With Mangobeds, you can automate the bulk of what your WhatsApp inbox used to demand. Guests get instant answers from your AI agent at any hour, booking confirmations and reminders fire automatically, and your team only needs to step in when a guest actually wants a human. You can also run WhatsApp marketing campaigns (special offers, seasonal updates, returning-guest promos) from approved templates, all from the same Mangobeds dashboard you already use to run your property.
A step-by-step guide to connect their WhatsApp Business number, let guests chat with their AI agents via WhatsApp, and send booking communications (confirmations, check-in reminders, etc.) through approved WhatsApp templates.
Pre-flight checklist
Before running the signup flow, make sure these are ready. Skipping these is the #1 cause of failed setups.
- Facebook account that you’ll log in with
- You are an Administrator of the Meta Business Portfolio (not just a member or analyst)
- Two-factor authentication enabled on your Facebook account (required for all Meta Business Account admins)
- Meta Business Profile complete: name, address, website, phone. Check at business.facebook.com → Business Info
- Business verification started or complete in Meta (may take 1 to 3 business days; you can start with an unverified business but you’ll hit lower messaging tiers)
- Payment method attached to your WhatsApp Business Account in Meta. This is required for any outbound booking communication to actually reach the guest. Without a payment method, Meta accepts the send (Mangobeds will mark it as “Sent”) but silently refuses to deliver. See Add a payment method below for where to set it up.
- Phone number for your business WhatsApp line (see phone number options below)
- 5 to 10 minutes to complete the signup flow
About the phone number
Meta supports several starting points. Pick the one that matches your situation:
- Number has no WhatsApp at all. Cleanest path. Meta registers it during the flow.
- Number is on WhatsApp Business app (the green consumer app). You must disconnect it from the Business app first. Once a number moves to the Cloud API, it can no longer be used in the WhatsApp Business app, and chat history does not carry over. Back up anything you need first. For this reason, most properties dedicate a separate number to Mangobeds and keep their existing number on the Business app.
- Number is on personal WhatsApp. Delete the account first: open WhatsApp → Settings → Account → Delete My Account. Back up chats if needed. Wait 30 seconds, then use the number here.
- Number is already on WhatsApp Cloud API with another provider (Twilio, 360dialog, MessageBird, etc.). Contact Mangobeds support before starting. We can guide you through moving the number over without losing your display name, quality rating, or approved templates.
The number must be able to receive an SMS or voice call right now for verification.
Why can’t I keep using my number on the WhatsApp Business app? As per Meta rules a phone number can be active on only one WhatsApp platform at a time — personal WhatsApp, the WhatsApp Business app, or the Cloud API (what Mangobeds uses). Connecting a number to Mangobeds takes it off the Business app. For now, if you want to keep your existing number on the Business app, use a fresh number with Mangobeds.
Step-by-step
1. Verify your Meta Business Profile first
Before starting the flow in Mangobeds, make sure your Meta Business Profile is complete and accurate — you won’t be able to edit easily once connected.
- Go to business.facebook.com
- Log into your Facebook business account
- Open Business Info and update:
- Profile photo
- Business category
- Description
- Contact info (address, phone, website)
- Save changes
- (Optional) submit a request for Official Business Account status — this gives you a green verified badge on WhatsApp
2. Navigate to the WhatsApp app in Mangobeds
From your property dashboard, open Apps → WhatsApp and click Connect WhatsApp Business.
A Facebook popup will open.
3. Log in with Facebook
Sign in with your Facebook account. This authorizes Mangobeds to manage WhatsApp on your behalf — it does not give Mangobeds access to your personal Facebook profile or posts.
4. Review and continue
You’ll see a screen “Seamlessly connect your account to Mangobeds” — read the terms and click Continue.
5. Select or create a Business Portfolio
A Business Portfolio is Meta’s term for your business account (it used to be called “Business Manager”). It’s a container for your business’s assets — WhatsApp number, Facebook Page, Instagram, ads accounts, etc.
- If you already have one (from running Facebook ads or a Facebook Page): select it from the dropdown
- If you don’t: click Create a business portfolio and fill in:
- Name: your property or company name (e.g. “Sunset Beach Hotel”)
- Email: your business email
- Category: “Hotel” or “Travel & Tourism”
- Country: where your business is registered
- Website: optional
- Time zone: your local time zone
Click Next.
6. Select or create a WhatsApp Business Account
A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) is the specific WhatsApp entity that owns your business number.
- If you already have one: select it
- Otherwise: pick Create a WhatsApp Business account and give it a name (usually same as your property)
Click Next.
7. Add your phone number
Enter the phone number you want to use as your business WhatsApp line.
- Select the country code
- Enter the number
- Choose how you want to receive the verification code: SMS (for mobiles) or Voice call (for landlines)
Click Send code, then enter the 6-digit code Meta sends you.
8. Set display name
Enter the name guests will see when your business messages them (e.g. “Sunset Beach Hotel”). Meta has rules for display names — it should match your business’s real name.
9. Finish
Meta will confirm the setup. Close the popup and you’ll see the WhatsApp number connected in your Mangobeds dashboard.
10. Enable WhatsApp on your AI agent
Go to Apps → Agents, open your booking agent, and toggle WhatsApp to on. Only one agent per property can handle WhatsApp.
11. Add a payment method to your WhatsApp Business Account
This step is required for booking communications to actually reach guests. The AI agent reply flow (guests messaging you first, your team replying within 24 hours) does not strictly need a payment method to work, but every template message Mangobeds sends out (booking confirmations, check-in reminders, post-stay follow-ups, marketing) does. Without billing on file, Meta returns success on the API call (so Mangobeds will show the communication as “Sent”) but never actually delivers the message.
- Go to business.facebook.com → WhatsApp Manager
- Select your WhatsApp Business Account
- Open Settings → Billing & payments (or Payment settings depending on your interface)
- Add a credit card or other accepted method for your country
Meta only charges you for what you send. Service replies within 24 hours of a guest’s last message are free (up to Meta’s free monthly tier), and utility templates (booking confirmations, reminders) are inexpensive per send. Pricing varies by country and message category. Mangobeds adds no per-message fee.
12. Test it
Send a WhatsApp message to your newly connected number from another phone. Your AI agent should reply within a few seconds. Once the payment method is in place and you have at least one approved template, you can also trigger a real booking communication (e.g. send a test booking and check that the confirmation message arrives on the guest’s phone).
Message templates
Templates are pre-approved messages WhatsApp uses to deliver your booking communications to guests. Typical examples: booking confirmation, check-in instructions, check-in reminder, check-out reminder, post-stay review request.
Templates are created automatically from your Communications
You don’t manage WhatsApp templates separately. When you enable the WhatsApp channel on a communication (Communications → edit a communication → tick WhatsApp), Mangobeds submits a template to WhatsApp on your behalf, using the same content as the email version. The template:
- carries the same variables (
{{GUEST_FIRST_NAME}},{{CHECK_IN_DATE}}, etc.) that the email uses, - strips HTML formatting and images down to plain text (WhatsApp templates are text-only),
- is submitted to Meta for review automatically.
You can see all your submitted templates in Apps → WhatsApp → Message templates with their current status (Pending / Approved / Rejected). To edit a template, edit the communication it was created from.
How approval works
- Meta reviews each template, usually within minutes to a few hours (can take up to 48 hours)
- Once approved and a payment method is on the WABA, the communication can be delivered via WhatsApp
- If Meta rejects it, the communication keeps working via its other channels (email, etc.) and you can adjust the content and resubmit
Frequently asked questions
Will Mangobeds see my personal Facebook data?
No. We only request permissions related to WhatsApp Business — sending and receiving messages, and managing your WhatsApp Business Account.
Can I use the same WhatsApp number I use personally?
Only if you delete the personal WhatsApp account on that number first. Open WhatsApp → Settings → Account → Delete My Account. Back up your chats beforehand if you want to keep them.
Can my staff reply manually, or only the AI agent?
Both. Incoming guest messages are answered automatically by your AI booking agent, and your team can also read and reply to WhatsApp threads from Apps → Messages. Taking over a thread by hand pauses the AI for that conversation; you can re-enable the AI at any time.
Can I disconnect later?
Yes — in Apps → WhatsApp, click Settings → Disconnect WhatsApp. You can reconnect at any time.
Can I use multiple numbers per property?
Not yet. The current MVP supports one WhatsApp number per property. Multiple numbers are on the roadmap.
What if I already have a WhatsApp Business App on my phone?
The WhatsApp Business app (the green consumer app) and the WhatsApp Business Cloud API (what Mangobeds uses) are different products, and a number can only be on one of them at a time. To connect that number to Mangobeds you’d have to disconnect it from the Business app — after which the app can no longer use that number and its chat history does not carry over. Most properties keep their existing number on the Business app and dedicate a separate number to Mangobeds. (Meta’s “Coexistence” mode, which lets both run on one number, is on our roadmap but not supported yet.)
Troubleshooting
A communication shows “Sent” in Mangobeds but the guest never received it
Almost always a missing or incomplete payment method on your WhatsApp Business Account. Meta accepts the send and returns success (so Mangobeds initially marks the communication as Sent), then refuses delivery silently. Add a payment method as described in Add a payment method above, then trigger the communication again. You may also get an email from WhatsApp for Business titled “Action needed to fix your message delivery issue” linking straight to the fix.
If the payment method is already in place and the communication still doesn’t arrive, open the booking’s Communications tab and look at the row: Mangobeds writes Meta’s actual failure reason there (e.g. “(131045) Display name pending approval”) once Meta posts back the delivery status. That reason tells you exactly what to fix in Meta.
“This number is already registered”
The number is linked to a personal WhatsApp or to another Business Account. Delete that registration first and try again.
“Phone number verification failed”
Wait a few minutes and request a new code. If it keeps failing, try the other verification method (voice instead of SMS, or vice versa).
“Business verification required”
Meta may ask you to verify your business (documents, registration, etc.) to unlock higher messaging tiers.
Button stays on “Loading…”
Refresh the page. If it still doesn’t load, try a different browser or disable ad blockers — the Facebook SDK can be blocked by some extensions.
Need help?
Contact Mangobeds support if you get stuck at any step.
