Everything you need to know about GuestLoop - the Guest Relationship & Rebooking Engine for vacation rental hosts
Last Updated: November 21, 2025
GuestLoop is a Guest Relationship & Rebooking Engine designed specifically for vacation rental hosts. It helps hosts capture guest emails through digital guidebooks, automate email marketing campaigns, and drive direct bookings to reduce OTA dependency. Average hosts recover $2,847 annually in OTA fees by converting guests to direct bookers.
A PMS (like Guesty, Hospitable, or Hostaway) manages operations: bookings, calendars, cleaning schedules, and operational messaging. GuestLoop is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that focuses on marketing: capturing guest emails, nurturing relationships, and driving repeat bookings. They complement each other. Your PMS sends operational messages (check-in instructions, wifi password), while GuestLoop sends marketing campaigns (seasonal offers, rebooking invitations). Think of PMS as the backend and GuestLoop as the revenue growth layer.
Yes. A PMS handles operational tasks while GuestLoop handles marketing and guest relationships. Most successful hosts use both. Your PMS gets guests in the door (first booking), GuestLoop brings them back (repeat bookings). Hosts using both see 30-40% more direct bookings within 12 months.
GuestLoop includes digital guidebook functionality, but it's much more than that. While companies like TouchStay or Hostfully focus primarily on the guidebook experience, GuestLoop uses the guidebook as an email capture mechanism and then provides the full email marketing and campaign automation to convert those emails into direct bookings. Think of it as: guidebook gets the email, CRM drives the revenue.
GuestLoop is designed for independent vacation rental hosts managing 1-10 properties who want to reduce OTA dependency and own their guest relationships. It's perfect for hosts who are tech-comfortable but not developers, care about guest experience, and want to build a sustainable direct booking business. If you're tired of paying 15-20% OTA fees and want to keep more of your revenue, GuestLoop is for you.
GuestLoop offers two plans: Growth ($29/month for 1-3 properties, 100 SMS/month, 1 team member) and Business ($79/month for 4-10 properties, 300 SMS/month, 3 team members, custom branding). Growth shows a 'Powered by GuestLoop' badge which is removed on Business. All plans include unlimited guests, email capture, digital guidebooks, email campaigns, and referral tracking. There's a 14-day free trial with full feature access and no credit card required. Annual billing available with 20% discount.
We focused GuestLoop exclusively on independent vacation rental hosts (1-10 properties). The Business tier now includes enhanced limits (5 team members, 500 SMS/month, 5 translations) that cover the needs of most independent hosts. For property management companies with 20+ properties, we recommend specialized PMS software designed for large-scale operations.
Yes. GuestLoop offers a 14-day free trial with full access to all Pro features. No credit card required to start. You can test email capture, send campaigns, and see the system in action before committing.
The 14-day trial includes 1 property with full feature access. You get: unlimited guests, digital guidebook with email capture, automated email campaigns, SMS messaging (20 credits to test), 3 AI blog generations, and referral tracking. No credit card required to start. It's the best way to test if GuestLoop is right for you before scaling to multiple properties.
Yes. GuestLoop subscriptions are month-to-month with no long-term contracts. You can cancel anytime from your account settings. If you cancel, you retain access through the end of your billing period and can export all your data.
Growth plan ($29/month) covers 1-3 properties with 100 SMS/month and 1 team member. Business plan ($79/month) covers 4-10 properties with 300 SMS/month, 3 team members, and custom branding (logo/colors). All plans include unlimited guests. Annual billing saves 20% on all plans. GuestLoop is designed for independent hosts with 1-10 properties. For larger property management companies, we recommend specialized PMS software.
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through Stripe. Payments are processed securely and you'll receive a receipt via email for each transaction.
Initial setup takes 15-30 minutes per property. You'll create your digital guidebook, customize email templates, and add your property information. Most hosts are capturing emails within their first day. The platform guides you through each step with setup checklists and tooltips.
No. GuestLoop is designed for non-technical hosts. If you can use Airbnb or send an email, you can use GuestLoop. No coding or technical skills required. Everything is point-and-click with intuitive interfaces.
Yes. You can import guests via CSV file. GuestLoop accepts standard formats with name, email, property information, and booking dates. We provide a CSV template and import guide to make the process seamless.
Yes. GuestLoop integrates with major PMS platforms including Guesty, Hospitable, Hostaway, and others. We're constantly adding new integrations. If your PMS isn't listed, contact us - we may have it in development or can add it to our roadmap.
That's fine! Many GuestLoop customers manage 1-3 properties without a PMS and use GuestLoop as their primary guest communication tool. You can manually add bookings or import from a spreadsheet. GuestLoop works standalone or alongside any system.
GuestLoop provides a digital guidebook for each property. When guests check in, they access the guidebook via QR code (placed in the property) or a direct link (sent via your booking confirmation). To view the guidebook, guests provide their email address. Average capture rate: 90%+.
GuestLoop customers average 88-95% email capture rate. This is significantly higher than industry averages (60-70%) because the guidebook provides immediate value to guests - local recommendations, wifi password, house rules, restaurant suggestions. Guests willingly provide their email because they want access to this information.
Yes, within the platform terms of service. You cannot message guests through the OTA to ask for emails, but you CAN provide a guidebook link in your welcome materials (physical welcome book, posted on the wall, QR code) and capture emails when guests voluntarily access it. This approach is compliant with OTA policies and works for 90%+ of guests.
At minimum: name and email. Optionally: phone number (for SMS), special requests, and arrival date. The less information you require, the higher your capture rate. We recommend starting with just name and email, then adding optional fields if needed for your use case.
You do. Your guest list and all data belongs to you. You can export it at any time in CSV format and delete your account if you choose to leave. We never sell or share your guest data with third parties.
Yes. You can export your guest lists, campaign reports, email templates, and all property data in CSV format anytime. We believe in data portability - your data is your asset.
GuestLoop supports multiple campaign types: welcome sequences (pre-arrival), post-stay thank you and review requests, nurture campaigns (staying top-of-mind), rebooking offers (direct booking invitations), seasonal promotions, local event updates, win-back campaigns (inactive guests), and referral requests. All templates are customizable.
Yes. GuestLoop includes 25+ pre-built email templates for vacation rental hosts, covering all major campaign types. All templates are customizable with your branding, property details, and unique offers. Templates include proven subject lines and copy based on what works in the STR industry.
Yes. All templates are fully customizable. You can edit text, add images, adjust colors, add your logo, and modify layouts. You can also create templates from scratch using our email builder. No coding required - everything is visual drag-and-drop.
GuestLoop customers average 22-28% open rates, compared to the vacation rental industry average of 18-25%. Your rates may be higher because guests have opted in through your guidebook and have a positive association with your property. Review request emails typically see 35-40% open rates.
Yes. GuestLoop offers full email automation. You can create triggered sequences based on: guest check-in date, check-out date, time since last stay, property booked, guest tags/segments, and custom triggers. For example: send a review request 3 days after checkout, then a rebooking offer 6 months later, all automatically.
Yes. You can segment by: property, booking date, number of stays (first-time vs repeat), tags (family, couples, business travelers), engagement (opened emails, clicked links), and custom filters. Segmentation allows you to send targeted campaigns with higher conversion rates.
Yes. GuestLoop includes SMS messaging for time-sensitive communications like last-minute availability, urgent property updates, or booking confirmations. SMS messages cost $0.01-0.03 per message depending on country. We recommend using SMS sparingly for high-value, time-sensitive communications while using email for regular marketing.
Yes. GuestLoop provides full email analytics including: open rates, click rates, link clicks by URL, conversion tracking, and revenue attribution. You can see which campaigns drive the most bookings and optimize accordingly.
Yes. You can test subject lines, send times, and content variations to optimize performance. GuestLoop automatically tracks which version performs better and helps you make data-driven decisions.
Yes. Growth plan supports 1-3 properties and Business plan supports 4-10 properties. Each property can have its own guidebook, email templates, branding, and guest segments. You can send property-specific campaigns or broadcast to all guests.
Yes. Growth plan supports 1 team member and Business supports 3 team members. Each member can have different permission levels. You can add co-hosts, property managers, or virtual assistants and control what they can access and edit.
GuestLoop is web-based and works on all devices through your browser. There's no app to download for hosts. Guests access guidebooks via mobile-optimized web pages (no app required for them either), which means no friction and higher engagement.
Yes. Business plan includes custom branding: logo and brand colors for your guidebook and emails. Your guidebook and emails can fully match your property's brand identity. Growth plan displays a 'Powered by GuestLoop' badge.
GuestLoop provides: email campaign performance (opens, clicks, conversions), capture rate by property, list growth over time, revenue attribution, campaign ROI, guest engagement scores, and booking source tracking. All reports can be exported to CSV.
GuestLoop follows a 4-step process: 1) Capture - Collect guest emails through digital guidebooks (90%+ rate), 2) Nurture - Stay top-of-mind with valuable content over 6-12 months, 3) Convert - Send targeted rebooking offers when guests are ready to travel, 4) Optimize - Track what works and improve over time. Average result: 12-15% of captured guests rebook directly within 18 months.
The average GuestLoop customer recovers $2,847 annually in direct bookings that would have cost 15-20% in OTA fees. For a $29/month Growth subscription ($348/year), that's 8.2x ROI. For Business ($79/month, $948/year), that's 12x ROI. Your results depend on property count, nightly rate, booking volume, and how actively you use campaigns. Most hosts see first results within 3-6 months.
Typical timeline: Month 1 - Set up and start capturing emails, Month 2-3 - Build list to 50-100 guests, Month 4-6 - First direct bookings (typically 2-3), Month 7-12 - Accelerating returns as list grows, Year 2 - 25-35% direct booking rate. The key is consistency - capturing every guest email and sending regular nurture campaigns.
Industry benchmarks: Year 1: 10-15% of bookings direct, Year 2: 25-35% of bookings direct, Year 3+: 40-50% of bookings direct. Top performers achieve 60%+ direct bookings while still maintaining OTA presence for guest acquisition. Direct booking rates compound over time as your list grows and past guests return.
Absolutely! GuestLoop doesn't replace OTAs - it reduces your dependency on them. Most successful hosts use a hybrid approach: OTAs for guest acquisition (finding new guests), GuestLoop to convert those guests to direct bookers for future stays. You keep the OTA for visibility while building your own direct booking channel.
Not required. Many hosts start by having guests book via phone or email based on campaigns. However, a direct booking website increases conversion rates. GuestLoop integrates with booking engines like Lodgify, BookingSync, or you can use your PMS direct booking link in campaigns.
All plans include: email support (24-48 hour response time), knowledge base with video tutorials, setup guides and templates, and community forum. Business plan includes priority support, onboarding calls, and strategy consultations. We're a small team but very responsive - real humans, not bots.
Yes. GuestLoop provides: video tutorials for all features, written setup guides, best practice templates, monthly live webinars, email marketing strategy resources, and case studies from successful hosts. Everything you need to succeed is documented and accessible 24/7.
Yes. Business plan includes onboarding assistance where we help you: set up your first guidebook, configure email capture, create your first campaigns, import existing guests, and review your strategy. We want you to succeed and will guide you through the setup process.
You retain access through the end of your billing period. After cancellation, you can export all your data (guest lists, campaign reports, email templates). We don't delete data immediately in case you want to return. If you need to delete your data permanently, contact us and we'll handle it within 30 days.
GuestLoop is purpose-built for vacation rental hosts with STR-specific features: built-in digital guidebook for email capture (90%+ rate), vacation rental email templates, booking automation, and property-specific segmentation with flat-rate pricing. Mailchimp is a general email marketing tool that requires manual email capture setup, uses generic templates (not STR-specific), has no guidebook functionality, and pricing scales with list size (can get expensive). For STR hosts, GuestLoop provides better ROI with less complexity.
TouchStay and Hostfully focus primarily on digital guidebooks for guest experience. GuestLoop uses guidebooks as the first step but focuses on the complete marketing funnel: email capture through guidebooks, full CRM and email marketing automation, campaign management, and revenue-focused analytics (not just guest experience). If you want just a guidebook → TouchStay/Hostfully. If you want to drive direct bookings → GuestLoop.
Yes, though there's overlap in the guidebook functionality. Some hosts use both: existing guidebook provider for operations, GuestLoop for marketing campaigns. However, most hosts find GuestLoop's guidebook sufficient and consolidate to one platform to save costs.
We're here to help! Reach out to our team or start your free trial to see GuestLoop in action.