Do you give guests your cell number incase of emergency?

[Jacqueline955]

We are getting ready to host our first guest and I am trying to figure out how they contact us incase there is an emergency at the property in the middle of the night.   I turn my phone to "Do Not Disturb" at night but it does allow my priority contact list to come through.  It seems that when I get text message alerts from Airbnb it can come from many different numbers so I don't know how to add them as a priority contact if I don't know the number that is would come from through Airbnb.   My first thought was to get their cell number and add it to my priority contact list.  In order to do make that work obviously I need to give them my number as well. That raises concerns for me though because if they start using my cell there is not a record of messages on Airbnb.   How do you handle this?

[Paul1255]

Hi @Jacqueline955  I hope you’re well!

If you have a booked guest then they will already have access to the mobile number associated with your Airbnb account, and you also have access to theirs- have a look in their reservation.

You’re absolutely right about keeping contact through Airbnb messaging- and this should always be the way, unless there is an emergency situation and the guest needs to speak to you immediately- in which case they might need to call you.

If you put your phone on do not disturb, then it’s a good idea to add them to your priority contact list, just to give you peace of mind that in the unlikely event of a real emergency they will be able to contact you quickly.

For clarity, you can always let them know that you prefer to communicate via Airbnb messaging, and in the case of an emergency situation they can call your mobile.

[Sarah977]

@Jacqueline955 When a booking is confirmed, the guest receives the phone number you have on file automatically, as their number is also visible to you. 

So all you need to do when a guest checks in is make sure they have that and know they can call you if there's an emergency, but for non-emergencies to please use the Airbnb messaging.

The number you see when you get alerts from Airbnb has nothing to do with communicating with guests. If they message you through the app, you should get an alert about that, and if you want to be available by phone if the plumbing bursts in the middle of the night, then you'd add the guest's number to your lists of non-Do not Disturb numbers.

If a guest calls or texts you and you feel it should be documented on Airbnb messaging, just follow it up with a message-"Hi XX, to follow up on your call this morning, saying the hall light isn't working, I can come by to check it out at your convenience -would noon be okay?"

[Emilia42]

Yes, always. My cell phone number is plastered everywhere. Many guests will keep messaging on the Airbnb platform but some find it easier to text when something needs an immediate answer. 

Luckily, I have never been disturbed by a guest in the middle of the night. But I would never rest easy knowing that I could wake up to 10 missed calls from a paniced guest. 

[Ann72]

@Jacqueline955   Like @Emilia42, I also give guests my cell phone.  It's at the top of the house manual along with my housekeeper's cell and my caretaker's cell.  The guests almost always message me through the Airbnb messaging system, but I think it gives them peace of mind to see it there.  Even though, as @Paul1255 and @Sarah977 have pointed out, they have it as soon as they've completed the booking.

[Lorna170]

@Jacqueline955   Our property is required to have a VOIP or landline phone for emergency 911 use, so there is an "old-fashioned" phone in the cabin.  The guest is asked to use this phone to contact us in the event of an emergency.   I will answer a call coming from that phone number, even in the dead of night.   Fortunately, because I have asked the guest to use this "archaic device" for emergencies, the calls about the burnt out light bulb (one of 5) in the bathroom wait until the morning.  It appears to make them think twice about their emergency -- is it really one?  

When your guest arrives, contact them and ask what phone number they will be using to call you from in the event of an emergency.   Likewise, inform them what number they may call. 

 FYI, I have noticed recently that when a guest texts me, it is not coming directly from their phone number to mine, so I am not sure that they are getting my real number on the App.  In fact,  just today I received a text from my guest, and the incoming number was not the number on their profile, nor was I able to text back to that number -- it popped up a message saying "respond through Airbnb".   Weird.

[Sarah977]

@Lorna170 Unless something has recently changed, my guest's real numbers always showed up when they called or texted me. But I guess it's a good idea to tell guests to enter your number directly into their phone contact list, rather than pull it off the app.

[Paul1255]

@Lorna170 the “texts” you mention aren’t actually the guest texting you- it’s Airbnb sending an automated text message copy of the start of the message a guest has sent to you via Airbnb messenger.

You can’t reply to it or call the number back as it’s not connected to the guest in any way- it’s just a tech tool.

[Lorna170]

@Paul1255    Well that seems absolutely useless.  Here I was, in the doctor's parking lot, phone in hand, trying to respond to a text that appeared to come from my guest, and getting nowhere.   Goodness.  Even though I worked in IT for 30+ years, that just bites my you know what.  

Is there a way to turn that off?  

[Paul1255]

@Lorna170  It does seem a bit useless! I assume it’s just a belt and braces situation to ensure we don’t miss app or email notifications. 

I’ve had guests who have tried to respond to them when they’ve received them when I’ve sent a message via the app.

You can turn text message notifications off if you go into your Airbnb account on desktop, go into account and then notifications, and untoggle text messages!

[Sarah977]

@Lorna170 I didn't realize you were referring to a text alert. We've always gotten those. But the difference has always been obvious to me because the number they are sent from never appears as a normal phone number.

And I always add a current guest's phone number to my phone contacts, so if the text comes directly from them, their name pops upon my call and text display.

The only way you could turn them off, I think is to turn off text alerts entirely, which you wouldn't want.

And you do want to receive those text alerts that the guest has messaged you.

[Lorna170]

@Sarah977   When I looked at the text message on my phone, it appeared to come from a "standard" USA phone number.  Country code, 3 digit prefix and 7 digit number.  I tried to respond to it, thinking t was my guest, whose number I did not have in hand, and it was very frustrating to have it blocked.  I am not sure why Air feels they have to make communication with booked and paid guests so difficult.  I will examine the settings on the website and App, and see if I can work within the system effectively.

[Sarah977]

@Lorna170  Hmm. All my text alerts come from various 5 digit numbers, I've always assumed it was some international telephone routing number, maybe because I'm not in the US. For instance, when I phoned a friend in Canada, and she didn't answer, she said the number her missed call list showed was actually a Belgian phone number! Who knows how these things get routed and why.

In any case, just adding the real phone number of a current or upcoming guest to our phone contacts can solve these mysterious and confusing number issues.