Airbnb Guest Communication: Before, During and After

Before a guest sees your twilight photos in real life, smells the coffee or sinks into the sofa, they meet you in writing. Communication is the first room of the house. Here is how I furnish it, from the booking ping to the thank-you note.

Why messages carry so much weight

In 2023, the guidebook company Touch Stay commissioned YouGov to survey 2,024 US adults who had stayed in vacation rentals. As reported by Short Term Rentalz, 69% said communications most influenced their likelihood of leaving a positive review. Two thirds said they received two communications or fewer from their host, and 42% said they felt "very well looked after."

It is a vendor-commissioned survey, so treat it as a signal, not a law. Still, it is encouraging: thoughtful communication is one of the most affordable ways to stand out, and it is fully in your control.

My background is in HR and public relations. Both fields come down to the same craft: helping people feel informed, heard and cared for, especially when something is uncertain. Travel is full of small uncertainties, and a good message removes one before the guest has to ask.

Before the stay: build confidence

At booking

Reply fast and warmly. Airbnb's Help Center explains that your response rate is the percentage of new inquiries and reservation requests you answered within 24 hours over the past 30 days, and that it affects both Superhost status and search placement. My own standard is tighter than that: I respond within the hour, and my Airbnb profile shows a 100% response rate. I explain the system behind that in the one-hour rule.

The booking message does three things: says thank you, confirms the basics, and asks one good question. Mine is some version of "What brings you here?" The answer changes everything. A 70th birthday, a reunion of college friends and a quiet work week are three different stays in the same house.

The special-request window

The Southborough listing says: "share any special requests in advance and we'll do everything we can to bring them to life." Saying it early matters. Requests are easy to honour with a week of notice and hard with an hour.

A few days out

Send the practical package: arrival instructions, parking, a link to the house manual, and one or two ideas matched to what they told you. If the group is coming to Villa Foresta with a dog, this is when I would mention that there are treats and beds waiting for their four-legged guest.

The day before

Directions, the entry details, and what time the home will be ready. Airbnb lets you automate this step. Its messaging help page describes quick replies and scheduled quick replies that "allow you to send personalized messages quickly and automatically." Scheduled quick replies can be set to send based on triggers like a new reservation, check-in or checkout.

During the stay: present, not hovering

The first evening

One message after arrival: "Are you in? Is everything as you hoped?" This is the single most useful message of the whole stay. If something is off, you hear about it while you can still fix it, not later in a review.

Then, quiet

After that, I let people enjoy their trip. In the same Touch Stay survey, 44% of guests said they prefer mid-stay communication by text, which tells me guests want a host who is easy to reach, not a host who narrates their vacation.

When something goes wrong

Things break in every home, including beautiful ones. What guests remember is the response. My sequence:

1. Acknowledge right away, even before you have a solution.
2. Give a real timeline. "My HVAC technician can be there at 9 tomorrow" beats "we'll look into it."
3. Fix it. This is where a vendor network of cleaners, handymen, HVAC maintenance and landscapers earns its keep.
4. Follow up once it is resolved, and offer a small comfort if the problem cost the guest some enjoyment.

Airbnb's Resource Center article on responding quickly to guests says it is reasonable to answer non-urgent questions within 12 hours, though as soon as possible is best, and that urgent matters, like a guest who cannot get inside, deserve a response within an hour. It also recommends arranging backup for the times you are unavailable, which is a fair description of what a co-host is for.

After the stay: close the loop

The checkout message. Thank them by name, mention something specific to their trip.

The review. Write yours for the guest promptly and generously. If you ask for one in return, ask once, lightly. A guest who felt cared for rarely needs a push.

The notes. Record what you learned: the occasion, the dog's name, the fact that they loved the fire pit. The Airbnb highlight on my listing mentions that many guests are planning return visits. Greeting a returning guest with "the s'mores supplies are restocked for you" is a lovely moment, and it only happens if you kept notes.

The edit. Every question asked during the stay is a hint about what your listing or manual did not say. Fix the source, and the next guest never has to ask.

Templates with a heartbeat

Templates are not the enemy of warmth. They are what make warmth possible at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. The method that works for me:

• Write each template in your own voice, as if to one person.
• Use the platform's placeholders for names, dates and times.
• Before sending, add one line that could only be for this guest.
• Reread your templates every season. Details change.

I sign my messages as the "Experience Director" of the home, because that is how I think about the job. The messages are not administration around the stay. They are part of the stay.

A guest who feels looked after in writing arrives already trusting the house.

If you would like this whole rhythm handled for your property, from the first inquiry to the final thank you, that is exactly what I do for owners. Tell me about your home.

Sources

• Short Term Rentalz: Touch Stay guest communication study (YouGov survey of 2,024 US guests, 2023)
• Airbnb Help Center: Response rate and response time
• Airbnb Help Center: Managing guest messages
• Airbnb Help Center: Create scheduled quick replies and send them to guests automatically
• Airbnb Resource Center: Respond quickly to guests