Manage hosts and the host directory

The host directory governs who is authorised to invite and host visitors. A host can only create invites at a site where they appear in the directory. Each host record is anchored to a company-owned email domain: public webmail addresses are not valid invitation sources, and a calendar event reaches Kenai through the iCal bot only if the sender is a host at that location.

Host authorisation is per location, so a person can be authorised to host at one site and not another. Hosts are either synchronised (via API or Active Directory) or added manually, and manual entries always win.

Note: the host directory is distinct from the employee directory. One person can appear in both, for example a permanent employee who is also authorised to host visitors.

Add a host manually

If the directory isn't fully synchronised, click Add host:

1. Enter the name and email (both required).

2. Optionally add a phone number (any international number; click the flag to set the country, which defaults from the IP region).

3. Optionally set notification preferences and assistants (below).

Import hosts

Click Import, download the Excel template, populate it, then choose:

• Update directory: adds new hosts and updates changed entries; existing entries are not deleted.

• Replace directory: deletes the directory and uses the upload as the new source of truth. You'll get a warning; proceed with caution.

Host records can also be kept in sync with an external source using the Sync Hosts API.

Warning: manually-added hosts supersede synchronised hosts. A manual entry is never removed or overwritten by the sync, so it won't be wiped on the next sync.

Notifications and assistants

On a manually-managed host (three dots → Edit host) you can:

• Toggle whether the host receives email and SMS notifications (both are sent by default).

• Add one or more assistants. Each assistant must already be in the host directory. Assistants receive the host's visitor notifications on their behalf (commonly used for C-suite hosts with personal assistants).

These options aren't available on synchronised hosts.

Host on behalf of someone else

When setting up invites, a host can assign the invite to another authorised host instead of themselves. In the iCal bot Visitor Invites form, the Host field defaults to you; search and select another host's name to assign the invite to them. You can also add a Second host so a second person is included in the host notifications for that visit.

Walkthrough: selecting the host and a second host when setting up invites via the iCal bot.

Note: the host directory is only visible to admins with host directory maintenance permission. Sites that want a sync-only directory simply don't grant that permission.