Cloudbeds Guest Experience Messaging Services FAQ

When Link Shortening is enabled in Cloudbeds Guest Experience, URLs included in messages are automatically converted into shortened links.

This includes:

• Guest Portal links inserted using the Guest Portal Link merge tag in automated messages
• Full URLs typed directly into message templates
• Links sent in automated or manual messages

By default, links are shortened using the cb.whstl.io domain. If you configure a custom subdomain, the system uses your custom short link instead.

The original URL remains unchanged in your message template. The link is shortened when the message is sent.

This applies across supported messaging channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, and email, subject to channel-specific restrictions.

How to enable Link Shortening

1. Go to Company > Messaging Services.
2. Turn on the Link Shortening toggle.
3. Optional: Click Edit settings to configure a custom subdomain that you own.
4. Click Save.

Once enabled, no additional setup is required inside your message templates or automations. URLs are shortened automatically when messages are sent.

Note: If Link Shortening is turned off, messages use the original full URL. Enabling the feature does not change previously sent messages. Cloudbeds recommends using the built-in feature instead of third-party URL shorteners.

You cannot create formatted text hyperlinks in SMS messages in the same way as in emails. However, you can include a URL in an SMS message, and the recipient can open the link.

Options:

• Save frequently used URLs as Company Variables for your team.
• Use Cloudbeds Guest Experience Link Shortening to reduce URL length.
• Avoid third-party link shorteners when possible, as shortened links may be blocked by security checks or messaging providers.

When the built-in Link Shortening feature is enabled, Guest Experience can use the cb.whstl.io domain.

Important: Sending links in Guest Experience messages (Error 5100)

For security reasons, Cloudbeds Guest Experience may block messages containing external links. When this happens, the message may fail with Error 5100.

This can also affect external content in email messages, such as hosted images. Before adding a logo or banner to an automated email, make sure its hosting domain is approved.

If you encounter Error 5100, contact Cloudbeds Support or your Onboarding Coach and share the link you are trying to send.

Yes. Automated emails can use HTML formatting, allowing you to include externally hosted images, such as your property's logo.

Important:

• This applies to email messages. SMS and WhatsApp do not render inline HTML images.
• Images must be hosted at a secure HTTPS URL.
• The image-hosting domain must be approved before the image can be used in Guest Experience messages.
• If the domain is not approved, contact Cloudbeds Support or your CSM with the image URL or domain.
• Some email clients block remote images by default. Guests may need to select Show images or Load images.

Best practices:

• Use publicly accessible HTTPS image URLs.
• Add alternative text to images.
• Send a test email before enabling the automation for guests.

Yes. You can configure a custom outbound email address so guests receive emails from your property's address.

The address must use a domain your property controls, allowing you to configure the required email authentication records.

After adding the custom outbound email address, you have 3 days to configure the required DKIM, SPF, and DMARC DNS records.

If you do not manage your property's domain, contact your domain administrator or IT provider for assistance.

To receive guest replies in Guest Experience, configure forwarding from your custom outbound mailbox to your property's default Guest Experience inbound email address.

After adding a custom outbound email address in Cloudbeds Guest Experience, configure the required DNS authentication records within 3 days.

• DKIM: Add the required DKIM record to your domain's DNS settings and complete verification.
• SPF: Your domain must have only one SPF record. If you already use another email provider, such as SendGrid or Brevo, combine the required SPF mechanisms into the existing record rather than adding another SPF record.
• DMARC: Your domain must have only one DMARC record. If one already exists, update it as needed instead of creating a duplicate.

After updating your DNS records, complete the verification process in Guest Experience.

If the custom outbound email address shows a Failed DKIM status, remove the address from Cloudbeds Guest Experience, add it again, and complete verification again.

Follow the same process when changing your custom outbound email address:

1. Remove the existing custom outbound email address.
2. Add the new address, or re-add the original address if resolving a DKIM failure.
3. Review the required DNS authentication records.
4. Complete verification again.

If the issue continues, confirm that the domain's DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records are configured correctly and contact Cloudbeds Support if additional assistance is needed.

No. Agoda and Cloudbeds Guest Experience Email Messaging cannot share the same custom email address.

Use a separate address for each integration.

For Agoda:

1. Use the email address registered in Agoda YCS when configuring the Agoda messaging integration.
2. Contact agoda.chain.support@agoda.com and request that obfuscated emails be enabled for Cloudbeds.
3. Keep the Agoda address separate from your Guest Experience custom outbound Email Messaging address.

Booking.com uses messaging security settings to help prevent fraudulent links and impersonation.

In the Booking.com extranet, properties can specify which email addresses and links are allowed in guest messages.

Administrators can add approved links or domains in the messaging security settings.

To allow Cloudbeds Guest Experience links:

1. Sign in to the Booking.com extranet.
2. Go to Property > Messaging preferences.
3. Open Security settings.
4. Complete two-factor authentication.
5. Select Add a link and enter the URL or domain.
6. Use the + option to add more links if needed.
7. Click Add domain.

Allow this Cloudbeds Guest Experience domain:

• https://links.cloudbeds.com/

If you use a custom link-shortening domain, add that domain to the Booking.com allowlist as well.

Troubleshooting:

If Booking.com replaces a URL with [link removed], verify that the required domains are allowed in Booking.com's messaging security settings.

If a message fails with Error 5100 before reaching Booking.com, verify that the domain is included in the property's Cloudbeds Guest Experience Approved Links list.

If the issue continues, contact Cloudbeds Support.

1. Access the Company page.
2. Go to Messaging Services.
3. Enable Link Shortening.
4. Click Edit settings.
5. Add your custom domain.
6. Click Update.

Link-shortening domains must also be approved

If you use a third-party link shortener, such as bit.ly, t.ly, or rebrand.ly, make sure the relevant domains are approved.

Shortened URLs may redirect through additional domains. If a domain in the redirect chain is not approved, the message may fail with Error 5100.

If messages fail, contact Cloudbeds Support.

Each Cloudbeds Guest Experience property account has its own unique system-generated inbound email address.

To route guest replies to the correct property, configure forwarding from that property's email mailbox to its corresponding Guest Experience inbound email address.

When guests reply to messages sent from a custom outbound email address, those replies must be forwarded to the correct property's inbound address to appear in its Guest Experience conversations.

Guest conversations are separated by property. There is no automatic sharing or consolidation of messages between property accounts.

However, email forwarding must be configured correctly. Each property's mailbox should forward to its own unique Cloudbeds Guest Experience inbound email address.

If multiple properties forward incoming messages to the same Guest Experience inbound email address, those messages may be routed into a single property's account.

This configuration is not recommended. Each property should forward its guest emails to its own unique inbound address to keep conversations separated.

To improve email deliverability, use a verified custom outbound email address from a domain your property controls.

Use an authenticated domain

• Use a property-owned domain, such as yourhotel.com, for your custom outbound email address.
• Do not use free email addresses, such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail, as the custom outbound address.
• Do not use the default Guest Experience inbound email address as the custom outbound sender.

Configure DNS authentication records

• Add the required DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records within 3 days of adding the custom outbound address.
• Maintain only one SPF record and one DMARC record for the domain.
• If other providers, such as SendGrid or Brevo, already use SPF records, combine the required mechanisms instead of creating duplicates.

Configure guest reply forwarding

Forward incoming messages from your custom outbound mailbox to your property's default Cloudbeds Guest Experience inbound email address.

Additional deliverability recommendations

• Send messages only to appropriate recipients and respect opt-out preferences.
• Avoid excessive capitalization, misleading subject lines, and suspicious links.
• Test email delivery to major providers, including Outlook and Gmail.
• Review delivery failures and spam filtering when troubleshooting.

No. Emails sent from Cloudbeds Guest Experience are delivered through its email service, rather than directly through your Gmail or Outlook mailbox.

Therefore, they do not automatically appear in your regular email account's Sent folder.

To receive guest replies in Guest Experience, forward incoming messages from your custom outbound mailbox to the property's default Guest Experience inbound email address.

If you want a copy of a sent message in your regular mailbox, you can manually BCC yourself when replying in Guest Experience.

To receive guest emails in Cloudbeds Guest Experience, forward incoming messages from your property's regular mailbox to the property's unique Guest Experience inbound email address.

1. Find your Guest Experience inbound email address: Open the Email settings under Messaging Services and copy the system-generated inbound address assigned to your property.
2. Configure forwarding: In your regular email provider, create a forwarding rule directing incoming guest emails to that address.
3. Complete verification if required: Your email provider may request confirmation before activating forwarding.
4. Test the configuration: Send a test email to your property's mailbox and confirm it appears in Guest Experience.

Only messages that reach the correct inbound address can be routed into the property's Guest Experience conversations. Mailbox filters, spam rules, or forwarding delays may affect delivery.

When sending image attachments through the Airbnb messaging channel, follow Airbnb's supported file format and size requirements.

• Supported image formats: JPEG, JPG, GIF, and PNG.
• Maximum file size: 5 MB per image.

If you need to send multiple images, split them across separate messages as needed.

These are Airbnb channel-specific limitations. They do not change the general attachment formats supported by other Guest Experience messaging channels.

Cloudbeds Guest Experience currently supports the following general attachment file types:

• JPG
• PNG

The following file types are not supported for general Guest Experience message attachments:

• PDF
• SVG
• Microsoft Word documents (.doc and .docx)

If an attachment format is unsupported, convert it to a supported image format before sending, where appropriate.