Turno is excited to announce our integration partnership with HostBuddy AI, an automated guest communication platform that helps property managers provide 24/7 guest support while reducing operational costs. We recently sat down with Jay Ullrich, CEO of HostBuddy AI and long-time Turno user, to discuss how this integration will benefit property managers.
What Does This Mean for Turno Users?
“As soon as a cleaner marks a project as complete, HostBuddy is going to receive that information and be able to send that in an automated message directly to the guest that’s checking in that same day,” explains Jay. “You can offer an early check-in for that guest. They’re going to be really appreciative of that extra gesture.”
This integration creates an opportunity for property managers to enhance their guest experience while potentially creating a new revenue stream. “You could also use that as an upsell opportunity if you’re a company who likes to capitalize on those things and say, ‘hey, you can check in now for $20 extra, or feel free to just continue checking in at your regular scheduled time,'” adds Jay.
A Solution Born from Experience
What makes this partnership particularly special is that HostBuddy AI was born from hands-on property management experience. Jay started as a Turno user in 2021 when he and his partner were managing just two properties. “We were cleaning the properties by ourselves,” recalls Jay. “Turno was the first tool that we found that automated any aspect of our business, and that really got us on the mindset of ‘how do we automate the rest of our business?'”
That mindset led Jay and his team to scale their property management company to over 40 properties, but they noticed a gap in the market for intelligent guest communication. This experience led to the creation of HostBuddy AI.
The Power of AI in Guest Communications
Today, HostBuddy AI provides automated guest communication that sounds exactly like a Superhost, responding to guests within minutes at any time of day. The platform can handle everything from general inquiries to local recommendations, all while maintaining a natural, friendly tone.
The impact on operations can be significant. One property manager who switched from using a virtual assistant to HostBuddy AI saw their guest communication costs drop from $4,000 per month to just $78, while actually increasing their coverage from 12 to 24 hours per day.
Easy Implementation, Risk-Free Trial
For property managers interested in trying HostBuddy AI, the onboarding process is straightforward. “You can go to hostbuddy.ai,” says Jay. “There’s a login and sign up link right up top. You can connect your property management system for free and never have to pay or subscribe to anything until you want to go and actually schedule it.”
Understanding that many hosts might be hesitant about implementing AI, HostBuddy offers a risk-free way to test the system. “You can test out all the features, take as much time as you want,” explains Jay. “And then as soon as you start your scheduling, you have a 14-day free trial that we’ve given to all of our users.”
The platform includes a “smart inbox” where you can see exactly how HostBuddy would respond to guest messages before turning on automated responses. This allows hosts to get comfortable with the AI’s communication style and ensure it aligns with their standards.
Why This Integration Matters
This partnership represents our commitment to helping property managers automate and optimize their operations. By connecting Turno’s cleaning management capabilities with HostBuddy’s AI-powered communication, we’re enabling hosts to:
- Automatically offer early check-ins when properties are ready
- Create new revenue opportunities
- Provide 24/7 guest support
- Reduce operational costs
- Maintain high-quality guest communications
Get Started Today
Ready to automate your guest communications and offer seamless early check-ins? Visit hostbuddy.ai to start your free trial today.
Follow Turno’s blog and social media channels for more news on exciting integrations and ways that we are making vacation rental cleaning management more efficient for hosts.
