We set up the integration between August Home and Airbnb again (as a reminder, we already had the two fully integrated) on just one of our listings to see what would happen. I thought I'd share it so other hosts who also already had the two integrated could benefit from our experience.
We have had our Airbnb listings integrated with August Home since 2019, but the Airbnb system didn't seem to be aware of it, so we kept getting prompted to set up the integration. I reached out to Airbnb support, who advised we should set up the integration again. We decided to do it for one listing to see what happened before doing the others.
Following the link that was provided and setting up the integration (again) caused all the door codes for future guests to be changed and a message to be sent to them. I would have preferred that it left existing reservations alone.
With our previous integration, codes were set up for the dates of the booking as soon as the booking was confirmed. Guests were sent an Airbnb message with their code, when they would have access and also instructions for out to setup an August Home app on their phones should they not want to bother with a code. I could see that message because it was in the booking. I could also see all the guest names in the August Home app, the code for each guest, and the dates for their arrival and departure.
Now all that appears to be controlled by Airbnb differently. In the the August Home app I have multiple "Airbnb backup" guests. Each "Airbnb backup" guest has a code and the access schedule says "Always". Looking in Airbnb, there's now a field in the booking for a door code. The bookings for future guests do not yet show a code. Instead they say, "Code will sync to lock before check-in."
From reading the FAQ, it looks like guests will be sent an email 48 hours before check-in. I'm not a fan of the later communication and prefer messages to come through the Airbnb app. We ONLY communicate that way with our guests, so it could be confusing if some information is shared via email and other information is shared via email. Plus, I want to see what they are told. I am hoping the communication will also be in the Airbnb booking messages.
I still want guests to have the option of using the August Home app. It's an easier, faster way for them to access the listing, rather than using a code. Plus, if a guest already had an August Home account, with our previous integration, they were automatically set up in the app for the dates of their booking - nothing was needed from them other than to use the app when they arrived. I don't see any indication in the FAQ's that instructions for downloading the August Home app will be included with the communication about the door code.
I have yet to get a new booking after making this change. Has anyone else and, if so, could you see what was communicated to the guest and did it include instructions for downloading an app?
