If you manage vacation rentals or short-term rental properties, your relationship with notifications is complicated. Too few, and a guest sits waiting for an answer that never comes — hurting your response time and your reviews. Too many, and your phone becomes background noise you learn to ignore — which is arguably worse.
Until now, UpMarket sent push notifications for escalations: the moments where the AI guest communication system decided a human needed to step in. That covered the most urgent cases, but it left a gap in guest message monitoring. What about the message the AI didn’t answer, that nobody escalated, that’s just… sitting there?
Introducing notification preferences for your guest messaging inbox
You can now choose exactly which guest messages reach your phone, with three notification levels:
Only escalations. You’ll be notified when a guest chat is escalated to you. This is the default, and the right choice if your team actively monitors the guest inbox throughout the day.
Escalations and unanswered messages. You’ll also be notified when the AI hasn’t replied to a guest message and no one on your team has opened the chat yet. This is the safety net for your guest communication: if something slips past both the Virtual Concierge and your team, you know about it in real time — not when the guest follows up angrily three hours later.
Every guest message. You’re notified on every new guest message, including the ones the AI handles automatically. Ideal for smaller vacation rental operations, new properties you’re keeping a close eye on, or any host who simply wants full visibility into their automated guest messaging..
How to set it up (takes under a minute)
Step 1 — Open your notification settings. In your UpMarket inbox, click the settings cog at the top of the screen and select Push notifications from the dropdown menu.
Step 2 — Choose your notification level. In the panel that opens, pick one of the three options. Your choice is saved instantly — no save button needed — and you’ll see a “Preference saved” confirmation.
Step 3 — Turn on this device. Below the notification options you’ll find the This device section. Click Turn on and accept the browser permission prompt. That’s it — this device will now receive push notifications according to your chosen level.
Step 4 (optional) — Repeat on your other devices. Your notification level applies to your whole account, but each device is switched on or off individually. Enable push on your phone, leave it off on the office laptop — or the other way around. Turning a device off never erases your preference; the moment you switch it back on, your chosen level applies again.
💡 On iPhone or iPad? Install the UpMarket app to your home screen first (Share → Add to Home Screen); push notifications on iOS work from the installed app.
Notification settings for property management teams
Preferences are personal: each host and each agent on your team chooses their own notification level, independently. Your night-shift agent can receive every guest message while your bookkeeper receives nothing — and nobody can change anyone else’s setting. Team notification settings that match how your property management operation actually works.
Why “unanswered messages” is the level we recommend
Guest messaging automation is only trustworthy when you can verify it. The escalations-plus-unanswered level is designed exactly for that: the AI handles routine guest questions, your team handles the escalations, and the notification system watches for the rare message that falls between the two. It’s the difference between hoping nothing was missed and knowing it — and it’s how fast response times stay fast, even when nobody is watching the inbox.
Not using UpMarket yet?
Schedule a demo and see how much of your vacation rental guest communication can run itself.
Already an existing client? Set your notification preference today from the settings menu in your guest messaging inbox.
