5 Ways to Increase Your Booking Rate with Exceptional Guest Communication

Communication is a key skill in Airbnb management. It’s a component that all hosts should prioritise to ensure the best results from their efforts and to continue improving profitability. With interactions from the very beginning of a guest’s request affecting their decisions, prompt and personal connections should always be the goal. In fact, due to Airbnb’s community-driven nature, your potential guest may be in communication with a few hosts, meaning you should always attempt to stand-out if you want to win over the competition. 

While hotels and traditional forms of accommodation will tend to have the option to book straight away; for the most part, Airbnb requires some form of interaction before the stay is confirmed. It is here that you will likely experience special requests and have the chance to screen who you are letting into your property. It is also here that users have the opportunity to decide whether they want to stay with you.

How you communicate with guests will have a direct impact on your booking rate. If you aren’t acing your delivery of the best guest experience from the get-go, then chances are you won’t be getting as many bookings as you could be. Here’s how hosts can increase their booking rate with exceptional guest communication:

Get Back to People as Soon as Possible

As mentioned, your potential guest may have sent a number of booking requests to different hosts in your area. Responsiveness is a crucial part of communicating with guests as it conveys your eagernes5 Ways to Increase Your Booking Rate with Exceptional Guest Communications to host them and shows them that you are attentive to your duties. Your response time is also a factor in the search result page rankings. This means that if you are taking hours or even days to get back to people, you will lose out on the top positions on Airbnb.

Airbnb guests can reach out to you from any part of the world, at any given time. While it isn’t always possible to reply immediately, putting a concentrated effort towards replying quickly is always appreciated; even if you are rejecting the request. Getting back to people as soon as possible and encouraging them to make a booking will have a large impact on your conversion rates. 

Talk Like a Human

Unlike other accommodation solutions, Airbnb is a social platform. Many people are attracted to the service because of this and as such, appreciate friendly and personable interactions. Connecting with guests on a personal level through your online interactions can help you stand out and secure a booking. Hosts should always try to put their best foot forward while initial communications are in process, engaging with the guest’s direct needs and answering any questions they may have. 

Make Your House Rules and Expectations Clear

While talking about what’s not allowed during a stay isn’t the most fun conversation to have, it’s important to be transparent about your expectations. Your house rules are for you to decide and if you are not comfortable with certain behaviours, it’s crucial that you make this known. Guests will appreciate knowing exactly what is appropriate and it will also aid in avoiding any misunderstandings during the stay. Exact dates, exact check-in/check-out times, exact costs (including cleaning fees and deposits) and any other rules need to be transparent from the beginning.

Be Available for Any Enquiries During the Stay

It’s normal for guests to have questions before and throughout their Airbnb stays. It’s important that hosts stay responsive during the booking, to ensure all guest needs are met and everything runs smoothly. When you are hosting, make sure to pay attention if you receive any queries and to get back to people quickly. Failing to assist guests in their enquiries can result in negative reviews which will have an impact on your booking rate. 

As you progress in your hosting journey, you will find that certain questions may continue to come up during stays. Including answers to these queries in your house guide will help in efficiency and improve experiences. 

Follow Up with Guests Once They’ve Arrived and When They Check-Out

A great way of showing your guests that you care about their experience is to contact them as soon as they have arrived, to let them know that you are on hand to answer any questions they have. If guests have issues, these usually arise rather quickly. Making it known that they can get in touch with you with any problems will be appreciated. 

Contacting guests once they’ve checked out is also important as it helps encourage reviews and leaves a lasting impression. You can take this moment to thank the guest for staying with you, to let them know you appreciate them and to wish them safe travels. When a guest knows that you are a great host and care about their experience, they will be much more inclined to book another stay with you in the future and recommend you to other travellers.