Communicating with guests takes up time, evenings, and weekends. Our guest communication experts are here to help around the clock.
The slower you respond to guests, the lower your property appears in Airbnb searches. And with only 24 hours before your response rate depletes, slow messages cost you revenue.
That’s why our team is available 24/7 to answer guest queries and offer support. We answer 90% of messages within 1 hour, so your guests won’t be waiting around.
We know bots can be frustrating, so we put your guests straight through to an online member of our team.
We have a dedicated phone number for each area we operate in, so guests can call us directly.
Our guest communication experts are trained to support your guests quickly, but also to a high standard.
With an average communication rating of 4.6 on Airbnb, we keep guests happy.
We speak to guests all over the world from a range of countries. That’s why our multilingual team speaks four key languages, to ensure we offer seamless support.
Messaging back and forth with guests is a key part of hosting a short-let rental - and it can take up a lot of time. So here’s a few ways to make communicating with guests a little easier.
One way to reduce the pressure of responding quickly (whilst maintaining a personal touch) is to use automated messages. Staying in touch with your guests throughout their booking gives a good impression, and increases the likelihood they'll leave a positive review.
Airbnb's 'scheduled messages tool' allows you to create message templates so you can provide your guests with useful information at the touch of a button. For example, you could create message templates to send a booking confirmation, detailed check-in instructions, a welcome message on the first day of their stay, a check-up message mid-stay, and a check-out message template to thank your guests for staying.
Ideally, you can implement ways to reduce the number of questions your guests need to ask. An easy way to do this is to add a manual in your property to answer the most frequently asked questions.
For example, you could include a quick reminder about house rules, information about your wifi network (wifi name and wifi password), and instructions for appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher. By providing as much information as possible, this should help to free up your inbox so that you can focus on more urgent guest messages.
Or, you could partner with us so that our team is on hand to accept bookings, vet your guests, and respond to messages 24/7.
To maximise your bookings and revenue potential, we'll list your property on multiple platforms. Our platform means your calendar is synched across them all, while you enjoy great returns. We also use a strategy of short, medium and longer term lettings to help ensure occupancy all year round.
Learn more: Multi-Platform ListingsWe'll increase your occupancy and the price you can charge with professional photography.
Learn more: Professional PhotographyTo help attract the right guests for your property and increase the number of bookings, we'll setup and write your listings on multiple platforms. We've got data from thousands of properties so we know what works best.
Learn more: Listing CreationA core part of the Houst difference is being able to increase how much you earn from your property. Behind every great pricing strategy is a lot of data and great human minds - we have both.
Learn more: Price OptimisationYour safety and the security of your property are our top priority. We screen all guests and, after hundreds of thousands of bookings, have also built up our own database of good and bad guests.
Learn more: Guest VettingEasy self check-in is a top priority for guests and the Airbnb algorithm loves it too! So we provide a free lock box to all new hosts who join us.
Learn more: Guest Check-inGuests always remember how good the sheets are! We provide hotel quality linen and a high-quality laundry service. Our housekeepers know all the perfect touches for an enjoyable guest stay.
Learn more: Linen & ToiletriesResponding to guests as quickly as possible is the key to getting more bookings and maintaining a good reputation. Our teams respond 24/7/365 and trained to deal with all questions and issues both before and during stays.
Learn more: Guest CommunicationWe've built our own Airbnb cleaning service to ensure every clean is done thoroughly with guests in mind and are never missed! Our cleaners even report back to HQ with photos.
Our housekeeping team take photographs between each guest stay and report on any maintenance items. If it's a small item, we'll fix it quickly. If it's something that needs repairing or replacing, such as washing machine, we can arrange this for you.
Learn more: Property MaintenanceBookings through Airbnb are covered by AirCover, while other bookings are covered by our partners, GuardDog, and other local insurances.
Learn more: Property InsuranceOur Host Dashboard syncs your calendar between multiple booking websites to give you more control and see who is staying. You can also track your performance and income.
What is Airbnb’s policy for communicating with guests?
Airbnb asks that hosts respond to guest messages and enquiries within 24 hours; the quicker the better.
If a guest requests to stay at your property, Airbnb gives you 24 hours to accept (or decline) the request before it expires. This means that a speedy response time is vital when it comes to accepting booking requests.. If you miss a request, Airbnb suggests you offer the potential guest a special offer, and ask them to re-send their booking request.
If a guest enquires about your property, Airbnb again asks hosts to respond within 24 hours. The difference here is that the enquire won’t expire, but a slow response will significantly reduce your response time rating. In turn, Airbnb openly states this will lower your property’s position in search results. Alongside this, a quick response means your potential guest is more likely to book as they’re already interested, but want more information first. Similarly, Airbnb advises that hosts can send a special offer to entice those enquiring, and also send a direct invitation to book.
How does Airbnb calculate response rates?
Airbnb gives hosts both a response rate and a response time. Your response rate reflects the percentage of booking requests and enquiries you’ve responded to within 24 hours over the past 30 days. Your response rate is most important, as it affects where your property ranks in search results and also impacts your superhost status.
Your response time is the average time it took you to respond to any messages over the last 30 days. If you respond to a message after 24 hours, your response time will increase. This doesn’t affect your search results as such, but may discourage potential guests from booking your stay. However, it’s handy to know that the time you take to respond to any follow-up messages from guests doesn’t impact your host response time.
Get a quick and free estimate for what your property could be earning you with Houst managing it. Then, book a call with our team to discuss it further.
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