New Airbnb host seeking advice on managing unfinished outdoor work

[Danielle1765]

Hi, my name is Danielle; I was born & raised in Quebec but have been in Nova Scotia since 1986. My partner & I owned a campground from 2010 to 2016 so we do have some experience with hosting people however I'm new at hosting AirBnB & a bit stressed about the whole thing as the space is ready to welcome guests but the outdoor work is not finished yet & I'm afraid it will be a negative on the reviews. Anybody else have had similar situations?
Hopefully guests realize that Rome wasn't built in one day & forgive the small inconveniences... 
Thanks for listening!

[Tittle updated by OCM]

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Danielle1765 Communication is key. I would warn the guests that it is taking longer than anticipated and offer them a full refund if they wish to cancel. Also ensure they know if work will or will not continue during their stay.

We had one guest stay when the ceiling had been soaked in a flood from the upstairs apartment and the folks staying didn't mind at all what it looked like and we still got a 5 star review. I think the offer of a cancellation goes a long way and is unlikely to be taken up.

[Danielle1765]

Hi @Mike-And-Jane0 

I currently have no booking but I want to be proactive with future guests. Thanks for for the input; I agree with communication being key, I just know that sometimes expectations are hard to manage.

 Thanks for for the input!

[Shelley159]

@Danielle1765 

I agree with @Mike-And-Jane0 

You could also say that if they don't choose to cancel, you will give them some discount (of your choice). I assume this is a confirmed booking and that they have already paid, so you can use the "send/receive money" option to give a discount. It would be nice if you could keep them positive for a pleasant first booking.

[Danielle1765]

Hi @Shelley159 

I currently have no booking but I want to be proactive with future guests; I agree with communication being key, I just know that sometimes expectations are hard to manage.

 Thanks for for the input!

[Karen114]

@Danielle1765  When you do get a booking just contact them immediately letting them know that the landscaping is not quite done yet and there will be work done during their stay.

You can even set this up as an auotmated message in the platform so that it does off even if you are sleeping.  I love the automated messaging.  

[Danielle1765]

Thanks Karen, the auto set up sounds pretty good! I'll have a look at that.

[Bhumika]

Hi @Danielle1765 , A very warm welcome to the Community 🌻.

It's so nice to see that you intend to be proactive considering the situation of ongoing outdoor work and avoid disappointing your future guests. 

Host @Karen114 has offered a brilliant advice! Have you already set up an automated message since? Sharing an Airbnb article if it's useful : Using scheduled messages to save time . We look forward to know what message you'll be drafting for prospective guests as an alert about the outdoor work!

[Helen3]

personally I wouldn't open the listing until the work in your garden is complete @Danielle1765  if the garden is unusable 

and I wouldn't do work while the guests are there.

is there a reason that you can't get the garden in a usable state before opening @Danielle1765