NEW - "Required trip information" questions

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Today I discovered a new feature "Required trip information" questions. It is a good idea... but could be better. 

It looks like this:

To set up questions you have 3 default questions to choose from and just 1 custom question ;

So what if we have more questions ? When saved it will look crappy like this:

I think the whole idea is great, but ....

1. the default question "When do you THINK you will arrive? " is not good. I would expect answers like "Afternoon" . We are offsite hosts and we need the EXACT time of arrival bc we are waiting for our guests in front of the building, on the street.
2. We need more text areas for custom questions so they can all appear in a bulletin list and not in line like now.

And I would like to know if guests have to answer all those questions or they can book without answering any of them?

What do you think?

[Marzena4]

@Lizzie Yes, I second @Ange2 that something HAS to be done to tame the guests expecting 12h-or-even-longer service. My worst reviews have been so far from such guests and it cost me enough to go over it. 

My tomorrow's guests have failed to provide me with any details and possibly I will end up making some last-minute arangements. The worst is that Airbnb will not listen to hosts signalling it is a growing problem. We cannot run 24h reception desks, most of us are working professionals. I am lucky to be provide some flexibility for m y guests. But believe me, most of my guests do not appreciate it. And when I kindly explain that I am working and must be quick with their check-in, the guest, having arrived two hours late without any notice, is bold enough to claim in their review that I was unkind saying I was in a hurry. For me it's a parody of that community spirit propaganda.

[Lizzie]

Yeah, this is a good point @Kelly149. At the moment, it doesn't appear to be compulsory for guests to answer these questions which would address what you mention. Having said this, personally I think it is still useful to have these question, rather than not, as they are good indicators of the information a host needs from you as a guest before your stay. 

Do you think if you were a guest you would be happy to answer this questions straight away?

[Harriet-and-Stu0]

@Lizzie the check-in time might be something that AirBnB could work with a small group of hosts to work out best option before a wider roll-out.

Would it help to have two non-time-specified choices - one "flexible" and one "anytime"?   Or would that be too complicated...

"Flexible" could mean the host has a wide range of time that *could* work, but the host needs the guest to specify a time within that range - for example, it would let the host put in the outside time parameters (say 1pm to 10pm) but then requires the guest to select a time slot as part of booking.  I think this is pretty much what @Ange2 has suggested and @Marzena4 seconded.

The existing check-in from (fill in blank) to (fill in blank) would remain an option for all hosts, and likely is the best fit for people hosting in their own home who work onsite or close by, or who do not work.  It could also work fine for 24hr sites, they would simply enter a very wide range for "from" and "to".

"Anytime" could mean that the host has a lock box or other 24-hour access, and that the host doesn't care if the guest arrives at 3am.  Hosts would still need to fill in the check-out time and some cleaning buffer info - eg, if 3 hrs is blocked off for cleaning, and if check out is 11am, "Anytime" check in would mean check-in is ok from 2pm through 10:59am the next day if there same day guest turnover, or 11am through 10:59am the next day if no guest turnover...or maybe make it ALWAYS 2pm to 10:59 so it's not as confusing?? but then "anytime" might not be the best word to use lol.  This is where real world host and guest comments would help!!  This "Anytime" arrival might best be paired with a no money back for first night in case of a no show guest.  Or maybe this is all un-needed if guests read the requirements of "flexible" or time-specific check in parameters 😉

[Jennifer--And-My-Brother0]

We have been accommodating every checkin and checkout outside the set parameters.   It doesn't get mentioned in the reviews of course.   

[Marzena4]

Can anyone confirm that this option is still available and working? I received a booking earlier today and it looks like it is no longer there...

[Ann-and-Tim0]

I added them into my booking, and my last booking nightmare I couldn't get them to read ALL of my listing.  I hide a request so I know if they read it.  I got no answers.  This was for a group of College Foreign students.  I figured if they were in US college, surely, they could read the listing.  After three prompts I gave up, and since I have instant book it would have been detrimental to say no.  I should have stuck to my guns.  This was a crazy 4 days.   I don't think at this point that we will get people to answer them.  I'm not optimistic.

[Ange2]

@Ann-and-Tim0    If the site was designed to NOT let the guests go further without answering, it would work. It's standard fare on many sites to get a notice saying you did not answer all the questions or check all applicable box and the one's you missed are highlighted. If you refuse to do so you can't complete a transaction.  It is something that people are used to seeing / doing.  But, you also have a problem with people who just click, click and click without reading so it would have to be couched in clear, easy to read, consise language with text input not just check boxes. At the least it would draw their attention and that's a step ahead.

[Beverly36]

I completed this section and a new guest has booked instantly. Where do I see his answers to the quesitons in the REQUIRED Trip INFO? Since I did not see them anywhere, I asked him and did not recieve a response. I am thinking of cancelling him if I can't find his answers or if he doesn't respond. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Beverly36 They should have answer all your questions in their first message. If they didn't it means that they didn't read it.  About 90% of our guests don't read anything, they just book . I think the problem is that they often book through the application and not on PC where everythig is more visible and easy to read

[Beverly36]

Thanks for sharing your info. Not sure then why it's called "Required" if it's not automatically promoted for them to answer when they book. What's the sense that I have actually ask them those questions? My prospective guest called me and said he has no clue what I'm talking about. He can't see any Required questions. 

[Marzena4]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 @Lizzie @Beverly36 @Ann-and-Tim0 @Mariann4

But what sense does it make for that question if it does not appear in the app? MOST of my recent guests have booked through the app.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Marzena4 and @Beverly36,

Thanks for mentioning me here Marzena. 

I imagine as it doesn't appear to everyone at the moment, that it is still in its early stages. Perhaps then if it is rolled out to everyone, it may also be available on the app at a later stage (like the majority of hosting functionality). 🙂

@Branka-and-Silvia0 as you are able to see this on your account, can you also see this when you are using the app?

[Kelly149]

I have this turned on but guests do not answer. And since it does not appear in the message thread it is like nothing happened. This feature is not helpful if it is just one more item that guests are free to ignore. 

Have any of you had guests answer your questions?? Where would this appear? In their initial booking message??

@Branka-and-Silvia0

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Kelly149

I have no idea 🙂

I have old style prebooking message bc this new one doesn't have enough space for all the informations we would like to get. Rarely some guests read it and answer in the first message, others we have to ask and wait until they answer. 

[Marzena4]

@Lizzie @Kelly149 @Branka-and-Silvia0 I actually did some research on this and my guests told me they had never been asked that question when booking. So it might be all-that-(un)willing Airbnb not forwarding it to them.