You can directly connect with your customers through chat functionality from within your Hostelworld Inbox.
Getting Started:
Login to Your Hostelworld Inbox: Navigate to the Guest Chat tab to activate the feature.
Initiating Outgoing Chats to Customers: Use the "Bookings – Advanced Search – Select by arrival date" option to view future customers you may wish to initiate a 1:1 chat with.
If a customer has enabled chat on their side you can simply click on the Chat button in the booking to begin a conversation:
If a customer has not enabled the chat features on their side you’ll see a message informing you of this:
Replying to Incoming Chats from Customers: You will see unread messages appear on the home page of your Hostelworld Inbox. Please remember that you need to be logged to respond to customers.
Important to Note:
If you are not logged into your Hostelworld Inbox, notifications for Guest Chats will be sent to the manager email address we have on file for your hostel. If this is not the right contact for these 1:1 chats please get in touch with us immediately.
For the Beta launch, clicking on the Reply button in the email (as indicated below) will take you to your Hostelworld Inbox which you will need to access from a desktop device, even if you are receiving the email notification on your phone. You cannot directly reply to a chat from within the notification email.
FAQ
Q: How can I chat with a customer?
A: You just need to activate the chat functionality.
Q: Which customers can chat with the hostel?
A: For iOS only. In the future, Q4'25 it should be available to all devices.
Q: When does the chat become available?
A: The chat is available as soon as the customer completes their booking.
Q: When will the chat be disabled for a customer?
A: The chat will be disabled at midnight on the check-out date. However, the chat history will remain accessible to app users for an additional three days.
Q: Will I receive a notification if a customer contacts us via chat?
A: Yes, you will receive a notification via email to the manager email.
Q: can I disable the notification emails?
A: yes, we need to ask Product to do that. They can also choose the email that they want to be sent
Q: Is there any real notification to the hostel?
A: No. We send emails and show the number of unread messages on inbox home page and menu.
Q: Will the customer receive a notification?
A: Yes, but only if they have enabled the option to chat with the hostel.
Q: How can I report a chat?'
A; yes just click on report issue
Q: if a property has not signed the contract, will have the chat available?
A: no