Host Customer Service Tips Archives - Turno

Airbnb Welcome Letters and Other Pre-Stay Communication

Hospitable — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 08:05:00 +0000

How to Communicate With Guests Before They Book

For many hosts, guest communication begins at the moment of check-in. However, pre-stay communication plays a key role in your relationship with guests, both potential and confirmed.

A poor approach to pre-stay communication can mean losing out on bookings because of incomplete listings or unanswered questions.

If you don’t speak with potential Airbnb guests before they book, you won’t be able to personalize their stay or identify potentially problematic guests you may not want to host. Plus, you need to be sharing important information with guests between booking and check-in that will set you apart as an attentive and thoughtful host.

4 Pre-Stay Communication Tips

The tips below will help you maintain helpful and consistent communication to turn inquiries into bookings.

1. Ensure That Your Listing Description Is Complete

Every guest communication starts with your listing. This is probably the first time that a potential guest ever sees you, so you should be thorough and design your listing with your ideal guest in mind.

Do you want families to stay with you? Point out why your property is so family-friendly.
Is your vacation rental geared towards couples? Highlight the romantic experiences in the area.

Your Airbnb listing should be fluid, meaning that it is a dynamic description you should update as you gain more insights into what guests think of your property. While you want to be as thorough as possible when first creating your listing, you should also go through your reviews on a regular basis, discover what guests praise most often, and highlight that in your listing.

But never oversell or exaggerate in your listing. Being honest and realistic about your property is key to securing good ratings: When you falsely advertise your offering, guests lose trust. Plus, overselling is a surefire way to get a bad review, as you’re setting unrealistic expectations from the start.

On the flip side, being up-front about what your property can and can’t offer is the best way to demonstrate your integrity to a potential guest.

2. Respond to Inquiries Immediately

The average Airbnb user spends less than 12 minutes on the site. However, they visit about six listings during their visit, meaning potential guests will only spend about two minutes on your listing.

Needless to say, it’s not enough to respond to inquiries within 24 hours — all inquiries should be answered within minutes before guests have the chance to find another listing and book with them instead of you.

If you don’t want to be glued to your phone at all hours of the day, use a tool like Hospitable for automated replies so you can respond instantly to each guest inquiry without having to do any of the legwork.

To cut down on guest inquiries, and so you know you’re not missing any potential bookings, keep stock of the questions you most often get asked and work the answers into your listing. Remember, your listing is always a work in progress and should constantly be updated and improved.

3. Give Potential Guests Access to FAQs

Even if you write a thorough listing that covers FAQs, many guests skim it, and they don’t hesitate to reach out directly to you when they want a question answered. Remember, you should be able to respond to these questions on the fly.

That’s why you should work to create a set of questions and canned answers that can be copied and pasted quickly. You can also automate FAQ answers with a software that can recognize commonly asked questions and then automate responses.

You can also use these responses as a chance to sell your property. If a potential guest asks about the WIFI and you offer an exceptionally speedy connection, be sure to highlight that.

For example, instead of responding “Yes, the Wi-Fi is good,” say something like “Our Wi-Fi connection is lightning fast. It will allow you to browse social media and stream your favorite shows while your kids are playing video games with no connection delays.” But again, be honest and avoid embellishing aspects of your property that fall short.

4. Learn More About Your Guests

Vetting potential guests before they book isn’t an option if you have Instant Book activated. But if your listings are Request to Book, the final pre-booking communication stage is to learn more about the potential guests staying at your short-term rental. Discover important details about the people who want to stay at your property by asking simple questions like “What brings you to town?”.

By doing this, you’ll discover if they are a good fit for your rental property. For example, perhaps you offer a family-oriented experience but the potential guest is planning a bachelor party.

You’ll also be able to provide guests with a personalized experience: If you know their motives for traveling, you can offer them relevant upsells and recommendations. So, if your guest tells you they’re a young family, promote your partnership with local childcare services or kid-friendly tour providers.

To continue, learning more about your guests helps you avoid bad stays. Does your guest live in town and is just renting your property for the night? Maybe they’re planning to throw a party, which is likely an issue for you.

Plus, this gives you the opportunity to discover if there could be future booking opportunities with a guest. Is their office headquarters in town and will other colleagues be frequently visiting? Take this chance to collect information about potential future stays.

How to Communicate With Guests Between Booking and Check-In

Now that you’ve scored a booking, it’s time to cultivate the guest relationship before they even check in. You can do that by setting expectations, collecting contact details, sharing a personalized guidebook, and sending a check-in message.

Set Expectations on When Your Guests Will Hear From You

As soon as you send a booking confirmation or “thank you for booking” message, you should let your guests know when they’ll hear from you next. A simple message like “I’ll be reaching out a week before your stay with check-in information” will suffice.

It’s counterproductive to send all of the information your guests will need in one long message on the same day they make their reservation. Tell your guests when you’ll be contacting them, and send information in smaller, more digestible segments.

Ask for Your Guests’ Contact Details

Be sure to collect your guests’ emails and even phone numbers when they first book to better be in contact during their stay. Not everyone checks Airbnb messages while they’re on vacation, so having the right contact information is key to making sure you can reach guests if needed.

This is also an opportunity to collect emails to send marketing messages later on to encourage direct bookings and share promotions. However, be sure that you’re transparent and get consent before using any personal contact information for marketing purposes.

Send a Guidebook a Few Days Before Check-In

If you want to take the guest experience to the next level, it’s all in the details. One great way to do this is by sharing a curated guidebook a few days before their stay begins.

Send your guests a PDF with all the helpful information they could need to begin preparing for their trip. This can include packing lists, house rules, things to do in the area, and restaurant recommendations. This not only enhances their stay but also helps position you as an attentive and thoughtful Airbnb host.

Send a Welcome Message on the Morning of Check-In

Your final pre-check-in communication should be a guest welcome letter on the morning of check-in. There are plenty of Airbnb welcome letter templates online that you can use for inspiration.

Depending on what time check-in is, send this message early enough for them to see it a few hours before heading to your property but late enough for it not to wake them up.

Your message should include a reminder of the check-in time, detailed check-in instructions, and anything else guests should know when they arrive at your property. This is also an opportunity to offer early check-in if there’s no turnover that day.

Get More Bookings and Build Trust With the Right Pre-Stay Communication

As you can see, guest communication begins long before a potential guest even sends you a message.

From your property listing all the way to the message sent on the morning of check-in, pre-stay guest communication sets the tone for the entire guest experience, which is why you need to prioritize it as much as you would in-stay or post-stay communication.

The post Airbnb Welcome Letters and Other Pre-Stay Communication appeared first on Turno.

Airbnb Checkout Messages and Other Post-Stay Communication

Hospitable — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 06:31:00 +0000

How to Communicate With Guests After Check-Out

Post-stay communication is your opportunity to build guest loyalty and increase the chances of your guest, their friends, and their family booking with you in the future.

With post-stay communication, timing is everything. Aside from thanking your guest for their stay right after they leave, you’ll want to ask for a review, guide them to your direct booking website, and also strategically time referral promotions.

With the following tips, manage your Airbnb checkout messages like a seasoned professional and watch the direct bookings roll in.

Ask for Reviews at the Right Time (And Don’t Be Afraid To Follow Up)

Reviews are one of the main reasons to refine your post-stay communication approach.

The words of an individual reviewer can influence a potential guest’s choice of whether to book with you far more than your listing or your website. Knowing how and when to ask for reviews is the best way to harness this incredibly important factor in a potential guest’s decision-making process.

Be quick to publish your review right after a guest checks out. As you know, the guest receives a notification to leave a review as soon as you publish yours. While they would ideally write theirs the moment they receive the message, we all know it doesn’t always happen that way.

That’s why you need to be comfortable following up with guests as many times as necessary to get a review. Many guests do not realize how important reviews are to the success of a vacation rental business, so don’t be afraid to tell them. Explain how much reviews help you get more bookings and improve your properties.

If you list on Airbnb, for example, guests only have 14 days to leave a review, so make them aware of that deadline. People are busy (especially when they just return home after vacation), so don’t take it personally if they keep forgetting, but do emphasize that leaving a review only takes a few minutes and would mean a lot to you and your business.

Perhaps you had a guest that wouldn’t stop complaining and was clearly displeased with their experience at your property. If you sense a guest is going to leave a bad review, publish your review at the last minute. This gives them less time to write their review and decreases the chances of them doing so.

You can use guest messaging software to automatically manage your reviews and send reminders to guests.

Get rid of the heavy lifting on what can sometimes be a tedious task. Many software options can even help you automatically delay reviews when you sense a negative review coming on.

Guide Guests to Your Direct Booking Website

Getting guests to book directly on your website is short-term rental industry gold. While a guest may have found you on a booking portal like Airbnb or Vrbo, let them know they should head to your website if they want to book with you in the future.

The key here is to ask your guest for their email address before their stay (which is one of our recommendations for pre-stay guest communication). That way, you can send them marketing messages and encourage them to book directly on your website the next time they come to town.

You can even offer discounts on future bookings to encourage guests to book again with you. Just be sure you have the proper consent to use a guest’s email address for marketing purposes before doing so.

Time Your Emails Well

With post-stay communication, nailing your timing is the best way to get more direct bookings. We’ve already seen how you can time guest communication to increase the chances of getting a good review, but what is the best timing strategy for getting direct bookings?

Don’t send a guest a booking reminder or discount a month after their stay when they probably don’t need to use it. Instead, reach out to them 60 days before the one-year anniversary of their stay, which is when the booking window for that period opens.

Here are some examples of post-stay emails that can be conveniently timed to increase the chances of a guest booking with you again:

If a couple booked with you to celebrate their anniversary, follow up with them about 10 months after their stay and offer a special package, which can include a booking discount and coupons for a local restaurant.
Send an email detailing discounts or perks to a guest who booked with you to attend a convention or annual business event a couple of months before it takes place.
For a guest that booked with you to attend a music festival or another local event, send them an email when the concert lineup or event details come out, and then again when the booking period opens (about two months before their stay).

People get a lot of emails, so while your direct booking discount email may get lost in a guest’s congested inbox, they’re sure to notice an Airbnb message notification on their phone. You can inform them in the Airbnb message that you sent them an email with a special promotion if they book with you the next time they visit your local area.

Consider automating these Airbnb messages so you can be sure your message gets to them months after their stay without having to set a reminder for yourself to reach out.

Offer Discounts for Referrals

OK, you got a former guest to book with you again, and on your direct booking website no less. That’s amazing! Take it a step further and get their family and friends to book with you as well.

Offering family and friend referral discounts is an excellent way to multiply your bookings (and profits). Send a referral discount in a post-stay promotional email, but don’t wait until months after check-out to do so.

During the first few days after a guest has left your property, their experience is fresh in their mind. So once their review is published, thank them for staying with you and leaving their review, and share your referral discount with them.

How you want to structure your referral discount is up to you, so decide whether you want to offer the Airbnb discount just to referred friends and family or the referring guest as well. What’s important here is that you’ll be upping your direct bookings and creating loyal customers.

Increase 5-Star Reviews, Direct Bookings, and Guest Referrals

With the right approach, post-stay communication can make a huge difference on your reviews, direct bookings, and referrals. Starting before a guest books until months after they check out, guest communication should be a key part of your operational procedures.

And remember, you can use automation tools to make post-stay communication a breeze. What’s important is that you make it a priority to keep reaching out to guests long after their fantastic stay.

The post Airbnb Checkout Messages and Other Post-Stay Communication appeared first on Turno.

Guest Screening Process for Airbnb Hosts

SUPERHOG — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 20:21:00 +0000

What Is Guest Screening?

Guest screening is the process of assessing the risk posed by each potential guest through legal, non-discriminatory, and detailed checks.

This may involve asking guests to submit personal information, such as their name, date of birth, home address, and a copy of their official ID, as well as their mobile phone number and email address.

How Does Guest Screening Work?

With artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology, the information provided by the guest will be processed and scanned in the background, extracting key information.

The purpose of this process is to determine whether the ID is stolen, fake, or genuine; it’s also meant to verify that the personal details provided match those on and associated with the ID.

The phone number and email address of the guest are then reviewed to see if the name provided for the booking matches the registered owner. Screening tools will also look at when the email account was created. This is to check that the account wasn’t created just for the booking.

After providing an ID, guests will be asked to perform a biometric or liveness check, usually in the form of taking a selfie or short video. To help reduce fraudulent chargebacks and protect against lost revenue and bookings, hosts may choose a screening provider that also verifies credit and debit card information.

Others may prefer to use a service that also does background checks, which can include checking criminal databases and terrorism watchlists.

Why Do Hosts Need Guest Screening?

By investing in an effective screening process,hosts will save money in the long run by minimizing incidents of damage and reducing insurance claims. Picture this scene:

You’re a new host and have decided to rent out your own home while you’re away on vacation. You’re having an incredible time with your friends and family. But, while you’re enjoying yourself, your phone starts ringing. You ignore it — you’re on vacation after all.

However, your phone doesn’t stop ringing. You check the caller and see that it’s your next-door neighbor. She sounds angry and you can hear the sound of loud, thudding music and police sirens whirring in the background.

Turns out, the guest who booked your place decided to throw a party, and dozens of people showed up. The worst part? They used a fake ID and a stolen credit card to book your property.

This scenario could have been completely avoided through intelligent guest screening. Guest screening is one of the best ways to spot red flags and protect you and your vacation home from the risks that come with online booking requests. It actively prevents problems from occurring, rather than just being on hand to sweep up after the damage has already been done.

1 in 20 guests admits they treat a vacation rental with less respect than their own home. On top of that, the average cost of property damage by guests is around $1,296. For these reasons, making sure you host only the most respectful guests should be at the top of your priority list.

Guide to Guest Screening: 10 Easy Tips

Learn 10 simple tips to help prevent troublesome guests from booking and stepping foot inside your property.

1. Know Your Guests

To guarantee your hosting experience is a positive one, make sure you know as much as possible about your guests.

Ask guests to clarify whether any additional guests will be joining them during their stay. If there are, collect all the details of these additional guests, such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Having these details will help in case of damage to your rental.

2. Do Your Research

Once you have their name and phone number, do a quick Google search. Check on social media platforms to see if they live locally or whether what they post online is a cause for concern for you.

3. Ask for ID

By asking for a guest’s ID, you can host in confidence knowing exactly who you’re renting to. Guests that are deterred and unwilling to provide their ID are often the ones that cause damage and problems for hosts.

Having a copy of the guest’s ID also helps if the guest performs any criminal acts on your property, such as theft, and you have to report them to the police.

4. Validate Payments

Vacation rentals are unfortunately a target for credit card fraud.

To make sure that cards are not stolen or fake, and guarantee that payments are made to you, make sure that guests pay 100% of the booking fee and any other payments you request upfront. That way they are processed immediately and you will know in advance if there are any problems, such as chargebacks.

5. Collect a Deposit

We all know that accidents happen, so protecting yourself is crucial.

In addition to validating guests’ credit cards, collecting a security deposit will also help you if you need to make a claim. By holding the deposit for 7 days after a guest’s stay, you can inspect the property and charge the guest if they have broken or stolen anything. There are automated, streamlined deposit solutions on the market to make this process easier.

6. Have a Rental Agreement

Have every one of your guests sign a rental agreement committing to your house rules and the standards that you expect of them when staying at your property.

By having a legally binding agreement, guests can be held accountable for their actions and will make processes — such as insurance claims or keeping the deposit amount — much easier for you as a host.

7. Know Your Area

Keep yourself aware and up to date on big events that might be happening in the surrounding area.

If you live in an area that hosts a well-known festival or is known as a place to party, be wary of one-night bookings and guests who live locally. These are often party bookings and should be avoided at all costs.

8. Monitor the Stay

By installing noise monitoring sensors, you can rest easy knowing that guests are treating your property — and your neighbors — with respect.

Make sure you let potential guests know that you use these products and be understanding when it comes to noise spikes. You can set your levels, and if guests reach those levels for a sustained period of time, you can step in and contact them to resolve and reduce the noise issue.

9. Keep All Payments on the Platform

If you are using a major home-sharing OTA, then keep all communications and payments on the site. If a guest tries to get you to accept payment outside of the platform or move communications, report them to the platform and decline the booking, as these are often scams.

10. Note Their Reviews

If you do use a major OTA, make sure you have a look at the guest’s reviews — both the reviews that hosts have left them and the reviews they have left hosts.

It’s always good to hear both sides of the story. But if you see they are unfairly critical of places they have stayed, then these are the guests you likely want to avoid.

Why You Should Use a Guest Screening Provider

There are many benefits hosts can enjoy by using a dedicated guest screening provider, including:

Increased Guest Accountability

By collecting guests’ details, if something does go wrong, you’ll have the appropriate information to get issues resolved quickly.

Deter Party Bookings and Fraudsters

Requiring guests to verify and provide their details is a major deterrent for those looking to take advantage of your property.

Add an Extra Layer of Protection

Prevent damage and problems from occurring in the first place by deterring risky guests from booking your properties.

Automate Previously Manual Processes

Gone are the days of having to manually review a copy of a guest’s passport. AI-powered systems can automatically read and verify IDs.

Give Yourself Confidence

By knowing that the person who has booked your home is exactly who they say they are each time, you’ll have that extra peace of mind that your home is safe and in good hands.

FAQs: Guest Screening Process for Airbnb Hosts

Will using a guest screening tool put guests off from booking?

Hopefully the bad ones, yes!

For anyone coming to your property without an ulterior motive, there is no reason for them to be put off by the verification process.

A quick Google search of industries using verification as standard will show financial services, health care, education, sharing economy, retail, gaming, and more. You’ll also see that the travel and hospitality industries have been doing it for years already: hotel check-in, airport security, and boarding a plane to name a few.

While there is more work needed to standardize guest screening in the short-term rental space, it is not a process that guests are unfamiliar with or should fear — unless they’re up to no good of course, in which case, you don’t want those guests to book with you anyway.

Does guest screening stop chargebacks?

While chargebacks are never 100% preventable, guest screening processes will help minimize them.

Is the guest’s data safe?

Yes; you are not in violation of any data compliances by screening your guests. It is a long-established practice in some industries (i.e., hotels) and is becoming a common practice in many more, including our beloved vacation rental industry.

If Airbnb already screens guests, why should I use a third-party service to do it too?

Airbnb, along with some other OTAs, may perform an identity check. However, ID verification is not part of their standard sign-up process for guests, and some OTAs don’t ever do it. Airbnb does offer background checks, but they’re not always available worldwide and depend on a lot of outside factors.

Remember: Airbnb’s (as well as other OTA’s) principal business is bookings, and their principle client is the guest. Third-party services offering guest screening and/or damage protection focus on the host as the principal client.

Guest screening providers work with you to make the screening process, resolutions, and claims process faster, easier, and more lucrative.

Can I use a guest screening and protection service through my PMS?

Yes. For example, SUPERHOG integrates with many property management software and is always adding more partners based on demand.

I already pay for a lot of services for my business. Isn’t this just another expense?

There are numerous costs associated with running your business successfully, which is why it’s essential to create the right tech stack. Guest screening and protection should always form part of your business tech stack. And don’t forget: The question should be reframed from “can I afford to?” to “can I afford not to?”.

Screen Airbnb Guests, Protect Your Vacation Rental

For liability, it is important to know as much as you can about the customers entering and leaving your property. A lot of time and money has already been poured into your vacation rental business, and losing anything due to a poor guest screening is not optimal.

The post Guest Screening Process for Airbnb Hosts appeared first on Turno.

How to Respond to Bad Airbnb Reviews

The Turno Team — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 16:43:00 +0000

Should You Respond to Negative Vacation Rental Review?

You should always respond to both positive and negative reviews. Receiving unfavorable reviews can be disheartening, but responding to and addressing them is a part of a great marketing strategy. It shows that you care for your guests and their experience at your vacation rental property.

Many guests trust online reviews just as much as they trust a friend or family member’s recommendation. This means that if they see a bad review with no response, they may continue searching for an alternative option.

Steps for Responding to Bad Airbnb Reviews

It’s not easy to respond to negative reviews, but it is important. Taking the time and effort to reply to an unfavorable review can result in a 16% boost in customer advocacy.

Here are some tips that can make writing your responses easier.

1. Remain Calm and Read the Review Carefully

It is normal to feel angry, upset, concerned, or confused when receiving insults and criticism. However, it is important to avoid instant responses driven by emotion rather than formality.

Before responding to a negative review, take a moment to breathe deeply to help you remain calm. Read the review carefully for clarity and think about it. Taking the time to settle your emotions and formulate what you want to say can help tremendously, enabling you to deliver a better response.

A great tip shared by David Leroux, Airbnb coach, writer, and podcaster, reveals that “you don’t want to be confrontational. You don’t want to argue with them. You don’t want to be mean to them. You have to understand their issue and address it in a timely fashion to avoid a lot of escalation.”

In other words, getting back at the previous guest with an angry mindset might feel good in the moment, but a positive mindset is more valuable in winning over potential guests.

2. Take Responsibility

When receiving a complaint or negative feedback, the last thing an upset guest wants to hear is an excuse. Whether or not a negative review is rational, you must view it as an opportunity to showcase your superb customer service and salvage your relationship with the unhappy customer.

Don’t retaliate even if their poor experience is not your fault. To address the situation, it’s best to take the client-centric approach by taking responsibility for their poor experience. Be willing to hear them out, and make sure you’re doing the best you can in providing a better quality service.

In return, you get to reinforce your excellent service and make potential guests feel reassured knowing you take complaints seriously.

3. Reflect on the Positives of Their Stay

If the upset guest left any positive comments in their negative review, take that opportunity to highlight that good comment, reminding them that their experience wasn’t all bad.

For instance, say a guest left a review noting that your property was extremely clean, but they were disappointed about the AC not being cold enough. You could acknowledge their appreciation and communicate that cleanliness is a priority for all guest stays. Then, include in your response that you are taking the appropriate steps to fix the AC as soon as possible.

Reflecting on positivity may encourage disgruntled guests to give you another chance and show prospective guests that complaints are taken seriously.

4. Tell How You Plan to Improve

To help ease the tension and make your guests feel heard, tell them how you plan to improve your service. This could be reimbursement or discounts, hiring more reliable cleaners, or prioritizing maintenance. By informing guests of your solution plan, you also show future guests that you are proactive, making them feel safer choosing your property.

Additionally, if you want to ensure customer satisfaction, you can also ask what could have been done better to make things right with them.

5. Thank the Reviewer

One of the goals in terms of marketing your vacation rental property is to have people talking about your property. A negative review might seem like bad news, but the truth is, whenever someone takes the time to write anything about your property, they feel strongly about your business as a whole.

Even when someone points out something negative about your property, you should thank them for giving you feedback about their experience. This gives you the chance to improve your vacation rental management for their benefit and to the benefit of your future guests.

Additional Tips for Responding to Negative Reviews

Now that we know how to handle negative reviews, the bonus tips below will help ensure you remain professional and courteous:

Don’t write generic replies, but follow a consistent format in your responses.
Be professional and thoughtful in your responses.
Wait around 24 hours before submitting a response.
Give discounts/compensate for really poor guest experiences.
Don’t take negative reviews personally.
Express why you disagree without deliberately making them look like a liar.
Ask them for a second chance or say that you hope they try your listing again.

Can You Remove Bad Reviews on Airbnb?

While you can’t remove any reviews on Airbnb, you can do the following options:

You can ask the Airbnb guest to revise the rating if they are open to it. Kindly let them know how they can find their former review and ask that they edit it.
You can ask Airbnb to remove the review only if the review violates Airbnb’s content policy. The policy includes any comments that relate to illegal or harmful activities or are explicitly graphic, violent, threatening, discriminatory, and harassing.
You can postpone leaving the guest a review as guests have 14 days to leave a review after check-out. Waiting at least a few days to prompt guests to leave a review will give them more time to cool down and encourage them to reconsider any harsh feedback.

How to Deal With Untruthful Vacation Rental Reviews

Every Airbnb host is susceptible to reviews that contain untrue incidents and false accusations. While you can’t remove false reviews, you can report them if you think they violate Airbnb’s review policy mentioned above.

When handling a false vacation rental review, it is best to keep a cool mindset. Bright Local’s consumer survey reports that 89% of respondents are more likely to favor a business that responds to both negative and positive reviews. This means that you should carefully deliver a response to an untrue review even when it is upsetting.

Again, a vital part of dealing with unfair and untrue guests is to never respond with anger. Instead, be calm, sympathetic, and thoughtful with your responses.

Preventing Negative Vacation Rental Reviews

Don’t wait for any negative reviews to escalate publicly for other potential guests to see. Instead, leave a guidebook in the living room or kitchen of your vacation rental home to allow guests to write about their stay.

Not only can a guestbook enable visitors to share positive aspects of their stay at your vacation rental home. It can also help you receive constructive criticism on how to upgrade your property moving forward. This approach will help you gain useful feedback offline and even prevent negative reviews from arising online for future guests to see.

Our tips for responding to bad Airbnb reviews will help you stay calm, acknowledge the issue, show that you care, and provide a plan of action to improve your service. Not only will you encourage previous guests to change their perception of your listing, but future guests will also be more likely to book with you knowing that you’re proactive.

The post How to Respond to Bad Airbnb Reviews appeared first on Turno.

What Is an Airbnb Guidebook and Why Do You Need One?

RedAwning — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 00:21:00 +0000

Why Guidebooks Are an Essential Communication Tool For Today’s Hosts

The travel landscape is changing along with the demands and expectations of travelers. Today’s new vacation rental guests are the result of a couple of converging trends:

Business travelers are turning to vacation rentals. As many as 700,000 companies use Airbnb to manage travel for their employees.
Families are choosing vacation rentals more and more these days — and they’re staying longer. In 2021, families accounted for one-third of Airbnb’s bookings, up from just over one-fourth of bookings the previous year. Many families love the flexibility of being able to include their kids, friends, pets, or extended family during their travel.

These trends have sparked a new type of vacation rental stay: “flexcations.” Coined by Vrbo, flexcations tap into the reality of flexible and remote work and school schedules.

Whether a business traveler, family, or individual, each type of guest wants four things: choice, convenience, control, and comfort. They want a variety of amenities to choose from. They want information at their fingertips. And they want to know how to optimize the use of their rental for greater comfort. An Airbnb guidebook helps you achieve all of that and more.

In short, guidebooks are a necessity if you want to please your guests, build your brand, and create a solid base of repeat visitors.

5 Ways Guidebooks Benefit and Build Your Airbnb Business

Guidebooks are not only a great communication tool, but they are also a good brand- and business-building tool. Here are five ways guidebooks can help you grow your business and win more Airbnb guests:

1. Establishes You as an Expert Host

It should be clear by now that good, old-fashioned hospitality can be achieved with a thoughtful focus on great communication and relationship building.

Once a guest makes a reservation, you become their virtual concierge, tour guide, and host. Chances are, guests won’t be familiar with your property, neighborhood, or city. They’ll need an expert to help them navigate their way to a memorable stay. Your guidebook is their gateway to all the cool things about your home and destination.

Many guests like to pre-plan to create their perfect trip itinerary, some in great detail, with every minute mapped out. A guidebook is their essential planning tool. Whether it’s the kid-friendly local coffee shop or the new art gallery in the town center, your guests will appreciate your insider’s view.

2. Launches You Into Your Local Small-Business Ecosystem

As a vacation rental host, you are part of your town’s small-business ecosystem. An Airbnb guidebook is one way you can support other local small businesses. Specifically, you can highlight local restaurants, grocery stores, shopping malls, and more in your guidebook, helping drum up business for them.

This can have a boomerang effect. When these shops and eateries feel the positive impact you are having on their businesses, they may start recommending you as a top lodging choice to friends, family, and customers.

Strong local word-of-mouth can set you above the competition and establish you as a viable member of the local business network. In destinations where there is friction between short-term rental hosts and the community, this can help relieve some of that tension and build bridges.

3. Builds Your Brand and Leaves a Lasting Impression

Your guidebook is the best brand-building tool you have. It allows you to sell the benefits and features of your home and gives your guests assurance that they made the right choice. It also offers a personal view of your guests’ destination and shows that you care about guests’ stays.

All of this makes for a lasting impression, one that is shared every time a guest talks about their trip. Be sure you manage that impression well.

4. Improves Your Review Scores

That strong word-of-mouth we discussed above is the key to building strong and positive reviews.

Review scores have an impact on how your listing is ranked on searches for your destination on travel websites. High review scores keep you higher in the rankings and make you more competitive. Since communication is one of the top criteria upon which reviews are based, an attractive, useful guidebook can help garner more 5-star reviews.

A digital guidebook is part of your Airbnb listing page, so it contributes to the general look and feel of your listing and increases your credibility as a host. The more your guidebook stands out, the more you and your listing stand out.

5. Opens the Door to Added Revenue Streams

A good guidebook is not just a digital FAQ — it is also the key to selling add-on services or upselling your conveniences.

Beyond your room rates, there are a number of additional services you can provide at a charge for guests. Some of the more obvious upsell services include:

Early check-in fees
Late check-out charges
Mid-stay cleaning services
Pre-arrival groceries
Airport pickup
Floral services

Use your imagination and listen to guests’ requests to create any number of positive revenue streams for your vacation rental business. There may also be affiliate programs with your local attractions that pay healthy commissions to hotels and other lodging facilities that send them guests.

The good news with these extended revenue sources is that you keep 100% of the dollars you make on the upsell.

Vacation Rental Guidebook Basics

Guidebooks have become one of the most critical hospitality tools for successful vacation rental hosts. They’re your virtual front desk, room service, and concierge — all rolled into one.

The ideal guidebook assures your guests that they are in good hands. It combines the traditional handbook, containing all the details about the property, with a good travel guide that has all the details about the destination.

With a good guidebook, guests can run the place, find a good meal, and find out where the action is in the area.

Digital vs Printed

Guests are becoming accustomed to fewer face-to-face interactions. This means that a digital guidebook option is the best way to go in this new Airbnb-centric travel landscape. In fact, the use of digital guidebooks more than doubled in 2020, becoming what is considered a best practice for vacation rental hosts.

Many hosts still provide a physical handbook, as some travelers, particularly older travelers, want a physical guidebook they can touch and feel. By and large, however, guests simply expect a digital guidebook these days. From the moment they check out your listing on Airbnb or Vrbo, they expect a guidebook to be present.

Many booking channels, like Airbnb and Vrbo, include tools to create a basic digital guidebook with all the key components. That said, there are a variety of software choices for more sophisticated guidebooks, including:

What Goes In a Guidebook: Content Must-Haves

An effective guidebook should contain a useable handbook and a reliable travel guide.

Traditional vacation rental handbooks contain:

Welcome message: For a host, a friendly welcome is par for the course. Make your guests feel at home and that you’ve got their backs.
Outline of the house rules: These can include the number of guests allowed, quiet hours, trash and dishwashing etiquette, and pool rules.
Emergency contacts: Let your guests know how to reach you and local service providers for any perceivable emergency.
How-to guide for using appliances and amenities: WIFI codes, cable instructions, and other tips for using appliances should be covered.

To continue, an in-the-know, local travel guide should include:

Best dining options: Be sure to include your favorite hidden local gems.
Local services: Local cleaners, salons and spas, gym, printing and delivery services, and transportation services should always be highlighted. Directions to the train or bus station and local car rentals are things to include.
Tours and attractions: There may be attractions in your area that the locals take for granted but visitors would find fascinating. Local historic tours or pub crawls are all perfect choices for the out-of-towner.
Upcoming events: What shows and concerts are in town? Provide a list of local fairs, charity events, farmers’ markets, parades, marathons, and other events.
Language: Consider adding a section in your travel guide dedicated to the language in your area. List some common sayings to ensure that your guest can interact with others if they do not speak the native language. You may also want to encourage guests to download a language translation app, such as TripLingo or HelloTalk.

Presenting Your Airbnb Guidebook to Guests

Here are three ways you may wish to display your travel guide:

Shareable Link or File

Create a link to your website or file to share information electronically quickly. Consider communicating with your guests in advance of their trip to assist them as they start planning.

QR Code

A QR code is a scannable auto-generated code that directs you to a website or webpage with more information. By creating a dynamic QR code, your guests will be able to view your travel guide electronically right from their own personal devices.

Physical Book

Displaying a physical travel guide is an excellent add-on to any table. If you would like to get creative, use a website that can generate templates, customize fonts, and upload images. Next, print out the pages and add them to a binder or even publish them through an online company such as Snapfish or Shutterfly to create an impressive guide.

Guidebooks: The New Hospitality Normal

Given the rising popularity of vacation rentals, Airbnb hosts, new and old, have a tremendous opportunity to attract many new guests but also to achieve what hotels never can: true hospitality. Hospitality at its core is understanding and anticipating guests’ needs and making them feel at home.

A guidebook can help you achieve that hospitality. Make your guidebook personal and put yourself in the guest’s shoes. What would you like to know when arriving at a new destination? Always assume it’s a guest’s first visit to your location, and help them feel at home from the moment they arrive.

The post What Is an Airbnb Guidebook and Why Do You Need One? appeared first on Turno.

4 Tips for Hosting International Guests

The Turno Team — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 10:57:00 +0000

When hosting international guests, there are many obstacles that you may face. Luckily, these challenges are easy to overcome with preparation for your visitors. Here are some suggestions that will help guests feel comfortable and welcomed to your country, and vacation rental:

1. Overcoming language barriers

Language barriers may be the most difficult obstacle you will face with international guests. However, this can easily be solved with applications such as Google Translate, where you can get translations in real-time for easy communication. In addition, feel free to offer a simple translation booklet for guests with basic English vocabulary and phrases guests may need to use. This will come in handy for guests who may not know English or are still in the process of learning.

Creating a welcoming environment for visitors will take away the stress of being in a new country. Be sure to have a patient, encouraging attitude when hosting international guests. Finally, try to be as accommodating as possible and take the extra step to learn a simple greeting in their language.

2. Sharing local customs/rules

When international guests travel to your vacation home, they may not be aware of small differences between their countries. For example, recycling bins and other customs may be drastically different between the two places. To ensure guests have a clear understanding of these differences, include a guide with details about local customs. This can include recycling bins, drinking laws, and standard gratuity in your country. By sharing this information, guests are able to have an idea of cultural differences, which will prevent culture shock and feeling out of place.

3. Creating a welcome guide

Creating a guide for international guests will help to create a stress-free experience at your home.

Be sure to include information such as:

WiFi
currency exchange
transportation
house rules
emergency protocol

For more information on creating a welcome guide, see our tips for making a travel guide.

Having a guidebook available will aid guests in understanding how to get themselves acclimated to a new environment. In addition, you can add local recommendations, such as food tours or nearby attractions. Finally, you can add information such as house rules and customs that you practice in your home. Be sure to translate it to the language your guest speaks to create a straightforward explanation of customs practiced in your home.

4. Additional amenities

Finally, take the extra step to welcome guests by offering additional amenities to make them feel welcome. One example is to offer outlet adapters for guests to use throughout their stay. This means they won’t have to purchase adapters only to be used during their stay. In addition, local treats and snacks can encourage visitors to take a step out of their comfort zone and be introduced to new food.

WiFi is especially important to help international guests stay in touch with friends and family while traveling. Make sure to have the instructions readily available and easy to follow in multiple languages.

Overall, creating a welcoming environment for guests during their stay at your vacation home will create an amazing experience that they will not forget.

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How to Safely Welcome Travelers to Your Airbnb on Labor Day Weekend

The Turno Team — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:19:43 +0000

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

In celebration of Labor Day weekend, a surge of last-minute travelers are opting to stay at vacation rentals to commemorate the holiday. To prepare for the festivities to come, here are five ways you can welcome guests to your Airbnb this Labor Day weekend.

1. Encourage safe practices

Although travel restrictions have been lifted in most U.S states, pandemic case numbers are rising again. And, despite the new Delta variant, Labor Day travel is estimated to be high. For those choosing to get away for the weekend, hosts want to make sure guests are abiding by their property guidelines, and any additional state or county restrictions. For both the guest’s assurance and yours, make sure to display your property rules and any COVID-19 cleaning protocols that are in place. Use signage to describe in detail the safety measures that have been taken to protect guests.

Additionally, Airbnb’s party ban is still in place. Established in August 2020, Airbnb bans all gatherings of over 16 guests in all rentals. To avoid neighborhood noise issues or illegal activity, alongside pandemic restrictions, guests are expected to keep their occupancy at the set rate at all times. Guests might want to gather with friends and family during the long weekend in your rental, so be sure to establish the party ban alongside your usual house rules.

Noise-monitoring technology can be a useful tool for keeping track of the sound level and number of guests that enter the property. Minut, a sound-monitoring tool, will alert you if it detects noise and/or crowding in your property. If you use a smart lock, Minut also integrates to ensure a quick and easy check-in and checkout process.

2. Create a relaxing atmosphere

A Monday off means guests want to unplug starting from the time they check-in. This is your opportunity to create an open, relaxed ambiance for guests. In other words, get rid of unnecessary clutter and items in the rental. Besides, the more personal belongings that are in the property, the higher chance it is for something to be broken or stolen. See our recent blog post for more tips on how to declutter your Airbnb.

KeyNest’s blog highlights the elements of a welcoming space include:

Warm lighting
Clean, spacious layout
Warm color tones
Aromatherapy

KeyNest makes key management as a vacation rental host easier than ever. As an Airbnb host assist partner, KeyNest allows you to safely store your keys at one of their 4,000 locations across the country. Then, with a secure access code, your guests can pick up the keys to your rental. Pricing starts at $19.95 per key annually.

3. Suggest local restaurants or activities

Photo by Karl Magnuson on Unsplash

As a local of your city or town, guests might rely on you for food or attraction recommendations. Be proactive and compile a list of local restaurants and businesses to direct your guests to visit during their stay. You can create a travel guide for them to view during the check-in process. Your travel guide should include the following:

Restaurant recommendations
Outdoor activites/attractions
Transportation tips
General City directions

You can choose to send this guide to your guests via PDF, QR Code, or a physical book. If it’s a digital file, be sure to email it to them beforehand or when their booking is accepted.

4. Stock up with essentials

For properties with outdoor amenities such as a pool or grill area, hosts should stock their inventory with all the necessary equipment. For example, a property with an outdoor fire pit should provide skewers or sticks for guests to use. Similarly, an Airbnb with a pool can include pool toys or floaties.

Since cleaners are sometimes the only people who see the property between turnovers, it is important to be in good communication with them. To help manage your vacation rental cleaning, Turno provides a platform to schedule, pay and communicate with your cleaners. A seamless messaging platform allows cleaners to report stocking, damages, or any issues to be documented through the app.

5. Get creative with social media

Consider creating a small, cost-effective holiday display to encourage guests to create and post user-generated content. Include hashtags in signage to let guests know you appreciate and encourage tagging. To go the extra mile, hosts can create social media accounts for their rental properties. This opens the door for guest-created content for your platforms, all for free.

Labor day is a time for Americans to relax and celebrate the near end of summer. Make sure your vacation rental guests enjoy your property by following our tips to prepare for labor day travelers. For more updates on the latest Airbnb hosting tips, see our blog for more information.

The post How to Safely Welcome Travelers to Your Airbnb on Labor Day Weekend appeared first on Turno.

Customer Service and Hospitality Tips

Angie — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 09:29:50 +0000

When it comes to customer service, it’s a good idea to take a page out of the book of 5-star resorts and use them as a role model. Of course, you aren’t going to have the budget that they do to supply all the extra amenities. But you can definitely bring an attitude of 5-star hospitality to your property.

Service With a Smile

Things like service with a smile and going the extra mile for your guests goes a long way. This can help ensure they give you great reviews and come back to stay with you again in the future!

Employ a bit of that 5-star hospitality when you greet your guests upon your first interaction. Use their first name and be genuinely interested in their reason for coming to stay at your place. Your guests are going to be very excited about their upcoming vacation and it’s nice to reflect that excitement back to them.

Inform and Communicate

Make sure that they receive all the information they need for a smooth and easy check-in. Be available to answer any questions during check-in time if you offer self-check-in. If you greet them for check-in, make sure that you look presentable and remember service with a smile.

Once they check-in, let them know that they can reach out to you for any needs that come up during their stay. If hosting vacationers at your vacation rental is not your full-time job, communicate that to your guests. Let them know that you work another job, but will check text and email as often as possible to address any needs during their stay.

Encourage Feedback

Once they’ve had a wonderful stay and are checking out, ask them for their feedback. Ask them if there is any way you can improve the unit. They may not even have answers to your question because they will be on vacation bliss and have no complaints! But they are usually touched that you asked. It is also a nice gesture coming from the customer service and hospitality standpoint.

If they suggest something that is a quick and easy fix, then go ahead and take care of it right away. For something more expensive, set a plan to budget for it going forward. If they have a suggestion about the cleaning, go ahead and forward it to your cleaner.

Consider Your Cleaner Too

Preface any suggestions with a note saying that you are asking for feedback from your guests and you are trying to improve the guest experience. Always try to make my cleaner feel like she is part of the team.

There is a balance that you need to strike between satisfying the guests’ needs and making sure you treat your cleaner well. Having a happy, hard-working cleaner is also part of the 5-star experience!

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Productive Relationships with Your Cleaners

Angie — Sat, 25 Jan 2020 22:15:24 +0000

Keep your vacation rental running smoothly by working with your cleaner to keep things in the best possible condition. Encourage your cleaner to give you ideas on little upgrades and keep you posted on needed supplies. Cultivate a relationship with your cleaner where they look for ways to keep your unit running smoothly and welcome their suggestions to make them feel like they’re a part of your team.

When interviewing for new cleaners, I look for someone who is not afraid to go the extra mile for our properties. Someone who understands that helping us keep our business running smoothly ensures their job security as well! In the end, I found someone excellent who was emotionally invested in our place and takes pride in keeping the place in great shape.

She lets me know the little ways that it can be improved in an ongoing fashion. Listed below are some tips on how to cultivate this type of relationship with a new cleaner or your existing cleaner:

1.) Ask for Ideas

During turnovers, ask your cleaner if they have any ideas for upgrades that are not too expensive for your budget. For example, my cleaner is always telling me when the sheets or towels are looking a bit tired or developing holes and it’s time to get new sets. Don’t be afraid to ask your cleaner if they have any suggestions that could improve the state of your property. Communication like this makes a huge difference for your vacation rental and the experience of your guests.

2.) Help with Repairs

In the event that a repair is needed, ask your cleaner if they can spot any needed supplies. If it’s not too expensive, schedule the cleaner as soon as possible so the problem can be fixed in a timely manner. If the cleaner is unavailable, test your handiness and try to complete the repair yourself. This can serve as a helpful learning process and may save you some money in the process.

3.) Communicate Supply Quantity

It is helpful for your vacation rental cleaner to inform you when supplies are getting low. These supplies include: paper towels, dish soap, toilet paper or hand soap. Amazon Subscribe & Save is a helpful tool for maintaining a sufficient quantity of supplies. Doing this ensures that your guests are never caught without these amenities! Simply having the necessities available in your rental will leave a positive impression on your guests.

When they make suggestions, reply in an encouraging way. Even if you don’t agree with the suggestion or comment, you want to create an environment where they feel comfortable making suggestions. You can say, “That’s a great idea, I’ll see if it fits in the budget”, or “Thank you for your comment, I’ll add that to my list.”

By cultivating this teamwork spirit, hopefully you and your cleaners will work together for years to come, creating the most outstanding condo experience for your guests!

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How to Handle Damages to Your Vacation Rental

Lisa Brown — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 00:18:52 +0000

Unfortunately, things happen. Having a protocol for handling damages to your vacation rental can save you a lot of time, money, and future headaches.

It’s safe to say, at some point during your time as a host of a vacation rental, your guests will damage something in your home. Most of the time, people are upfront and honest with you when they damage something – hey, accidents happen.

However, it’s not uncommon for some guests to not say anything, and hope that you won’t notice! How you handle interactions regarding damages can make the difference between a good and bad experience with your guests.

Have Something in Writing

Different vacation rental sites have different policies regarding damages, and how they will help you in the event that a guest is not cooperating. Make sure that you are clear on what the policies and procedures are for each site, so you can work in conjunction with them if necessary.

Always try to resolve it with the guest first. Make sure that you have something in writing for your guests regarding damages. It will give them the ability to handle it correctly with you from the onset, instead of guessing what they should do.

Also, be clear about what you expect from guests during their stay. If you have a beautiful white carpet that you would like to keep white. Tell your guests that they should remove their shoes when they enter the home. Don’t assume that people will know what to do – tell them!

Document the Damage

Since you may not be the one to actually discover the damage, make sure that your vacation rental cleaner notifies you as soon as possible, and also documents the damage with photos as soon as they come across it.

This is critical, as you don’t want to leave any room for an argument or disagreement to ensue as a result. In a perfect world, a guest will be the one to tell you about any damages made to your vacation rental. But the unfortunate truth is, some people will try to hide damages, or, let’s say in the instance that a child might damage something, the responsible party may not even be aware of any damages.

Ask your vacation rental cleaner to get into the habit of doing a quick walkthrough after the guests check out, before they start cleaning, so you can address any damages with the guest as soon as possible after their departure.

Be Fair

Maybe you had some nightmare guests that left the house a mess. They were difficult from the get-go and you really want to stick it to them. Think twice about this. In the interest of reviews, you want to take the high road. Be fair and honest about how much is realistic to be compensated.

If your guest ruined a cheap bathroom rug, expect to be compensated for the price of a cheap bathroom rug, not an expensive one. Keep in mind the condition of the damaged item. If something has a lot of wear and tear, make sure you take that into consideration when going after compensation.

Is it Really Worth It?

Speaking of wear and tear, maybe that bathroom rug was due to be replaced anyway. If that’s the case, then maybe it’s better to not pursue anything with the guest. Look at whether or not it’s worth it to get compensation for something that really needed replacing anyway. It may not even be worth your time to talk to the guest about it.

Your vacation rental cleaner should also be keeping you up to speed on the condition of various things in the vacation rental as well. Make sure they are communicating with you about things that need to be replaced on Turno. Having your vacation rental cleaner conditioned to taking photos is a great way to do this.

Set the Stage for Amicable Communication

It could be quite upsetting to find out a guest didn’t tell you that they threw up all over the brand new expensive comforter that you just put on the bed. Keep your cool when communicating with your guests.

Avoid curt or rude accusations. Make sure that when addressing damages, you are to the point, but try to keep a friendly dialog if possible. It can really make the difference in how quickly and amicably damages are handled.

Make sure that if the guest threw up on something that cannot be laundered out of the comforter and it has to be replaced, that you let them know that. Hopefully, your vacation rental cleaner took those photos we talked about earlier, so there is no confusion about compensation.

At the end of the day, you want to make sure that the guest leaves the experience feeling good.

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