Overview

VacayStays is a WhatsApp Business bot designed for vacation property managers. It handles guest inquiries automatically by parsing iCal feeds to check property availability, managing conversational state, and logging all enquiries for the property owner.

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Key Features

• Automated Availability Checking — Parses iCal feeds from booking platforms (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) to determine real-time property availability for requested dates
• WhatsApp Webhook Integration — Handles incoming WhatsApp Business API events including text messages, interactive button responses, and list selections
• Conversational State Management — Tracks user state through multi-step inquiry flows (property selection → date selection → availability response → booking guidance)
• Enquiry Logging — All guest interactions and availability checks are logged with timestamps for the property manager to review
• Multi-Property Support — Configuration-driven setup allows managing multiple properties, each with its own iCal feed and response templates

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Architecture

• Framework: FastAPI with Uvicorn for async request handling
• WhatsApp: Meta WhatsApp Business API integration via webhook verification and message processing
• Calendar: iCal (.ics) feed parsing with automatic refresh intervals
• HTTP Client: httpx for async external API calls
• Configuration: Environment-based configuration for API keys, property details, and webhook secrets

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Tech Stack

• Python, FastAPI, Uvicorn
• WhatsApp Business API
• iCal parsing (icalendar)
• httpx (async HTTP)