Educating first-time guests

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a good week.

We know how much time and effort you all put into welcoming your guests and making them feel at home.This is why, when you have guests booking on Airbnb for the first time, we want to set the right expectations for you and your home.

If your expectations are misaligned, this can lead to less than ideal trips and reviews, which is discouraging for everyone involved and something that has been mentioned here in the Community Center before. So to help these travelers understand the unique, local experience they can have when they stay in your home, I wanted to let you know that we’re reaching out to educate first-time guests before they arrive at your doorstep!

To find out more information about this take a look at this blog article.

Do you have any handy tips on how you manage expectations for your first-time Airbnb guests?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Kathleen-And-Dave0]

Thank you a thousand times over! This was becoming a real problem for us.  We live in a small quiet bay front town about an hour from big ocean front beaches and attractions.  One of our biggest problems is people try to book with us not being realistic about the hour drive to and from the big beaches.  We realize our prices are more attractive but think the traveler is unrealistic in their expectation of location.  If they want to be on the beach they will have to pay those prices.  Thus we often get dinged for location.  I am very explicit on where we are located and how far it is to the big beach attractions.  

We live next door to the cottage we list on Air BnB.  We meet everyone that stays with us and keep a close eye on things.   This year we noticed we have declined as many people as we have booked! It seems people join and try to book the same day before they know what they are doing or are even fully verified.  Even then some of them "wake up" and quickly cancel.  That being said, if I don't get a solid statement about why they want to book with us I will often just decline them! Is there a tutorial new members are required to view?  Are people fast forwarding through the tutorial? It seems some still arrive quite unsure of the whole setup.  We used to look for guests with positive reviews but were receiving so many requests from those without reviews that we gave up this requirement. 

Thank You.

[Julia75]

I had two separate cases of first-time guests who had cat allergies and who missed the fact that I had a cat, even though I said it in *three* places on my listing. It made me wonder if first-timers can get information overload with the site.

I'm not listing any rooms now but if/when I do again, I'll expand my 'thanks for booking' message with the things they should know before they arrive.

[Irene215]

I think Airbnb should rethink the review system. 95% of my guests (including losts of new Airbnbers) have been wonderful, however
 I now realise the ones who were not and did not stick to my house rules...do not leave a review , and I think they are more than aware this stops the host being able to leave a low star review about them. Anyone else noticed this trend?

[Zephyr0]

Can't you still review them??

[Mary65]

Irene, I think you can review them, but it is not published for two weeks if they don't review you. I have a very hard time dinging guests for not following house rules and idk why. I guess I assume they're new. 

[Eleanor-And-Declan0]

Hi Lizzie

I think it would be very helpful if the review and star system was explained to guests. From a guest perspective, 4 stars can be a very good rating, but from a host perspective it is a negative rating. This was highlighted for me recently when a friend who uses air bnb as a guest told ne that she always leaves 4 stars when she is really happy with a stay! I think many guests equate 5 stars with a 5 star hotel. It would be a big step forward if this system was explained to guests and would help many hard working hosts feel appreciated.

[Zephyr0]

Absolutely! I could never meet the expectations of a 5 star hotel guest. We are awesome in other ways they aren't.

[Viviana62]

Guests that are used to staying at a 5 star hotel should not book on Airbnb. They should stick to hotels because they will never be satisfied with Airbnb. 

[Sheila146]

I agree 100%!!!!  The metrics have changed since the advent of online rating.  A 5 star rating in the new 4.

[Ange2]

@Lizzie   All good progress, things that hosts have been clamoring for.  Thing is attention span seems short for many guests and expectations high, especially first timers. I have always written all these points in my messages - some are absorbed and responded to others are not. In my experience IB is particularly notorious for guests who do not read anything.

I would like to suggest that on the listing page where it shows Check-in time, a place where guests will notice it immediately, a one liner be added underneath preferably in a noticeable color 

1.  "Be sure to communicate with your host about check-in time BEFORE you travel" and especially if check in time does not have a cut-off point. 
2. And instead of Flexible put "Contact Host".

If one does not pick a definite cut-off point for check-in the site shows Check-in:  From xx:00  to "Flexible".  I like to be flexible it is better suited to people traveling here from all over the world.  However, I cannot sit on the doorstep all day and night waiting for them to arrive at their pleasure. I need to know and not just 10-20 minutes before they arrive.

I do send them links and numbers to local storage facilities to check their bags hoping that will make them contact me before they arrive, it works most of the time but not all of the time. But it's a catch-22 because the guests rate you down for "arrival" annoyed at having to store their bags because they did not tell you when they were arriving.  I have read some guests cancel because the host is not telepathic and waiting all day for them and Airbnb accept this as a reason to refund them, thus the host is double-dinged.

I added a Host Voice to this effect.   If anyone agrees please thumb it up

[Karoline12]

It is great that you are finally trying to do some traveler education. Nice start, but more needs to be done. Unlike guest I get from other listing services, 90% of guest through Airbnb are rather clueless. Although all  I property info is posted on the listing, I provide a document containing extensive information about the property, neighborhood, check-in instructions etc., people choose not to read it. That results in them complaining about not having the address, inability to access the property, how to use anything, or have rediculous expectstions as if they are staying in luxury hotel with 24 hour concierge service. Or they disrespect the property or the contents solely because it's not their home. 

[David1334]

Hello everyone.

I made the mistake of telling the guest that their credit card would not be charged until the first day of their stay (since that is when we receive funds...)

They were a little upset that it was charged at booking, which I had forgotten from my one experience as a guest myself.

Does their booking acknowlegement give them the date that their account will be charged?

[Clara116]

@David1334 Yes, when they make a reservation they are charged immediately - and they know this unless they are in a complete

coma. I just traveled and Airbnb stayed and experienced this recently, first hand.

Happy Hosting, Clara

[David-and-Janet0]

This is a great idea!  We have been hosts for one year and 3 months, and next week we welcome our 200th guest/trip!  We joke that we are the king & queen of the "one-night-stay" because we live on the I75 cooridor south of Atlanta, and that's mostly what we get.  I've kept track and our first-time guest rate is a little under 80%!  In addition to our house rules, we have printed out some suggestions - things guests have done that we absolutely love!  Again, not "rules" they must follow, but we've found that most of our guests aim to please.  

[Helga0]

Sweet idea and way better than a list of misdeeds in form of ad hoc rules 😉