“HelloHost has saved us hours of manual work every week. It handles routine guest questions in seconds, giving our team more time to focus on operations while still delivering personalized communication.” — Esther Fernández, Healing Homes
About Healing Homes
Healing Homes manages more than 250 properties throughout the Boston area, providing accommodations for patients, families, and caregivers traveling for medical treatment. Communication plays an important role in helping guests feel supported during what are often stressful and sensitive stays.
As the portfolio grew, so did guest message volume. Much of the team's day was spent answering recurring questions about parking, check-in, hospital directions, and local recommendations. Keeping up with that volume while maintaining fast, accurate responses became increasingly difficult.
Before HelloHost, nearly every guest message was answered manually. Today, HelloHost automatically handles 80 to 90% of routine inquiries, reducing time spent on messaging by 35%. That shift has allowed Esther and her team to focus on higher-priority guest needs and the operational work that keeps the business running.
Managing High-Volume Guest Communication Across 250+ Properties
Challenge
Before HelloHost, Healing Homes' 10-person Guest Experience team managed guest communication around the clock across Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, Furnish Finder, Whimsy, Capital One, direct booking website, Slack, and Asana.
Each message required checking reservation details and calendars, reviewing internal systems, and drafting a response. Even simple questions added up quickly at scale.
Many inquiries were repetitive:
- Early check-in and late check-out requests
- Parking instructions
- Pet fees and guest policies
- Directions to nearby hospitals
- Local recommendations
Peak periods between 8:00-10:00 AM and 2:00-11:00 PM required constant attention and prioritization. Overnight coverage was handled by just two team members, which made late-night arrivals and urgent after-hours requests especially demanding.
The real challenge wasn't complex guest issues. It was the constant flow of routine requests arriving while the team was also coordinating cleanings, maintenance, and daily operations.
Solution
HelloHost was introduced to handle routine guest questions, automate follow-up tasks, and integrate directly into their existing channels like WhatsApp. This allowed the team to respond faster without switching between systems.
Result
- Routine guest inquiries handled automatically
- Faster response times during peak hours
- Consistent communication across all properties
- 24/7 guest support without additional staffing
“Occasionally, we have someone arriving on a late flight and checking in past midnight. We have the peace of mind that if they have any questions or trouble checking in at any time, HelloHost will respond immediately.” — Esther Fernández, Healing Homes
Quick Onboarding, Fast Results
After a 45-minute onboarding session, the HelloHost team structured Healing Homes' property information into FAQs and SOPs. The system was fully live within two days.
The 30-day free trial period allowed the team to fine-tune responses and workflows so everything matched the team's expectations before rolling it out across the portfolio.
HelloHost is now part of their standard onboarding process, allowing new properties to go live without adding operational burden to the Guest Experience team.
“This was our first time using AI for guest communication, but with the trial period, 24/7 support, and fine-tuning, onboarding HelloHost ended up being a quick, smooth process for our team.” — Esther Fernández, Healing Homes
Creating More Capacity for Operations
Challenge
Guest communication was only one part of the team's responsibilities. They also managed maintenance coordination, operational support, and cleaning workflows across 250+ properties.
As volume increased, coordination became harder to manage across systems. Small tasks required multiple steps across different people and systems, slowing execution.
Solution
Before HelloHost, a guest request often meant responding to the guest, creating a task, assigning it to a staff member, and following up to ensure completion.
Now, tasks are automatically generated from guest conversations and routed directly to the right person.
Instead of following up on requests, the team now spends that time preparing properties and resolving operational issues that keep the business running smoothly.
Result
- ~35% reduction in time spent managing guest messages
- Automated workflows for operational, cleaning, and maintenance tasks
- Faster execution across teams
- Improved consistency in internal communication and quality of work
“With all our listings in a major city like Boston, guests ask a lot of detailed questions about locations and parking. HelloHost now handles those in seconds, saving us hours of manual work every week and freeing our team to focus on operations while still delivering personalized guest communication.” — Esther Fernández, Healing Homes
Reducing After-Hours Communication Pressure
Challenge
Guest communication didn't stop after business hours. The team frequently found themselves monitoring and responding to non-urgent questions in the evenings, on weekends, and during holidays.
Solution
Routine questions are handled automatically, while more complex issues are escalated through WhatsApp so the team is only notified when their attention is needed. This reduces the pressure to constantly monitor the inbox after hours.
Result
- Immediate responses, 24/7
- More sustainable workload without increasing headcount
- Better balance between automation and human oversight
- Improved responsiveness during overnight periods
“During the early morning hours, from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., we only have 2 people working, and HelloHost has been very helpful in responding in a timely manner to guests messaging after hours, whether because they are in a different time zone/county or for some other reason.” — Esther Fernández, Healing Homes
Helping Guests Feel Supported Throughout Their Stay
Challenge
Many guests are visiting Boston for medical treatment. Getting quick, accurate information helps reduce uncertainty during an already stressful trip.
Solution
Guests now receive immediate answers to questions about check-in, parking, hospital directions, or location information.
This reduced response delays and eliminated large amounts of repetitive manual work, saving the team more than 260 hours per month.
Result
- Faster access to critical guest information
- Significant reduction in manual workload
- More consistent guest experience overall
- Staff saved over 260 hours per month
“Guests often share why they're coming to Boston, like for a family event or graduation. Previously, we would just respond generically to the basic question, but HelloHost adds a more personal touch. It might say something like, ‘We're so glad you're coming for that, it's great you'll get to see your family.’ That level of personalization wasn't something we could consistently do before, and it really stands out to guests.” — Esther Fernández, Healing Homes
Looking Ahead
As Healing Homes continues to grow, guest communication is no longer limiting how quickly the business can expand. Routine conversations are handled automatically, giving the team more capacity to focus on guests and operational work that directly supports growth.
Despite scaling beyond 250 properties, they continue to operate with the same 10-person Guest Experience team, proving that growth does not always mean increasing headcount.
Interested in learning more? Book a demo to see how HelloHost helps hospitality teams automate guest communication while keeping operations running smoothly.
