Initial setup typically takes 20–30 minutes from install to live. This guide walks you through every step.
Before you start #
You’ll need:
- An active HomeRunner Core subscription (AI Concierge installs on top of HR Core)
- WordPress admin access to your HomeRunner site
- A license key, provided by email when your trial begins
- About 30 minutes of uninterrupted time
- One paragraph of “brand voice” copy you can write or paste in (we’ll cover this below)
Setup checklist #
1. Install the plugin #
Install AI Concierge through the standard WordPress plugin installer. Your onboarding email contains either a direct upload link or a one-click install button for HomeRunner-hosted sites.
After installation, navigate to HomeRunner → AI Concierge in your WordPress admin menu.
2. Enter your license key #
Open the License tab and paste the key from your trial welcome email. Click Activate.
You should see “License active” with your trial end date. The 30-day clock starts the moment you activate.
3. Set your brand voice #
Open the Concierge tab and find the Brand Voice field.
This is the single most important configuration step. The brand voice flows into every guest interaction. A weak brand voice produces generic-sounding AI. A strong, specific brand voice produces an AI that sounds like your business.
Examples of effective brand voices:
“Warm but professional. We’re a family-owned luxury rental company in Cape Cod. Avoid corporate jargon. Drop the occasional reference to local coffee shops or hiking trails when it’s relevant. Never say ‘literally’ or ‘just’ as filler words.”
“Direct and a little playful. We’re a budget-friendly surf-town operator and our guests are mostly twenty-somethings on group trips. Use contractions. Don’t oversell; if a property isn’t a fit, say so and pivot to something that is.”
“Formal and precise. Our guests are corporate-relocation clients who value clear, structured answers. Use bullet points for amenities. Avoid emojis. Never use casual phrases like ‘awesome’ or ‘cool’.”
Aim for 3–5 sentences. Specific guidance beats vague descriptions. “Warm but professional, drop coffee shop references” is more useful than “friendly tone.”
Save the page.
4. Connect your knowledge base field (optional) #
Still on the Chatbot tab, scroll to Property Page Experience and find the Knowledge Base custom field dropdown.
If your PMS sync writes house rules, local tips, or owner notes into a custom property field, point the Concierge at it. The dropdown lists every meta key currently attached to a property in your catalog. The default is homerunner_concierge_kb.
The Concierge will pull this field’s content into the prompt on property pages. Combined with the per-property KB you can author manually (see step 6 below), it forms the “Operator Knowledge Base” the AI reasons over.
If you don’t have a PMS knowledge field, skip this. You can author KB content directly using the Property KB tool in step 6.
5. Run Photo Analysis #
Open the Photo Analysis tab and click Analyze All Properties.
This kicks off a one-time background job that runs a vision model over every property photo and extracts amenities, vibe descriptors, and feature callouts the AI can use during search (“rustic kitchen”, “ocean view from balcony”, “elevated deck”).
Runtime depends on catalog size:
- 26–50 listings → 5–10 minutes
- 51–200 listings → 10–25 minutes
- 200+ listings → up to 60 minutes
You can navigate away. The job continues in the background. New properties you add later are picked up automatically.
6. Author per-property knowledge (optional, recommended) #
Open the Property KB tab.
You’ll see a table of every published property with its current knowledge base content. Use the inline editor to add property-specific notes the AI can’t infer from the listing description.
Good examples of per-property KB content:
- “Smart lock code is texted 24 hours before check-in. If the guest hasn’t received it by 2pm check-in day, have them call (555) 123-4567.”
- “Pet-friendly: $200 refundable deposit, dogs only, max 2.”
- “Closest grocery: Publix at 5th & Main, 8-minute walk.”
- “Owner’s restaurant recommendations: Joe’s Stone Crab (dinner), Lighthouse Cafe (breakfast).”
- “Hot tub note: turn on 90 minutes before use. Cover must be on when not in use.”
Each entry has a 4,000-character cap and a soft warning at 3,000. Most effective KB entries are under 1,500 characters.
You don’t need to fill this in for every property to go live. Start with your top 5–10 most-booked properties and expand over time.
7. Test in the operator sandbox #
Open the Test Search tab.
Type a query you’d expect a guest to ask, something realistic for your catalog. For example:
- “Pet-friendly two-bedroom near the beach with a hot tub”
- “Something for 8 people under $400 a night”
- “Most expensive ocean-view property you have”
Verify the response makes sense, hits the right properties, and sounds like your brand. If something feels off, adjust your brand voice (step 3) or knowledge base (step 6) and re-test.
8. Enable Property Page Experience #
On the Chatbot tab, find Property Page Experience and turn the Enable on property pages toggle ON.
This makes the chat drawer open on individual listing pages with a property-aware welcome, contextual chips, and the knowledge base injected into the prompt. The notification dot on the chat tab pulses three times on each property page load to draw attention.
9. Go live #
On the General tab, ensure Enable Enhancer is ON.
The Concierge is now serving your guests. Open your live site in an incognito browser and verify:
- The chat tab is visible on the page
- Clicking it opens the drawer with your greeting
- Asking a search query returns a relevant response
- On a property page, the welcome mentions the property by name
Troubleshooting first-day issues #
Chat tab not appearing on the live site
- Confirm Enable Enhancer is ON in the General tab
- Check the Chatbot tab visibility rules. If “only_listed” is set, the drawer only appears on the listed URLs.
- Try an incognito window in case a stale logged-in cookie is at play
“License invalid” message
- Verify you pasted the exact key from your welcome email (no leading/trailing spaces)
- Check that your trial hasn’t already expired (the License tab shows the end date)
AI responses sound generic
- Strengthen your brand voice (step 3). Generic input produces generic output.
- Add per-property KB (step 6) for your top properties
Slow response times
- Photo Analysis may still be running. Let it finish, then re-test.
- Very long brand-voice or KB content (>3,000 chars) slows responses; tighten where possible
Migrating from a previous AI tool? #
If you’re switching from another vacation-rental AI tool, contact support before installing. We can usually preserve your existing brand-voice settings and knowledge content during the switch, saving you re-authoring time.
Next steps #
- Want a deeper tour of the admin? → Operator Tools
- Need to review data handling for procurement? → Privacy, Data, and Cost Controls
- Run into a question we didn’t cover? → FAQ & Troubleshooting
Last updated: 2026-05-17 · AI Concierge v1.49.4