How to Communicate with guests when Air REDACTS information

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Lorna170
Level 10
Swannanoa, NC

How to Communicate with guests when Air REDACTS information

I am having a difficult time communicating with the guest.  I am trying to keep our conversations in the message area, without resorting to outside email.  This is very difficult when I see my message to the BOOKED guest redacted as below:

 

Thank you for your reservation. Your requested dates of April 22-April 25, (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) for 4 adults have been added to our cabin calendar. Will you be bringing any pets?

Our Welcome Package with the address, driving directions, front door lockbox access code and other important information about our cabin will be emailed a week before your arrival from (Email hidden by Airbnb) This will be a printable PDF.

To learn what is happening in Asheville while you are visiting, we can recommend two websites: Ro (Website hidden by Airbnb) and E (Website hidden by Airbnb) These sites are excellent resources and have up to date information about music events, plays, festivals, hiking, restaurant availability, etc.

We look forward to your visit; please let us know if you have any questions.

 

The guest has booked.  I have accepted the booking.  NOTHING will change.  Air will be paid.  Why is the booking date of April 22-April 25, 2021 redacted by Air as a phone number?  There was no phone number included.  Why can I not inform the guest that they will receive an email from my email address with the Welcome Package attached?  My email address should be available to the guest once they have booked, so why can I not reference it?  Why are the two local websites with excellent tourist resources redacted?  Again, the guest has booked, why can they not be further informed about tourism?

 

How do I provide clear communication to my BOOKED guests when Air is redacting vital information from the message?

 

1 Best Answer

@Lorna170  The importance (to me) of staying on-platform is exactly why I figure out workarounds to all the redaction issues.  I used to think I had to get a guest's "real" email address to send them the lockbox invitation, but I've figured out how to get that straight to their Airbnb email address.  I also wanted to provide guests with links to local publications and their events listings, but I figured out how to add those publications to my guidebook.  The guidebook link is never redacted, either.

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23 Replies 23
Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Seems odd. I would just for their email and send the information to them. Or call Airbnb and ask them why this is happening @Lorna170 

Ann72
Level 10
New York, NY

@Lorna170  Has this information gone to other guests before without being redacted?

 

If so I would save the message and create a scheduled message from it.

 

If not, I fear that your non-Airbnb email address and other websites might always be redacted.  I would put the links to happenings in your area in your guidebook.  The guidebook link always goes through.  As for your non-Airbnb email address - guests can always contact you in the Airbnb messaging inbox or with your telephone number, and you can provide your email address in written form at the house.

Ann72
Level 10
New York, NY

@Lorna170  Another workaround:  You include your non-Airbnb email address so guests know that anything received from that address won't be spam.  

 

Instead of emailing the printable PDF from that address, you can convert the PDF into a JPEG and send it via the Airbnb messaging system.

@Ann72 Thank you for your response.  I did include my non-Airbnb email address in my message to the guest, and Air redacted it.  I do not know how many of my guests have received redacted messages.  I do not wish to send a scheduled message, as I tend to respond with personalized information relevant to the guest's booking note, especially when they reference pets that have to be paid for via the resolution center or have a question.

 

I am also not sure that people will appreciate the Welcome PDF converted to a JPG, especially as the PDF includes the map and driving directions (we are in the mountains and the GPS bites) and the guest personalized key access code along with other property specifics.  Historically, i.e. for 15 years, my guests have appreciated receiving this information via email in advance of their arrival, giving them time to do research or ask me a question.  

 

 

@Lorna170 You can see if a message was redacted in any message thread with any guest.

 

I hear you about scheduled messages, but you can easily personalize saved messages.  They are just kept there for your use and not sent out on a schedule.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Lorna170  I haven't been open to bookings since March due to having a homeshare listing and COVID, but I had always been able to send confirmed guests my  real email address, and them send me theirs. 

 

Seems like some techies have been messing around with the algorithm.

 

If you ask the guest for their email address, is it also redacted in their message to you? 

 

 

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Lorna170 

This may be a stupid question but are you sending this message and then clicking the accept button? Or do you accept the reservation and then send the message?

@Emilia42  @Ann72   @Sarah977  @Helen3   Thank you all for your replies. I have taken a look at the most recent bookings, and those messages are redacted.  I cannot tell when this started, or why messages are being redacted now, when they have not been in the past.  The bookings are all accepted prior to my entering my message, and redaction continues in subsequent messages too.   It makes my communication look horrible (and me ignorant).   I have decided to try to work around the redaction creatively.  The shame about this is that it makes me want to take all communication off platform, which defeats the purpose of having a record on platform of the transactions between the guest and the host.

@Lorna170If this isn't just some glitchy algoritm, and Airbnb won't let us exchange email addresses with confirmed guests any more, then I'll have no choice but to phone or text guests to get this info in order to send them a map attachment. 

 

I was using the coded email address Airbnb assigns, but several guests said they got the email, but there was no attachment. So rather than deal with the glitchy software, I just started asking guests for their direct email and giving them mine. No guest ever balked at this, because I told them why I needed it.

@Lorna170  The importance (to me) of staying on-platform is exactly why I figure out workarounds to all the redaction issues.  I used to think I had to get a guest's "real" email address to send them the lockbox invitation, but I've figured out how to get that straight to their Airbnb email address.  I also wanted to provide guests with links to local publications and their events listings, but I figured out how to add those publications to my guidebook.  The guidebook link is never redacted, either.

Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

This situation reinforces my suggestion that all hosts should get a Google business, it's free.  The site will have your contact information, and if you don't have your own website, you can enter your Airbnb listing as the site that will launch when the website. 

 

If a guest does a Google search for your listing's name, they will see whatever contact information that you've provided.  Your Google Business page will appear prominently on right side of the first page of the search results.  This listing information has been very helpful for my listings in St. Lucia, because there isn't a specific street address, and guests can download the Google Maps directions to their mobile devices before they travel.  When I make a page for my Atlanta listing, I will not include the specific street address.

 

The follow graphic is how my GB information is displayed.  This thread has reminded me that I need to update the page.  I list my rentals on other sites, and information from those platforms is also displayed (Airbnb doesn't appear to be one of the platforms that participates).

 

Debra300_0-1612572878817.png

 

@Lorna170@Ann72@Emilia42@Helen3@Sarah977 

 

@Debra300  That's the way to go if you are diversifying.  Absolutely essential to have that along with a website.  I do think that Airbnb redacts the word "Google" in messages, so you can just say "search the name of the listing and you'll find the directions that you can download to your phone."

 

I've also found that the link to Google maps I provide in my driving directions is never redacted from messages.  (The link provides driving directions for the last 100 miles or so of the journey to my place, starting somewhere on route 95N.  Virtually everyone will join the route at some point on their journey up.)

 

 

@Debra300   I tried to get a Google business account, but I could not claim my location according to their directions, i.e., we do not have mail service to the cabin.  It would be great to diversify.

Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@Lorna170,

That's very interesting, because home mail delivery is very limited in many places.  Especially in rural locations, and there are lots of homes in the U.S. that aren't on a named street.