PMCs managing 50+ units, how are you handling guest communication at scale?

Question

I've been talking to a lot of property management companies lately and there's a pattern I keep seeing once you cross around 25-30 units under management.

The guest messaging workload stops being something you can handle with a couple of VAs and canned responses. The volume is too high, the mix of message types is too varied, and the cost of one wrong response to a guest, bad check-in instructions, incorrect late checkout approval, missed maintenance issue, scales directly with how many properties you're running.

Most PMCs I talk to end up in one of three camps:

Camp 1: Stack more VAs. Works until it doesn't, training time, turnover, and consistency become real problems past 50 units. Also the cost creeps up fast.

Camp 2: Try an AI tool like HostBuddy or similar. The feedback I keep hearing is that these tools require a ton of upfront programming to dial in, and even then the responses aren't reliable enough to trust without a human reviewing them. So you end up paying for the AI AND still having VAs babysit it.

Camp 3: Build something custom in-house. Great if you have the dev resources. Most PMCs don't.

The thing I'm curious about is whether there's a fourth option that actually works, AI that's reliable enough to trust, sounds like your brand (not a generic bot), and doesn't require weeks of programming to set up. And critically, one that can be white-labeled so you can present it as part of your own tech stack to the property owners you're trying to win.

For the PMCs here running 50+ units:

• 1. What are you currently using and how's it actually working?
• 2. If you've tried AI tools, what made you stick with them or drop them?
• 3. Would white-labeling matter to you, or is that not a priority?

Not trying to pitch anything here, I'm building in this space and the best product decisions I've made came from PMCs telling me what's actually broken about the current options.

Calvin Baughman · Answer

1. I use Hostaway and Turno across all my properties. It lets me communicate with guests and schedule high-quality cleanings automatically, and I’ve seen a noticeable boost in both my reviews and occupancy rate.

2. I've experimented with AI-driven processes rather than specific tools, and honestly, I wasn’t too impressed. I prefer keeping automation simple. When you rely too heavily on AI, you risk losing your tone and brand personality, which can make guests feel less engaged. Not saying it's not important or I don't use any of it, but it's a bit like dealing with a bot for customer support, it often comes across as impersonal.

3. Definitely!

Albert Witt · Answer

I self-manage on the Oregon Coast and hit the messaging wall around property 2 honestly. Not even 50 units — just the 2am checkout questions, the 'where's the WiFi password' for the 10th time that week, adjusting pricing when whale migration season hits and demand spikes. All the repetitive stuff that eats your time.

Camp 2 is what I've seen too — most AI tools need so much hand-holding they defeat the purpose. The ones that actually work are the ones that understand the context of YOUR properties, not just generic hospitality responses. Like if a guest asks about beach access, the answer is different for every single listing. If the AI can't handle that without you programming every scenario, it's just a fancy auto-responder.

The white-label question is interesting — for owners like me it doesn't matter, but I could see PMCs caring about that a lot. If you're pitching owners on your management services, having 'your' tech stack vs saying 'we use this third party tool' is a different conversation.

Biggest thing I'd want: AI that handles the volume but lets me stay in control of the decisions. Nobody wants a bot making judgment calls on a $500 late checkout fee.

Albert Witt · Answer

Ai is exactly what you use for this problem as a human might get tired and for get some small details and not get to reply as soon where AI is Jonny on all the time quick reply never gets tired and can go all night and day

Derek D. · Answer

Hey @Izuchukwu Onukwube what PMS do you currently use?

John Underwood · Answer

Do you use the same cleaners over and over again? If so are the Turno fees so low that it makes sense to keep using them for scheduling cleanings also or do you just eventually contract the cleaners direct?

Ryan Moyer · Answer

Option 1, though I kind of lucked into a cheat.

The first VA I hired was a former recruiter. I hired her because she was sharp and communicates well (most guests and clients have no idea she's not American). She had no knowledge of STR.

But now I've trained her in STR and she practically runs half my company. So whenever we need a VA, she uses her recruiter background to find the right personality etc, and she trains them in STR.

Takes all the guesswork out with VAs where you usually have to hire someone with no STR experience to get a VA that is actually a great employee.

Izuchukwu Onukwube · Answer

I did mention it in the post, "I'm building in this space and the best product decisions I've made came from PMCs telling me what's actually broken about the current options", Fair feedback that it should be clearer though, and I'll lead with it in future posts. Appreciate the heads up

Drew Sygit · Answer

Why didn't your initial post state you are a developer looking for input?

You are on the edge of violating BP posting requirements...

Izuchukwu Onukwube · Answer

Hey Derek, full transparency, I'm not running properties myself, I'm a developer building Hostrexa (the AI guest messaging tool I mentioned in the post). So my PMS exposure is from the integration side rather than as an operator.Right now I'm focused on Hostaway and Hostfully for the first integrations, partly because their APIs are the most builder-friendly and partly because that's where the PMCs I've been talking to are concentrated. Actually had a partnership call with the Hostfully team recently, they seem to be opening up their marketplace pretty actively right now.

What are you currently running, and what made you start looking at other options? Always trying to learn what's working and what's broken from people actually using these platforms day to day.

Andrew Steffens · Answer

I have 60 or so units and 4 full time VA's giving me 24/7 coverage.  I am uncomfortable releasing them and implementing AI.  I think AI could be used to allay the need to get more VA's if I were to continue to scale, likely over 100 units.

PMCs managing 50+ units, how are you handling guest communication at scale?

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