Hospitable alternatives for short-term rental hosts

Hosts look for a Hospitable alternative when they work out what the AI actually costs. The free Essentials plan only suggests replies. Host at $29 covers one listing and stops at two. Professional at $59 adds $15 per extra listing. The AI that sends on its own is on Mogul only, at $99 for three listings and $30 each after, which puts a reply that goes out without you at $99 a month. And beyond the inbox, prices, expenses, cleaning briefs and review replies stay with the host. Tokay is the one we built for exactly this; here is how it and the others compare, with prices as of October 2026. Check each site for the current figure.

Tokay: the complete front desk

Tokay is an AI front desk for short-term rental hosts, built in Bangkok by a host who still runs apartments and was its first customer. It connects to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo directly in about ten minutes, with nothing to install and no PMS to set up. Six agents, each with one job: Pam answers guests around the clock in their own language, more than ten including Thai, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Russian. Ivo reviews prices every morning and recommends changes you approve, undoable for two days. Angela turns bank slip photos into expense records and flags a monthly bill that has not arrived. Sam writes tomorrow's cleaning brief every night, updates it when plans change, and reaches cleaners on LINE. Andy drafts a reply to every review the morning it lands. Leo sends one morning message with what needs you.

The host decides what goes out. For two weeks every reply comes to you for approve, edit or deny with a tap; then you switch on what Pam may send alone, one topic at a time. Anything unusual, upset or uncertain always comes to you, and Pam never invents a fact. One plan: $29 per listing monthly or $24 yearly, $24 / $20 from 10 listings, $19 / $16 from 25, no per-message fees, no commission, autonomous sending included from the start rather than reserved for a top tier. Full refund within 30 days. WhatsApp and LINE for guests and smart locks are coming soon.

Other tools hosts consider

Hostaway

A PMS with no published prices, reported at $80 to $175 per month for 1 to 4 listings on 12 or 24 month contracts, with an onboarding fee reported, as of October 2026. AI Replies can auto-send per topic once opted in; the default is draft for approval. The contract, the setup project and the back office beyond bookings stay with the host.

Guesty

A PMS for larger operators. Lite covers 1 to 3 listings at $9 per listing plus 1% of revenue, or $20 annual / $29 monthly, as of October 2026; Pro and Enterprise are quote only on an annual contract, reported at $40 to $72 per listing. ReplyAI drafts replies and whether it sends on its own is unconfirmed. Expenses, cleaning briefs and review replies stay with the host.

Hostex

A channel manager with Agoda, Trip.com and Expedia native alongside Airbnb and Booking.com. Pro about $10.40 per listing monthly, yearly from $7, 15-day trial, as of October 2026. HostGPT auto-replies are metered at 10 free per property per month, so a busy listing is back to manual replies within days. No accounting, no price recommendations, no drafted review replies.

Boom Host

A bundle at $30 per listing for 1 to 20 listings, first month free, as of October 2026. Answers guests, books the cleaner, nudges prices and answers reviews, with three trust modes set for the whole account rather than per topic. No expense records, no bill watchdog, no morning summary; languages not stated.

HostBuddy AI and HostReply.ai

Both are messaging add-ons that need a PMS underneath: HostBuddy sits on Hospitable, Hostaway or Guesty at a reported $7 to $12 per property, with sending from the Elite plan up; HostReply.ai is $19 flat and integrates with Hospitable and OwnerRez only, as of October 2026. Leaving Hospitable means replacing these too, and neither touches prices, books, cleaning or reviews.

How to choose

• Do you want the AI to send without paying for the top tier? Tokay includes it on the one plan, switched on by you one topic at a time after two supervised weeks.
• Do you want the back office handled? Tokay's Angela records expenses from a slip photo and flags a late bill, Sam briefs the cleaners, Andy drafts review replies, all in the same plan as the inbox.
• Do you want to see what the AI says before it says it alone? Tokay starts supervised, then you decide per topic; prices can be undone for two days and nothing is invented.
• Do your guests write in Thai, Mandarin, Japanese or Russian? Tokay's Pam answers in more than ten languages, on Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.
• Do you want one number with nothing variable? Tokay is one flat plan per listing, no per-message fees, no commission, launch price kept for life if you join before 31 March 2027.

Questions hosts ask