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Sounds like you have a system down that is working for you. My only comment is that I would find 6 scheduled messages from a host to be excessive and I don’t need “Preparation and packing” advice from a host.
What does “Alert to emails in Spam Follow-up” mean?
Sounds like a great detailed process. I’m guessing your guests stay for a week of more?
Our average guest is on a last minute ski trip. So we have to sort of bombard them with everything all at once.
I just wanted to mention again regarding IB vs RTB, API connected hosts can now be on RTB and still sync pricing and reservations. I switched to RTB 10 days ago after being IB for a few years. If anything, I have had more guests from Airbnb. The timing is such that it is peak ski season. But in no way am I worried that I’m being lost at the bottom of search results due to RTB. RTB for the win!
You might not need it, but the majority of our guests have never been to our country before and appreciate the advice. My equivalent of @dmartin336’s “Preparation and Packing” email is “Your arrival is only one week away!” and includes: driving directions or how to meet the driver at the airport if they hire him; a packing list; a list of what we supply at the villa (so they know they don’t need to bring a hairdryer, for instance); and advice on how much cash to bring and to tell them US currency is accepted although it can’t be marked or torn.
With COVID I started a 4-nite minimum with 3 day gap for cleaning- now it’s 2 days with check out at 11a- check in the next day at 4p. Previously it was 2 -3 night with 2 day cleaning. I still have the 4 nite minimum with an occasional special 3-night gap for people on my email list (Inner Circle members). The issue I face in our region is staffing to clean and turn over my luxe home with full amenities. Our rural area is struggling to find then keep cleaners. Most stay just the 4 nights, though I have others who have booked 1-3 weeks with many repeating their stays (these next 2 weeks is by guests who have booked 4 times previously this year alone!)
My guidebook is sent to folks post booking on ABB, elsewhere I offer it to folks who are considering booking our house to close the inquiry . I tried to attach it to the earlier posting but I was not allowed- system prevented it. Not sure how to do that here, especially as I see other posts with links and photos.
The Guidebook shows each and every room with photos of what to expect with a where to find section. It is also used to help housekeeping to make the house look the same for every guests.
What is RTB? I am not familiar with all the acronyms
Yes, I do understand that guests may benefit from information re what to bring, as they may be totally unaware of the climate (many people imagine that Mexico is hot all year everywhere, never bother to look up average temps for an area, for instance, and may think that shorts and tank tops are all they need, when the temperature can drop to almost freezing in January in some places), and make faulty assumptions about many other things.
But I don’t send any scheduled messages, because many guests don’t require a lot of information like that. I get quite a few guests who have been to this area or town before, who are well aware of how to get around, what the climate is like, the best plan for using their phones here, where and how to exchange money, etc. No need to bombard guests with useless information, is my thinking. If I see from their review page that they have had bookings in this area before, or they tell me they have travelled or lived here before, I wouldn’t want to annoy them with scheduled messages intended for guests who may be clueless about such things.
Request to Book.
202020 [We write this because the site requires a minimum of 20 characters.]
Request to Book…
I agree with this one. I also have a note in my pre-arrival message that says “don’t underestimate the weather, it’s still really chilly”. In November I got a 3* review because it was cold…she wrote: “even though it’s Spring it was very cold and there was no heating”. !! yes it was really chilly, and the guest was from another warmer part of the country, she is not used to a cool climate hilly region, and also has clearly never seen underfloor heating in her life. of course she hadn’t read a thing in the listing or guest manual and didn’t once communicate with me.
People will often ridicule Melbourne for having “four seasons in one day” but the sorry secret is that Adelaide is exactly the same. It’s December 15, almost officially summer, and I am inside wearing a fleece jacket with the fire going in my office, and it’s 9ºc. Even people from the city underestimate how much cooler it is in the Hills, so I always warn people and remind them to pack warm clothes. I’ve had a few guests thank me for the warning as they were surprised how much colder it is here, and if I see my guests are from the tropics I might even write an extra message for them.
Huh. I was just editing the House Rules, and the hint above the text box says “Stick to the essentials—too many details can overwhelm guests. You can always share extra details in a message or your house manual.”
This dichotomy of approach between what Catherine Powell said and the instructions say makes it clear that either 1) they don’t have a clue, or 2) they really want hosts to have NO house rules so they can refund guests for anything.
That example given by Catherine Powell was so laughably absurd. By that way of thinking, we would have to write a 300 page book for guests absolving ourselves of responsibility for everything and anything that involves basic common sense and expectations gleaned from being a human on this planet. Yes, leaves can fall in a pool, there could be sand or dirt on a pathway that people walk on, yes, you actually need to turn the doorknob to open a door. You didn’t have a 2* check-in experience because the door didn’t magically open on its own and the host didn’t tell you to turn the doorknob.
‘And just like that’, airbnb has made their offer of cancelling guests who do not follow house rules a sham. “Details” in messages are not ‘house rules’ and can be dismissed by air during a dispute…
We have a pool.
As part of our listing (last line) but not part of House Rules we say:
Note that the backyard is subject to pollen, leaves, bird droppings, insects and animals.
We put that in to cover ourselves. Somewhere we also wrote that it is guests’ responsibility to skim the pool if desired.
Because they come from my PMS (OwnerRez) and have a signature block some email systems will bump them out of the platform if they have not listed my email as a recognized person…as SPAM.
That’s why I send a last not to verify they received the 6 prior.
It took me a minute to understand what you are talking about, as you didn’t quote the post you were replying to.
I just tell my guests when they first book to make sure to check their Spam box for any emails from me (I really only send them one email, with a map to my place).
Wouldn’t that be more effective for you, to communicate that first, rather than saving the Spam info after you have sent all the other emails?
