Best Chat App for Airbnb Hosts: Slack, Teams, or Google Chat?
As a first-time Airbnb or VRBO host, you quickly realize managing your property isn't a solo job. You'll likely work with cleaners, handymen, or even a co-host. Email can quickly bury important messages about guest turnovers, broken amenities, or supply restocks. Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Chat help your small team stay organized and communicate instantly. The best choice depends on what other tools you already use for your rental business.
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The quick answer for Airbnb hosts
Use Slack if your short-term rental operation uses many different apps, like smart lock systems (August, Yale), dynamic pricing (Pricelabs), or cleaning apps (Turno). It connects these tools directly to your team chat. Use Microsoft Teams if you already run your host operations on Microsoft 365 for email, documents, and spreadsheets (e.g., tracking expenses in Excel). It's often included, making it a free add-on. Use Google Chat if you manage your rental business with Google Workspace – Gmail for guest communication, Google Calendar for bookings, Google Sheets for inventory. It’s included at no extra cost with your existing subscription.
Side-by-side breakdown for vacation rental teams
Slack connects to thousands of apps. This means alerts from your smart lock when a guest checks in, or a new task from your cleaning scheduler, can show up in Slack. It organizes conversations well for separate properties or tasks (e.g., a channel for 'Property A - Cleaning' and 'Property B - Maintenance'). The free version keeps messages for 90 days. Paid plans start around $7.25 per user per month. For a host with 2-3 team members (cleaner, handyman), this is $15-22 per month. Microsoft Teams comes bundled with Microsoft 365 Business Basic (around $6 per user per month), which also includes Outlook for professional host email, Word for guest guides, and Excel for expense tracking. If you already use these, Teams is free. Its video calls are strong for showing a maintenance issue to a handyman or walking through a new cleaning process. Google Chat is included with Google Workspace (starts around $6 per user per month). It works well for simple group chats, like a 'Cleaners & Maintenance' channel. It might not connect to many vacation rental specific apps, but if your team uses Gmail for calendar invites or Google Drive for sharing photos of property damage, it fits right in.
When to choose Slack for your Airbnb property
Choose Slack when you rely on specific apps for your rental, like a dynamic pricing tool (Pricelabs), a smart lock system (Schlage Encode), or a dedicated cleaning management platform (Turno). Slack can bring alerts from these apps directly into your team chat. It’s also great when you work with several independent contractors—like a main cleaner, a backup cleaner, and a handyman—because they can easily join just your property's channels without seeing other team's work.
When to choose Microsoft Teams for your short-term rental operations
Teams is the clear choice if you already use Microsoft 365 for your rental business, perhaps for Outlook email or managing your bookings in Excel. You get reliable video calls (great for showing a handyman a broken faucet remotely), easy file sharing (like your cleaning checklist or inventory spreadsheet), and team chat all under one monthly bill. For a first-time host, it means one less separate subscription to manage.
When to choose Google Chat for your vacation rental team
If you already manage your Airbnb using Google Workspace—Gmail for guest messages, Google Calendar to block out dates, Google Docs for your welcome guide, and Google Sheets for tracking supplies—Google Chat is the simplest option. It’s already part of what you pay for, requires no new setup, and keeps all your rental communication within the familiar Google world. For a host and their small team (cleaner, handyman), it handles daily needs without adding another cost.
The verdict for first-time Airbnb hosts
For hosts who use Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Calendar) for their rental: stick with Google Chat. For hosts already on Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Excel, Word): use Teams. If your property uses many different apps that you want connected to your team's chat, like smart locks, dynamic pricing, or a cleaning app, then Slack is your best bet for those integrations. Avoid paying for a separate chat tool if you already have one included in your existing business subscriptions.
How to get started with team communication for your Airbnb
Before you sign up for anything new, check if you already pay for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. If you do, use their included chat tool first. If you’re starting fresh and need email, document creation, and team chat for your new Airbnb property, Google Workspace offers a good bundle for about $6 per user per month. Start there, and only consider Slack later if you find you need its deeper connections to specialized rental management apps.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Slack
The standard for team communication with a massive app ecosystem
Google Workspace
Includes Google Chat, Gmail, Docs — best value for small teams
Microsoft Teams
Included with Microsoft 365 — deep Office integration
Loom
Async video messages — reduces meetings for distributed teams
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use Slack for free?
Yes. Slack's free plan supports unlimited users and unlimited channels but limits message history to 90 days and allows only one active integration per app. For small teams just getting started, the free plan works well.
Is Microsoft Teams free?
There is a free version of Teams with limited features. The full version comes with Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $6/user/month, which includes the entire Office suite — making it very strong value.
Should I use both Slack and email?
Most teams keep email for external communication (clients, vendors, invoices) and use Slack or Teams for internal team communication. Running both for internal work creates confusion — pick one and stick to it.
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