How far ahead do you email your upcoming guests?

Answered!
Marie-Et-Simon0
Level 3
Melbourne, Australia

How far ahead do you email your upcoming guests?

Hi!

 

I am a newish (returning) host. 

 

I'd like to know what experienced hosts have found good in terms of amount of time before emailing your guests about their upcoming stay? Obviously you email them straight after their booking, but if the booking is well ahead of time there will be some time without communication.

When do you resume communication?

 

Don't want to feel like a pest! 🙂

 

Cheers

Marie

1 Best Answer
Gillian19
Level 10
St Leonards, Australia

@Marie-Et-Simon0 I hate over communication! So I email to thank them for their booking and to let m eknow if they have any questions otherwise I tell them I will be in touch a few days before their reservation with check in details. Then around 4 days prior to their booking I send check in details. I've not had any negative feedback on this approach.

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10 Replies 10
Gillian19
Level 10
St Leonards, Australia

@Marie-Et-Simon0 I hate over communication! So I email to thank them for their booking and to let m eknow if they have any questions otherwise I tell them I will be in touch a few days before their reservation with check in details. Then around 4 days prior to their booking I send check in details. I've not had any negative feedback on this approach.

Thanks Gillian!! I have overcommunication too and I think I could be at risk of doing so because I am just so excited to have guests haha
I am going to be very mindful not to overcommunicate or be over bearing. 🙂 

Valerie177
Level 2
Longueuil, Canada

about the same for me.  i respond after the reservation and told them i will send them the code for secure case the day before the reservation. Sometime they come back between for some question.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

I usually get back in touch with them about a week and a half before their arrival. At this point, I let them know that I'll be sending them a map within the next few days via the coded email address airbnb assigns to them (my place can be hard to find), confirm their arrival time, and maybe remind them of some of the things in my listing description they may have failed to read. I like to send this about 8-9 days before, as guests may be busy, distracted, may be camping or otherwise out of cell phone or wifi range,  and this gives them time to reply before I start getting anxious because they're not responding. Then about 4 days before their check-in, I'll write again to ask if they received the map if they haven't already acknowledged that, suggest useful items they might want to bring (flashlight, hat for walking in the hot sun, etc.) give them bus info, and so on. 

Some hosts may not want to bother with this much communication, but because of where I live, both my guests and I find it is helpful.

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

@Marie-Et-Simon0 At the time of booking I thank the guest for choosing my place and let them know I will be sending them detailed check-in instructions a week before their stay, unless they'd like these earlier. Been working out great so far, and it corresponds with Airbnb's own notification (email) reminders to me that my guest is due to arrive 'soon' (these come 8 days before the guest is due to arrive).

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

I send them a ''thank you for booking'' message immediately, include all they need to know re check in time, how to find me etc. Then on the morning of the stay I send the next one, even if a year since they booked. It is only to remind them to let me know of arrival time. If I ask about arrival time a day ahead, it will invariably be wrong. So on the day of check in, they will respond with something like ''we'll be there at 3''. I say '' great, looking forward to meeting you at the house at 3, just let me know if timing changes. See you soon.''

 

I find that any worried guests who need reassurance will send me a message themselves a week ahead of time, saying ''just confirming our booking on the 24th'' ot whatever. Most are happy not to.

Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

I try to collect all the essential details right after they book. If they are not responsive, I send a few messages over time. If I get what I need at the beginning, it is only a few days before their arrival that I ask if nothing has changed.

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"
Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Marie-Et-Simon0  @Marzena4 @Rebecca181 @Gillian19

People can't tell you what their arrival agenda will be a month or more away so I don't attempt any check-in details when they book if the reservation is for some weeks in advance. I just send them a thank you for booking with us message on confirmation and try to make them feel comfortable with their decision and I tell them I will be in contact around 7.30 am on the morning of their stay to get an idea of arrival time so I can make sure I am on hand to show them the ropes! At that point they will be able to be quite specific with their arrival time.

Some times I might throw in a bit of humour and I find that works well, it makes people feel comfortable.....and always gets an immediate response......

Crocodiles in the lake.png

 

 

Any further contact is up to them. I will always respond to any questions asked, but everything else they need to know is on their reservation confirmation, and being resident on the property gives me an advantage in that they know they won't have to guess anything when the arrive.

 

Cheers......Rob

@Robin4 I do know how people plan their stays. My wording for that upon booking is "please provide me with your check-in time as soon as you know it." 

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"
Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Marzena4

Yeah that is pretty good, I might have to consider including that. I do try to keep that acceptance message as short as possible because many guests now use a phone for these communications and long messages are a bit of a 'put off' if your not on a computer!

 

Cheers.....Rob