Seeking Your Thoughts on AI Chatbot for Guest Support 🌟

[Hasan132]

Hey there fellow Airbnb hosts,

I hope this message finds you well amidst your hosting adventures! 😊 I am reaching out to all of you wonderful hosts to get your honest opinions.

We're in the early stages of exploring the possibility of introducing an AI chatbot to assist with guest inquiries and support. The idea is to provide quick and efficient responses to common questions, ensuring our guests feel well taken care of, even during odd hours.

Now, before anything solid takes shape, I truly value your insights and concerns. I'm not here to make a sales pitch or anything like that – I'm genuinely interested in understanding your thoughts on this. What do you think about the concept of an AI chatbot as a supplement to our existing support system? Are there any potential pros or cons that come to your mind?

I know that the personal touch and human interaction are key aspects of the Airbnb experience, and I totally resonate with that. Our aim would be to strike a balance between the convenience of quick responses and the warmth of personal assistance.

If you have a moment to spare, I'd love to hear your take on this. Please feel free to share any concerns, ideas, or suggestions you might have. After all, it's the collective wisdom of hosts like you that will shape the future direction of this endeavor.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for being an amazing part of our hosting community. Your feedback means the world to us as we embark on this journey to provide even better guest support. 🙂

Warm regards,

Hasan

[Fred13]

@Hasan132  Nothing wrong with the use of aids to do a better job whatsoever, just as long they do not rob one of the need to development of the skills that will be counted upon to use under 'live' situations.

[Amanda2721]

I would like a bot to be able to tell a guest who has an issue just to call me directly.

[Helen3]

I think that as with existing tools on the market to automate the STR management process some hosts will use them and some won't @Hasan132 

Your biggest cost will be investing in marketing the product. 

[Dana1156]

Hi Hasan, I'm a host and also a tech provider to the community. We've been on this journey for 7+ years now at AIPEX. The level of investment required to participate in this market is significant. It isn't enough to focus exclusively on the Airbnb ecosystem. For example: 1) Calendar integration with the major PMS systems is a must, 2) Direct guest communication must be included in order to be competitive, and 3) You need features that surprise and delight guests and hosts far beyond what a GPT with RAG can do. While the tools have massively improved and LLM-based systems make it far easier than in the past where a deep knowledge of NLU was required, there are still challenges to mitigate latency and avoid the potential of hallucination. The way we have chosen to differentiate in this market is support for both a chat interface on mobile as well as voice-based with in-property devices. For quick ref you can see what I mean at: **[Link removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines] - Please note that it is not allowed to advertise on the Community Center.  

[Mary-Kay16]

I believe that I encountered an AI Chatbot on my recent Airbnb messaging with my host. The responses were terrible. Until I figured this out, I was quite furious with the responses I was getting.  think hosts should use this feature with caution.

Mary Kay

Regular user of Airbnbs

[Jason2444]

Hi Hasan

I use an AI chatbot by a company called Fastbots with great success. Here's the link: fastbots.ai/hotels

I have a QR code in my property that says "scan for assistance" that launches the chatbot on their phone browser. They can then ask anything about the property they are staying in such as the usual annoying questions "How do I access WiFi?" or "What time is check out?" etc.

After they have checked in I also message through a link to the chatbot too so they definately have it. It's cut down the amount of questions massively and it's pretty cheap for what it does for me.

[Rolando132]

Greetings Hasan, 

This chat bot would be a great help with constantly repetitive questions. Questions such as can I drop my bags off early? Can I check in early? Frequently asked robotic style questions. It would be great if you could educate/train the robot to respond in a manner similar to the way the host would respond. Some sort of machine learning or adaptive AI that would study the way you reply to guests, so it eventually it would reply in the exact same manner, the host would. I Often get swarmed with questions of the exact same matter very often, it can be exhausting, answering the exact same question over and over, to have some sort of AI assist me with these sort of questions would be a huge break. I’ve even consider looking for a third party chat, but that would be able to talk to Airbnbs software.

[Giuliano163]

The chatbot I use - AlfredCo.Host - is designed with policies that ensure it replies consistently according to predetermined guidelines.

This means that common questions like "Can I drop my bags off early?" or "Can I check in early?" are answered promptly and accurately, reducing the need for me to repeatedly address these inquiries myself.

One of the standout features of AlfredCo.Host is its ability to recognize when a human must intervene. While it efficiently handles routine questions, it can detect more complex situations that require a personal touch and alerts me accordingly. This way, I can step in and provide the personalized assistance that guests might need for more nuanced concerns.

[Francesca359]

You already basically have chat bot! Every single text conversation I have in messages is clearly from a bot or something with very strict rules about what they are to say. I just get the same message repeated over and over and over again. And NO actual answer to my issue, and the phone customer service is no better as they just say an 'Ambassador' will be in touch via messages.....AirBnB going down the tubes.... We want human beings to talk to NOT bots, NOT machines, NOT AI!

[Marie8425]

@Hasan132 

My personal opinion is usually a bot is a waste of my  time.  To me the business is saying I know your questions aren't worth me investing  time to answer so waste youur time trying  to  explain  your question  to my computer.  I especially hate when it is presented that a human is waiting to respond  but instead you are  talking   to  a bot.

Then more frustrating is spending 30 minutes of my time trying to convince your bot,, I have  a real  question, only to be told call.  You  call  but everything  you told the bot isn't past onn.  Now explain to a human again.  So far there are  my posts on this Forum complaining Hosts contacting Airbnb Supppppooort feeling a bot is responding.  All negative.

In all  businesses there are certain questions asked often but then we as a business are not  making the information  clear to our average  customer or if it is truly  1  or 2 customers not paying attention do I irritate  30 or 40 good customers  because I  don't want  to deal  with  the  few?  For me just recently I  was buying  Custom Closets for   my  house, the estimator did not show up when she  said   then   wasn't  answering   me  about where  was the estimate..   Big Company  so  I  was trying to  contact customer support.  Instead I got a bot    who  couldn't  help me  but a real person would contact me They did with an estimate 3 days  later but  another large closet company    already in those 3 days had a signed contract for  $10,000.00

[Giuliano163]

It depends from the BOT quality.
We are talking about Generative AI chatbot, but still confusing term "BOT" which refers to old, statical, chatbots unable tu understand or produce Natural Language.

Now the game changed.
The hospitality chatbot i use, AlfredCo.Host, answers better (and obviously faster) than my employees.
Even if I spend hours in training, humans do not answer with completeness, they forgot details, sometimes they miss something from the original question.
Can be counter-intuitive, but generative AI chatbots don't.
And we did not start talking about different languages. AlfredCo.Host speaks all the languages you can ever hope to understand, plus they don't sleep.

Best regards,

Giuliano

[Giuliano163]

Hi Hasan,

Absolutely, I'd be happy to share my thoughts. As an Airbnb host, I understand the importance of balancing efficient guest communication with a personal touch. For my properties, I've been using a hospitality AI chatbot named AlfredCo.Host ( https://alfredhospitalityai.com ) and it has significantly enhanced my hosting experience.

Firstly, the fast and complete answers provided by AlfredCo.Host have been a game-changer. Guests often have common questions about check-in procedures, amenities, and local recommendations, and the chatbot handles these inquiries quickly and accurately. This not only saves me time but also ensures that guests feel attended to without delays.

Secondly, the 24/7 availability of the chatbot is invaluable. Whether it's late at night or early in the morning, guests can get immediate responses to their queries.
This around-the-clock support is particularly beneficial for international travelers who might reach out at odd hours due to time zone differences.

1. Automated guest support for Airbnb hosts: The chatbot manages guest inquiries automatically, which means I can focus on other aspects of my hosting duties without being constantly tied to my phone or email.

2. Enhancing guest experience with AI technology: The AI-driven responses ensure that guests receive accurate information promptly, which has improved my overall guest satisfaction ratings.

3. Reducing Airbnb host workload with chatbots: By automating routine questions and support tasks, AlfredCo.Host has significantly reduced my workload, allowing me to manage my properties more efficiently.

4. Increasing Airbnb bookings with better guest communication: Guests appreciate the quick responses and this has positively impacted my booking rates as well. Happy guests are more likely to leave positive reviews and recommend my property to others.

5. Seamless integration with existing Airbnb systems: AlfredCo.Host integrates smoothly with my existing booking and management systems, making it easy to adopt without any major changes to my workflow.

While the personal touch is indeed crucial, I believe that an AI chatbot like AlfredCo.Host can complement human interaction rather than replace it. It handles the repetitive, straightforward inquiries, allowing me to focus on providing personalized attention where it truly matters.

I’d encourage other Airbnb hosts to consider the potential benefits of incorporating an AI chatbot into their guest communication strategy. It’s a great way to enhance efficiency and ensure guests feel supported at all times.

If anyone has more questions about my experience with AlfredCo.Host, feel free to ask. I’m happy to share more insights!

Warm regards,
Giuliano