Hosts: What is your biggest problem when catering to guest requests?

Good point. Thanks, DC.

The value in what we’re building is that we don’t ask our users to download an app and figure out how to use it. Basically, users text a number, ask their question or send out their request, and receive a response (from a real human :smile: in a matter of minutes).

By the way, Annapolis looks like a pleasant town. Going to add that to the list of places to visit when we make it out to Maryland in the Fall.

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Agreed, Felix. Same experience here whenever we call a 1-800-number, we always press “0” immediately to speak to a human :wink:

From our experience, there are way too many apps out there that it starts to get overwhelming with trying to find the best one that works for a specific use case. We understand the problem of “too many apps” and want to make things easier for our customers.

Have a question? Get it answered. Need something right away? Get it delivered. All they’ll need to do is text us and we’ll take care of it.

Thanks for your response, Felix. I appreciate you taking the time to contribute to this thread.

Thanks for the tip!!

Maryland is amazing - Baltimore - Mountains - Shore Line - Washington DC - History - Nature. We love it here.

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Didn’t know that one had to book two weeks in advance to see the WH. Good to know. Thanks Kona!

For the White House, at least. You have to submit lots of details long in advance. I notice now tickets to the Capitol and Washington Monument are hard to come by, so do that now, also, if those are important to you. Going to the top of the Monument is kinda cool. I like driving by it and thinking “I was up there!”.

Here’s my website that I send to my guests. It will have all the links you need for the basic sites.

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DC is right… as the season gets busier, there is a longer wait for things. Even in the dead of January, when I went, the time tickets for the Washington Monument were sold out. If you go to the Capitol directly, you might start encountering the long lines. They told us that in January they had 1500 visitors a day, but in summer it swells to 10,000 a day!!!

So that’s why I’m saying, contact your representative or go visit them in the congressional office buildings and ask for a personal tour. Anyone can go in, you just have to pass through a TSA-like screening.

The reason I’m in the know :wink: is because my son as we speak is working as a U.S. Senate intern this semester and often the interns are sitting around waiting to be assigned duties. Getting a tour assigned to them is one of their favorite things! So call or ask your Representative or Senator’s office. They really do love sharing these buildings with the public… After all, they belong to ALL of us! [Insert flag pin here]. :slight_smile:

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Are you serious? Or just living on another planet. That is one of the main skillsets we have on our resumes as hosts.

There are so many people who are trying to leap onto the bandwagon and make money from Airbnb. If we are going to succeed on Air, we have to provide basic information to our guests.

I use one or two free services but there’s nothing like the personal touch.

Example: Today our condo handyman painted the balcony railings, without putting up a ‘wet paint’ sign. So I instantly informed our current guests to be aware so they didn’t get paint on their hands or clothes. Could an app do that? I doubt it.

Guudclub – it’s “guud” that you’re asking these questions, hopefully before you list your property. When we started thinking about listing my Lady’s cabana, one of the first things we did was start picking up materials for The Book. We’d seen The Book at AirBnB proterties we’d guested at, andheartily approved of the concept.

Guests asking for “random things” like stores etc. are NOT a problem. And should not be a problem for any host, regardless of how many properties they manage, jobs they hold, family situations etc. If these simple questions are “problems” for hosts. They should NOT be in this business either full or part time.

When you create your Book (a 2" ring binder with plastic page keepers), it should contain local maps, brochures of local activities, menus from restaurants you know and enjoy, coupons, flyers, newspaper clippings about local happenings – all the sorts of things someone new to you area would like to know and may be interested in.

If you don’t create a Book, IMHO you are doing yourself and your future guests a great dis-service. Building The Book will make you take a new and fresh look at the city/town/district you live in, and help you understand why in the hell anyone in their right mind would want to come there! It will help your guests find local things of interest, including grocery stores, hardware shops, tourist attractions, etc.

For example when we started, we really had no idea that our city was so “laundromat poor”. Over 50,000 people in the immediate area, and only 2 laundromats (and those not in the better parts of town). So we offer guests who stay more than 4 days a free load of laundry on the house washer/dryer. More loads are $5 each.

Me neither. I think you’re lucky they are not asking you directly to provide the items, instead of asking where to buy them themselves.