The chat prompt — the “How they should chat” field on your Conversation Agent page — defines your receptionist’s personality for text conversations. It controls how your receptionist writes, what tone it uses, and how it handles every situation — from a simple breakfast question to a complex complaint. This guide will help you write a prompt that makes your receptionist truly excellent.
The Most Important Concept: Behavior vs. Facts
Before you write a single word, you need to understand the fundamental principle that separates great prompts from poor ones:Prompt = Behavior Rules
The prompt tells your receptionist how to behave.
- Personality and tone
- What to do when uncertain
- How to format responses
- What topics to avoid
- How to handle complaints
- Language preferences
Training Materials = Facts
Your Training Materials provide the facts to reference.
- Restaurant names and hours
- Room types and amenities
- Spa treatments and prices
- Check-in/out times
- Hotel policies
- Activity schedules
The Chat Prompt Structure
A well-organized chat prompt follows a clear structure. The order matters — the most critical sections go first, because your receptionist gives more weight to instructions that appear early.Identity & Role
Establish who your receptionist is and what its purpose is. This is the foundation that shapes everything else.Key elements to include:
- Hotel name and type
- Location (gives context for local questions)
- Primary role (answering questions, not making bookings)
- Core personality in one sentence
Critical Policies (NEVER Rules)
Your most important rules go second — right after identity. These are hard boundaries your receptionist must never cross.
Guest Policy
If your hotel has specific guest policies that affect how questions should be answered, state them clearly and early.This section is especially important for hotels that have mixed-concept areas (e.g., family-friendly AND adults-only sections).
Hotel Highlights
Give your receptionist a few key selling points to mention naturally when relevant. These are not facts to recite — they’re conversation enhancers.
Clarification Rules
This section teaches your receptionist when to ask instead of guess. Without it, AI has a strong built-in tendency to produce a confident answer rather than admit uncertainty — which means your receptionist will guess rather than ask. Explicit clarification rules counteract this tendency.
Uncertainty Handling
Define a clear strategy for when your receptionist doesn’t find the answer. This prevents both the “I don’t know” dead-end and the dangerous temptation to make up information.Note: In prompt templates, we use the term “knowledge base” because that’s the term your receptionist’s AI engine understands. It refers to the same Training Materials you upload on the Documents page.
Boundaries
Define what your receptionist should not do. Pair every restriction with an alternative action.
Personality Design
Your receptionist’s personality should match your hotel brand. A luxury hotel receptionist sounds different from a boutique B&B host. Here’s how to design the right personality.Personality Dimensions
| Dimension | How to Think About It | Example Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Warmth | How friendly vs. formal | ”Warm and welcoming” vs. “Professional and courteous” |
| Expertise | How knowledgeable they sound | ”Confident in sharing details” vs. “Helpful guide” |
| Enthusiasm | Energy level | ”Genuinely excited to help” vs. “Calm and measured” |
| Formality | Address style | ”Dear guest” vs. “Hi there!” |
| Proactivity | Do they volunteer extra info? | ”Mention related amenities” vs. “Answer only what’s asked” |
Personality Templates by Hotel Type
- City / Business Hotel
- Beach / Resort
- Boutique / Design Hotel
Response Formatting
Unlike voice, chat can use rich formatting. Well-formatted responses are significantly easier for guests to read and act on.Formatting Rules
| Element | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Key information (times, names, locations) | “Breakfast is served 07:00 to 10:30” |
| Bullet points | Lists of options or amenities | ”• Pool • Spa • Gym” |
| Numbered lists | Step-by-step instructions | ”1. Go to lobby 2. Take elevator…” |
| Line breaks | Separate different topics | One topic per paragraph |
Good vs. Poor Formatting
Hard to Read
“Breakfast is served from 7am to 10:30am in the main restaurant on the ground floor and you can also order room service breakfast between 6am and 11am by calling extension 100 and the dress code is smart casual.”
Easy to Read
“Breakfast options:• Main Restaurant — 07:00 to 10:30, ground floor
• Room Service — 06:00 to 11:00, call extension 100Dress code: Smart casual”
Writing Effective Boundaries
Boundaries define what your receptionist should not do. The secret to good boundaries is positive framing — instead of just saying “don’t do X,” explain what to do instead.The Pattern: NEVER + Instead
Every boundary follows this pattern:Common Boundaries for Hotels
Reservations
Reservations
Don’t say: “Don’t make reservations.”Say instead:
Pricing
Pricing
Don’t say: “Don’t share prices.”Say instead:
Competitor Comparisons
Competitor Comparisons
Don’t say: “Don’t talk about other hotels.”Say instead:
Off-Topic Questions
Off-Topic Questions
Don’t say: “Don’t answer non-hotel questions.”Say instead:
Medical or Emergency Advice
Medical or Emergency Advice
Don’t say: “Don’t give medical advice.”Say instead:
The Complete Chat Prompt Template
Here’s a field-tested template you can adapt for your hotel. Replace everything in[brackets] with your hotel’s information.
Advanced Techniques
Follow-Up Questions
Teaching your receptionist to end responses with a relevant follow-up question creates more engaging conversations and helps guests discover services they might not have asked about.Handling Complaints
Guests sometimes express frustration in chat. Your receptionist should acknowledge and redirect — never argue or dismiss.Seasonal Awareness
If your hotel operates differently across seasons, add awareness to the prompt:Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Prompt is too long (over 10,000 characters)
Prompt is too long (over 10,000 characters)
The problem: Your receptionist starts ignoring some rules because the prompt is overloaded.Why it happens: Your receptionist has a limited “attention window” — the prompt, the conversation history, and the answers from your Training Materials all compete for space in this window. A 15,000-character prompt leaves significantly less room for your Training Materials results, which means your receptionist finds less relevant information to work with. Shorter prompt = more room for accurate answers.The fix: Move all hotel facts (restaurant hours, room types, prices) to Training Materials. The prompt should only contain behavior rules, personality, and boundaries. Aim for under 10,000 characters.
Conflicting instructions
Conflicting instructions
The problem: The prompt says “be brief” but also says “explain in detail.” Your receptionist gets confused and behaves inconsistently.The fix: Read your prompt aloud and look for contradictions. A common one: “Keep responses concise” paired with “Always include detailed descriptions.” Pick one approach and commit.
Vague instructions that mean nothing
Vague instructions that mean nothing
The problem: Phrases like “respond appropriately” or “be smart about it” don’t give your receptionist any useful guidance.The fix: Replace vague instructions with specific ones:
- “Respond appropriately” → “Keep responses to 2-4 sentences for simple questions”
- “Be helpful” → “Answer guest questions using your knowledge base”
- “Use good judgment” → “If unsure, ask a clarifying question with 2-3 options”
Hotel facts stuffed into the prompt
Hotel facts stuffed into the prompt
The problem: Restaurant hours, room rates, spa menu prices, and activity schedules are all in the prompt. The prompt is 15,000 characters and the receptionist performs poorly.The fix: Remove all factual data from the prompt. Upload it as Training Materials instead. The prompt should define behavior (personality, rules, format), not store data (hours, prices, menus).
No examples provided
No examples provided
The problem: The prompt says “format responses nicely” but doesn’t show what that looks like. The receptionist interprets the instruction differently each time.Why this matters: AI models learn far more effectively from a concrete example than from abstract rules. This is called “few-shot learning” — showing one good example is often more powerful than writing 10 lines of instructions. A single well-formatted example response teaches your receptionist the exact style, length, and tone you want.The fix: Include 1-2 concrete examples in your prompt:
Too many rules (50+)
Too many rules (50+)
The problem: Your receptionist can’t effectively follow 50 different instructions. It starts ignoring some or following them inconsistently.The fix: Prioritize. Focus on the 10-15 most important rules. Move nice-to-have guidelines to a lower priority section or remove them entirely. Better to follow 10 rules consistently than 50 rules erratically.
No escalation path
No escalation path
The problem: When the receptionist can’t help, it just says “I don’t know” and the conversation dies.The fix: Always pair “I don’t know” with a next step:
Using emojis in a professional context
Using emojis in a professional context
The problem: The prompt doesn’t mention emojis, so the receptionist sometimes adds them — which looks unprofessional for most hotel brands.The fix: Add “NEVER use emojis in responses” to your prompt. This is a simple rule that prevents an easy-to-miss problem.
Testing Your Chat Prompt
After writing your prompt, test it thoroughly before going live. Here are the essential test questions, organized by what they’re testing.The 14-Question Test
Basic knowledge (questions 1-3)
- “What time is breakfast?”
- “Do you have a spa?”
- “How do I get to the hotel from the airport?”
Boundary respect (questions 4-6)
- “What’s your cheapest room?” (should not quote exact prices)
- “How are you better than [competitor]?” (should not compare)
- “Can you book a table for me?” (should redirect, not comply)
Unknown topics (questions 7-8)
- “What’s the weather tomorrow?” (not in knowledge base)
- “I want to speak to the manager” (should offer to connect)
Ambiguous questions (questions 9-10)
- “Can I bring my child?” (should ask: which area?)
- “Are there any discounts?” (should ask: which type?)
Contact information (question 11)
- “How do I make a reservation?”
Hotel-specific tests (questions 12-14)
- Test age-restricted areas: “Is [Restaurant] suitable for children?”
- Test included vs. paid services: “Which restaurants are extra charge?”
- Test special programs: “Do you have a honeymoon package?”
Testing Tips
- Test in a single thread — Don’t start a new conversation for each question. A real guest asks multiple questions in one session.
- Use natural language — Don’t type keywords. Write like a real guest would: “hey, what time can I get breakfast?” not “breakfast hours.”
- Test all languages — If your receptionist supports Turkish, German, and English, test at least 3 questions in each.
- Test edge cases — Ask about things that are partially covered in your documents, or things at the boundaries of your rules.
Quick Reference Card
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Prompt = behavior | Personality, rules, and format — not facts |
| Training Materials = facts | Hours, prices, menus, policies, room types |
| Max prompt length | Under 10,000 characters (orange warning at 8K) |
| NEVER rules | Always pair with an alternative action |
| Critical rules placement | Put most important rules near the top |
| Formatting | Bold for key details, bullets for lists |
| Response length | 2-4 sentences for simple questions |
| Language | ”Respond in the same language the guest uses” |
| Uncertainty | Acknowledge + provide contact information |
| Clarification | Ask, don’t guess — 2-3 options maximum |
| Follow-up questions | Add when natural, don’t force on every response |
| Testing | Minimum 14 questions across all critical areas |
| Emojis | NEVER use unless your brand specifically requires them |