Heads Up, New Format for Emailing Guests

[Sarah977]

I have always used the email option to send a map to my place to all my guests- without my map they would have a pretty impossible time to find it.

Since the format of our Inbox changed recently, the coded email address that Airbnb assigns to guests, which used to be shown under their photo, along with their phone number after booking confirmation, is no longer visible.

Instead, there is a list of options, one of which is "Email". When I clicked on this, it brought up a box asking me to enter my email address and password, after doing that, it said that my email is already registered, which of course I knew, and didn't go anywhere else.

I was just about to send a frustrated message to support, asking how in the world do we now access email option for guests, when I thought to right click on the "Email" option, which brought up a box of options, one of which was "copy link". When i clicked on that, my email compose screen came up, with the guest's coded email address filled in the address line.

I admit I'm not super tech-savvy, but none of this seems intuitive to me. The email format was changed without notice, notification, or explanation on how to email guests since their coded email is no longer visible anywhere on the Inbox page. What would be so hard about letting us know how to use a new format rather than making us waste time trying to figure it out?

Anyway, I thought I'd post this in case others got bamboozled by how to now email a guest.

[Suzanne302]

@Sarah977 

Maybe I don't read announcements as I should, but IS there anyplace they post these things? I swear they change things so often it's no wonder hosts get confused. But maybe I'm not looking where I should or maybe they are just expecting hosts to figure things out on their own. Ugh.

Thanks for the heads up. But you know, it may be back to the original format tomorrow! Hahaha!

[Sarah977]

@Suzanne302  I'm certainly not aware of anywhere explanations for how to deal with changes appear. They've never appeared in the Update section of the forum.

Laura, our new host rep with Airbnb, tells me they're working on ways of making sure they notify hosts of changes, but I can't fathom why it takes a "team", working for months, to find a way to do this. I get all sorts of unwanted, useless notifications from Airbnb, there's no reason why when they make a change like this they can't simply send us a notification and explanation of how to use it.

"To email a guest with new format, right click on 'Email', choose 'Copy link'. Your email Compose page will come up with the guest's coded email auto-filled in the address bar."

How difficult is that? 

[Rebecca181]

Thanks for the heads up about this, @Sarah977 . Seems like nearly every day some change to the platform had been made and we hosts were not notified of it. I'm not sure why Airbnb thinks this is okay but...it's not. 

[Cathie19]

Yes, thanks for the heads up @Sarah977. I’ve taken photos of my google map and directions from the airport, which works in the  majority of cases as part of my check in instructions.

However, I also send them through the message board as photos and suggest they save them as a photo for quick referral. Especially works well for international guests who do not have global roaming on, who may have service provider issues or not yet purchased a local phone SIM card.

[Sarah977]

@Cathie19  My place doesn't appear on Google maps. And where I live, none of the house numbers go in any logical order and the roads aren't well marked, if at all. (very typical in Mexico) Add to that, that my place is down a little dirt road off the main dirt road, and well, you get the picture. 

So I did a hand-drawn map, which while it isn't to scale, allows guest to locate it without problems. All my guests have confirmed that they wouldn't have been able to find it without the map. I also send written instructions to clarify. That said, almost all my guests arrive by bus and I pick them up at the bus station. The map is back-up for most, should we fail to connect by phone or text so they can let me know when they arrive. It takes me about 7 minutes to drive to the bus station, it's easier than stressing about whether guests will find it, saves them a $6 taxi ride, or shlepping with their bags for a 20 minute walk. And since I don't mention the pick-up in my listing, is just another little extra that guests appreciate and leads to good reviews 🙂

[Cathie19]

@Sarah977 ,

Sounds like you’ve got it covered! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Kudos to you also for collecting your guests at the bus stop. Over 90% of mine fly in and rent a vehicle from the airport.

If I rely on the checkin details being sent as an email, they have tohave data to read it; that’s why saving maps and directions as photos is a good idea. 

There been a few hosts struggle with lack of google availability or accuracy and house number inconsistency is painful, anywhere....

i love mud maps! (or hand drawn) I only get worried if someone says, “you can’t miss it!”

Lol... 

[Sarah977]

@Cathie19  I don't get last minute bookings, as most of my guests also fly in, and have their travel plans arranged well in advance. I send my guests all the location info about a week before they check in, and advise them to copy the info to where they can easily access it without having to rely on a cell signal, or internet connection. Some just print out the map and have it with them as hard copy.

I've had several guests who couldn't have cared less that their phones weren't set up to use while on vacation in Mexico. Beyond emailing their family to let them know they arrived safely, they've preferred to be "unreachable" while enjoying their holiday.

[Sally221]

I'll add my thanks as well!

Our driveway is around the corner & on another street from our mailbox and the stairs up to the house.

It is a shared driveway and one must turn right halfway up to get to our private parking, if you go straight up it means a tricky turn around and a trip down the driveway to try again.

Needless to say I give detailed directions- "There's plenty of street parking but if you have lots of luggage or it's raining...) I personally get lost easily and hate to think of the poor soul who, after a long plane trip and slogging thru Bay area traffic and the twisty Berkeley hills streets, can't find our house!  So, I  send emails and go thru the app and send my phone number too. I thought I was just a tech-nitwit who had lost her memory. This community is the best support I have gotten from airbnb, I hope it is never improved out of existence! XO Sally

[Ben551]

Thanks very much for the heads up @Sarah977 - another shot gun change with no release notes... 

[Patrizia16]

@Sarah977 

In the mail section of the ABB PHONE APPLICATION there is the symbol of a key .. here you can write the instructions to get to your accommodation ... these instructions will be sent automatically by ABB to every confirmed reservation ... and if you want all the time, from the application, you can send your drawn map .. you have to scan it and save it in jpeg or pdf format ..

.

[Sarah977]

@Patrizia16  Thanks, I'm sure this will be valuable info for many hosts. Personally, I don't even use a smart phone, let alone the app 🙂 My map is saved in jpeg form and I just attach it to an email, it's worked fine since I first started hosting. 

[Patrizia16]

@Sarah977 

I checked, if I click on send email from the PC a window opens and asks me "from which mail account  I want to send the email" (I have more than one mail account) .. chosen from which account I want to send, to me appears guest's email ID...

.

[Sarah977]

@Patrizia16  It didn't work that way on my end. Just got a box asking me to enter my email (I only have one email account attached to my Airbnb account), then nothing else. Airbnb features often work differently in different countries, it seems. 

[Patrizia16]

@Sarah977 

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