Now that we can’t see guest phone numbers, is there any way to reach them if they aren’t checking the app?
Not as far as I can think of. You’d have to call Airbnb and ask them to try to phone the guest to tell them to check their messages.
The hiding of phone numbers hasn’t happpened in my area of the world, but if I were in the US, I would start letting guests know in your first message to them after they book or send a request to make sure to have their Airbnb notifications turned on and pay attention to them, and why it’s important now.
Right when guests book is the most likely time for them to be looking at the Airbnb site and seeing messages.
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My first message to my guests says to please send me a text message to confirm that they can reach me if the Airbnb app ever lags, doesn’t work or if they have an emergency in the middle of the night. Airbnb messages don’t always come through but a text message will. I tell them to send me a message via the app and text if they have an emergency. I also have a rental agreement that requires them to give me name, address, phone, and email for everyone staying. If you tell them their key code won’t work until they respond you’ll hear from them right away.
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I agree that getting a phone number right away, at time of booking, is a good idea.
Otherwise I’d contact Airbnb and let them get you connected to the guest.
Unfortunately, Airbnb has been blocking the phone numbers and if you send it via a message, it’s the same problem for guests that don’t have notifications turns on for their Airbnb. Even if you take the phone number that they provide when you call (I know it’s not the real number) but CS says that it will work like a text, it doesn’t.
I request additional info when booking and give guest 24 hours to respond. In the past I might have had to have Airbnb reach out 1 in every 10 bookings but now it’s 1 in every 3 bookings.
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But Airbnb is hiding both the host’s and guest’s real phone numbers in the US. So there is no way the guest can send you that text message. That is the issue.
Of course you can get the guest’s real phone number from them in person once they have arrived, and give them yours, but that doesn’t help if there are reasons to need to be in touch via text or phone call before arrival.
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I give them my number in the message.
I still have guest phone numbers… I wonder if it’s because I am a software connected host (ownerres)
RR
And Airbnb isn’t blocking that out?
(I am in Mexico- real phone numbers are still being shown here.)
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So far I can still see real numbers and they aren’t blacking out my number in messages. In any case, rental agreements are allowed and they can’t stop you from collecting contact information that way.
The stupidity of this is hard to believe. AirBNB seems to be clueless about the industry they are in, the habits of guests and how hosts have to operate. As a host we are an on-line business and our booking system requires a valid and proper email address and that is logical and to be expected in an on-line business. Airbnb does not provide this basic bit of information so I have to ask guests for it. We provide the guests mobile number to our local caretaker and co-host, so when they receive a call for assistance from a guest they know it is not telephone spam and to answer straight away even if late at night. We have an automated Airbnb message go to guests immediately they book, explaining the importance of having their email and asking them to message back with it in the body of the reply. Half the guests send it immediately the other half we have to chase, and we keep chasing until we get it. First we follow up with increasingly urgent Airbnb messages, then text message to their mobile phone and finally a call to their mobile phone. Probably 15% to 20% of guests only respond after a text message of phone call. When I ask guests why they did not respond the almost universal answer “never saw the messages”. So many people as soon as they book they think it is all over and switch off. I have been in this short term accommodation business for 50 years and have learnt some hard lessons, about some of the silly things guests can do. When I started we sent the guest confirmation by post. After we get the guest email address and send out our detailed personalised guest confirmation with a lot of specific information, we ask the guest to confirm receipt and keep following up until we get a clear positive reply. Experience tells us we need to protect against guests who ignore, don’t open or delete the confirmation. Our resort location is at least a four hour drive for most of our guests. It is amazing how often in the past guests would start the four hour drive at 7 pm and then an hour into the drive, decide they did not know the exact address or how to access the accommodation and would be frantically ringing us. Now we insist they acknowledge receipt it means the guests actually open the email, read it and keep it to take with them.
Removing phone numbers is all about Airbnb being paranoid, trying to ring fence the relationship with the guest to maximise their revenue by making it difficult for hosts frustrated with the way Airbnb treats hosts to built an independent direct marketing channel separate from Airbnb. But in fact two things are likely to happen:
- Hosts get even more frustrated about how difficult Airbnb is to deal with and leave the platform completely.
- Things will wrong. Hosts will not be able to communicate with guests effectively and guests will be unhappy and start using other platforms.
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I found a way to call guests under the new UI. It was under “Details” > “Show Reservation” then clicking the three dots in the upper right corner. It gave me a note my phone number would be scrambled. I know a lot of people don’t pickup unknown numbers and aren’t quick to listen to voicemail. I would much rather text; this is what I previously did when a guest wasn’t checking the app.
I just started hosting again and my three most recent reservations have not read my reply to their booking requests. (I’m aware guests can turn off read-receipts.) My last guest said she wasn’t getting notifications from the app, so I wonder if this is a larger issue folks are having. Or they may uninstall the app or disable notifications in between trips to avoid the spammy push notifications.
I do include a note about using the app for prompt communication in my welcome message and house manual. Thankfully, my phone number is still visible in the house manual, but I am not able to update it until I remove my number. Luckily the information is still current.
I am a shared-home host so I’m not aware of another platform I can use, but I see hiding phone numbers as another inconvenience to drive those with whole-home rentals to other platforms & private booking sites.
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Just waiting to see what happens when something goes seriously wrong with a guest or host because the communication failed and it being all Airbnbs fault because they want to own the guest…i hope it isn’t something truly awful…
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There are even remote listings which don’t have Wifi- how are guests and hosts at those locations supposed to communicate in case of an issue during the stay if they can’t text or phone?
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They are blocking both guest and host numbers in communications on the app in the US. Because Im in an urban area with good internet coverage, communication via the app works as a way to reach the booker, but if the person booking is not the guest (like with bands whose agent does the booking, or if a group arrives via separate transportation) I ask the booker to provide a way to communicate with the first person to arrive; that means that the additional person has to open an airbnb account and be added to the reservation/communication thread. Lots of extra putzing around.
Where is your listing? I don’t understand how you’re able to give them your actual #?
But that still doesn’t tell me how you’re able to bypass the algorithm & get your # to the guest? It just doesn’t make sense 
I think Lilly was agreeing that the hiding of phone numbers will impact the way she is used to dealing with guests. She didn’t say she had found a way to bypass the removal of real numbers.
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I’m in Oregon and I can still see real phone numbers. Also, once you have accepted a booking you can send the guest your phone number, email, whatever. my information is also in the rental agreement that I require them to fill out which captures their phone number, email address, and address. One of the first messages I send them is,“sometimes the app lags so to make sure we can reach each other in case of emergency Please text me a test message at xxx xxx xxxx (my phone number.)”
In the past i have written the contact number as a word eg 0564 etc as zero five six four
Getting very secret squirrel about it!!
Btw
I’ve closed my booking for several months while fam move in. I plan to travel locally and enjoy the break.
I will keep my eye on this site though as there’s always something to learn.
Adieu, Kwaheri, Bon Voyage and Tot Ziens etc , until next time my friends
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