Sending texts (SMS) to guests requires a bit of work as a result of new regulations introduced by the carriers (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) in late 2023. Lodgix has chosen Twilio as our SMS provider.
Step 1: Setup a Twilio account
Twilio will ask to verify your phone number
Twilio will provide you with a recovery code, make sure to keep that handy as you may need it again someday.
Create a Company Account within Twilio
Enter the name of your company for the "Account Friendly Name"
Choose "Twilio SMS, Voice, Verify, Lookup" for "What will this account be used for?"
Step 2: Get a Phone Number
Step 3: Create an API Key for the New Phone Number
Twilio will then provide you with the necessary API Key SID and API Secret needed for Step 4:
Step 4: Copy / paste your credentials into Lodgix.
Twilio will provide you with an account SID, an API Key Sid and API Key Secret (see previous step), all three must be cut and pasted into Lodgix under Settings > SMS Gateway Setup
Your account SID can be found here within Twilio:
If you fail to copy your initial API Key secret, you will have to generate a new API Key, type in "API Keys" in the Twilio search window:
Step 5: Registration and Verification at Twilio
This part is tricky and might take a bit of trial and error. You will need to verify some business and use case information before you can start to send SMS to your guests.
The toll-free verification will ask for your business name and location (this will be verified BTW) and a "messaging use case" (see image below).
Estimated monthly volume: Make best efforts to estimate how many SMS's you will send to guests per month.
Opt-in type: Web Form
Messaging use case categories: customer care
Proof of consent: Try using this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wHFfdv9otnn2BZcn7, it's a screenshot of the consent form used when a guest books directly on Lodgix. It illustrates that the opt-in consent checkbox is NOT selected by default.
Use case description: Describe the need to communicate reservation details to the guest in a timely manner. You must communicate to Twilio what sort of information you will be sending via text to the guest.
Sample message. Everybody is different here. However, most will only text short messages, containing super important information. Some examples might be:
Today is check-in day. Please don't arrive before 4pm. Your door code is 45342#. Enjoy your stay!
Your reservation at the Buncombe Cottage has been confirmed for June 1 through June 5, 2025. Please check your email for additional details.
The toll-free number verification will take about 2 to 4 days. Make sure the street address you enter, matches the address you've setup for your business. They will not verify the number if it doesn't match.
Note: When you send an SMS from your verified free trial phone number, it will always begin with "Sent from a Twilio trial account." Twilio will remove this message after you upgrade to a paid Twilio account.
Step 6: Activate Twilio Number on Lodgix
Step 7: Receive Incoming Messages
To receive incoming messages (replies to your SMS messages) you must enable the Incoming option for the number...
Where replies appear: Received messages show up in two places. The SMS Logs tab (Settings > SMS Gateway Setup) logs every inbound message Lodgix accepts (the receiving number must be Active with Incoming enabled), with the direction marked as Received. The reply also appears in the guest's conversation thread when Lodgix can match it to an existing guest conversation. A message can appear in SMS Logs but not in any conversation — that is expected when the message cannot be matched, and it does not mean the message was lost.
When a reply threads into a conversation: For an inbound reply to be attached to a guest conversation (and not only logged), all of the following must be true:
The guest already has an SMS conversation in Lodgix with that number (for example, an earlier outbound text). A reply from a number that has never had an SMS conversation in Lodgix is logged but not threaded.
That conversation's reservation has not ended more than 10 days ago. Current and upcoming stays qualify, and replies keep threading until 10 days after the checkout date.
The guest's stored mobile phone number on the reservation exactly matches the number the reply came from.
If guest replies are not showing up:
The Incoming toggle is off. This is by far the most common cause — make sure the number is Active, then turn Incoming on.
You are using the shared Lodgix sender (the default Lodgix-provided number used before you connect your own number). It is outbound only and cannot receive replies; to receive guest texts you must connect your own Twilio number.
The webhook was overwritten in the Twilio console. If another tool or a manual edit changed the number's "A Message Comes In" setting, toggle Incoming off and then on again to let Lodgix re-register its webhook.
The credentials saved in Lodgix point to a different Twilio account than the one the number belongs to (an Account SID mismatch) — re-enter the credentials for the Twilio account that owns the number. Note that replacing your Twilio API Key does not stop inbound replies, but outbound sending breaks until you save the new key in Lodgix.
Note: Once your SMS gateway is connected, SMS also becomes available as an action when creating or editing triggers.
Twilio Help Links:
And more details here: https://help.twilio.com/articles/1260801864489
If you have guests from the UK and want to text them, you will need a UK phone number to be able to do that. To purchase an UK number verification is required.