Triggers

Triggers are event-driven automations that respond instantly to guest lifecycle events. Unlike scheduled jobs that run at specific times, triggers fire when something happens—a booking is created, a guest checks in, or a document is uploaded.

Overview

Requirements

Before setting up, ensure your HelloShift subscription includes:

• Guest+ plan (for all triggers)

• Staff+ plan (for room/cleaning triggers)

Accessing Triggers

1. Go to Automation > Triggers

2. View all triggers with their status

3. Click New Trigger to create a custom trigger

Understanding Triggers

How Triggers Work

1. Event Occurs: Guest checks in, booking created, etc.

2. Condition Evaluated: Does the guest match the filter?

3. Delay Applied: Wait specified seconds (if any)

4. Action Executed: Send message, issue key, update room, create checklist or task

Trigger Components

Available Events

Triggers can respond to these guest lifecycle events:

Booking Events

Check-in/Check-out Events

Pre-Check-in Events

Available Conditions

Add conditions to control when triggers execute:

Guest Status Conditions

Pre-Check-in Conditions

Custom Conditions

Write custom logic using Liquid templates:

Note: Custom conditions require the custom_automation feature flag.

Available Actions

Key Management Actions

Guest Communication Actions

Housekeeping Task Actions

Room Status Actions

Checklist & Task Creation Actions

Triggers can create staff work — not just send messages. Pick a checklist or task template, and HelloShift generates the work for the guest's room the moment the event fires.

Setting it up:

1. Go to Automation > Triggers and click New Trigger

2. Choose the Event (e.g., Guest Checked Out, Guest Checked In, Guest Booking Confirmed)

3. Under Action, select Create Checklist or Create Task

4. Pick the checklist or task template in the dropdown that appears

5. Optionally add a condition or delay, then save

How generated checklists and tasks behave:

• Room-tagged and guest-linked: Items are tagged with the stay's room and linked to the guest, so they appear on the room page and the guest profile.

• One per room: Multi-room reservations get one checklist or task per room.

• Room resolved when the trigger fires: If no room is assigned yet (e.g., a booking confirmed before room assignment), nothing is created.

• No duplicates: If your PMS re-sends the same event — or a scheduled Room Job already generated the same checklist or task for that room today — no second copy is created. Deduplication is per room, so reservations with several guests still get exactly one copy per room.

• Checklist skip threshold: If the room's recent copies of the same checklist are all still incomplete, a new one is skipped — the same rule scheduled checklist generation uses.

• Safe template handling: If the selected template is later deleted or archived, the trigger deactivates itself and warns once instead of failing silently.

Note: The Create Checklist action is available on the Staff plan.

The same two actions are also available as scheduled Room Jobs (GUESTS > Jobs > Room > New Room Automation). Use a Trigger when the work should follow a PMS event; use a Room Job when it should be generated at a set time from reservation dates — for example, a checklist for every guest departing today, whether or not the PMS has checked them out.

Creating a Trigger

Step 1: Click New Trigger

1. Go to Automation > Triggers

2. Click New Trigger

Step 2: Configure the Trigger

Step 3: Save and Activate

1. Click Create Trigger

2. Toggle the trigger On to activate

System Triggers

HelloShift creates these default triggers for common workflows:

Post-Booking-Message

Purpose: Send booking confirmation shortly after reservation is created.

Post-Checkin-Message

Purpose: Welcome guests after they check in.

Post-Checkout-Message

Purpose: Thank guests and request reviews after checkout.

Post-Booking-Key

Purpose: Immediately issue keys for walk-in guests booked after check-in time.

Post-Cancel-Key

Purpose: Revoke access for cancelled bookings if guest was in-house.

Post-Checkout-Room

Purpose: Alert housekeeping when guests check out.

Common Trigger Examples

Walk-in Key Issue

Issue keys immediately for same-day bookings:

Welcome After Check-in

Send welcome message 30 minutes after check-in:

Mark Room Dirty on Checkout

Update room status when guest checks out:

Revoke Key on Cancel

Remove access when booking is cancelled:

Assign Cleaner on Checkout

Assign default cleaner when guest leaves:

Issue Key After Payment

Issue key once pre-check-in payment is received:

Confirmation After Pre-Checkin

Confirm when all pre-check-in steps complete:

Checklist on Checkout

Generate a cleaning checklist for each departing room:

Custom Conditions with Liquid

For advanced filtering, use custom Liquid conditions.

How Custom Conditions Work

1. Write a Liquid template

2. Template must return true or false

3. Trigger fires only if template returns true

Available Variables

Access guest and stay information through the guest_stay object:

Example: VIP Guests Only

{% if guest.guest_type contains 'VIP' %}true{% else %}false{% endif %}

Example: Direct Bookings Only

{% if stay.booking_source == 'Direct' %}true{% else %}false{% endif %}

Example: Long Stays (7+ nights)

{% assign nights = guest_stay.nights | plus: 0 %}{% if nights >= 7 %}true{% else %}false{% endif %}

Example: Exclude OTA Guests

{% unless stay.booking_source contains 'Expedia' or stay.booking_source contains 'Booking.com' %}true{% else %}false{% endunless %}

Managing Triggers

Enabling/Disabling

1. Find the trigger in the list

2. Click the toggle to switch On or Off

3. Change takes effect immediately

Editing a Trigger

1. Click Edit on the trigger

2. Modify settings as needed

3. Click Update Trigger

Note: For system triggers, Event and Action cannot be changed.

Deleting a Trigger

1. Click Delete on the trigger

2. Confirm deletion

Note: System triggers cannot be deleted, only deactivated.

Viewing Trigger History

The "Last Run" column shows when each trigger last executed.

Delay Settings

How Delays Work

• Delay is in seconds

• Trigger waits before executing action

• Delay starts when event occurs

Common Delay Values

Why Use Delays

• Natural Feel: Instant messages feel automated

• Processing Time: Allow PMS data to sync

• Staff Response: Give staff time to intervene

• Batch Prevention: Avoid rapid-fire messages

Best Practices

Trigger Naming

Use consistent naming conventions:

• Post-Booking-Message - After booking is created

• Post-Checkin-Welcome - After guest checks in

• Post-Checkout-Review - After guest leaves

• Cancel-Key-Revoke - When booking cancelled

Delay Recommendations

Testing Triggers

1. Keep trigger Inactive initially

2. Create a test booking

3. Manually activate and verify behavior

4. Enable for production use

Avoiding Conflicts

• Don't create duplicate triggers for same event

• Check existing system triggers before creating new ones

• Use conditions to prevent overlapping execution

Triggers vs Scheduled Jobs

Use Triggers for:

• Immediate responses to guest actions

• Key management on booking/checkout

• Room status updates on check-in/out

Use Scheduled Jobs for:

• Pre-arrival messages (day before)

• Mid-stay check-ins (morning of day 2)

• Post-stay review requests (day after)

• Date-based checklists and tasks — e.g., create a checklist every morning for each guest departing today, independent of PMS checkout events

Checklist and task creation exists on both sides: the same Create Checklist and Create Task actions are available as event-driven Triggers and as scheduled Room Jobs. If both cover the same room and template on the same day, only one copy is created.

Troubleshooting

Trigger not firing

Possible Causes:

• Trigger is inactive (Off)

• Condition doesn't match guest

• Event not occurring (PMS sync issue)

Solutions:

• Verify trigger is active

• Check condition matches expected guests

• Verify PMS is syncing properly

Wrong message sent

Possible Causes:

• Wrong action selected

• Snippet content incorrect

• Wrong trigger activated

Solutions:

• Verify action matches intent

• Check snippet content

• Review active triggers for conflicts

Delay not working

Possible Causes:

• Delay set to 0

• Background job queue delayed

• Trigger deactivated during delay

Solutions:

• Verify delay value in seconds

• Check job queue health

• Ensure trigger stays active

Key not issued

Possible Causes:

• Smart lock not configured

• Room not mapped to lock

• Condition blocked execution

Solutions:

• Verify smart lock integration

• Check room has lock assigned

• Review condition requirements

Multiple messages sent

Possible Causes:

• Multiple triggers for same event

• Trigger and scheduled job overlap

• Duplicate booking events

Solutions:

• Review all active triggers

• Check scheduled jobs for conflicts

• Investigate PMS for duplicate events

Related Articles

• Guest Automations - Scheduled message automations

• Snippets & Templates - Create message templates

• Contactless Check-in Setup - Pre-check-in configuration

• Smart Lock Integration - Key automation setup