Need a button to send attachments in messages thru the platform

Donata12
Level 10
Toronto, Canada

Need a button to send attachments in messages thru the platform

I am surprised that this feature has not been implemented yet. 

Most other platforms have it.

 

This feature is incredibly important to send important guest related documents through the platform, making sure that all is duly recorded. My building has implemented a security rule and i now need to pre-register the guests 48 hours before they check-in as opposed as at the time of check-in like we have always done.

 

Other uses are: contracts, Inventory lists or any other reservation related documents that has to be signed and sent back by the guest.

 

Airbnb is behind in this and i hope that once again they will not ignore hosts the tools they require to be able to host, like they have sadly been doing lately.

12 Replies 12
Mike1034
Level 10
Mountain View, CA

@Donata12 If you use the Airbnb Mobile app, you will see that you are able to attach photos when you send a message. I do see that there are no place to attach photo files from the website on a computer. As for the document file, I have not seen that is implemented.

Yes you add a picture. If you have to send a map that would work but in my case I have to send a PDF that requires to be filled and signed. Can’t do that!

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Donata12  I agree it would be great if we could send attachments on the messages. I have to send all my guests a map to my place, as it's confusing to find. I have always done this by email, using the coded email address Airbnb assigns to guests. I reuest that they confirm that they received it. It usually works fine, although some guests who are using the app tell me no attachment came through. In that case, I ask them for their personal email address (and I give them mine, just so they feel I'm being fair and open) and there's never been a problem with them getting it that way.

Ian-And-Anne-Marie0
Level 10
Kendal, United Kingdom

@Donata12 @Mike1034 @Sarah977 

 

Another useful suggestion of Host/Guest convenience. Hopefully the powers that be won't ovelook it.

 

A host pointed out to me a few days ago that he sent a link to his House Rules to guests through ABB messaging. I asked him how he did that - whether a link to ABB House Rules or another. He said he directed them to his own website House rules.

 

It should be fairly easy to store a pdf or document on a website and provide a download link to via ABB messages once a booking is confirmed.

 

This should be preferred to using ABB as three of my last bookings were unable to see payment requests unless they used a computer to do so and do some 'digging'. The phone App didn't support this. This is really unnacceptable especially for guest convenience.

 

It might be a sensible idea to have regularly used documents stored online with a permanent web address so that guests can access these after being directed there.

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Sarah977 @Mike1034 

Thanks for your inputs.

I can easily use Dropbox to share documents, granted.

However, I try to always keep all communication on the abb app so everything is recorded. 

Since other platforms like Homeaway offer this option, I would be happy that Airbnb does too.

 

i have sent my attachments through email on Airbnb and messaged the guest to explain why I was doing that. Hopefully this will work but it adds steps to the process that to me are redundant and not necessary had we the option of attaching files directly to the app messaging system. 

Ian-And-Anne-Marie0
Level 10
Kendal, United Kingdom

@Donata12 True. Far better if Airbnb provided the hosting tools. But they don't. 

 

Maybe it will be part of their "We listened and..." one day?

Susan1188
Level 10
Marbella, Spain

I totally agree there are many reasons to send attachment files.

- police registration forms

- community registration forms

- insurance forms

- directions with photos and maps

- specific instructions with pictograms to capture attention (people don't read sentences or paragraphs anymore).

 

In my experience:

- people do not read long texts

- people do not get the airbnb coded emails, most times they wind up in Spam

- attachments do not always come through intact on airbnb coded emails

- the poor communicators don't even respond to airbnb messages, let alone going to dropbox or google drive and downloading something that's just too much

- if you put a url to your website pdf file house rules stored outside the system airbnb will hide it

 

=> Hosts need a way of sending attachments to guests for many valid reasons

==> Not offering this possibility forces us to contact guests outside of the system.

I will resend a feedback through the website. i am surprised this doesn't seem to be a more interesting topic.

did you ever get a way to send a document.  I need to send updated house hints and I do not have a printed copy in the unit now.

@Ann747  I send the guests a message through the platform

aNd tell them to check their emails for an email from me with attachments. I don’t know why this feature is still not available 

 

There is an icon for attachments ONLY AFTER the guest has been confirmed. On the app, tap the plus sign on the left and you'll see an option for image. On computer, the attachment icon will appear to your left, right next to the plus sign.

Hi @Michael7096 , this is an old post. Since then, we can now send pictures but still no PDFs.

Hopefully they will implement that one soon as well. I have contracts i have to send to my guests and i always need to ask for an email to do that.

 

Happy hosting!