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Before you begin

You will need:
  • A Trellis workspace (don’t have one? Contact our team to get started)
  • Admin or Manager access to your workspace
  • Login credentials for your property management system (PMS)
Setup time depends on your PMS and how many properties you have. When you connect a PMS, Trellis imports the properties, reservations, chats, and guest records your provider supports.

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Step 1: Connect your property management system

This is the most important step. Once your PMS is connected, Trellis imports the properties, reservations, chats, and guest records your provider supports.
1

Open Settings

Click Settings in the main navigation, then select Integrations.
2

Choose your PMS

Select your property management system from the list. Trellis works with:
  • Guesty
  • Krossbooking
  • Breezeway
  • Hostaway
  • Calry
3

Authorize the connection

Follow the prompts to sign in to your PMS. Give Trellis permission to read and update your data. Your PMS approves the connection, and Trellis only takes actions your PMS supports.
4

Wait for the first import

Trellis starts pulling in the properties, reservations, chats, and guest records your provider supports. How long this takes depends on the integration and how many properties you have.You will see a progress bar in the Integrations panel. When it finishes, open Properties to check that everything looks right.
How sync works depends on your PMS:
  • Some records update on their own when your PMS sends changes.
  • Some records refresh on a schedule.
  • Some need a manual sync button.
  • Trellis can only write back the changes your PMS allows.

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Step 2: Set up your AI agent

Your AI agent can answer guest questions, draft replies, and handle common requests. It uses your property details, house rules, and check-in instructions.
1

Go to AI Hub

Click AI Hub in the main navigation, then choose the agent you want to set up.
2

Write your agent instructions

Tell the AI how to represent your business. Good instructions include:
  • Your brand voice and tone (friendly, professional, casual)
  • Check-in and check-out procedures
  • House rules and policies
  • Common FAQs (parking, Wi-Fi, late checkout)
  • What to escalate to a human (refund requests, complaints, emergencies)
Start simple - you can always refine your instructions later as you see how the AI performs. Many teams start with just check-in instructions and house rules.
3

Choose autopilot settings

Decide how much autonomy your AI agent should have:You can set autopilot separately for guests, owners, and vendors.
4

Send a test message

Before going live, send a test message to make sure the AI responds the way you expect. Check that it uses the right property details, follows your tone, and escalates correctly.

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Step 3: Invite your team

Bring your team members, cleaners, and coordinators into Trellis so everyone can collaborate.
1

Go to Settings > Permissions

Open Settings > Permissions to manage workspace members, roles, and access.
2

Invite members

Click Invite and enter your team member’s email address. Choose their role:
RoleWhat they can do
AdminFull access to all settings, integrations, and data
ManagerManage properties, tasks, inbox, and team members
MemberWork on assigned tasks, respond to messages
ViewerRead-only access to properties and conversations
Need a role that does not fit one of these defaults? Build your own from Settings > Permissions - see Custom roles below.

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Custom roles

If the built-in roles don’t fit your team, create a custom role with exactly the permissions you need. For example:
  • A Front Desk role that can read every conversation but can’t change billing.
  • An Owner Liaison role that only sees a specific set of properties.
1

Open the Permissions page

Go to Settings → Permissions. You’ll see the four built-in roles (Admin, Manager, Member, Viewer) listed alongside any custom roles you’ve already created.
2

Create a new role

Click + New role, type a name (for example, “Front Desk”), and press Enter. The new role appears in the list with no permissions selected.
3

Choose permissions

Select the new role and toggle the permissions, inbox access, and property access you want it to have. Changes save automatically as you toggle them.
4

Rename or delete later

Hover over a custom role to reveal the actions menu. Use Rename to change the role name, or Delete to remove a role you no longer need. Built-in roles cannot be renamed or deleted.
Once a custom role exists, it shows up in the role dropdown when you invite a new member or change an existing member’s role - exactly the same way built-in roles do.
Custom roles are great for matching how your team is actually organized. Start with a built-in role that’s close to what you need, then create a custom role for any team that needs a tighter or looser scope.

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Step 4: Set up your first workflow

Workflows save you hours of repetitive work every week. Start with one of these common templates:

Check-in message

Automatically send guests their check-in instructions before arrival - with the right property details, door codes, and parking info.

Checkout cleaning task

When a guest checks out, Trellis automatically creates a cleaning task and assigns it to the right team member.

Escalation alerts

Get notified immediately when a guest reports an issue the AI cannot handle - like a complaint, a safety concern, or a refund request.

Daily operations digest

Send your team a scheduled summary of reservations, escalations, and tasks that need attention.
1

Go to Workflows

Click Workflows in the main navigation, then open Templates.
2

Choose a template

Browse the template gallery and select one that matches your needs. Each template comes pre-configured - you just need to customize the details.
3

Customize and activate

Review the workflow steps, adjust any settings such as timing or message content, and turn it on when you are ready.

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You are all set

With your PMS connected, AI agent configured, team invited, and first workflow running, you are ready to manage your properties with Trellis.

Explore Properties

See your full portfolio, manage owner relationships, and organize property details.

Open the Inbox

Start responding to guest messages - with AI assistance.

Manage Tasks

View upcoming cleaning, maintenance, and inspection tasks.

Set up AI Hub

Teach your AI agent how your business works.
Need help? Reach out to our team at [email protected] - we are happy to walk you through setup or answer any questions.