AIPEX makes an AI virtual concierge for vacation rentals. In the words of its CEO, Dana Young: "AIPEX puts an AI-powered virtual concierge on a smart display in each vacation rental, so guests get answers, a personal welcome and local information without calling the host." This guide from Cavmir™ covers what the system does, the hardware it runs on, what it costs, and what hosts should check before they switch it on.

AIPEX is a Cavmir partner and is listed in our vendor guide. Cavmir is not paid for this article.

I'm a content strategist, not an engineer. Every fact about AIPEX below comes from its own website, read on November 12, 2026.

What AIPEX Does

AIPEX calls its product a 3-in-1 virtual concierge. The first part runs on the guest's phone: the host sends a link, the guest taps it, and a concierge opens with no app to download. The second part runs on an Amazon Echo device inside the rental, where guests can ask out loud and see the answer on the screen. The third part is AI-drafted replies to guest messages, which works with property management systems including Guesty, Hostaway, OwnerRez and Hostfully.

All three draw on the same content, written by the host in the AIPEX portal. AIPEX says the system covers 900 property and hospitality topics, from the Wi-Fi password and the trash schedule to pool hours and where to find spare blankets. Its advanced features page promises recommendations "from you, not the internet." Ask for pizza and the guest hears the host's pick, not a search result.

On the day we read its virtual concierge page, AIPEX's counter showed 22,823 properties with an AIPEX concierge and 2,934,463 answers given from hosts' own content.

Standard Echo Devices

AIPEX doesn't sell a screen of its own. It runs on standard Amazon Alexa hardware, which it says keeps the cost low, and applies software from Amazon's Alexa Smart Properties program. AIPEX describes itself as Amazon's largest provider of Alexa Smart Properties solutions. Hosts buy the device themselves from Amazon or another retailer and add it to their property in the AIPEX portal.

AIPEX's pricing page lists the supported devices for the US, UK and Canada:

DeviceSupported models
Amazon Echo2nd, 3rd and 4th generation
Amazon Echo Dot2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation
Amazon Echo Plus1st and 2nd generation
Amazon Echo Show5, 8, 15 and 21. The 8, 15 and 21 are recommended. The Echo Show 8 Gen 4 is not supported.

A screen matters for what comes next. An Echo Dot can answer a question, but only an Echo Show can display the host's signs and welcome cards.

How It Differs From a Retail Alexa

Plenty of hosts already leave an Echo on the counter. AIPEX's page on differences from retail Alexa explains what changes once a device joins its system.

  • Guests ask directly. With other systems a guest has to open a skill first, as in "Alexa, ask our host." AIPEX calls its version Name Free Invocation: the guest just says "Alexa, what's the Wi-Fi password?" and hears the host's answer.
  • Privacy. AIPEX says guest requests don't show up in the Alexa app and are purged rather than stored in the cloud. On devices with screens, its FAQ says all use of the camera is disabled.
  • No fiddling. Guests can't reset the device or change its settings.
  • One account for many homes. A host doesn't need a separate Amazon account for each property, and can see whether every device is online from one portal.

The trade-off is in the AIPEX FAQ. Once a device joins, it's no longer managed through the Alexa app, so routines and Drop In stop working, and smart home controls and extra skills need a request to AIPEX support. On devices with screens, the Amazon Photos slideshow is gone too.

What Guests See and Hear

The list of guest-facing features on AIPEX's site is long. These are the ones a host is most likely to use in the first week:

  • A greeting by name, a video welcome message and welcome cards that can mark a birthday or anniversary.
  • Digital signage: a carousel of the host's own images and text that stays on the screen when no one is using it.
  • Answers with images, video or audio, including answers in the host's own voice.
  • Recommendations that change with the weather at the property.
  • Digital coupons from local businesses the host works with.
  • Check-out by voice. When a guest says "We're checking out," housekeeping is notified.
  • Reviews left by speaking, which AIPEX calls an industry first.
  • Announcements the host sends in real time or schedules, plus voice calling and host alerts.

The phone version matters for groups, the same reason a concierge service plans for everyone in the party. As one host quoted on AIPEX's vacation rentals page put it, "We often have 15-20 people staying in our VR homes during Coachella. We send out info prior to guest's arrival, but only 1 person gets the email." Everyone in the house can ask the concierge, as well as the person who booked.

Time Saved and Nights Booked

AIPEX makes two business cases on its site. The first is time. Guests who can ask the screen don't call, and voice check-out tells the cleaners they can start. AIPEX cites a study by a property manager that found 11% fewer inbound calls, which it put at $2,589 of staff time saved in one month.

The second is extra nights. AIPEX's view is that upsells such as paid amenities rarely move the bottom line, and that booking more nights does. The system spots gaps between reservations and offers them to the guests already staying, in conversation, by notification and on the screen. It cites a property manager in Tennessee who saw $7,463 of extra revenue in one month.

Both figures come from one property manager each, as AIPEX presents them, so treat them as examples rather than averages. Your own numbers will depend on your calendar, your rates and how often your guests ask questions.

Direct Rebooking and the Channel Rules

AIPEX also uses the screen to invite guests back. The tabletop screen pictured earlier in this guide shows one such sign: "Book direct & save," with a QR code. For a host with a direct-booking website, a returning guest who books there pays no platform fee, which is the point of our guide on getting more direct bookings. A rebooking offer only works if the guest has somewhere to book, which is the job of a direct-booking website.

Check the channel's rules first. Airbnb's policy on host-imposed requirements says that for reservations booked on or after November 20, 2026, hosts may not solicit personal data "at any point during the booking process or stay." It names phone numbers, home addresses and email addresses, and it also covers asking guests to register on a separate website or app. So a sign that invites an Airbnb guest to leave an email address, or a direct-booking offer aimed at that guest, is a question to settle before you switch it on. The simple approach is to set the offers by channel: show them to guests who booked direct, and keep the Airbnb version to house information.

What AIPEX Costs

AIPEX charges per property, per month. Prices as listed on its pricing page on November 12, 2026:

PlanPriceWhat it covers
Mobile onlyFreeThe concierge on guests' phones, for up to 5 properties. No credit card and no expiry date.
Pro, 3 months$13.23 a month per propertyThe phone concierge plus 1 Echo device per property, with 1 month free to try
Pro, 1 year$11.76 a month per propertyThe same, with 1 month free to try
Pro, custom durationAs low as $9.85 a month per propertyPriced with the calculator on the pricing page

Three details from the FAQ change the math. Each extra Echo in a home counts as another active property, so two devices use the subscription twice as fast. A host can switch the service off for any property in the portal and isn't charged while it's off, which suits seasonal homes. And in the US, UK and Canada the subscription includes the Alexa Smart Properties licence, which AIPEX says Amazon otherwise charges for, with music from iHeartRadio and TuneIn. The device itself is a separate purchase.

Larger property managers and boutique hotels have an enterprise version with optional content curation and dedicated support, priced through AIPEX's sales team.

Getting Started

The free phone version is the easy first step. AIPEX's FAQ lays out the setup:

  1. Sign up for an AIPEX account.
  2. Create a property in the portal with the setup wizard.
  3. Add the answers you want guests to hear.
  4. Send guests the link to the concierge on their phones.
  5. If you want a screen, buy a supported Echo and add it to the property.

The phone concierge works worldwide. The Echo features work fully in the US, the UK and Canada, and AIPEX lists Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa as supported. Outside those places some features aren't available, which AIPEX explains on its compare features page.

The content is the real work, and most of it is the same writing as a good guest guidebook. Our guides to turning a welcome guide into a marketing asset and smart home tech for rentals cover what guests ask for most.

Sources

Every fact about AIPEX above comes from its own pages, read on November 12, 2026. Prices and counts change, so check the current page before you rely on one.

The two screen images are AIPEX's own. The hero photo is a lakeside cabin interior by April Choitz on Pexels.