No first message from guest when booking

[John5097]

Five of my last seven reservations didn't include a first message. This seems odd as this never happened before. I updated my rules to include a first message when making a reservation but just wanted to see if anyone else is having this issue? I didn't see any recent post on the issue. 

I thought a first message was required to make a reservation? Not a good way to start a booking. So far they have been responsive getting back with me,  but just had two today so waiting to see if they respond. 

If I don't hear back from, which would mean zero communication, should I contact CS to have it canceled? Problem is risk having to deal with CS.   

 If guest continue to make reservations without any first message I'm not sure how to keep hosting. 

[Liv]

@John5097 @Emilia42 

Hi @Colleen253, sure! Sorry it's been confusing.

That's something that is being tested on a small set of users to get data to decide how Airbnb will move forward.

Tests are not usually announced as it could alter results. In all software tests, it’s important to get the true data of normal user behaviour without influence from other sources, when possible.

[Emilia42]

@Liv Thanks for chiming in. About one month ago, I played the role of a guest and made an Airbnb booking. There was no message field to communicate with the host until AFTER I hit the confirm button. I was really confused by this but then realized it was all by Airbnb design. A new process. Brian confirms this in his new announcement video at the 11:25 minute mark where you can see the "new" booking process and how there is no pre-booking message until the next page (after the reservation is confirmed. (https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/what-hosts-need-to-know-about-airbnbs-announcement-...)

This is troublesome because:

1.) You as say for those who use instant book they can still require the initial pre-booking message. This is not true. A guest can simply confirm a reservation and close the screen with no message at all.

2.) Many, many hosts who use instant book solely rely on that initial message and if not received will be left chasing guests for it (both annoying for the guest and host) or canceling the reservation altogether. 

I have read a few instances of hosts experiencing this on the forum (see example here: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/No-Introductory-Message/m-p/1446144#M316214_ ) 

And I have personally experienced it as a guest. It is definitely a result of the new "making it easier for guests to book" campaign and not a tech glitch or setting error. Please pass this feedback along to Airbnb if you can. 

[Wende2]

Hello all.......I haven't had an issue yet with no messages.  I get either a novel or a sentence, either works for me.  I looked over the 100+ list, not much there to improve the host experience.  I wish they'd do something about the star ratings, I don't think location should be one.  I'm the closest to what people come here for and I still have gotten a 4, yet see others are getting 5.  I've gotten 5 stars in the ratings then an overall 4 that shows with the guest name.  I had a guest say they only use ABnB because it's so easy to book, no questions.  I think I'm in a good location that doesn't bring unwanted guests, rural area that offers nature for the gotta check it out.  The only really horrible guests I've had, one came for the local triathlon, the other for a stop over for a near by scenic bike ride.  Otherwise I've only had the rare guest I'm glad isn't on a lease agreement, been there done that.!!  And yes people do not read past the initial info about the listing, I get plenty of questions that make me want to reply, didn't you see that in the listing info.  I have also gotten a double checking question to be sure you really do allow pets, usually asking about cats, and once a caged bird, both were fine guests.  It's the dogs that haven't been a couple times.  Over all coming up on 3 full yrs. it's been a pleasure meeting who I've meet and making a few new friends.

[Amy1977]

@John5097  I thought I was going crazy! I have missed 3 reservations in the last week. I have a one day interval between check out and check in, and I got a request for check in today when clients are just checking out. I called Airbnb and told them about the situation. And to look on the community boards to see their is a wide spread problem. They say they have a glitch in the system and it will attended to . I also mentioned how it is going to affect our hosting status. Lets see what they do. 

[John5097]

Apologies for the frustration. I realize my one apartment isn't that important, and there are millions of other listings. Although, it has been a lot of work throughout the past year. I have completed 150 reservations, and have gotten all 5 star reviews. Throughout the pandemic I had 100 cancelations, about $2000 were within the cancelation timeframe, of which I received $16 in compensation. I didn't complain. I've appreciated the service Airbnb has provided. The reason its frustrating is that changes were made without informing the host. I really like hosting with Airbnb. 

I've been super busy the past several weeks. I was just trying to communicate. Like other host who are upset, we are hoping to continue to keep hosting successfully. I think its important to get accurate feedback from host and guest. 

For me I have a different skill set. My listing has to be 10x cleaner, and its critical for everything to be very structured. I don't require much from my guest. But the first message is critical. 

I really do appreciate some of the support from fellow host and community managers here. 

I wish Airbnb would just go back to the first message as a requirement to make the reservation. After a very challenging year, it was nice to have a brief time when everything was very smooth and stress free.

A lot of my reservations were from new guest with no reviews so will have to wait and see how the changes I made, more restrictions, will play out.  

@Liv 

 

[Christine615]

If they don’t answer the questions I require ( they agree to these rules when booking) I reach out. If they don’t answer, or reply without the information I won’t allow it to continue. 

I am not a cheap motel equivalent and it feels like the rush to draw more guests and hosts to the platform has resulted in safety and trust issues.

[John5097]

@Christine615 

Defiantly agree. I can't imagine any host willing to take risk. Each listing is different also. 

[Karol22]

Ah yes, I see that Airbnb has indeed changed their booking process to reduce friction and make the first message optional. I've set up auto messages upon reservation confirmation and guests have been responding to those, although not all. I guess the other option is to turn off instant book?

[John5097]

@Karol22

Just seeing this now. Glad I'm not the only one. Yes turning IB off is an option, there are a few other settings in IB you can change. Apparently a few people are reporting that the IB option for guest to respond to a message is working, and they get it before the booking, altough it says after. 

[Summer64]

I've also noticed I've had to ask a lot lately. I don't do instant book anymore. I probably won't ever again. I live in my home and rent out a room. I'm also a single woman. So I do want to know the purpose for their visit. I don't need all the info, but I'd at least like to gauge their expectations. I've dodged some bullets that way, when they are coming here for an event that's actually an hour away from my house and I'm like...there are places closer. They normally thank me. I also give guests information like that i work from my house during the day. My office is across the hall from the guest room, so if you are here for a lazy stay cation and plan to sleep in, my home may not be right for you. 

Adding that to the listing is a great idea. I've also toyed with a pre-cancellation message. Giving them info like I work from home and have a cat-with enough time for them to cancel and get a refund if they didn't actually read my listing and learn that info. Also thought about just posting a pic of my cat with my other pics. One of my guests last month said she didn't realize I had a cat-which meant she didn't read my rules or listing. She also gave me the lowest score I've ever gotten. 

[Colleen253]

@Summer64" Also thought about just posting a pic of my cat with my other pics. One of my guests last month said she didn't realize I had a cat-which meant she didn't read my rules or listing".

Yes, many guest will only look at the photos and skip the rest. It's definitely a good idea to cover all bases as much as possible. Sometimes I think putting up a photo of the house rules is a good idea too.

[Jennifer1773]

@John5097 @Colleen253 @Ann72 @Liv @Emilia42 

Just wanted to confirm that I booked an Airbnb through IB last night and was required to enter a reply to the host's pre-booking message before completing my reservation. I was curious about my own listing since I had never checked the IB pre-booking message required tab, so I had my daughter begin a booking for my listing through her account. After selecting dates and clicking reserve, she was directed to a page where she was to enter payment info and a required message to the host before completing her reservation. The only difference between that page and the one I had just booked was that there was no message from the host above the box where she was to required to enter a message. I am not sure how this page looks different than in the recent or distant past, but it seems to be what we are hoping for now!

[Ann72]

@Jennifer1773  Extremely helpful intel - thanks for detailing this!

Knowing exactly when a guest sees this will help me tailor mine.  For the last year the message has  been about Covid requirements.  Now that those have been relaxed, I can put back what I had before.  We're only given 400 characters here, so we can't say too much!

[Emilia42]

Thanks for sharing your experience @Jennifer1773.

I am under the impression now that when Airbnb made this change to the booking process the little "message the host box" disappeared for hosts who do not require it. That makes logical sense but Airbnb should have made hosts aware of this change before the confusion started. And I will admit that it does shock me that IB hosts would not have an initial booking message requirement set in place. 

Just as an FYI, when I go to book your listing there is no message field. Presumably, because you do not require a pre-booking message. So you may be getting some of these message-less guests in the future unless you set that requirement.

@John5097 @Colleen253  

[Jennifer1773]

Thanks @Emilia42 for letting me know that you did not see the message box in my IB process! We started the booking process again through my daughter's account to see if she still got a required message box. The message box did appear again, but then we realized she was not allowed to book instantly because she does not have her Government ID uploaded (which I "require"), so she was actually in the request to book process, which does require the message.

Now I need to select and record the pre-booking message in my IB settings so that everyone is required to complete it. Then I need to go upload my own Government ID and check the box on the page you shared in another thread so that when folks without Government ID's uploaded try to book they are prompted to upload their ID before booking and are not able to send a Request to Book:  https://www.airbnb.com/hosting/requirements Whew! Thanks so much for your help on both of these issues!