To what extent have you automated your listing?

[Sybe]

Hey everyone,

As Hosts, you have a lot of tasks on your plate, and I imagine that all tricks that can help you juggle those are welcome. Automating certain parts of your listings could allow you to spend more time focusing on providing your guests with that unique experience.

There are a couple of things the Airbnb platform offers to help automate your listing, like using scheduled messages or Instant Booking. Some may decide to take it a step further and look at 3rd party softwares, which can help with calendar management for example, while others might purposefully choose to not automate certain things, to preserve the human touch or have more control over them.

To what extent have you automated your listing? 

I’d love to hear which platform features or other softwares you use, how you have implemented them, how you find them, or even if there are certain features you chose not to use and why

Give us your tips, tricks, and suggestions in the comments below!

Sybe

[Helen744]

@Sybe I understood and rejected the automating of my listing if you are referring to messages between guest and host but did notice some time back that airbnb would reinterpret my messages and simply send random nonsensical things to guests absolutely not the info that I asked for or was trying to send . I think/hope that has ended as I would simply feel as if airbnb has overstepped the mark between me as a host and Airbnb as the host of my property . The snatch and grab for control disguised as a either a paternalistic vision or a  way to makes hosts lives easier and actually prevent them from hosting and infantilise them is very last century . Maybe it is because more hosts are woman and more computer boffins are men. Just a thought H

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sybe Automation of messages feels too impersonal to me. We have fairly standard directions etc in a Word file that we cut and stick into messages allowing personalisation as necessary.

[Emily352]

This "work" is based on communication. Communicating is fundamental. The guest is the cornerstone of everything. You have to take care of him through words. Words tell who you are, and define your identity and your values.

As far as I am concerned, I structure my communication in the lapse of time going from the "reservation" to the "check-out".

My scheduling involves a few e-mails, with alerts on Google Calendar. You can count them on the fingers of one hand:

° Thumb: even if the guest arrives at my home two months later, he receives confirmation that his reservation is successful. I am pleased to inform you that your request has been accepted. Thank you for choosing me! I will make sure you have a truly unforgettable stay. See you in Milan!

The e-mail contains some questions.

What is the reason for your trip to Italy (tourism/work/study/other)? Understanding the motive and the purpose of the traveller is very important to me because there are needs, motivations and purposes of the tenant to which tourist leases respond (vacation, holiday, recreation, rest) and there are needs, motivations and purposes of the tenant to which non-tourist transient leases respond (work, study, need for care for oneself or family members, etc. ), which the legislature of 1998 decided to keep clearly separated because each of the above-mentioned negotiating figures responds to different purposes.

Which are your expectation about my house? Understanding the traveller's expectations is very important in order not to disappoint him: this thing affected the review.

Do you have any preference in bed arrangements? Over the years I've learned that bedding arrangements are very important and it's good to know in advance.

Need help booking a visit to a museum or a table at a restaurant? Let me know. I will be happy to help and advise you for the best!

The first message ends by summarizing the essential points of his stay.

This is a rental of a property or a part of a property (room). A rental agreement will be signed upon arrival. The local tourist tax will be collected. Documents will be requested to be turned over to the Police Headquarters (art.109 TULPS). If requested, a receipt will be issued to the debtor (art.1199 civil code).

The property is located  ............. at house number .......... Arrival is scheduled for the day .......... The departure is scheduled for the day ........... the rent is agreed in € ............ the security deposit (in case of direct booking or use of other portals) is agreed in € ........................ . The kitchen is fully equipped. Towels and bedding are provided.

° Index finger: a week before arrival, the guest receives a second e-mail in which I remind him of the agreed time of arrival and the necessary fulfillments. All information on how to get to the apartment according to the means used by the traveller (plane, train, car) was provided.

° Middle finger: the day after arrival, the guest receives a "follow-up e-mail." Is everything okay?  You can find all the instructions for using the apartment in the "House Manual". I wish you a peaceful vacation. If you need any assistance, please contact ..................... (from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.).

° Ring finger: the day before departure, the guest receives the e-mail of "check-out”. Before leaving, check the drawers and bedside tables so as not to leave personal belongings, cell phones, glasses and so on. If you stay a few hours in Milan, you can leave your luggage at ..................... Enjoy the day!

° Little finger: the day after departure, the guest receives a post-stay monitoring email, with a request for review. It was nice meeting you. I hope you enjoyed your stay at my home. I would like to know what you liked about it. Suggestions for improving my home are welcome. I hope to have you as my guest again next time you come through here.

All the preset messages can be customized: all I have to do is only change names and surnames and rents. It’s a nice time-saver both for me (it allowed me to devote my time to other things) and for the guest (the guest who arrives in a place he doesn’t know needs reassurance during his stay).

These messages help to build a relationship. Tourism is made of people who help people. And what is hosting if not a beautiful act of kindness, declined in a thousand different ways, something akin to a vitamin supplement of courtesy, of sincere benevolence, to be taken consistently day after day, creating a bond between host and guest?

[Inna22]

I love automated messages and I learnt that customizing does not work for me. I misspell, forget, confuse. I used to ask for bed arrangements and some people would not reply leaving housekeepers hanging or guests unhappy. I now have standard arrangements and direct guest to extra bedding @Emily352 

That is not what the topic is about. To answer your question @Sybe, I use both scheduled messages and quick replies. I get messages about parking and early check in a lot (even thought it is all in the listing). I save myself about half hour a day by being able to select a quick reply. Same with automated messages. I schedule several and I think have gotten down now. I would love even more automation such as setting my listing to ask for IDs or being able to send reminders to myself

[Sybe]

Hey everyone @Mike-And-Jane0 @Emily352 @Inna22 @Helen744 ,

Thank you so much for your replies so far! It looks like everyone values keeping the human touch in interactions between the Host and guest and there are really good ideas and suggestions being shared here.

I feel like I may have written my topic in such a way that it's focused too much on automation within the platform. I'd like to take this chance to rectify that, because we'd love to hear what kind of automation you've used in your place as well! Think about things like lockboxes, timed radiators/heating, top-up electricity meters, etc.

Thanks and keep the replies coming! 😃

[Ted307]

@Sybe 

We have only one small guest house and it is on our property. We send messages ourselves, turn on the hot water heater, heating or cooling, ourselves. We clean our place, and greet our guests, because we are retired and live here. Our guests seem to appreciate our comfortable & laid-back but close by hosting. We wave at them when they are arriving home after a hike, and sometimes chat with them about how things are going for them on the morning after they arrive. Sometimes guests enjoy a tour of our little place with ducks & chickens to feed, and garden produce to pick in season.

[Colette203]

I recently purchased a "smart plug" for my ac, so I can turn it on without driving across town to my rental. This saves me time, money, gas and contributes to a better guest experience as the house can take a while to cool down in very hot weather. I tried automated listings but I see a lot of value in "personalityizing" my messages like "I'm looking forward to hosting you and your daughter, have a sweet drive from Moose Jaw, I hope you like the fish art and the dill pickle pizza, enjoy the festival." I have a theory that it helps guests see me as a fellow human and makes them less likely to be assholes about some trivial issue.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sybe Each of of our listings has separate central heating controls that guests can use themselves. We also have  technology that allows us to adjust the heating from a remote computer. The really clever thing is the system we use to 'adjust' the heating when guests try to either run it 24 hrs/day or at stupid temperatures (Highest setting by guest was 28C).

[L94]

We have a standard message that goes out shortly after booking with a welcome greeting and some information about the home that always comes up as a question even though they're clearly stated in the listing and an invitation to cancel the reservation if they weren't aware.   24 hours before checkin we send a message confirming costs, dates, and letting them know we'll be sending them access /alarm codes just before they check in. We also do a standard checkout list at 6pm the day before checkout, and finally we do a 24 hour after checkout request for feedback and thanks for booking.   These are all standard bits of information everyone who books appreciates having confirmed and saves us having to respond to messages asking for the same basic information.  It also ensure the guests are comfortable and clear about our expectations at checkout. 

We also have an automated lock at the front door with the ability to rotate 256 codes.  

[Leslie766]

Great topic! We are able to do more than we choose to do, including presetting our HVAC, programming the Roomba, setting limits on heat levels from the fireplace insert. We let our guests decide how cool/warm to make the house. We don't live there and so far we are able to visit soon after a guest departs to make sure nothing is left on or unlocked for very long. We have outdoor lights on a timer in the front yard. (It's surprising how many people leave a door unlocked, windows open, heater on). The digital entry system is the best, allowing us to change the code easily with each guest, keyless, easy! 

I have actually never met any of our guests. We are available but prefer to chat back and forth indirectly. My messages are never standard, rather specific (like "Have a great time at the wedding!" or "You must be so proud of your Cal Poly graduate!" I always want to know what time they think they will arrive, confirmation that they have arrived, say hi mid-visit, then remind them to look at the binder for check out procedures and let me know when they estimate departure. It's worked out well so far but this is our only short term rental.

[Amanda660]

At some point before late autumn I’m going to Install a Drayton Wiser system, Hive or similar along with sensors on the windows that cuts off the heating when they’re open.  Our property is on 3 floors and folks go absolutely crazy with the heating.   I’m not sure if it’s going to be viable for us to continue unless bookings return to where they were but if not we’ll sell our house and move in and will make use of the heating controls. 

We use a lockbox or I pop over and welcome them - I’m just across the road so I head over on departure and switch the heating off which has invariably been left on full tilt and the windows open. 

[Dale866]

@Sybe, we are still babes in the woods with hosting, but my gut instinct tells me that more automation does NOT equate to a better guest experience. The human touch is everything, even more so in these  social distancing times!! 

[Michael5047]

I integrate my listing with Owner Rez channel manager.

When you have multiple listings and co-host 5 more houses it's much easier to manage multiple listings from my channel manager than doing it through Airbnb.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Sybe 

I am with @Dale866 that the personal touch is vital. Our guests are individuals, and so is my response. I am an enthusiastic user of quick replies, which are templates for me to personalize for each guest. They are first a welcome message immediately after accepting a booking request, thanking them for finding us and booking with us. It reiterates where we are located, how far from the nearest town and services, and asks for any questions they may have about house rules, house manual, directions. They are an excellent tool for starting or continuing a conversation with the guests who will stay inner home. I have quick reply templates for guidebook questions, such as activities, destinations, restaurants, and other guidebook topics. A few days before arrival I send another customized quick reply reminding guests to review and bring directions offline, give the local weather forecast, and ask for more questions.