How has the way you communicate with travellers changed?

[Liv]

Hi everyone,

Some of you have been welcoming guests for several weeks now, so it would be really interesting, and helpful to your fellow hosts, to know more about your recent experiences regarding communication. 

How have your conversations with guests differed? 

If you were used to sending standard or boilerplate messages, have you updated them? Have you been communicating with travellers more, less or just as much? Have you noticed any new types of questions from your future or potential guests? 

We can’t wait to hear how hosts have been knocking it out the park as hospitality gets back on track. 

Thanks,

Liv

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Liv , I think they mistake social distancing with not communicating face to face.  While I'm sure we can do both safely at the same time, I think guests are already not comfortable not being in their own space so they take it to an extreme.  Besides, very few of my guests are actually here for vacations at this point and feel compelled to save their encounters for the ones they came for like School or work or visiting their Grandpa.  Its the nature of the beast unfortunately at least until we can make folks feel safe about getting around again.  Stay well Liv, JR 

[Liv]

@Melodie-And-John0 

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense! On the upside it is good that people are being cautious.

Hopefully, with time, we'll all be able to safely reconnect in person 🙂

[Bernadette332]

My home is on a Sought after spring fed River in Florida , More of my guests are now from local areas and that brings many challenges, many extra unlisted guests, Then They comment place is to small, unauthorized boats at dock one guest brought three boats! extra cars, Many smaller items missing. Trying to add a longer minimum stay. 

[Sammy35]

uugghhh florida locals...the worst.  i lived on south beach i had to get out of there.  i feel for you 😞

[Sammy35]

what about upping your price or including a hefty surcharge refundable upon proper exit.  its worked for me.  shuns the riffraff if people want surcharges back it improves the behavior

[Alex893]

Two things have been a major change: pretty much every other person is trying to throw a party so I have to be very thorough in my communication about expectations, some thing I didn’t have to do in such depth before. Almost all of them lie, so I have to ask every question several different ways and try to do it in such a way that a handful that is not trying to break my rules is not offended but the remaining majority comes out clean.

I also used to offer to greet guests in person which is no longer an option.

[Liv]

That's too bad, @Alex893.

I'm glad you have been developing mechanisms to deal with the situation though!

What kind of answers would say give away that guests might be planning to have a party?

[Sammy35]

what we need are instant book screening functionality that requests only hosts are shunned from

abb already knows this

[Alex893]

@Liv  it is not anything specific. I start having a conversation and usually notice comments that make no sense. For example, someone said they were planning a trip 10 days from now because of teacher strike (this was a few months ago). How would they know if a teachers strike a week from that point in time? Here is another one: they usually shock you with a horrible life event, but one sometime back. My baby died six months ago and I need to get away. My best friend died of cancer a year ago and I need to celebrate her life with closest friends. Those have always - always!- turned out to be party in the making. It is almost like they think I would not question them further after learning of this horrible thing happening to them. And the last one- they type each word with a capital letter. It Would Look Like This. Has not failed to be a party in planning. 

[Huma0]

@Liv 

Since our calendars were unblocked, I started getting enquiries again, but not a single one has expressed any interest in cleanliness or other COVID-19 related safety measures. They don't even ask who else will be staying here. 

The guests seem wholly unconcerned and I am the only one asking the questions. I would at the very least like to know their day to day schedules (I host long-term guests) e.g. will they be working from home or travelling into work every day via public transport?

One girl seemed particularly keen to book. She told me not to worry because she would be working from home full time, doesn't know how to cook so would only use the kitchen to make tea/coffee and would be staying with friends at the weekends anyway. That didn't make sense to me. I mean, if she was going to work full time from here, was she just not going to eat? Even if you buy pre-prepared food or takeaways, you still need to use the kitchen to some extent, especially as I don't allow my guests to eat in their bedrooms. I didn't question her further on that but I did want to know if she would be socially distancing while staying at her friend's, as per the current Government regulations, but she obviously didn't like that question because I never heard from her again!

[Liv]

@Huma0 

Thanks for the contribution, that's a super interesting insight!

Do you think maybe cautious travellers that would potentially ask those kinds of questions are not yet making reservations?

[Sammy35]

they are.  i get them.  last 3 guests all concerned and adherence tho one guest fellow host and her family had to be written up publicly first time for ev

now im requiring all family over 18 be added to itin so reviews display for whole party

not interested?!  no prob!  happy hunting asap

[Huma0]

@Liv 

That's certainly possible, but from what I see in my day to day life. e.g. how people in my neighbourhood are behaving, what my friends and family and colleagues are doing etc. I realise that if people want to travel, they just will. People can be cautious, but if they really want a holiday or to visit someone etc., they will justify to themselves why it is 'safe' for them to do so.

[Sammy35]

dont you live when they do you the favor of either going away or withdrawing tho

ive gotten really good as dissuading riffraff without being rude confrontational or wordy.  they go crickets or withdraw.  i logofg happy and relieved 

[Mark116]

We've basically had no requests at all until yesterday, all for this weekend, which went as follows:

1. Covid 1st responder wants to stay for almost a month.  Great.  Except the guest never responded to multiple messages for almost 8 hours, never confirmed a check in time, never confirmed having read the house rules, never responded to anything and so we were forced to deny the request because it started to feel like some type of scam and it was concerning that a first responder would not be concerned about COVID, either in terms of them bringing risk to us or vice versa.

2. Guest wants to book for 2, this weekend, great, starts off asking a random question.  We dialogue.  Then the guest wants to bring a baby and another person.  Fine even though the place is listed as not suitable for under 2.  Then the guest can't change the reservation to 4 guests and then they disapear.

3. At 2:30 am guest, local,  messages saying having trouble with ID verification. We respond this morning.  We've now sent the guest 3 messages and airbnb help 1 message.  No idea if this guest will be arriving tomorrow or not. UPDATE:  The guest withdrew the request.

So, I guess the summary is that guests seem to have extremely, extremely poor communication skills and even a lack of understanding of how the system works, as if they think the request=confirmation.