Guest messaging, in one inbox.

The Watchfox inbox is the place where guest questions become guest replies. Every thread that arrives — from any channel, at any hour — shows up in one merged view, with full channel context. The agent drafts a reply in your voice and queues it for your approval so you stay in voice without losing the speed of automation.

What the inbox reads

Each listing you connect is auto-paired with its channel-side messaging API. The agent then reads three inputs every time a thread updates:

• Thread history. Every message on the thread so far, across every channel the conversation touched. The inbox collapses duplicates so a guest who messaged both Airbnb and Vrbo sees one thread, not two.
• Listing context. The listing this thread belongs to, including check-in instructions, the calendar, and any guest notes the cleaning crew left after the last turnover.
• House style. The voice ruleset on the listing — tone, formality, length limits, and any phrases you want avoided. Defaults to a friendly, brief tone.

How a reply gets drafted

When a new inbound message arrives, the agent runs five steps before queuing a reply. Each step is logged so you can audit it.

1. Merge the thread. If the same guest messaged on multiple channels, the inbox unifies them into one view with the most recent message on top.
2. Classify intent. A semantic read tags the message as pre-booking inquiry, check-in question, during-stay issue, check-out question, or review prompt. Intent drives which reply template the agent pulls from.
3. Draft a reply. The agent composes a one- to three-sentence response, in your house style, using the thread history and listing context. The draft is what shows up in the inbox, not the channel.
4. Queue for review. Drafts are tagged awaiting you by default. A red-flag reroute (see the maintenance triage article) can promote a draft to urgent.
5. Send on approval. On send, the reply posts back to the right channel API with the thread id it merged from, so the channel-side message lands under the right guest.

Two send modes

You can flip the inbox between two operating modes per channel. Both modes live on the same thread — the difference is who approves each send.

• Queued mode (default). Every draft waits for your one-tap approve before sending. You see the full thread, the draft, and a one-line rationale before you tap Send.
• Autonomous mode.Replies go out automatically when the red-flag reroute hasn't tripped and the intent matches one of four pre-blessed categories: pre-booking, check-in, check-out, and review-prompt. Anything outside those categories still waits for you.

What this looks like in week one

Most hosts start in queued mode for the first week so they can read drafts, watch the tone, and tune the house style. By week two you usually know which intents you trust Watchfox with and can flip the four categories to autonomous for the channels where your voice is steady.

Related articles

The inbox is paired with the maintenance triage engine — red flags on the thread flip the draft from awaiting you to urgent in the same queue.