A welcome message for your guests?

[Quincy]

Hello everybody!

Today, I thought we could exchange tips and tricks with each other about your welcome message. I believe that a welcome message is essential when a guest books your home as it makes you feel more welcome with your future host and you can get to know each other a bit better. When using Airbnb for travelling, I've received a welcome message via the Airbnb messaging system with some handy information about the house, check-in times, and they asked me why I was visiting the city. 

Having received a welcome message made me wonder if you use a template? Or do you perhaps personalize your message? I think it will be really interesting to share ideas with each other on how one could potentially improve their welcome message.

I would love to see your answers :-). 

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Quincy I can’t see your listing. Can you provide a link to your listing so I can have a peak? 

Thanks

[Helga0]

I have a long automatic reply on the booking confirmation, in English and French, telling them how to get from the main airports and station to the metro stop next to my house. It gives time estimates and says how to use the metro and train to Paris. 

When I see the booking, I send an individual short message, telling also to look up the booking confirmation and print it. If they dis not give arrival details even though being asked in the pre-booking message, listing and airbnb prompt, I ask again and be wary, that this guest does not read or does not care. 

When I have the information, I give the rest of the way description and access codes. That part varies, depending from which direction they arrive and how (metro, bus, bike, car share ride, own car) and language. I have those messages all together on a notebook file, to paste in. The airbnb function is not made for a dozen canned messages or to select pieces from one long file. 

If the guest does not seem to speak English well and I don’t speak his language, I use a simplified English version and google translate it. 

Most of my guests walk in with the printed version of the Rest of the Way instruction in hand. 

(The others call from somewhere between 3 steps and 10 minutes from my door and have to be found, lol. The metro stop is at less then 2 minutes, but google maps can be very creative. )

[Kelly149]

I have just utilized the Saved Message function to reproduce the booking message that NO ONE ever answers. 

Also, while in there I realized that the House Rules & House Manual are both already there (as a direct pull from the listing, it self-updates & self-populates with whatever info is in your listing). 

I’m going to start using those for all those folks who have clearly booked without reading anything 

Its nice when the greeting can be a greeting rather than an explanation of how abb works & what my listing says. 

[Andrew217]

I used to have a similar issue, and I stumbled upon an amazing (and surprisingly affordable) service that handles auto responses of all types. Smartbnb allows me to send customized messages on a set schedule for each booking and is surprisingly effective. Simply put, my guests LOVE the prompt replies. Smartbnb changed my life and has saved me a ton of work and hassle, and you can check out the service at this link: https://smartbnb.io/messaging. The service is incredibly reliable and has served me very well! 🙂

[Tony134]

I now have a few saved welcome messages that tie into check-in instructions for my self check-in listings that I am pretty satisfied with. Airbnb took my advice and added the instructions button to messaging. I first type their names and a comma, and then hit the saved message button. Then I send the instructions. Then in check-in day I send the door code once I've confirmed room is ready. The message is not too long because all the details go into check-in instructions. Works very well so far.

[Martin-and-Ingrid0]

@Tony0. How do you get that link in your message? I have been trying to do that but not succeeded.

Ingrid

[Tony134]

That little button that looks like a key puts it there. It may not show up until you've set up check-in instructions, *which you can only do from the app, not the pc webpage.*

[Paul154]

Thank you @Quincy for bringing up this very interesting and useful topic. 

Because the greeting is the guest's first impression of Airbnb, we really need to excel.

Unfortunately, to overcome Airbnb's shortcomings, my automated IB greeting is like @Alice & Jeff's greeting - formuliac and not all the welcoming.

Instead of getting to tell them  how happy I am they're coming and how wonderful their trip is going to be, I want more information.

"Are you bringing a pet? Please advise"

"How are you coming? Car or plane?"

"Flight Number?"

"When will you check-in?"

I wish Airbnb would have a pet button, so I don't have to waste my time and the guest's time and make reservations for pet owners SO clunky.

Also it would be nice if Airbnb prompts for arrival information/flight number while making the reservation.

Just as important, I wish we could Automate our salutation in the automatic greeting message to include their NAME. 

"Hello John"

"I'm so glad you're coming Dorothy"

Please, Please, Please, do NOT make the salutation be "HEY you jerk"

[Fiona243]

I also wish Airbnb either had more automatic options for the IB Welcome greeting, or else gave us more space. The current max number of characters in the IB automated message is too low. I would particularly like to know how many beds people want to use. A number of times I've had 2 guests, where I've thought they would be a couple in a double bed, and they have turned out to want 2 separate beds.

Most recently, I had a woman and a man check-in to a room that has a king-size bed, plus a convertible single bed and a convertible love-seat sofa, which I stress in my listing are only large enough for young children. The woman told me when they arrived that she wanted to sleep on the sofa. I told her it is less than 5 ft long so she would be uncomfortable. She opted to sleep on the convertible single bed, so I made that up for her. It's only 2ft 6in wide, clearly intended for a child. Needless to say she had an uncomfortable night, gave me 4 stars overall and 4 stars for communication, I suppose because I had not made sure before she arrived that she had read the part of my listing that says the additional beds are for children.

Very irritating, but I am now going to have to annoy all guests by asking them their sleeping arrangements so that I can avoid this situation in future. Ideally I'd like to ask in the IB automated welcome message: How many beds do you require? Then if 2 adults want 2 beds where one of the beds is not adult-sized, I can inform them so they can cancel.

[Andy418]

Hi,

I am a new host. When sending out the Saved Message to the guest, I found myself having to type-in guest name and other bits of information which is already there on the messaging page, https://www.airbnb.com/z/q/.

Being a developer I wrote an extension for Chrome browser, AirMessage, https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/airbnb-message-template/nalpdinkhhepeeoofajlcdgmlhmikkgf

To use AirMessage, you would add the templated fields to your Saved Message such as {{firstname}}, {{checkindate}}. The extension will substitute those fields with the associated value. You can also define your own templated fields; the Chrome extension page has detailed instruction.

If you decide to give AirMessage a try, navigate to Chrome Store using above URL; then click the blue button "Add To Chrome". I would really appreciate any feedback you can give me to help improve this little tool.

Thanks,

Andy

[Be-Our-Guests0]

The hosts and homes website has a number for free message templates that you can save for later use in your Airbnb message center. These go from initial welcome messages, please leave a review.

https://hostsandhomes.com/airbnb-message-templates-to-help-you-save-time/

[Laura-And-The-Co-Host-Te0]

Hola Airbnb Community!

We do both...personalization with copy so the guest gets all the juicy information with our the purpose of their trip and their details.

Cheers,

Laura

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