas Butkus is a fractional AI officer based in Vilnius, Lithuania, working with mid-market companies and scale-ups across the UK, EU and US at two to four days a month. He builds and operates the production AI systems he advises on, and takes no commission, referral fee or revenue share from any vendor.
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