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Can you help me with what to say on this guest review?
Guest was new to airbnb apparently created his profile in order to book my apartment.
The guest did not respond to my questions after booking, took days to answer questions about arrival. He did not respond at all to any messaging going thru airbnb platform, he had obviously put it all to Spam.
At one point I could see he was online on WhatsApp but he did not answer my texted questions.
He did follow check in instructions, told me he loved the apartment, left the apartment in fine condition.
Should I mention to other hosts that this person is unresponsive on the airbnb platform and will probably not leave them a review, and how to do so without being too offending to the guest?
Just mark him down by one star for communication @Jenna . Although frustrating for you that he was slow to respond, itâs not the end of the world.
I definitely wouldnât say âhe probably wonât leave hosts a reviewâ it sounds a little petty and you donât know that.
In what way didnât he follow check-in instructions?
I would focus on the positive and then mention as a side note that he was rather slow to respond to your questions prior to check in and didnât follow check in, instructions.
If guests donât reply to my IB questions I ask Airbnb to contact them. And I keep all communications on the platform rather than using tech such as Whatâs App so there is a record on Airbnbâs platform of all correspondence.
He did follow the check in instructions once I managed to get his attention he did look at his account a day before arriving. So a one star is maybe a little harsh.
I guess I just found it so rude he couldnât be bothered to answer my questions or even acknowledge me with a âHi Iâll get back to you laterâ, when I could see he was clearly online.
And heâs new airbnb user so he doesnât have a clue about how important the review process is for us, itâs just an annoyance for him.
Would you say something in a private message? Or maybe I should just get over myself.
You misunderstand @Jenna I said mark him down by one star, not give him one star @Jenna
No - I wouldnât say something in a private message.
Now you have clarified he actually did follow your check in instructions, I would just mark him down one star for communication and mention at the end of the review he was slow to communicate/respond in the run up to his booking.
I always talk to new guests about the review system and have a guide explaining how it works in my guide book. Do you have something similar?
Ok this is a good one I hope Iâm not using too much of your time by getting all your good advice.
I find that when guests arrive, there are tons of things to explain. I have to register their id, show them how the Airco works, show them some of the other appliances and things, explain about the garage, etc etc. I mean itâs not just a room its a large apartment with lots of amenities. So much to cover and guests just want me to shut up and leave!
And wait before commenting on that YES I have a 50 page house guide book with clear table of contents, photos of most appliances and clear bullet point explanations of how everything works. That kind of âclick-n-book-n-byeâ guest doesnât even glance at it.
I find it very hard to mention about the review process during that time, when they are tired from travel and just wanting to get settled in. But yes if they are appreciative about the apartment I do try to slip in that I hope they will leave a review. And youâre right that does tend to work.
I do put it in my welcome pack / house documentation as well, but of course this type of guest does not read that. He messaged me after arriving asking where is there a supermarket. I propose 3 supermarkets next door in the welcome pack with address and map and also indicated them in my listing. So he didnât even glance at the documentation. That was another thing that teed me off.
He also got free early check in, free extra late check out, and a bottle of cava! He liked the cava. I should have said âI hope youâll leave us a reviewâ when he was appreciative about the cava.
People are solicited all the time for reviews, whenever you buy something online, etc. I understand they just think its a big annoyance. So someone who is very busy CEO I understand he might think, whatâs the big deal, he paid for his stay he doesnât see why he has to do more than that.
New to AirBnb, Guest was nice enough, liked our place, and left it in good condition. However he does not communicate well through the platform (or otherwise).
I have had the same issue. Itâs annoying. Some people canât be bothered. I feel like itâs rude. It seems to be more with the younger folks. I agree with the previous poster, give him a 4 on communication.
I donât see how much more we can expect from our guests really.
Non-communication is really more about the hostâs expectations. If the guest has no need to contact the host (or doesnât see a good reason to do so) then heâll not see that thereâs any urgency in doing so - unless the host transmits this.
For example, if I write in the thank-you-for-booking message âplease let me know if you have any questionsâ then most guests donât have questions so donât reply.
On the other hand, if I said âI need to know what time your flight arrives. Please let me know before 3 pm on Tuesday so that I can register your stay with the authoritiesâ then Iâd expect him to answer on or before Tuesday. And he would - if he saw that there was a reason. After all, the guest isnât going to get into their accommodation otherwise.
Donât worry about âoffending the guestâ. The chances are that youâll never see him again. Remember that you write reviews for us not for them.
Remember too that you chose to give him these things. He didnât demand them so theyâre not relevant to his review.
Being new to ABB he may not have the app set to receive notification on his phone/tablet. Which I am finding many new ABB users do not understand the importance of keeping in contact with your host. They believe that it is like a hotel, you make a reservation and show up w/o any regard for possible additional conversation required. Please keep an open mind with new users.
And many seasoned ABB users just do not see the importance either. It is NOT important to the guests, check in instructions and wifi code are all they want. People just want to get in, connect to wifi and go about their business.
Sorry this is one we donât agree on. Having an idea of a guests check in, is important to me because I have had guests want to check in at 5 or 9 when they mean in the morning and if I didnât check, I would have ended up with problems @RiverRock
When I have guests that donât respond I send them a text to tell them to check their Airbnb account and that they canât get check in info until I have info I need. If I still donât hear from them within 2 days of check in, Iâll call leaving the same message and if still no work, I contact Airbnb to contact guests. Not everyone has the app on their phone, or understands how Airbnb should work. I get lots of newbies. I eventually get what I need of the guests cancel.
Iâm so annoyed that the airbnb computer/mac app still does not let you attach photos and files to messages though, I need to send images, maps, etc for arrival day.
A lack of communication can be a big bugbear for hosts, but as many have already said -getting in touch isnât a big priority for some guests. There can be others reasons for not replying, including a language barrier, problems with getting to grips with technology and your guest being just too busy!
You can always try going to Airbnb if you donât get any joy. but the whole process can be frustrating. The good news is, just because your guest doesnât respond it doesnât mean he or she wonât turn up or be a nice (as youâve found out)!
Did he leave you a review in the end? I get the feeling you werenât expecting one! Probably best not to mention this in your review though, as you canât be sure he wonât review others.
As a side note, not all guests are comfortable with interaction, I think someone else may have already mentioned self-check in as an option? It can save you time as a host, however your guests will still need to heed your instructions in order to get in! This could be useful though, guests will have to communicate if they want to get in!
This is therapeutic thanks guys. I just needed to rant!