Summary
Understand the volume and mix of messages flowing through your account with two Communication dashboard widgets. Guest Messages Over Time charts how many inbound guest messages you received per week or month, so you can spot busy seasons and staffing needs. Sent Messages by Source stacks your outbound messages by origin — Manual, Automated, AI, API, Direct Booking, Channel, and Webhook — so you can see how your messaging mix shifts over time.
Adding the widgets to your dashboard
Open Dashboard from the main navigation.
Click Add Widget.
Under the Communication category, select one or both of:
Guest Messages Over Time — a line chart showing the count of inbound guest messages per week or month in the selected period.
Sent Messages by Source — a stacked bar chart showing outbound messages per week or month, grouped by how they were sent.
Click Add to place the widgets on your dashboard.
You can resize and reposition the widgets by dragging them anywhere on your dashboard.
Understanding the data
Guest Messages Over Time counts every inbound message from guests within the selected date range, bucketed by week or month depending on your dashboard's granularity setting.
Sent Messages by Source counts outbound messages and stacks them by the origin that sent each one:
Manual — messages you typed and sent yourself from the inbox.
Automated — messages sent by a triggered message rule (scheduled or event-based).
AI — messages drafted and sent by Host Tools AI.
API — messages sent via the Host Tools API.
Direct Booking — automated messages sent from a direct booking conversation.
Channel — messages received directly from the channel platform.
Webhook — messages triggered via a webhook integration.
Comparing to a previous period
Use the compare selector at the top of your dashboard to overlay a previous period on the guest messages widgets, so you can see whether message volume is rising or falling and how your outbound mix is shifting.
Guest Messages Over Time adds a second, muted line for the previous period, aligned so each week or month sits directly above its earlier counterpart. Sent Messages by Source places a muted Previous stacked bar beside each current bar, so you can compare the volume and source mix side by side.
With no compare period selected, each widget shows only the current period.
What if the widgets show no data?
If the widgets show no data, check that the selected date range includes reservations with messages. Both widgets require the dashboard's granularity to be set to week or month. If your dashboard is set to a finer granularity, switch to week or month view and the widgets will populate.