4 More Guest Communication Strategies for Vacation Rentals
4 Ways to Communicate Better with Vacation Rental Guests
Some parts of being a vacation rental owner are repetitive, such as answering the same guest questions over and over again. But while it might be exhausting to respond to the same inquiries time and time again, that doesn’t mean that guest communication is unimportant or should be performed in a rote and tedious manner. In fact, communicating well with your guests is the cornerstone of any successful short-term rental business, and learning how to do so can lead to better reviews and higher overall occupancy rates.
We’ve gone over a few guest communication tips in the past, but today we’re bringing you four more strategies to impress your guests with your communication skills.
#1: Send Messages to Vacation Rental Guests at the Right Time
One of the most overlooked strategies for improving your guest communication and overall guest experience is timing your messages properly. For instance, oftentimes vacation rental owners will send over check-in instructions too early, and they wind up getting lost in the guest’s inbox before the actual day of check-in arrives. Instead of sending a message to guests whenever the urge strikes you, try to space out your messages to come at the appropriate time.
Here are a few key times to communicate with your vacation rental guests:
After a guest books, send over a quick message to welcome them and answer any questions that they might have.
On the day of check-in, send over check-in instructions to prevent them from getting lost. Then, send another message to ensure they checked in properly and without any hassles. Ask them if they need anything at this point, but avoid sending too many messages.
The night before the last day of their stay, send over check-out instructions, and ask if they had a good stay.
After they’ve checked out, send over a reminder for them to review their stay at your vacation rental.
#2: Personalize Your Communication with Guests for Better Reviews
In today’s fast-paced world, many vacation rental proprietors are turning to automation to take the sting out of repetitive and tedious tasks like answering common guest questions. However, one thing that automation takes away is the ability to personalize guest communication. If you answer every question the same way, all of your guests begin to look the same, and you might begin to treat all of them the same, too. Instead of automating all of your communications, look at every question as an opportunity to get to know those who will be coming to stay at your property.
One guest might ask about your pet policy because they have a pet they want to bring on one last vacation of a lifetime, while another might be asking about it simply because they aren’t sure whether or not to leave Fido at home. When you personalize your communication for every guest, you get a chance to learn their story and figure out what will make their trip a special one, which can go a long way towards getting you a good review.
#3: Put Important Information in Your Listing Description to Cut Down on Repetitive Messages
If you’re simply tired of answering the same questions over and over again, there is one solution that can help you to cut down on repetitive communication with your guests: putting all of the important information about your property into your listing.
It’s true that not every guest is going to read the entirety of your listing to find out the answers to their questions, and many will just send you a message regardless. However, having helpful information available (like whether or not you allow pets or if your home is set up for families with small children) directly in your listing can be a boon for those who do take the time to read before sending an inquiry. Plus, guests who are thoroughly examining your listing are likely to book with you, so give them information so they can make that decision more easily.
#4: Repeat Important Information (Ad Nauseum)
Every vacation rental is different, and these differences mean that there are important considerations that are essential to inform vacation rental guests about before they visit your property.
For instance, is your driveway steep and needs a 4x4 vehicle to enter in snowy conditions? Is there a light that is constantly on the fritz, or an appliance that has problems guests might encounter? Is the only road to your property often closed due to weather? Only you will know the ins and outs of staying at your vacation rental, and it’s vital to let people know for their own safety and security.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to repeat important information like this in your guest communications. Not only will this help to cement the information in their minds, it’s also just safer to go over these details multiple times before they come to stay. After all, it’s better to repeat yourself ad nauseum than to risk a bad review because of lack of communication.
Your Gateway to Impeccable Guest Communication: LocalVR’s Expert Property Management
Excellent guest communication is fundamental to a great guest experience. Even if you’re exhausted from the repetitiveness of this task, there are still ways to ensure that your guests get the experience they are looking for.
Tired of handling guest communication and complaints yourself? Hand over the reins to LocalVR, an expert vacation rental property management company with a decade of experience to guide us in providing the best guest experiences around. Contact us today to learn more.