The Most Common Guest Enquiries for Short-Term Holiday Lets
Monday 13th April, 2020 by Host & Stay
When it comes to property management, a lot of time is spent on guest communications. Your inbox will soon fill up with general enquiries about your property, specific queries about reservations and questions on payments.
It can become a lot of work, especially when you’re answering the same questions over and over. Your time is far too valuable to be constantly typing out the same information, so in today’s blog post we’re highlighting the most commonly asked questions and how you can reduce the time you spend on guest communications.
#1 ‘When Will I Receive My Check In Details?’
No matter how far away the check in date is, some guests like to feel super prepared. While we understand you may get this question a lot, your answer should always be polite and direct. Providing a vague answer like ‘soon’ or ‘shortly’ will only lead to another follow up question in the future.
Tell your guests the exact day their instructions will arrive. By nailing down your routine, you’re showing that you’re a professional and responsible host. Plus it means guests are less likely to get in touch again as they know exactly when they’re getting the full details.
#2 ‘What time can I check in from?’
9 times out of 10, your guests already have the check in time. The time will be listed somewhere on your listing description and it’s likely it is also on the booking confirmation too.
But somehow we get asked this question a lot. For some guests, they just like to double check. For others, it’s a way of asking for an earlier time once you’ve replied.
Make sure your response is friendly and efficient. A blunt response will come across as standoffish and bored, which is never what you want to portray to a guest.
#3 ‘Do you provide bed linens and towels, or should I bring my own?’
Similarly to the above, this information will be in your listing description but don’t be surprised how many times you have to answer this same question.
When you send your check in details over to your guests, make sure you include whether linen and towels are provided so if guests haven’t asked already, you’re reducing the chance they will.
#4 ‘What is the parking like at your holiday home?’
This is a really common question and one we’re always prepared to answer.
Your listing will include parking details within the amenities but they can be quite vague. For example, free parking on premises, free parking on street or paid parking nearby. Whilst this information informs the guests what the parking situation is, it doesn’t delve into much information. This can lead to more questions…
How many cars can park on the premises? How far away is the paid parking? How much does it cost? When you say on street parking, is this outside of the property?
We’d recommend including some detailed information about parking in the description on your listing. Whilst this won’t cut out guest questions completely, it will preempt it.
We’d also recommend to include full details in your check-in instructions, with as much information as possible. If it is paid parking nearby, provide the post code or the website for the car park if you can. If you have free parking on the premises, explain whether it is a driveway or private yard area, and always include how many cars can be parked.
By providing as much information as possible on parking within the check in details, you’re reducing the chances of the guest getting in touch once they’ve arrived at the property too.
#5 ‘Where do I get the keys?’
Depending on the platform your property is listed on, this information may or may not be available to a guest before they book. Whilst the full check in details obviously aren’t provided on the listings, Booking.com and Airbnb will mention the method of check in but other online travel agencies don’t always include it.
We’d advise to include the method of check in on your listing description. This should be brief – just one sentence on how guests gain access. ‘The hosts will meet you at the property to provide the keys and full information will be provided before your arrival.’ ‘The keys are located within a lockbox and full details on how to access this will be sent to you before your check in date.’
For obvious reasons, don’t ever include lockbox pin codes or passwords on your listing. This private information should only be shared with guests who have booked your property.
Dealing with guest communications 24/7
If your reaction to this list of questions was ‘Oh yeah, I’ve had those questions so many times before’, it may be time so stop manually answering your guest enquiries yourself. Your time is valuable and we’re sure there will be other parts of your business where you’d prefer to channel your energies.
That’s why at Host North Yorkshire, we deal with all guest communications. This includes all messages, emails, phone calls and reviews. We monitor guest feedback closely and track all reviews so we can pick up on any clear areas of improvement.
We can also manage your listing to ensure all of the relevant information is provided and our in-house copywriter can pull it all together with a beautiful description.
We focus on quick and efficient communications. By keeping your response rate high and lowering your cancellation rate, your bookings and revenue will increase. After all, speed of response can often be the key to securing a booking.
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