How Do You Handle Guest Communication When Managing Multiple Properties?

[Green-Ocean0]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working with property owners and hosts through **, and one thing we see often is how quickly guest communication can become overwhelming when you’re managing more than one property.

Between responding to booking inquiries, check-in instructions, maintenance requests, and reviews, it can easily turn into a full-time job.

I’m curious how other hosts here manage it.

Do you prefer:

• Handling all guest communication yourself

• Using automation tools

• Or working with a property management team?

In our experience, quick response times and clear communication make a huge difference in guest satisfaction and repeat bookings, but every host seems to have a slightly different system that works for them.

Would love to hear how everyone here approaches it. 

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[Elisa]

Hi @Robyn553 😊, 

Thank you for sharing this here!

How long is your welcome message, and how often do you update it?

[Photini4]

@Green-Ocean0, I will tell you what I do to cope with the many messages I have to deal with throughout the day.  I use WhatsApp because the messaging system of Airbnb does not support uploading images and texts.

I have ready-made messages written on "Word" with the description of how to acquire the key (key code of every house), details of how to open the safe, unlock the door, and insert the key card into the fob to have electricity and a few more directions which are standard things for the guests to have in mind at check-in time.

On the morning before their arrival, I forward those messages, along with a photo of the house entrance, to be sure that the guests know exactly which door to unlock and a link to the house location on Google Maps.  

So when they take their rented car to start their journey to my place, they have everything they need to make their self check-in.  They never message me, until they are in the house, just to inform me that they arrived and love my place.

This will takes a lot of pressure away from you, even if you have 5 arrivals in the same day.

Cheers and good luck

Photini

[Elisa]

Hi @Photini4 😊, 

Thank you for sharing your method!

It’s really smart how you prepare everything in advance and make self check-in so smooth for your guests. 

Do you have a system for updating these messages if something changes last minute, like a new key code or a temporary issue with the property?

[Photini4]

Hi @Elisa 

Yes, I store my templates in "Microsoft word" and adjust them accordingly, copy paste them and forward them to my guests.

[Elisa]

Hi @Photini4 😊, 

Thank you for sharing more about it!

How many templates do you have?

[Photini4]

Hi @Elisa

The number of templates depends on how many properties one manages. Because the information one needs to pass over to the guest, is different for each property. (key code,  fob situation, location etc).

[Bob297]

@Photini4 @Green-Ocean0 
Well written.
I do exactly the same.
Also with tourist info.
I have a Word and PDF version. Most of the time I send the PDF with pictures and text via WhatsApp

[Paolo1944]

Ciao, io non mi trovo nella situazione di gestire più strutture, gestisco un piccolo appartamento e le comunicazioni sono abbastanza semplici perchè ovviamente non ne arrivano contemporaneamente

[Translation added by Community manager]

Hi, I don't find myself in the situation of managing multiple properties, I manage a small apartment and communications are quite simple because obviously they don't arrive at the same time

[Elisa]

Ciao @Paolo1944 😊, 

Thank you for sharing this here.

Do you do everything by yourself?

[Paolo1944]

@Elisa Si, è abbastanza semplice

[Translation added by Community manager]

Yes, it's quite simple.

[Paolo1944]

Yes, it's quite simple.

[Janine566]

Hey @Green-Ocean0 ,

I hope you were able to get some good responses.

I am a co-host myself. I helped new Airbnb owners set up their listing from scratch.

What I find helps is setting up automated messages for guests. Advises them on how to check in/out, useful information about the property, parking etc. I have also found that guests have less reasons to reach out if plenty of information in provided. I also create welcome packs which give guests even more information about the property such as manuals, area guides, and so much more. Feel free to reach out if you need any assistance 🙂

Janine

[Nikola687]

@Janine566 this is interesting. curious what the most common thing is that trips up new hosts when you're helping them get set up. like is it mostly the listing itself, or is it more the operational stuff once bookings actually start coming in?

i've been reading a lot of these threads and it seems like the jump from 1 to 2+ properties is where things start breaking. especially if they're thinking about listing on other platforms too. suddenly there's calendars to sync and messages coming from different places.

do most of the hosts you work with stay airbnb only or are some of them trying to get on booking or vrbo as well?

[Janine566]

Hey @Nikola687 , 

I’ve found that new hosts have no idea how to use the platform. They don’t know what to use as a heading (key words, area,  highlighted amenities are important for ranking). They don’t know what information to include on the description. Also, how effective auto replies/messaging is. There’s a big knowledge gap here. Responding to guest queries is the least of their worries.  

I have one host in Barbados who utilises VRBO. But those in the UK have more success with Airbnb. I’ve noticed that VRBO isn’t well known in certain countries. 

Hope that helps!

[Nikola687]

@Janine566 That makes a lot of sense. So the biggest gap isn't even operations yet, it's just getting the listing right in the first place. Curious whether the hosts you help ever ask about expanding to other platforms, or if they're mostly just focused on getting Airbnb working first.

I'm a founder in this space and would love to pick your brain if you're open to it. You see the setup and operational side across multiple hosts which is exactly the perspective I'm trying to understand better. Happy to compensate you for your time.

[Janine566]

@Nikola687 

I haven't had any hosts ask about expanding yet - they have been focused on the Airbnb platform only at the moment.

Sure - how can I help?