Returning guests

[Brian2145]

Hi, I am trying to find a way to recognise if the guest / booker has stayed previously as we have a number of returning guests and it’s always good to be able to recognise this.

Any ideas?

[Emiel1]

@Brian2145 

The message system has a search box, enter name of the guest to see previous threads/bookings

[Lorna170 · Accepted solution]

@Brian2145   I keep an Excel spreadsheet of my bookings with separate tabs for each year.  I can search this comprehensive spreadsheet for the guest name.  

I also have an email address that is for my property/business.  I add my guest email addresses (when I can obtain them) to the Contact folder.  If I think that a guest is a repeat guest, opening an email and typing their name in the "TO" box will bring up their contact card if they are already in the contact list.

[Joan2709]

@Brian2145 

Airbnb does not have an easy way to flag a returning guest. If you want to check each guest to see if they previously stayed, you can search messages by the name as @Emiel1 says - that's more work of course.

@Lorna170 mentions she uses a spreadsheet and add contacts to her email. That's another method, but you would need to recognize it is a returning guest and then search for their previous booking.

It would be some much easier if Airbnb just added a flag to the booking "returning guest". You can always suggest that via feedback:

www.airbnb.com/help/feedback

[Lorna170]

@Joan2709   Love the flag idea. 

Because I have 25 years of guests and many have come back after several years of being MIA (especially the college parents), I just open my master guest spreadsheet in Excel and type in CTRL F and the guest last name.  Or I can do a quick alpha sort.  Once I have done that, their previous booking information is all there to be reviewed.  I don't trust multiple OTAs to show or keep past booking information for me.  I also have notes as to the quality of the guest...truly bad ones are highlighted in red. 

[Shelley159]

It used to be very obvious @Brian2145 , as the conversation would pick up from the previous bookings' message thread and one could clearly see where you left off with the returning guest.

Airbnb changed that on purpose (I assume, at least in part, to discourage direct bookings where the two parties already had each other's direct contact details).

So I doubt the message thread will be re-instated. The suggestions by the hosts above are your best bet.

[Quincy]

Hi there @Brian2145, I was just wondering if you had seen the helpful replies here? 

[Joan2709]

@Brian2145 

Forgot...Airbnb tracks the number of returning guests in Performance, but of course don't list the guest name. We don't pay much attention to this as it doesn't really help identify specific guests. This does show that Airbnb knows there are returning guests, but as @Shelley mentions, they removed the message trail so Hosts cannot easily identify them. Sometimes guests will tell you they are returning, but usually not for Instant Book unless you have the Pre-Booking Message toggle on:

[Liga28]

Thank you @Joan2709  for adding this screenshot, actually I am hosting more than half year and never known, there are tools I am not using. 
As of the screenshot you added, I started to search and found out, that there are proffessional hosting tools I haven't been enabled. Thank you! Now I have them and hope to get some useful information there, to check my performance and change over time :)))

Best of luck! 

[Belén156]

Hola @Brian2145 , yo usaría el método más sencillo, yo preguntaría con cordialidad si ya se ha alojado alguno en tu casa, si la respuesta es sí, comentaría que no estaba segura pero casi, después continua la conversación como quieras.

Si la respuesta es no, daría las gracias por su elección y confianza.

Eso haría yo, lo más sencillo es mi primera opción siempre, habrá otras muchas maneras, espero que lo consigas y nos lo cuentes!

Un saludo

Translation added by Community Manager

Hi @Brian2145 , I would use the simplest method. I would politely ask if anyone has stayed at your house before. If the answer is yes, I would say that I wasn't sure but almost, then continue the conversation as you wish.

If the answer is no, I would thank you for your choice and trust.

That's what I would do; the simplest option is always my first choice. There are many other ways, though. I hope you manage it and let us know!

All the best

[Gabriel6398]

Hola 😃

Buena pregunta, porque identificar huéspedes recurrentes puede marcar una gran diferencia en la experiencia.

En Airbnb no siempre aparece de forma automática, pero hay varias formas prácticas de detectarlo:

🔎 Historial de mensajes: Si el huésped ya se ha alojado contigo, normalmente verás la conversación anterior en tu bandeja. Es una de las formas más rápidas de confirmarlo.

📅 Búsqueda en reservas: Puedes usar el buscador con su nombre para verificar si tuvo estadías previas en tu alojamiento.

⭐ Evaluaciones anteriores: Si ya intercambiaron reseñas, es señal clara de que es un huésped que regresa.

💡 Lo que a mí más me funciona: Llevar un pequeño registro propio (notas o Excel) de huéspedes frecuentes. Esto permite reconocerlos al instante y ofrecer una atención más personalizada.

✨ Tip. Cuando detecto que alguien regresa, siempre lo menciono en el mensaje de bienvenida (por ejemplo: “¡Qué bueno tenerte nuevamente!”). Ese detalle genera confianza, mejora la experiencia y aumenta mucho las probabilidades de buenas evaluaciones.

Al final, más allá de identificarlo, lo importante es aprovecharlo para fidelizar 😉

¡Éxito con tus reservas! 🙌

_______________________________________________________________________
 
Google Translation added by Community Manager:  

Hi there 😃

Good question, because identifying returning guests can make a big difference to the experience.

On Airbnb it doesn’t always appear automatically, but there are several practical ways to spot it:

🔎 Message history: If the guest has already stayed with you, you will usually see the previous conversation in your inbox. It’s one of the quickest ways to confirm it.

📅 Search in reservations: You can use the search with their name to check if they have stayed previously at your place.

⭐ Previous reviews: If you have already exchanged reviews, it’s a clear sign that the guest is coming back.

💡 What works best for me: Keeping a small personal record (notes or an Excel sheet) of frequent guests. This allows you to recognise them instantly and offer more personalised attention.

✨ Tip. When I notice that someone is returning, I always mention it in the welcome message (for example: “Great to have you back again!”). That detail builds trust, improves the experience and greatly increases the chances of good reviews.

In the end, beyond identifying them, the important thing is to make the most of it to build loyalty. 😉

Good luck with your bookings! 🙌

[Quincy]

Thank you so much for your answers @Joan2709 @Gabriel6398 @Belén156

@Brian2145, it'd be great if you could let us know if you have seen the helpful answers that were shared here. 

[Monica3088]

Hi @Brian2145! The simplest solution is already in your Airbnb inbox — all your previous conversations are saved permanently. When a new booking comes in just search the guest's name in your messages. If a previous conversation comes up — that's your returning guest! 😊

The personal touch is what keeps them coming back honestly — and that starts with the space itself making them feel something from the moment they walk in.

I'm Monica — STR host and interior designer specialising in spaces guests never want to leave. Happy to help with any hosting or design questions! 😊

[Sierra167]

Most of my guests tell me they are excited to return again. I also keep a spreadsheet in excel. It has their dates stayed, amount paid, and contact info. I added a Notes column to note those who damaged items and those who were excellent guests leaving things neat and being respectful. It helps me when deciding to accept. If I deny, I have my reason why. My cleaner takes pictures and sends them to me.  Works very well! 

[Patrick2694]

I keep a photo of each guest that has stayed at my properties on my bedroom wall. I memorize their faces to avoid this problem. Hope that helps