How guest communication works across different channels
For guests who book or enquire through Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia or Vrbo, you can message them directly in Messages in your Travelnest account or app. To find out how, please read our Guest Messaging guide.
For all the other channels, such as HomeToGo and Holidu, Travelnest handles pre-booking enquiries. Once we have received a booking for your property, our team will send you a confirmation email containing all the relevant booking information, including property name, dates booked, and guest name.
You can also see guest information for each booking in your Travelnest account under bookings.
Key communication steps for new bookings
To make sure you're providing the best communication with your guests and reaching out at the appropriate times, just follow these simple steps:
- Contact the guest directly to introduce yourself.
- If you're listing your property with Travelnest on Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and/or Vrbo please use our Guest Messaging feature and download our app to communicate with your guests on the go.
- Provide information on key things such as check-in/check-out times and house rules.
- Confirm details of any security deposit, if this is required. Please note that Airbnb doesn't allow security deposits. Any damage claims are handled through Airbnb's AirCover, and asking Airbnb guests for a deposit or any offline payment may result in your listing being suspended.
- If you choose to list your property on other booking sites like Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo or HomeToGo, please be aware that Travelnest does not process or hold security deposits for these channels. For these booking sites, it is your responsibility, as the host, to collect and manage security/damage deposits. Read more about how security deposits are handled and what to do if you need to make a claim here.
- Outline any arrival instructions or the specific location of your property.
- Share any specific booking terms and conditions with your guests.
- Include any other information that would be useful to share with guests about your property, e.g. accessibility, parking, whether the host lives on-site, etc.
- Use our Guest welcome email template or our Guest message templates to send all the information guests will be looking for.
We highly recommend reading our helpful guide on tips for guest communication to ensure you follow best practices, become a successful host, and maintain clear communication with your guests.