Watchtower AI
AI guest replies, drafted from your guidebook — never sent without your approval.
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Always reviewed before sending
Every draft lands in a review panel above your reply composer. Edit, send, or discard — nothing ships to a guest without your explicit approval.
Knows your property already
The AI reads your guidebook (wifi, check-in/out, house rules, contacts) and your booking site (amenities, descriptions, bedrooms) automatically. No prompt engineering required.
Bring your own key — free
Connect your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key on the free tier and pay them directly per request. Keys are stored encrypted server-side and never touch the browser.
Built-in AI on Pro+
Pro+ subscribers get HostMoat's built-in AI included at no extra cost. No API keys to manage, no per-message billing.
How it works
Enable Watchtower for a property
Toggle it on in Settings → Watchtower AI, pick a provider (built-in, OpenAI, Claude, or your own Ollama tunnel), and set a tone ("warm and casual", "professional and concise", whatever fits your voice).
AI draft button appears in your inbox
On any conversation with an inbound message, a ✨ Draft with AI button appears above the reply composer. Click it and a draft is generated using your guidebook and booking-site content.
Review, edit, send
The draft appears in a separate blue review panel with its own send button. Tweak the wording, send as-is, or discard. The 'edited' flag is tracked in the message audit log.
What the AI knows — and what it doesn't
Watchtower builds its knowledge base from three sources: your property basics (address, rates, timezone), your booking-site content (amenities, about text, room counts), and every visible guidebook section (wifi, check-in/out, house rules, contacts, and any freeform sections you've written). If the answer to a guest's question isn't in there, the AI is instructed to say it'll check with you rather than guess. The Settings page has a 'What Watchtower knows' panel that shows you exactly what facts the AI has access to and where each one comes from — so you know what to add to the guidebook to improve future answers.
Test before you ship
The Watchtower settings page includes a 'Try a sample question' panel. Type any hypothetical guest message, click Ask the AI, and see the response without ever sending an email. Useful for trying out a custom prompt, comparing providers, or just confirming the tone is right before turning the feature loose on real guests.
Bring-your-own-key freemium model
Free-tier users can connect their own OpenAI or Anthropic API key, or point Watchtower at a self-hosted Ollama server via a Cloudflare Tunnel. You pay the AI provider directly — HostMoat takes nothing, and your usage stays between you and them. Pro+ subscribers get built-in AI included with no per-message cost. All credentials are stored encrypted in Supabase Vault on the server; the browser never sees them after you save.
Frequently asked
Will Watchtower send replies automatically?
No. Every draft is reviewed by you before sending. There is no auto-send mode. The 'Draft with AI' button on a conversation generates a draft, you read/edit it, then you click Send — same as a manual reply.
Which providers can I use?
Four options: HostMoat's built-in AI (Pro+ only, no setup), OpenAI (you supply a key, you pay them), Claude / Anthropic (you supply a key, you pay them), or your own self-hosted Ollama server via a Cloudflare Tunnel (free, advanced).
Where does the AI get information about my property?
From your existing HostMoat data: property basics (address, rates), booking-site content (amenities, descriptions), and your full digital guidebook (wifi, check-in, house rules, freeform sections). The Settings page has a 'What Watchtower knows' panel that shows the exact knowledge base the AI sees, with click-through to the source page for each fact.
Are my API keys safe?
Yes. Keys are stored encrypted in Supabase Vault on the server side. The browser never sees the actual key value after you save it — the settings page only shows a 'Configured ✓' status. If a key is ever leaked or you want to rotate, click Replace and paste a new one.
Does it work for non-English messages?
Yes. The AI uses the same language as the guest message. If a guest writes in Spanish, the draft comes back in Spanish.
How accurate is the AI for pricing or policy questions?
It only answers from facts in your guidebook and booking site. If you've put your check-in time in the guidebook, the AI will quote it correctly. If a topic isn't documented, the AI is instructed to say it'll check with you — not to guess. Owners with detailed guidebooks get much better drafts than ones with minimal content.
Can I customize how the AI sounds?
Yes — set a Tone (e.g. 'warm and casual', 'professional and concise') and add Owner Notes for context the guidebook doesn't cover. For full control, use the Advanced Custom Prompt textarea to override the default prompt entirely.