Angie, Guest Author at 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!

The post Customer Service and Hospitality Tips appeared first on Turno.

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!

The post Productive Relationships with Your Cleaners appeared first on Turno.

Introductory Message to Guest. Making it Clear and Personal

Angie — Sat, 03 Aug 2019 00:50:53 +0000

Aloha!

I am going to share with you my introductory message to an inquiring guest. Each vacation rental unit is going to have different unique needs and you will need to tweak yours for your introductory messages. Of course you want to make it as welcoming as possible and then get any important factors to discuss out of the way.

For me, because I run my vacation rental in the State of Hawaii, I need to collect the Hawaii Transient Accommodations Tax from each guest. My first message explains this procedure very clearly so that there is no misunderstanding down the line. Since I predominantly use Airbnb, There isn’t a way to collect the tax on the platform yet, (they are working on implementing this for our area). So I collect tax separately using a feature called “Airbnb money request.” To find this feature, go into your Airbnb app and go into a booked reservation, then scroll down and see a button that says “Send or request money.”

Side note: Even if you don’t need to collect tax for your area, knowing about “Airbnb money request” is a great thing! It makes it easy to collect or pay money to a guest if they broken something or had to buy something for the unit.

I write a little blurb about the tax right at the top of my condo profile description. It let’s people know about it before booking and I ask them to message me acknowledging that they have read it so that I know whether they did or not. Here is that blurb:

“Note: We do have to charge the Hawaii State Transient Accommodations Tax that we collect separately before arrival with an airbnb money request. It needs to be done separately for our bookkeeping. Please write in your first message to us that you have read this and understand it. Thanks!”

If they did not say anything in their first message to me about it, I have a message prepared copy and paste style in the Airbnb saved messages icon that explains the whole thing again so that I know that they understand it before they confirm their booking. Like I said earlier, you want to start by making them feel very welcome and express your gratitude for their interest in your unit. Always add something to your copy and pasted message that makes it personal to them. Guest are very excited about their vacation and it’s nice to reflect that excitement back to them.

I have gotten an inquire from a young lady who wrote me that she was interested in staying in the condo and told me that she was going to propose to her boyfriend on her vacation! She said she was breaking gender roles and going for it!

So I started by commenting on that and then added my normal message. She responded very positively to my encouragement and said that the tax was no problem! If they do state in their first message that they seen and understand my notice, then my message to them is different.

Here is my response to one lady who said she already read about the tax and understands. She also said that she has lived in Kihei before so I started by making it personal to that.

“Great, thanks for your booking. That’s so cool you used to live in Kihei! I will send you the Airbnb money request to your email inbox for the taxes closer to your arrival date. The total taxes are: $75.99 Please send me your flight arrival and departure times when you get a chance as it is helpful for me to have. I will be sending you instructions on how to get there and into the condo as well as my Maui recommendations closer to the date not that you need them since you have lived here before!

Aloha”

After I accept the booking, I go straight to Turno to message my cleaner saying that I have a new booking. That way she schedules it right away and that helps us so much with our monthly scheduling!

And for those of you who are curious about the young lady and her boyfriend in my condo, he said yes.

The post Introductory Message to Guest. Making it Clear and Personal appeared first on Turno.

Five Welcoming Messages To Send Your AirBnB Guests

Angie — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 00:35:46 +0000

There are great welcoming messages to send your AirBnB guest to create a great first impression that I think are effective. For this first post on being an outstanding Airbnb host, I would like to outline for you my five messages that I send out before, during and after my guests stay to create a seamless and welcoming experience for my guests.

I have been an Airbnb host for eight years and loved every minute of it. It has given me lots of financial freedom to become fully self-employed. Hosting guests has become a wonderful stream of income, as well as a fun way to interact with people from around the globe! I get so much joy sharing a little slice of Maui with the world. It inspired me to also start a small car rental business and a part time Uber driving service. I like to call myself an “Aloha ambassador” and a “Hospitality entrepreneur” 🙂

Top Five Welcoming Messages:

Message number 1:

When you get a booking request, have a response prepared that you can copy and paste. Always add a personalized line responding to something they said in their inquiry. Perhaps they said they are coming on their honeymoon, then you can say “Congratulations on your wedding!” Maybe it’s their 1st time to your city or town, then you can say “That’s so great that you’re coming to check out this area for the 1st time, let me know if you have any questions about the area.”

Message number 2:

Create a wonderful list of recommendations for your guests, they love to hear where the locals love to go! Also don’t be afraid to include local services in this list. You can include any self-employed friends or local businesses that offer excellent services. For example, massage, surf lessons and photography services are great to include. Sometimes certain businesses would even give you a referral bonus for spreading the word about them.

Message number 3:

Send out a message that goes over any urgent items or notices either before or shortly after booking. Prior to booking and planning flight information, you can inform people of any state taxes that need to be collected separately or any rules or regulations for your vacation rental.

Message number 4:

A day or two prior to guest arriving, send them a greeting that breaks down everything about your check in step-by-step. Especially if you’re not going to be present. If your guest self-check in, clearly lay out the steps so you have time to answer possible questions before they arrive. Do this even if you have an automatic check in message that goes out from your hosting platform. Guests really appreciate having this message come to their phone. Rather than not having to search for it come check in day.

I like to send it through the messenger app in the hosting platform as well as a text it to their phone. I do this all copy and paste style. Airbnb has a feature on their hosting platform where you can save your most used messages in a little icon in the message inbox. You just click the icon and it takes you to a menu of saved messages to send. Since I use self-check in, I like to have them message me after they have checked in just so I know that they are in the unit safe and sound. Then leave them alone during their stay, most people like to just do their own thing and be left alone on their vacation. However, if they ask questions, be quick in your responses and be thorough about giving local tips.

Message number 5:

Remind your guest a day in advance of their check out time. Always start by saying you hope they had a wonderful stay and let them know if they have any tidying up you expect them to do. Also, in this message ask them if there’s anything they can suggest for improvements on your unit for future guests.

So those are my 5 messages that I use to create a seamless and welcoming experience for my guests. I hope this was helpful and informative for you. Stay tuned for more blogs from me, where I will share more of what I have learned in my eight years of experience as a 5-star host 🙂

Until we meet again, Aloha! Angie

About the Author: Angie is a professional Airbnb and VRBO host that operates on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

The post Five Welcoming Messages To Send Your AirBnB Guests appeared first on Turno.