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Short-term rental portfolio access

You operate many short-term rental units across multiple buildings with different hardware per site (parking gates, unit-door relays, local automation — see the integrations catalog). Standard VRMS tools assume consumer smart locks; they do not natively drive relays, cellular gates, or field-bus openers you may already have.

OpenApp is a PSaaS control plane: your booking system stays authoritative; OpenApp models time-bound guest access, public portal links, and entity actions across all openers. Unit doors with mechanical inside-retract and parking gates with a separate pedestrian exit fit the ingress-only envelope. Do not use OpenApp as the sole electric lock on a means of egress. See Life safety and egress.

Comparisons: OpenApp vs Seam · OpenApp vs RemoteLock · OpenApp + HA vs HA-only

Architecture

Section titled “Architecture”
VRMS / PMS
        │ booking confirmed / cancelled
        ▼
Your webhook service
        │ reconcile access invites per booking event
        ▼
OpenApp Cloud
        │ schedules, portal_ids
        ├──────────┬──────────┐
        ▼          ▼          ▼
   Integration A   Integration B   (optional local bridge)
   (e.g. gate)     (e.g. unit door)
        │
        ▼
Guest: SMS/email link or QR at entry → browser → Open (no app install)

max_devices is designed for shared stays: the web app keeps a persistent per-device identifier, allowing the booked group to use one forwarded invitation without requiring accounts or an app. A new device beyond the configured occupancy limit is rejected, reducing abuse if the link is forwarded further.

Org model (30 units / 6 buildings)

Section titled “Org model (30 units / 6 buildings)”
PatternWhen to use
One org, many portalsSingle operator brand; units distinguished by portal + invite
Org per buildingDifferent owners, billing, or staff per site
Org per building + shared gate portalShared parking gate entity linked from each building’s invites

Script bulk setup: Provision a building with scripting.

Implementation checklist

Section titled “Implementation checklist”
  1. Link the providers each building uses (integrations catalog); common patterns include cloud gate control, Wi‑Fi relays, and Home Assistant bridge.
  2. Create Virtual Access integration with portals per entry (garage QR, unit door).
  3. On booking webhook → reconcile an invitation with the stay window (see time-bound invitations). Set max_devices from the reservation occupancy (for example, 4 for a four-person booking) and optionally set max_uses for a separate total-use limit.
  4. On checkout → reconcile the same reservation to state: revoked (reversible, keeps history).
  5. Pull or stream opens from the audit log (API, exports, HMAC-signed webhooks) — see audit guide. A PMS connector can also record booking events in OpenApp directly.

Why not build a custom dashboard?

Section titled “Why not build a custom dashboard?”

Gemini and other assistants often recommend Home Assistant + custom backend. OpenApp already provides invites, policies, operator UI, and API — see OpenApp + HA vs HA-only.

Section titled “Related”