Airbnb Reservation Services, Guest Screening, And Guest Communication

This month we discuss how South End Hospitality handles Airbnb reservation support, guest screening, guest rules, and guest communication. Whether you sign up for our Hand Us the Keys or Reservations and More services you can feel confident that your property and all guest communications are handled professionally.

Spring is in the air, and the weather is warming here in Boston.  This past weekend we welcomed four Marathon Runners at our properties.  Next month we’ll be helping parents and family members with their reservations as they celebrate graduations at the many colleges in the area.  The peak travel time for Airbnb guests is just beginning, so you need to be ready!

Airbnb Reservation Services:

Many factors affect how your property is ranked in search results and how it is seen by potential guests.  At South End Hospitality we optimize the Airbnb reservation process to ensure your property is always visible to potential guests.  The Airbnb reservation process we follow includes:

• Fast 24/7 response to reservation requests, usually within seconds or minutes.
• Collaborate with property owners to know when a property is available and constantly update the calendar to make sure if a reservation comes through we are able to accept it.
• Write detailed property listings to attract the right kind of guest and minimize questions during the booking process.
• Subscribe to the latest pricing services to update rental rates daily based on the season, local events, day of the week, number of nights, etc.
• Work with property owners to set minimum night stays and how much traffic they think is appropriate for their properties.The type of reservations you accept more; one night vs multiple nights will affect how your property will be seen in Airbnb search results.
• Network with other Airbnb hosts and rental management companies in the area and often get inquiries on property availability for their clients.

Insider tip:  If your property is a condo, we will need to check with your condo board to see what their rules are before we can list on Airbnb.  Many condo boards impose length of stay and number of nights per month rules that must be followed.

Insider Tip:  Frequently guests send the same message to all the hosts in the area, maybe you’ve seen these, “is the property still available?” or “how much does the property cost for my stay?” Studies have shown that guests send these out to many different hosts and are most likely to book with the first one that responds. This is why a fast response and updated calendars are so important!

Airbnb Guest Screening And Rules:

At South End Hospitality, we take guest screening very seriously and go through various steps to ensure a guest is trustworthy before accepting a reservation.  For guests who have used Airbnb before, we read their Airbnb reviews to make sure they are a good fit. If they haven’t used Airbnb before we look to see if they verified at least two social media accounts and their offline ID. We verify the Airbnb icon that indicates that the name they are using on Airbnb is the same name as their social media accounts and also on their license/passport. Negative reviews or a refusal to scan their offline ID are two indicators of a potential issue and a guest to avoid.

Insider tip:  We always ask guests what brings them to the area. This can be a good indicator if they may be a bad fit for your rental unit. Things like my friend’s bachelor party, I’m a college student having some friends come to town, or in high school visiting colleges with my girlfriend, all may bring up some red flags for booking.

At South End Hospitality we work with the property owner to define the intended uses and guest rules for each property.  These uses and rules are conveyed to the guest as part of the reservation process or outlined in a contract that guests sign after booking. The guest contracts can include the following:

• The property can only be used for intended living purposes only.
• No parties may be held on the property.
• Noise is limited after a certain time of the evening.
• The owner and the property manager have access to the unit at any time with or without warning
• If they break the no party rules or are loud after the quiet hours they can be asked to leave and will not be offered a refund
• Explain what the security deposit is being used for
• Whether or not filming is allowed on the property

Airbnb Guest Communication:

Our trained professionals at South End Hospitality are available 24/7 to handle all guest communications.  Once a reservation has been accepted, we stay in constant communication with the guest to ensure their needs are met.  We have found that the following communication schedule works well:

• One week before, we send reminders, finalize check in detail and send any instructions.
• The day before check-in, we send pass codes (where applicable), verify check in time, and make sure they have everything needed to ensure a smooth check in.
• Check-in day we verify that their check in went smoothly and they found everything okay.
• The next day we follow up and make sure their stay is going well.
• The day before check out we ask how their stay has been and confirm check out time.
• On the day of departure, we send a quick thank you and wish them a safe trip.
• Guest reviews are written as soon as possible.

As you can see a there are many steps involved with the reservations process and guest communications to optimize your success on Airbnb.  Everything from getting trustworthy guests, maximizing your nightly rates, and keeping your guests happy to ensure positive reviews, all take time and careful planning.  That’s why we offer these services through our Hand Us the Keys or Reservations and More services to save you time and maximize your income. Whether you are a seasoned Airbnb super host or a novice Airbnb host we’d love to help you welcome your guests next month.  Click here to get started.

Check back next month as we will cover property set-up, maintenance and cleaning services.