How To Use Tags (#) & Mentions (@)

Tags and mentions help you organize information and notify the right people. Use #hashtags to categorize notes and tasks, and @mentions to alert specific team members or departments.

Overview

  • #Hashtags - Categorize and link notes/tasks to rooms, equipment, or topics

  • @Mentions - Notify specific people or departments about important information

  • Tag Pages - View all activity related to a specific tag in one place


@Mentions: Notify People or Teams

Use @mentions to ensure the right people see your message and receive a notification.

How to Mention

Type @ followed by a name in any note or task:

Mention

Effect

@Sam

Notifies Sam directly

@housekeeping

Notifies everyone in the Housekeeping department

@frontdesk

Notifies everyone in the Front Desk department

@all

Notifies every HelloShift user at your site

When Notifications Are Sent

Mentioned users receive notifications via:

  • Mobile push notifications (if enabled)

  • Desktop notifications (via browser or Pusher)

  • In-app notification badge

Notifications are sent immediately when you click Add Note or create a task.

Mention Best Practices

  • Use @all sparingly - only for truly urgent, property-wide announcements

  • Mention department leads when issues affect their area

  • Mention specific people when you need a response from them

  • Include context in your message so recipients understand the urgency

Example

@Sam @housekeeping #103 #complaint Guest reported an odd smell in the room. Please investigate ASAP.

This note:

  • Notifies Sam and everyone in Housekeeping

  • Links to Room 103's tag page

  • Appears under the #complaint tag for tracking


#Hashtags: Categorize Your Messages

Hashtags help organize notes so you can find them later and track recurring issues.

Tag Types

HelloShift supports several types of tags:

Type

Examples

Purpose

Room Numbers

#103, #205, #PH1

Track everything that happens in a specific room

Public Spaces

#lobby, #pool, #restaurant

Track activity in common areas

Equipment

#boiler, #elevator1, #hvac

Track maintenance and issues for equipment

Custom Tags

#complaint, #VIP, #maintenance

Categorize by topic or priority

How Tags Work

  1. Type # followed by the tag name in any note or task

  2. HelloShift automatically links the note to that tag

  3. Click any tag to see all notes/tasks associated with it

  4. Tags can be filtered and searched from the Task Dashboard

Viewing a Tag's History

Click on any tag (like #103 or #complaint) to open that tag's page, which shows:

  • All notes and tasks associated with the tag

  • Activity timeline in chronological order

  • Pinned items at the top (if any)

  • Current status of associated tasks


Creating New Tags

Adding Tags from the Add Menu

  1. Click Add in the top-right corner of HelloShift

  2. Hover over Add Assets / Tags

  3. Select the type you want to create:

    • Add Room - Creates a room with its own profile

    • Add Public Space - For common areas like lobby, pool, gym

    • Add Equipment - For trackable assets like boilers, elevators

    • Add Tag - For custom tags like #complaint or #VIP

  4. Enter the tag name

  5. Click Create

Creating Tags On-the-Fly

You can also create new tags simply by using them:

  1. Type #newtag in a note or task

  2. If the tag doesn't exist, HelloShift creates it automatically

  3. The new tag appears in your tag list

Note: Auto-created tags default to the "Site" (custom) type. To create room or equipment tags with full profiles, use the Add menu.


Room Tags: Complete Room Profiles

Room tags (#103, #205, etc.) are special because they create a full room profile that tracks everything about that room.

What Room Profiles Include

  • Activity Feed: All notes, tasks, and messages mentioning the room

  • Room Settings: Wi-Fi info, key codes, special instructions

  • Housekeeping Status: Current cleaning status and history

  • Assignment: Default cleaner and inspector

  • Equipment: Sub-tags for room equipment (TV, minibar, etc.)

Accessing Room Settings

From the Sidebar:

  1. Go to Staff > Assets & Tags > Rooms

  2. Click on the room number to open its profile

  3. Click Edit Room to access settings

From the Task Dashboard:

  1. Click Tasks in the left sidebar

  2. Find your room number in the Tags section

  3. Click the room tag to open its profile

  4. Click Edit Room to access settings:

    • Add key codes for manual lock systems

    • Set Wi-Fi credentials for automated guest messages

    • Define cleaning rules and schedules

    • Assign default cleaners and inspectors

Room Information in Guest Messages

Room-specific information (Wi-Fi, key codes) can be automatically included in guest messages using placeholders like {{room.wifi}} or {{room.keycode}}.


Filtering by Tags

From the Task Dashboard

  1. Go to Tasks in the left sidebar

  2. Click the Filter button

  3. Select tags from the dropdown

  4. View only tasks associated with those tags

From Tag Pages

  1. Click any tag in a note or task

  2. View all activity for that tag

  3. Use the search box to filter within the tag's history

Tag Status Indicators

Tags show status indicators based on their associated tasks:

Color

Meaning

Red

Has overdue tasks

Green

Has current (active) tasks

Blue

Has upcoming tasks

Gray

No active tasks


Bulk Operations with Tags

Use Property Maintenance to create tasks or checklists for multiple rooms or equipment at once.

Accessing Property Maintenance

  1. In the left sidebar, go to Apps > Property Maintenance

  2. Use the dropdown to select the tag type: Rooms, Equipment, or Public Spaces

  3. You'll see a list of all tags with checkboxes

Creating Tasks for Multiple Tags

  1. Check the boxes next to multiple tags (e.g., select rooms 101-110)

  2. Use the "Select All" checkbox in the header to select all visible tags

  3. In the Choose Action dropdown, select Create Task

  4. Select a task template from the Choose Task dropdown

  5. Click Next: Review Selection →

  6. Confirm the selection and create the tasks

Creating Checklists for Multiple Tags

  1. Check the boxes next to multiple tags

  2. In the Choose Action dropdown, select Create Checklist

  3. Select a checklist template from the Choose Checklist dropdown

  4. Click Next: Review Selection →

  5. Confirm and create the checklists

This is useful for:

  • Assigning deep cleaning to all rooms on a floor

  • Creating inspection tasks for all elevators

  • Setting up maintenance checks for all HVAC units


Default Site Tags

HelloShift automatically creates useful tags when you set up your site:

Tag

Purpose

#Complaint

Track guest complaints (marked as favorite for quick access)

#CreditCardDeclined

Payment issues

#WaitList

Guests on waitlist

#Cancellation

Cancelled reservations

#DoNotRent

Flagged guests

#NoShow

No-show reservations

#StayOver

Extended stays

#WakeUpCall

Wake-up call requests

These can be customized or supplemented with your own tags.


Tag Analytics

HelloShift tracks statistics for each tag:

  • Note/Task Count: How many items are tagged

  • Completion Rate: What percentage of tasks are completed on time

  • Common Co-Tags: Which tags frequently appear together

  • Activity Trends: Daily/weekly patterns

Access tag reports from Reports > Tags to analyze trends and identify recurring issues.


Best Practices

Consistent Tag Naming

  • Use consistent formats: #complaint not sometimes #complaints

  • Keep names short but descriptive

  • Use lowercase for custom tags (room numbers can be uppercase)

Strategic Tag Usage

  • Tag every guest-related note with the room number

  • Use #urgent or #priority for time-sensitive items

  • Create department-specific tags like #maintenance-request

  • Tag recurring issues to track patterns (e.g., #wifi-issues)

Reviewing Tag Activity

  • Check high-activity tags weekly to spot trends

  • Use the #complaint tag to identify service gaps

  • Review equipment tags to predict maintenance needs


Troubleshooting

My tag isn't linking

  • Make sure you typed # directly before the tag name (no space)

  • Check that the tag exists or will be auto-created

  • Tags are case-insensitive for matching

I can't find a tag

  • Use the search bar on the Tags page

  • Check if the tag might have a slightly different name

  • Verify you're looking in the correct tag type (Room vs. Custom)

Notifications aren't reaching mentioned users

  • Verify the user has notifications enabled in their profile

  • Check that push notifications are enabled on their mobile device

  • Confirm the @mention format is correct (@username or @department)


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