Reply to thread: The Value Of Communication

@Geoff7 Geoff, I agree with you, communication is the centerpiece of successful hosting but, I also feel that is only part of the story! It is maybe not as relevant today as it was a decade ago but, to prospective guests staying at an Airbnb was a leap of faith......you had no idea what you were going to get, or if the host would even honour the reservation. It wasn't a hotel.....it could be a garden shed with a mattress in it up the back of the block!!!My experience taught me that it was important in that first message with the guest to make them feel comfortable they had made a good decision in booking with me.Humour is a universal 'ice-breaker' Geoff, it makes people feel comfortable, so I went out of my way to make guests feel, they were booking with a friend rather than with a nebulous entity via a booking agency.I used to send some outrageous welcome messages like this one......This sort of banter got the hosting off to a positive start. And the other thing, it guaranteed I always got a response to my message. Occasionally it would backfire, I did once get a.....'What-th, what sort of place are we coming to here'! But generally it was overwhelmingly positive. When the guest arrived they felt like they always knew me, they knew they were in for a good time, that initial reticence was gone. I make a point of starting and ending each hosting with a handshake, or a hug. And it has worked well for me Geoff, throughout my decade of hosting with Airbnb I have managed a communication rating of 4.98 over my 870 + reviews. In fact 'Communication' is my highest rating. I have always hosted to the philosophy, 'give every guest something they were not expecting' and following this pattern assures my booking calendar is full month after month! Thanks for the good topic Geoff you have made some excellent points I simply wanted to add another perspective to it. Cheers.........Rob. View Top Answer in original post