Automated Vacation Rental Failed Payment Recovery
When a guest payment fails in Hostaway, WebRun captures the reservation details, drafts a polite payment recovery email in Gmail for your review, logs the failure in Google Sheets, and flags the reservation so you can act before the stay date.
How can I automatically follow up on failed vacation rental guest payments?
When a guest payment fails in Hostaway, WebRun captures the reservation details and drafts a polite recovery email in Gmail for your review. Reservations close to check-in are flagged as urgent in Google Sheets. You approve and send the message, so no guest is contacted about a payment issue without your say-so.
- Failed payments are flagged and a recovery draft is ready within minutes, not the next morning
- Near-term stays are marked urgent so you prioritize the right reservations
- No failed payment is forgotten because it was never logged
Built for vacation rental managers · short-term rental property managers · property management companies · direct-booking vacation rental operators
What does WebRun do on every run?
The exact actions WebRun takes, in order - in plain language, so you can adjust anything.
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WebRun signs in and gets to work
Opens
dashboard.hostaway.comin a real browser with your saved login - no setup, no API keys. -
1
Hostaway - detect failed guest payment
hostaway.com
WebRun opens Hostaway to detect failed guest payment. - Open Hostaway and detect reservations with a payment status of failed or declined
- Capture guest name, email, amount owed, check-in date, and property name for each
- Note whether this is the first failure or a repeated decline
Done when Every reservation with a failed payment is identified with its details and failure count.
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2
Gmail - draft payment recovery message for guest
gmail.com
WebRun opens Gmail to draft payment recovery message for guest. - Draft a polite, clear payment recovery email for each guest, naming the amount and a way to update their payment method
- For first-time failures, use a gentle tone; for repeat failures, use a more direct message
- Leave each draft unsent for your review before it goes to the guest
Done when A ready-to-send payment recovery draft exists in Gmail for every guest with a failed payment.
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3
Google Sheets - log failure and flag for follow-up
google.com
WebRun opens Google Sheets to log failure and flag for follow-up. - Append a row for each failed payment with guest name, property, check-in date, amount, failure count, and draft status
- Flag reservations within 7 days of check-in as urgent in the log
Done when All failed payments are logged in Google Sheets with urgency flags for near-term stays.
How is each run configured?
Secure by default
Connect once, stays signed in
WebRun signs in once and keeps each session in a persistent environment, so every run picks up right where it left off.
Every action is checked against this policy before it runs.
Questions, answered
Will it contact the guest about the failed payment automatically?
No. WebRun drafts the recovery email in Gmail and leaves it unsent for your review. You decide what to send and when, so no guest is contacted about a payment issue without your approval.
What if the guest fixes their payment before I send the draft?
Check the live reservation status in Hostaway before sending the draft. If the payment has cleared, simply delete the draft. WebRun also notes the failure count so repeat issues are easy to spot.
Can it try to recharge the card automatically?
No. WebRun does not initiate charges. Payment retries happen in Hostaway or your payment processor. WebRun focuses on flagging the failure and getting a recovery message ready for your approval.
Related templates
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