Struggling with guest communication for your short-term and vacation rental? You're not alone. Nearly a quarter of all short-term rental hosts feel the same. Guests demand prompt and informative communication, akin to what they'd experience at a hotel, and who can blame them?
From the moment they book your short-term vacation property, guests are eager to plan and anticipate their stay. Guests who are left waiting for a reply from a rental host can become stressed, particularly when their inquiry feels important or urgent to them.
Host responsiveness to guests is crucial in the short-term vacation rental industry
Did you know that short-term vacation rental platforms like Airbnb place a high priority on guest communication responsiveness? Hosts are expected to answer 90% of guest emails within 24 hours to maintain high ratings and achieve Superhost status. By promptly addressing guest inquiries and concerns, hosts can enhance the overall guest experience, build trust and improve their reputation on booking platforms like Airbnb, VRBO and booking.com.
What should I say and when should I say it?
Most short-term vacation rental hosts have no idea what to write and when to release messages to guests. Often, hosts are completely lost and unfortunately, there’s not a lot of help online when it comes to developing an award-winning guest communication strategy. Until now . . .
My brother and I co-own 5-star short-term vacation rentals in Montréal (Quartier Général 727) and Mont Tremblant (Spahaus 7). Shortly after our launch into the short-term rental business in 2018, we quickly understood how important guest communication was to securing the 5-star ratings we desired. In the initial month after launching our short-term rentals (STRs), we diligently crafted and refined 8 pre-written guest messaging scripts. These were designed to ensure our communications with guests were clear, comprehensive and anticipated their needs, thereby minimizing recurring inquiries.
We knew that our early efforts in having a strong communication plan would pay off in favourable reviews and host ratings.
As we familiarized ourselves with the messaging technology utilized by short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb, which automates the release of guest communication scripts, our productivity soared. Messages could be seamlessly sent to guests while we focused on other tasks, enhancing efficiency and guest engagement simultaneously.
For example, when a guest reservation is received by us, often as an instant booking through our reservation calendar, our first message automatically heads to the guest within 1 hour of the booking confirmation (side note: we like to maintain an hour buffer before the first welcome message is sent to the guest in the event we have questions or concerns about the reservation).
From there, we effectively handle guest communication from the initial email to the final one, ensuring a seamless process and avoiding any oversights that could affect our ratings. For short-term rental hosts looking to elevate guest communication, keep reading to discover our 8 essential guest email scripts.
The 5 Undeniable Benefits of Using Pre-written Guest Email Scripts in Airbnb, VRBO and other short-term rental platforms
We are The Superhost Mentors, Brad and Shawn Hernden, founders of Elevïn Design Group. We co-own real estate properties that have propelled us to become successful short-term vacation rental Airbnb and VRBO Superhosts. In a quick 5-year period, we have earned over 125 reviews, 5-stars, and have been awarded “Guest Favourite” in offering one of the most loved homes on Airbnb.
To make the guest communication process no-hassle for short-term and vacation rental hosts, we've developed a comprehensive series of 8 Essential Guest Email Scripts + Templates for Short Term and Vacation Rentals to send to guests. These resources are crafted to simplify messaging for hosts, offering example scripts that can be easily customized with property details and infused with their unique brand personality. Short-term vacation rental hosts can easily copy and paste our scripts to create and send their own messages effortlessly.
There are 5 major benefits of using pre-written messaging scripts and templates, and they are:
Time saving: Crafting the perfect email communication scripts for your rental hosting business is a task that shouldn't be underestimated. While some online hosting experts may suggest dedicating "just a little time" to this endeavour, it's essential to recognize the importance of striking the right balance within your communication strategy. Messages need to have clarity of thought while avoiding overwhelming lengthy text. By carefully writing concise and engaging email scripts, rental hosts can effectively communicate important information without inundating guests with unnecessary details.
As most guest communication is intentionally repetitive (from check-in/check-out instructions to Wi-Fi passwords), using pre-written scripts, loaded into an automated delivery system can significantly reduce the amount of effort you will spend on guest communication. This gives hosts more time to focus on high-value tasks like following up leads, making pitches or expanding their business presence. Message delivery triggers for each email can be set, automatically initiating when and how communication is sent. Scroll down to learn more.
Improve the guest experience: Guests often find waiting for a reply to be stressful, especially when their inquiry is urgent. Responsiveness is critical for maintaining high ratings and achieving Superhost status on platforms like Airbnb. Creating messages for common questions and anticipating guest queries ahead of time is key to providing excellent customer service. When you proactively address potential concerns, you streamline communication, enhance the guest experience and move to earn the 5-star reviews you’re looking for.
Avoid costly errors: Steering clear of manual communication errors is crucial in maintaining business professionalism. Hosts who are currently manually writing messages for each guest more than likely are creating avoidable mistakes ranging from minor typos to major errors like incorrect check-in details. All of these scenarios can ultimately tarnish the reputation of a rental host and result in negative guest reviews.
By utilizing pre-written communication scripts loaded into an automated system, hosts will greatly reduce the likelihood of costly errors. This approach will ensure consistency and accuracy in guest communication strategy, leading to more smooth and positive guest experiences.
Attract positive referrals and exceptional reviews: Pre-written guest communication scripts enable short-term vacation rental hosts to better serve niche markets by slightly tailoring saved template messages to guests' specific interests or purposes for visiting the area. Whether they're visiting for a local hobby, an annual event, outdoor activities or professional events, STR hosts can provide guests with the relevant information they need. When hosts leave a positive impression on guests, they may refer your vacation rental to others in their community, helping to expand promotional reach and enhance the accommodation’s reputation.
Productivity leads to money and time saved: The ticket to running a leaner and more efficient operation while saving money is in pre-written scripts and templates. Instead of spending valuable time handling guest communication manually, pre-written scripts streamline processes allowing STR hosts to focus on other aspects of the vacation rental business. Plus, there's no need to hire additional staff to manage the short term vacation rental communication, significantly reducing unnecessary expenses.
Quickly develop a short-term vacation rental communication strategy with our 8 Essential Guest Email Scripts + Templates for Short Term and Vacation Rentals, available for download now.
8 essential Guest Email Scripts + templates for short term and vacation rentals
Our 8 Essential Guest Email Scripts + Templates for Short Term and Vacation Rentals contains 37 pages in PDF and Notion database file format. Notion is a free online tool to help organize your scripts for a simple copy and paste into an email program or short-term rental platform.
Brimming with over 4,000 words, the scripts digital download is meticulously organized into sections that align with various host-to-guest communication timelines, ensuring seamless interactions throughout the guest's stay. The email sections and prompts include:
Welcome to Our Stay
About Your Stay
Resort Access in the Seasons
Pre-arrival Checklist in the Seasons
Day of Arrival Instructions
Check-in after Arrival
Pre-departure Instructions
Day of Departure Send-Off
This comprehensive messaging structure has example scripts for short-term vacation rental hosts to take and customize to their own rental business. Every aspect of the guest communication experience is covered, from the initial welcome to the day of departure, facilitating smooth and memorable stays. Download the 8 Essential Guest Email Scripts + Templates now.
Pro Tip: leverage the impact of email scripts with the ultimate guest welcome guidebooks for short-term vacation rentals
Short-term vacation rental hosts should strongly consider maximizing the impact of pre-written email scripts and automated messaging by joining them with our Elevïn Hosted Stays Digital Guest Welcome Guidebooks. Our series of downloadable guidebooks provide short-term and vacation rental guests with guest welcome guides (itineraries, amenities), marketing and communication materials (email scripts, sign and label templates), and operational guides (housekeeping, spa maintenance, interior and exterior product staging).
When you integrate our pre-written messaging scripts with our other digital short term and vacation rental guidebooks, you will ensure that guests have all the information they need to enjoy a memorable stay.
The Ultimate Guidebook + Template Bundle for Short Term and Vacation Rental Hosts
Our most popular digital product for short-term vacation rental hosts is our Complete Guidebook + Template Bundle. This ultimate pack is more than just a purchase; it's an investment in the future success of your property rental business.
With meticulously crafted marketing, communication and operational guidebook resources to help short-term vacation rental hosts unlock exceptional value and elevate every aspect of the guest hosting experience.
Developed in Canva and Notion, the Ultimate Guidebook and Template Bundle for Short Term and Vacation Rental Hosts includes:
8 Essential Guest Email Scripts + Templates (37 pages)
The Product Staging Sourceguide (21 pages)
The Guest Welcome Guidebook (18 pages)
The Itineraries Guidebook (19 pages)
The Amenities Guidebook (22 pages)
The Housekeeping Guidebook (28 pages)
The Spa/Hot Tub Maintenance Guidebook (22 pages)
The Sign and Label Templates (15 pages)
This bundle includes every single resource download we offer, providing short-term vacation rental hosts with a comprehensive digital library and toolkit.
And, unlike other digital guidebooks and templates on the market, accessing these tools don’t require a subscription. Buy once and they’re yours to access wherever you have saved them!
Frequently asked questions (FAQs): guest messaging templates for short-term and vacation rentals
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There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. Our 8 Essential Guest Email Scripts and Templates for Short Term and Vacation Rentals have all the required pre-written scripts for short-term vacation rental hosts.
The script package template contains 37 pages in PDF and Notion formats, brimming with over 4,000 words. The download is meticulously organized into sections that align with various host-to-guest communication timelines, ensuring seamless interactions throughout the guest's stay:
Welcome to Our Stay
About Your Stay
Resort Access in the Seasons
Pre-arrival Checklist in the Seasons
Day of Arrival Instructions
Check-in after Arrival
Pre-departure Instructions
Day of Departure Send-Off
This comprehensive template pack ensures every aspect of the guest communication experience is covered, from initial welcome to departure, facilitating smooth and memorable stays.
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Automating your vacation rental messages involves setting up systems that send predefined messages to guests at specific times, or in response to certain triggers. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you automate your messages effectively:
Choose a Property Management System (PMS): Select a PMS that offers automation features for guest communication. A popular option for automation is Airbnb. As an alternative, VRBO allows you to save templates but as of the publish date of this blog, VRBO doesn’t have an automated messaging system where you can pre-schedule communication to guests.
Identify common communication points: Determine the key touch points in the guest journey where automated messages would be beneficial such as booking confirmation, pre-arrival instructions, check-in details, and post-stay feedback requests. Not sure what points to hit? Review our 8 Essential Guest Email Scripts + Templates for Short Term and Vacation Rentals, where we lay out recommended times for when to activate and send your messages.
Craft message templates: Review our 8 pre-written message templates for communication points and simply customize your property details and brand into each. Upon editing your message versions, ensure that your templates are clear, concise, and personalized to enhance the guest experience.
Set triggers: Configure your PMS to trigger automated messages based on specific events or timelines. For example, you can set up messages to be sent immediately after booking confirmation, 24 hours before check-in, or upon guest checkout.
Test and refine: Test your automated messaging system to ensure that messages are delivered accurately and on time. Make adjustments as needed to improve the flow and effectiveness of your communication.
Monitor performance: Keep track of guest responses and feedback to gauge the effectiveness of your automated messaging strategy. Use this data to refine your templates and optimize your communication processes further.
By following these steps, you can streamline your guest communication efforts, save time and enhance the overall guest experience at your short term or vacation rental property.
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You can create message templates on the most popular short term and vacation rental listing platforms like Airbnb by going to your inbox and finding the ‘Scheduled messages’ or ‘Message template’ folder. Then:
Insert your pre-written template
Put in any short-codes (Airbnb’s term for ‘variables’) you need, like guest names
Name the template as something easy to refer to (we provide you with example template titles in our 8 Essential Email Scripts and Templates for short term and vacation rental hosts)
Set your automated trigger timing
When you receive a booking, Airbnb’s automation software will then send the emails for you.
About the Writer
Shawn Hernden
I’m one part of a sibling entrepreneurial partnership called The Superhost Mentors.
We’re twin brothers. One of us (me, Shawn) tours around the globe with Cirque du Soleil: a Canadian entertainment company renowned for its mesmerizing blend of circus arts, theatre and music. The other, Brad, has carved a path as a visionary entrepreneur in the world of real estate and design. Together, we co-own Elevïn Design Group and Hosted Stays and manage a portfolio of short-term rental and vacation properties that have become the cornerstone of our professional success.
We deliver aesthetically pleasing, comfortable interiors and provide exceptional guest experiences. We transform our properties into coveted destinations for travellers, earning the esteemed title of Superhosts on rental platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO.
In a short period, we have earned over 125 reviews, 5-stars, and have been awarded “Guest Favourite” in offering one of the most loved homes on Airbnb.
Beyond our individual pursuits, we find ourselves inexorably drawn back to each other by the bonds of family. A shared passion for real estate and design has served as the connective thread that weaves our lives together.
Want to reach out ? Contact us.
In this Guest Experience system, we unveil our proven strategies for launching, presenting and operating a 5-star guest experience in your short-term vacation rentals hosted on Airbnb and other platforms.
Guests who can easily envision themselves in your rental are more likely to book without hesitation and will excitedly share with their friends that they're staying with you.
Our 7-step approach is a comprehensive 39-page manual with worksheets that guide you in telling your story, crafting a standout listing, planning your space, securing operational teams and optimizing guest communication. You'll gain the essential tools to create an inspiring hosted stay experience that excites both your guests and you as the owner or property manager.
As part of this system, you’ll receive all 8 of our vacation rental Guidebook Templates to successfully support and implement your own 5-star Guest Experience strategy!