hostaway-mcp is an open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed to connect Claude to the Hostaway vacation rental management system (PMS), allowing users to directly access and manage vacation rental operations data through an AI assistant. The project was developed by @prosperkartik, and the author has been working on production integrations for short-term rental operators with Hostaway, Ciirus, and major OTA APIs (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Expedia, Marriott) since 2022. Hostaway is a trademark of Hostaway Inc., and this project is community-built and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hostaway.
Purpose The main purpose of this server is to enable Claude (in Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or any MCP-compatible client) to securely query key business data in a Hostaway account, including property listings, reservation information, calendar availability, guest messages, and financial data. It is aimed at vacation rental operators and hospitality technology teams, helping them integrate AI into daily operations.
Main capabilities Version v0.1 provides 10 read-only tools covering the following areas:
- Listings: list the properties in a Hostaway account.
- Reservations: query reservation information, such as reservations checking in next week.
- Calendar: check the availability of a specific property within a specified date range.
- Conversations: view unread guest messages, or display the conversation with a specific guest.
- Financials: access owner financial data.
- Health-check: confirm the Hostaway connection status through tools such as whoami.
At startup, the server uses the Account ID and API Key provided on the Hostaway API settings page to perform an OAuth token exchange, and caches the bearer token in memory, so users do not need to manually generate a token. All v0.1 tools are read-only and cannot modify Hostaway data.
How to use
- Obtain Hostaway API credentials: in the Hostaway operator account,Go to Settings → Hostaway API, generate API credentials, and obtain the Account ID and API Key.
- Add to Claude Code: use the corresponding installation command (or use --scope local to install only to the current project).
- Add to Claude Desktop: edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS), add the configuration, then restart Claude Desktop, and the Hostaway tools will appear in the tool selector. After configuration is complete, you can ask Claude questions such as:
- "Run whoami to confirm Hostaway is connected."
- "List my Hostaway listings."
- "Which bookings are checking in next week?"
- "Is listing 12345 available from May 10 to 17?"
- "Do I have any unread guest messages?"
- "Show the conversation with [guest]."
Use cases This tool is suitable for vacation rental operators, hospitality technology teams, and developers who need to integrate AI into property management operations. It can help quickly query listing status, booking information, calendar availability, and guest communication records, improving operational efficiency.
Limitations
- In v0.1, all tools are read-only and do not support write operations.
- Write operations are planned for future versions and will require explicit confirmation (confirm: true).
- Credentials are stored only in environment variables, and the server does not write them to disk; the bearer token exists only in process memory and is not persistently stored.
- For multi-property operators, the data range returned by the Hostaway API is limited to the account corresponding to the provided credentials, and cross-account access is not possible.
- Roadmap for future versions: v0.2 plans to add tasks (list_tasks, get_task), cancellation policies, and custom field reading; v0.3 plans to add guest payment reading and Webhooks reading; v0.4+ plans to add write operations (send guest messages, update calendar blocks, create tasks), which will require explicit confirmation.
This project uses the MIT license, and the codebase is small and easy to read. Issues and PRs are welcome.
