Podcast Summary: "Double Your Direct Bookings, Halve Your Workload"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Boostly Podcast
• Host: Mark Simpson
• Episode: Double Your Direct Bookings, Halve Your Workload
• Release Date: July 21, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of The Boostly Podcast, host Mark Simpson delves into strategies for increasing direct bookings while reducing the workload associated with managing guest communications. Mark welcomes Michael and Ryan from Conduit, a rebranded successor to HostAI, to discuss how their AI-driven platform revolutionizes guest interactions in the hospitality industry.

Overview of Conduit

Michael, a founding Account Executive (AE) at Conduit, provides an insightful introduction to the company. He emphasizes that Conduit is designed to automate and enhance guest communication through advanced AI technologies.

Michael [01:21]: "Conduit is the most performant AI on the market for guest communication. Our goal is to automate the mundane, repetitive tasks that our AI can handle, escalating only the most important tasks to your team."

Conduit currently manages approximately 80% of all guest communications across 20,000 listings worldwide. The platform's omnichannel inbox ensures that only complex queries require human intervention, allowing hosts to focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences.

Key Features and Capabilities

Voice AI 24/7: One of the standout features introduced with Conduit's rebrand is the Voice AI, which operates around the clock to handle guest complaints and customer service inquiries. This ensures that guest issues are addressed promptly, regardless of the time of day.

Workflows: Conduit's workflow capabilities allow users to create multi-step operations that the AI can execute autonomously. This feature streamlines processes and further reduces the manual workload for hosts.

Performance Visibility: Managers have full visibility into AI performance, including trends and categorization of guest interactions. This insight helps identify common issues and measure how the AI stacks up against top-performing human support members.

Demo Highlights

Ryan, another founding AE at Conduit, takes listeners through a comprehensive demo of the platform, showcasing its intuitive dashboard and robust functionalities.

• Dashboard Overview: Users can monitor team operations and the automation rate achieved by Conduit. The dashboard displays a breakdown of messages handled by AI versus those needing human attention.

  Ryan: "Average response time by the AI agent is less than 30 seconds per response, compared to all human VAs."

• Integration with PMS: Conduit seamlessly integrates with major Property Management Systems (PMS) like Hostaway, Guesty, Track, and Streamline, as well as an exclusive integration with Airbnb. This allows for automatic profile building and categorization of listings.

• Training the AI: The platform pulls data from various sources, including files, PDFs, CSVs, and guidebook links, to train the AI. Users can easily add or update information, ensuring the AI remains knowledgeable and responsive.

• Style and Policies: Hosts can configure the AI's tone and establish rules and policies to maintain brand consistency and adhere to operational guidelines.

• Omnichannel Inbox: Conduit consolidates all communication channels—email, phone, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat widgets—into a single inbox. This ensures that no guest inquiry is overlooked and allows for efficient management of all interactions.

Integration and Setup

Setting up Conduit is streamlined to minimize disruption:

• Quick Onboarding: Michael notes that onboarding can be completed with as few as two phone calls and within an hour, enabling the AI to start handling inquiries almost immediately.

• Automated Profile Building: Upon integration, Conduit automatically scrapes data from connected platforms to build a comprehensive knowledge base, facilitating accurate and efficient guest communication.

• Custom Workflows: Users can create custom workflows to manage specific operational tasks, such as chasing inbound lead intent or scheduling follow-up calls.

AI Performance and Automation

Conduit's AI is built on Anthropic and GPT-4, providing a robust and adaptable foundation. The platform boasts impressive automation rates, with some users achieving up to 80% automation within the first two weeks of usage, even before committing to a paid plan.

Ryan [17:33]: "We're seeing upwards of 80% automation within their first two-week trial before they even paid for us."

The AI's ability to handle a vast majority of guest communications not only saves time but also ensures consistency and reliability in responses, enhancing overall guest satisfaction.

Q&A Highlights

During the episode, Mark and Ryan address several audience questions:

• CRM Capabilities: Listeners inquire about Conduit's CRM functionalities, including the potential for the AI to initiate follow-up calls to guests.

  Mark [11:06]: "Will the AI only call to confirm and triage bookings, or can it also drop a call to the guest to encourage repeat bookings?"

  Ryan [11:29]: Discusses the advancing capabilities of AI, hinting at future functionalities like scheduling follow-up calls.

• Support for Grasshopper Phone Lines: A listener asks if Conduit supports Grasshopper phone systems, to which Ryan confirms the compatibility.

  Ryan [15:54]: "Yes, we do support Grasshopper phone lines. They have wide coverage and are included in our integrations."

• AI vs. Human Interaction: Mark highlights the importance of human oversight in AI interactions.

  Mark [14:07]: "When they hit the chat button on Conduit, they actually go to a human and not robot."

  Ryan [14:13]: "Every type of inbound message is escalated to a human when necessary, ensuring high-quality support."

Conclusions and Takeaways

Mark wraps up the episode by emphasizing the transformative potential of AI in the hospitality industry. By leveraging Conduit's advanced communication tools, hosts can significantly increase direct bookings while reducing the time and effort spent on managing guest interactions.

Mark [16:22]: "AI is not going to replace jobs. It is just literally going to replace hosts that aren't using it. You have to make sure that you are at the forefront of this."

Ryan echoes this sentiment, highlighting the importance of education and proactive adoption of AI technologies to future-proof businesses.

Ryan [19:30]: "Training a knowledge base for your business can be terrifying, but we have best practices in place to guide you through the process."

The episode concludes with an invitation for listeners to explore Conduit further by visiting their website, conduit.app, and engaging with their team for personalized consultations.

Final Thoughts

"Double Your Direct Bookings, Halve Your Workload" offers a comprehensive look into how AI can revolutionize guest communication in the hospitality sector. Through detailed demonstrations and insightful discussions, Mark, Michael, and Ryan present Conduit as an indispensable tool for hosts aiming to enhance efficiency, boost direct bookings, and deliver exceptional guest experiences.

Stay Connected: For more insights and updates, visit the Boostly YouTube Channel or explore Conduit.app.