SMS Setup: Send Text Messages from GuestPoint

SMS Setup

SMS Setup

Quick Answer: Open Message Hub, click the Settings cog, then Text Message Gateway Setup, tick I agree, choose how your texts are sent and click Save.

You need to set up SMS before you can send text messages from GuestPoint, whether from a reservation, the Pre-Stay Text Message or a Send SMS automation. There is no setup fee, but texts are not free: SMS works on prepaid credits. Every property gets some free credits to start, then you top up your balance in Message Hub to keep sending (see What SMS costs below).

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What SMS costs

  • Each text costs $0.10 per 150 characters. A longer text is sent in more than one part and costs more. See Keep Your GuestPoint SMS Costs Low.
  • Every property starts with free SMS credits (10 per room). After that, you top up a prepaid balance in Message Hub. See Navigating to the SMS Credit Purchase Screen.
  • The optional virtual number subscription costs $15.00 per month, charged to a card in your vault.

Step 1: Open Text Message Gateway Setup

  1. Click Message Hub at the bottom of the left-hand menu.
  2. Click the Settings cog at the top right of Message Hub.
  3. Click Text Message Gateway Setup at the bottom left of the Settings window.

You can also open it from Management → Setup → Automated Emails & Text Messages: click the Pre-Stay Text Message tab, then Text Message Gateway Setup at the bottom left.

Pre-Stay Text Message tab with the Text Message Gateway Setup button highlighted

Step 2: Choose the gateway and agree to the terms

  1. Set Select Gateway to GuestPoint Text Message Gateway.
  2. Tick I agree to the Terms and Conditions.
Text Message Gateway Setup window with Select Gateway and I agree to the Terms and Conditions highlighted

Step 3: Choose how your texts are sent

Under Send Text Message as, choose one option. The main difference is whether guests can reply, and where replies go:

OptionCan guests reply?What shows in Message HubCost
Buy a virtual number subscription (recommended)YesEvery text and every reply$15.00/month
Name (requires approval)NoTexts you sendNo extra cost
Number (requires verification)Yes, but to your mobileTexts you send only. Replies go to your mobile and are not trackedNo extra cost
Use Gateway Assigned NumberNoTexts you sendNo extra cost

Buy a virtual number subscription (recommended)

Your property gets its own mobile number, so all SMS conversations with guests stay in GuestPoint. Guests can reply and you see and answer their replies in Message Hub. It also helps avoid spam filters.

  1. Select Buy a virtual number subscription.
  2. Pick a number from Choose a Number.
  3. Enter your Business Name, Address, City, State, Postcode and Contact Number.
  4. Under Credit Card for Payment, click Add Card to Vault to add the card for the $15.00 monthly charge.
  5. Click Buy.
Buy a virtual number subscription option showing the monthly cost, Choose a Number and business details
Choose carefully: once submitted, the number is permanently assigned to your property.

Name (requires approval)

Your texts show your business name (for example CoastalBay) as the sender. This is one-way: guests can't reply.

Australian law requires sender names to be registered with ACMA, so this option needs approval before it works. See Alpha Tag Compliance.

  1. Select Name (requires approval).
  2. Enter the Name (up to 11 characters, clearly linked to your business) and choose a Reason.
  3. Click Submit.
Name option with the approval notice, Name and Reason fields and Submit button

Approval usually takes hours to days on weekdays and can take longer on weekends.

Number (requires verification)

Your texts are sent from your property's own Australian mobile number. Guests can reply, but their replies go to that mobile phone, not to GuestPoint. Message Hub only shows the texts you send, so replies aren't tracked against the reservation.

  1. Select Number (requires verification).
  2. Enter your Australian mobile number under Phone number.
  3. Click Request Verification and enter the code sent to that phone.
Number option with the Phone number field and Request Verification button

Use Gateway Assigned Number

Texts are sent from a number assigned by the gateway. This is one-way: guests can't reply. It works straight away with no approval or verification, so it's a quick way to get started.

Send Text Message as options with Use Gateway Assigned Number selected
Tip: with Name or Use Gateway Assigned Number, guests can't reply to your texts. Add your property phone number to the end of every message so guests know how to contact you.

Step 4: Save and log back in

  1. Click Save.
  2. Log out of GuestPoint and log back in for SMS to start working.

Once SMS is set up

Turning SMS off

If you don't want to use SMS, open Text Message Gateway Setup, untick I agree to the Terms and Conditions and click Save. All SMS features disappear from GuestPoint, and the low-credit banner and top-up reminder emails stop. To turn SMS back on, tick I agree to the Terms and Conditions again and click Save.