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

[Debra300]

@Mark116,

I've told you before that people just don't read.  Yesterday, I received an inquiry from a guest that has one review from last Fall.  So, not a total newbie.

She asked if the apartment was available next Friday to Saturday.  Do we have wifi, and is it located in an apartment building.

I politely answered her questions, and even pre-approved her.  She thanked me for the information, but hasn't booked.  However, I was thinking about how she just didn't read.

Looking past the obvious:

- The dates are available. That's why my listing appeared in your search results.

- The first sentence under the The Space in the listing - "This comfortable apartment is on the first level of a single story house. It is self-contained, and has its own private entrance and amenities."

- Here are some of the amenities displayed on the main listing page: 

[Mark116]

@Debra300  Yeah, I agree, that's why my 1st message is always to remind them to review the rules and the location and oh, hey, if you didn't see it we live in the same house as the airbnb:) 

But, I mean, if you want to rent someone's space, especially if you're only giving yourself 24-48 hours notice,  and with the uncertainty about covid and how that might affect the stay,  you have to reply to the messages in a reasonable timeframe.  The first person, who allegedly wanted to stay 3+ weeks, and was making the reservation only 24 hours in advance, to not respond at all for an entire day is so weird.  I  had a bad feeling about that one, though, so although I hate to deny any requests, and could really, really have used the $$, I feel like we dodged something there. 

[Debra300]

@Mark116,

Thus far, all of the inquiries that I've received regarding longer term stays have been from discount hunters or window shoppers, and they do not respond to my messages.

[Mark116]

@Debra300  I'm really starting to wonder if for whatever reason, there has been a huge upsurge in scammers in airbnb.  We got 1 more inquiry today...14 days, great, oh, wants to talk off the platform.  WTF?  So that makes us 4/4 with something totally bizarre about the potential guest all leading to zero bookings.  

[Debra300]

@Mark116,

Yesterday, I had an experienced guest with great recent reviews send me a booking request for two months.  She asked questions that were clearing answered in the listing, but I answered them.  Since I don't want to mess with potential tenants' rights I told her that the booking would have to be broken up into two reservations, and I will refund the second cleaning fee.  I sent her a special offer for the first month, and I thought I wouldn't hear from her, but she booked!

So, keep your chin up, because I had to go through a few fluff inquiries for longer-term stays, too.

[Sammy35]

yup

i started sending templates w help links and cs contact link

come see me when you feel youre over the orientation curve

if they want the place i hear back but assume i wont made my life so much easier

[Sammy35]

 

[Sammy35]

⬆️⬆️⬆️

literally!

the beginning

and end

never even opened the message

or my mouth lol

[Sammy35]

[Sammy35]

there is truly no where to even go with this
these are the easy ones to ignore

[Sammy35]

here's the newest "communication habits" = reporting suspicious scammy profiles.  i'm going to have to change my nightly pricing for private shared room shared space back to what it used to hover around (outside of sell out event weekends).  this will also entail uppingm y whole home listing back up probably 20%.  so over this

[Sammy35]

@Huma0  ^^^  more p0rn0 aversion lmao wtf is going on with this functionality