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Using Whatsapp in Guestway

In this article we explain how WhatsApp messaging works inside Guestway and how to initiate conversations using templates.

Once your WhatsApp number is connected, you can send and receive WhatsApp messages with guests directly from the Guestway Inbox — alongside all your other channels.

This page explains how WhatsApp conversations work, how to start a new conversation, and how to manage message templates.

How WhatsApp conversations work

WhatsApp's Business Platform uses a 24-hour conversation window rule:

  1. You send a template message → a new conversation opens with the guest.

  2. The guest replies → a 24-hour free-messaging window opens.

  3. Within 24 hours of their last reply → you can send any message freely, no template needed.

  4. After 24 hours without a guest reply → the window closes and a template is required to re-open it.

This rule is enforced by Meta and applies to all businesses using the WhatsApp Business API.

Starting a new conversation

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To open a new WhatsApp conversation with a guest from the Guestway Inbox:

  1. Open the guest's reservation or conversation in the Inbox.

  2. In the message composer, select WhatsApp as the channel.

  3. Click the template selector and choose a template from the list.

  4. Review the pre-filled variable values — Guestway fills these in automatically from the reservation.

  5. Click Send.

The guest receives the template message on WhatsApp. Once they reply, you can send free-form messages for the next 24 hours.

If WhatsApp does not appear as a channel in the composer, your WhatsApp number may not be connected yet. Go to Settings → Integrations to check the status.

Replying to an incoming message

When a guest sends you a WhatsApp message, it appears in the Guestway Inbox automatically — no action needed to receive it. You can reply freely in the composer as long as you are within the 24-hour window from their last message.

If the window has closed, the composer will prompt you to send a template to re-open the conversation.

Message templates

What are templates

Templates are pre-approved message formats required to start a new WhatsApp conversation. They are created in your WhatsApp Business Account and approved by Meta before they can be used.

Default template

Guestway automatically creates a default template in your WhatsApp Business Account — you can use it immediately to start conversations without any additional setup.

The default Guestway template as it appears in WhatsApp Manager

Creating custom templates

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To create your own templates, go to Meta WhatsApp Manager and follow these requirements so they work correctly in Guestway:

Required settings:

  • Category: Utility → Default

  • Body variables: use named variables (e.g. {{name}}) — not numbered variables (e.g. {{1}})

  • Variable placement: body text only — no variables in the header or footer

  • Media attachments: not supported

  • Buttons: a Call to Action → Visit website button is supported, and it's how you add a tappable link to the guest app — see below.

The numbered-variable rule applies to the body only. A dynamic URL button uses {{1}} — WhatsApp adds it for you and doesn't let you rename it. That's expected, and it's the one place a numbered variable is correct.

What to expect:

  • Templates appear in Guestway only after Meta approves them — approval usually takes 5–10 minutes

  • Deleted templates may take a few minutes to disappear from Guestway

  • If a variable has no value for a specific guest, Guestway substitutes a dot (.)

Template configuration in Meta WhatsApp Manager

The guest app button

Adding a button that links to the guest app

Booking-confirmation templates work much better when the guest can tap straight through to their guest app and complete pre-check-in. Add a Visit website button to your template and Guestway fills in the right link for each reservation automatically.

The link is different for every reservation, so the button uses a dynamic URL: you supply the fixed part, and WhatsApp adds a variable for the rest.

In Meta WhatsApp Manager, in the Buttons section of your template:

  1. Click Add button and add a Call to Action button.

  2. Set Type of Action to Visit website.

  3. Set Button Text to something a guest will understand — for example Complete Pre-check-in. (Maximum 40 characters.)

  4. Set URL Type to Dynamic.

  5. In Website URL, enter the guest portal address, including the trailing slash:

    WhatsApp shows {{1}} pinned after the field. That's the variable Guestway fills in — you don't type it, and you can't rename it.

  6. Under Add sample URL, enter the same address with any placeholder token on the end:

    The sample is only used for Meta's template review — no real guest data needed. It also tells Guestway that this button's variable should be filled with the guest app link.

  7. Submit the template for approval.

Once Meta approves it, the template appears in Guestway. Each time you send it, {{1}} is replaced with the guest app link for that specific reservation, so the button takes each guest straight to their own pre-check-in.

Use https://portal.guestway.io/ exactly, trailing slash included. The button only resolves when the URL points at the Guestway guest portal. Any other address — including a test or staging host — won't be recognised, and the button will send guests somewhere that doesn't work.

Prefer a link in the message body instead? Put {{portal_link}} in the body text — see Available template variables. The body variable gives an inline link; the button gives a proper tappable call to action. Use the button when completing pre-check-in is the point of the message, and the body variable when the link is just one detail among several.

A booking confirmation that works well

Body:

Button: Visit website → Complete Pre-check-in → https://portal.guestway.io/

Replace <your company name> with your brand — it's the same on every message, so it doesn't need a variable. Because the template invites a reply, a guest who answers opens the 24-hour free-messaging window, letting your team follow up without another template.

Available template variables

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The full list of supported variables lives inside Guestway under Saved replies — the same set powers both saved replies and WhatsApp templates. New variables are added regularly, so the in-product list is always the source of truth.

Insert a variable into your template body and Guestway will fill it in from the reservation automatically when the message is sent.

Most variables also have one or more aliases — shorter, alternative names that resolve to the same value. For example, guest_full_name and name are interchangeable.

Prefer the shorter alias in WhatsApp templates. WhatsApp limits how long variable names can be inside a template definition, so using the alias (for example name instead of guest_full_name) gives you more room to work with — and keeps your template easier to read.

A few examples:

Variable Example
Alias Example
Description
Example value

guest_full_name

name

Full name of the guest or owner

John Doe

guest_primary_email

email

Primary email of the guest or owner

[email protected]

reservation_check_in_date_localized

check_in_date

Check-in date of the reservation

2024-06-01

reservation_check_in_time_localized

check_in_time

Check-in time of the reservation

15:00

guest_app_link

portal_link

Link to the guest app for the reservation

https://portal.guestway.io/ABC123DEF45

Template Examples That You Can Use

Use these examples below to get started, they will work straight away after you set them up:

  • Stay confirmed with info:

  • Booking confirmation with pre check-in form:

  • Welcome message with reservation info:

Related pages

  • Meta setup & Guestway integration — connect a new number or migrate an existing one.

  • Connect your existing WhatsApp Business App (Coexistence) — keep using the WhatsApp app on your phone.

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