Do you send a thanks for booking message?

[Alexandra316]

Hello all, I've made a few bookings on Airbnb as a guest lately, and I'm wondering if other hosts send a message thanking the guest for their booking. In both cases, I instant booked with superhosts and included an introductory message from me about why we were visiting and a bit about us, and there was radio silence from them.

Personally, I always send a message, something like: 

Hello (guest), 

Thanks for booking with us for June: we look forward to hosting you. The Inn on the Twenty is a beautiful venue, and I hope your neice's wedding is great (I always insert something that they've mentioned about their group or their reason for staying). 

If you have any questions or need any recommendations, please get in touch anytime. 

Have a great day, 

Alexandra

So am I alone in this? Is this not a normal thing to do when you get a booking? If the guest has already been talking to me and asking questions before they go ahead with the booking, I usually just send a one-liner thanking them for completing the booking. 

[Alexandra316]

@Rachel0I see it the same way also. I think it's appropriate to thank the guest for choosing you. 

I actually had a conversation with a bunch of younger people in their 20s a few weeks ago, and it amazed me how many people thought it was okay to not thank guests for wedding gifts. I thought that was pretty incredible. I'm in my mid-30s, and I think it's mandatory to thank people for gifts, preferably in writing. 

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra316  I don't use IB, so my guests have to send an Inquiry or Request. And yes, of course, I send them back a message thanking them for booking or inquiring as well as other info. I'm really surprised that there are hosts who can't be bothered to do this. 

[Ben551]

Hi @Alexandra316 - yes, we most certainly do send a quick thank you message!  Or rather... the automated messaging tool we lovingly refer to as "Ben-bot" sends a thank you message 🙂

Here is what it looks like:

Hi {{Guest Name}},

Thanks for choosing the Pāua Cottage!  My wife and I just know you will love it.

We have your booking confirmed for {{Number of Guests}} guests from {{Check-In Date}} to {{Check-Out Date}}, so you're all set.  We'll send you more details including check-in instructions closer to the time.  In the meantime, feel free to make a note that you can check-in anytime after {{Check-In Time}} on {{Check-In Date}}.  If you'd like to arrange different times (i.e. late check out or early check-in) please get in touch and we'll see what we can work out.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

~ Ben & Angel

We often follow the automated message up at some point with a "Oh and one more thing..." personalised message, depending on their reason for visiting etc.  Sometimes there is a gap though, especially if the IB goes through at 2AM or when we're both busy working.  That's why we like Ben-bot to send the first thank you message, with basic details included.  Then we can follow up with a personal touch when we're next available.

[Alexandra316]

@Ben551Thanks for sharing your message. I think that I'm going to change my message to incorporate confirming the number of guests etc. 

[Ben551]

@Alexandra316  good plan, we've found this very helpful.  On two occasions it led to guests asking us why it only said 1 guest when they meant to bring 3... resulting in reservation amendments... etc.. all very easily.  On both occasions we found that the guests read our message but not their Airbnb booking confirmation.  My guess is, the Airbnb one they get is far longer and ours is shorter and clearer so they spot the guest numbers quicker.

[Rubén16]

Hi Ben, what program are you using for messaging, and has it worked well for you? do you feel it has improved your search ranking compared to when you were responding mannually? just curious of the added benefits that you have noticed by having a messaging tool.

[Sudsrung0]

Booking .com is far better it has a Auto responder that you can send a series of messages and it inserts the guest name obviously start with a Welcome message

[Jim-And-Kim0]

I always send a thanks for booking message. 

[Kath9]

@Alexandra316, yes, absolutely! It is almost unbelievable to me that a host, especially a Superhost, would not respond to someone who has just booked their place. This is just common courtesy! How can they be Superhosts? I'm also astounded that they are now trying to change the rules on you - this is NOT OK and you should absolutely get them to cancel it so they are penalised for it (and hopefully LOSE their Superhost status).

This is the message I send to all my guests who Instant Book (slightly tweaked for booking requests):

Hi XXX and thank you so much for booking! Check-in time is from 3pm to 7pm. To ensure you are fully satisfied with your stay, please spend a moment reading the listing details and house rules carefully - if you feel they might not be a good fit for you, I do have a flexible cancellation policy. Otherwise, I look forward to welcoming you into my home! I'll be in touch closer to the date with arrival details. Please let me know if you have any questions in the meantime. Best wishes, Kath

Great idea from some other hosts to reiterate arrival date and number of guests - I think I will add that to my message too!

[Robin4]

@Alexandra316

Yeah, I always tailor in a nice personal welcome message. If I feel good about the guests it could even go as far as this, which I recently posted on another thread....

That first message is all important to me Alexandra, it just gets things off to a great start. And from that message, at the end of the stay came this review......

We are in this business to make money, but in the process we make some nice encounters too, but it all starts out from that first message.

Cheers......Rob

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

I always thank my guests for booking and I am surprised some hosts think iit s not desirable !??

Hello xx and thank you for booking our place 🙂

Please let me know the EXACT time of arrival so I can come and meet you in front of the building.

In case of any delay please let me know at least 1 h in advance.

What bed arrangement would you prefer: double or single beds, in 1 or 2 bedrooms?

Do you need a parking spot?

In case you have questions or need more information to feel free to ask 🙂

Regards,...

[Mark1362]

Hello Alexandra,

What you have done is totally normal & indeed  it's basic courtesy. I do it myself as entrepreneur for everything I do in business and I'm available if they need me for anything relating to the work (my teams I mean). It's a way of saying thanks for doing business what helps every relation.

Communications solves everything. 

Some understand, some not & do not bother by it.

Sincerely,

Mark

[Cathie19]

Hi @Alexandra316. To not respond with a message is in plain old fashioned English: “bad manners!” So much for the superhost having great communication skills.

My messages are completely tailored to the individual guest and the information I receive with the initial booking. Generally it is a confirmation of dates and numbers.

- If the booking is soon, I then send details required to assist them.

- If the booking is a fair time away, I tend to then respond after they confirm my message, that I’ll talk soon...

  So then I will send another message suggesting it is timely to now confirm a few details food dietary requirements etc..

But initially, something like this:

[Patricia55]

@Alexandra316

Oh dear, you guys are so much more professional than me! I don't use pro forma messages and don't specifically thank people for booking; I send a message telling them, inter alia, that they're welcome (with smiley face 😉 ) and that I'll be in touch again nearer the time, and: “Don't hesitate in asking any questions.”

However, I very often thank (good) guests for being good guests, on their departure, and I always end my review of them with a “thanks”.

But I'm now thinking I should thank them at the time of booking... yeah, I'm gonna do that. Better late than never 😉

[Alexandra316]

@Patricia55I don't see anything wrong with your message either though: I think that as long as you're acknowledging the booking, it's fine.