Answers
How do I set up call forwarding for my motel?
A plain-English, carrier-by-carrier guide to forwarding your motel's phone to an AI receptionist — cell, landline, VoIP, and PBX — with the exact codes and steps.
Short answer
How do I set up call forwarding for my motel?
To forward your motel's calls to an AI receptionist (or any other number), you set up "no-answer" call forwarding — calls ring your desk first, and only forward if no one picks up after about 20 seconds. The exact steps depend on your carrier. On a cell line: AT&T dials **61*[number]**11*20#, Verizon dials *71[number], T-Mobile dials **61*+[number]#. On a landline (Spectrum, Comcast/Xfinity, Cox) or VoIP line (RingCentral, Vonage, Ooma, Grasshopper), you enable "No Answer" forwarding in your provider's online account and enter the destination number. A hotel PBX (Avaya, Mitel, Cisco) needs your IT vendor to set call-forward-no-answer on the main line. Setup takes a few minutes and is fully reversible — you can turn it off the same way you turned it on.
Details
No-answer forwarding vs forwarding everything
There are two kinds of call forwarding and the difference matters. "Forward all calls" sends every call straight to the destination — you stop ringing entirely. "No-answer forwarding" (also called call-forward-no-answer or CFNA) rings your own phone first and only forwards if nobody picks up after about 20 seconds. For a motel, you almost always want no-answer forwarding: you still answer the calls you're there for, and the AI catches the ones that would have gone to voicemail or rung out — after hours, during a check-in rush, or when you're cleaning a room. The steps below are all for no-answer forwarding, with the ring delay set so you get the first crack at every call.
Cell phones — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile
If your motel line is a cell phone, you set forwarding by dialing a short code from your phone's keypad. AT&T: dial **61*[forwarding number]**11*20# and press call — the 20 sets the ring delay to about 20 seconds. To undo it, dial ##61#. Verizon: dial *71 followed immediately by the forwarding number and press call; wait for two beeps. To undo it, dial *73. T-Mobile: dial **61*+[forwarding number]# and press call. To undo it, dial ##61#. On an iPhone, open the Phone app and use the Keypad tab; on Android, use the dialpad in the Phone app. You'll hear a confirmation tone when it's set. Google Voice is the exception — it forwards through voice.google.com under Settings → Calls → "New linked number," and it forwards all calls, not just unanswered ones, so set a schedule to control when the AI answers.
Landlines and VoIP — Spectrum, Comcast, Cox, RingCentral, Vonage, Ooma, Grasshopper
Landline and cable phone lines are configured in your provider's online account, not by dialing a code. Spectrum: spectrum.net → Phone → Call Forwarding → "No Answer / Busy," enter the number, save. Comcast/Xfinity: business.comcast.com → Voice → Call Forwarding → "Busy / No Answer." Cox: cox.com → Phone Features → Call Forwarding → enable "No Answer." VoIP and cloud phones work the same way through their admin panel: RingCentral (Phone System → Call Handling → No Answer → add external forwarding number), Vonage (Phone System → Call Forwarding → "When unanswered"), Ooma (Preferences → Call Forwarding → "When no answer after 4 rings"), and Grasshopper (Settings → Call Forwarding → add a fallback no-answer destination). In every case you enable the no-answer rule, enter the destination number, and save. Not sure who your provider is? Call the customer-service line on your phone bill and say "I need to set up no-answer call forwarding."
Hotel PBX systems and where Motel4 fits
A multi-line hotel PBX (Avaya, Mitel, Cisco) is managed by your IT team or phone vendor, so you hand them one instruction: configure call-forward-no-answer (CFNA) on the main hunt group, forward to your destination number, ring timeout 20 seconds. It's usually under five minutes of work for them. With Motel4, you don't guess at any of this — onboarding shows you the exact steps for your specific carrier, gives you the forwarding number to enter, and includes the one-line undo code so the change is never permanent. Calls ring your desk first; only the ones you miss reach the AI, which answers 24/7 from your property's real information and logs every call. Forwarding is reversible at any time, so you can try it risk-free.