Being an Airbnb host or vacation rental owner is not easy, you have to ensure a smooth guest experience is crucial for maintaining a good reputation and avoiding potential headaches. Guest screening is an essential process that will prevent many problems. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you avoid screening guests problematic bookings and ensure the best hosting experience.
What is screening guests?
screening guests will protect you from issues like property damage, unauthorized parties in the apartments, and scams by assessing the risk an individual presents.
- Make effective House rules
While screening guests the first step is making effective house rules is crucial things. This thing involved making proper guidelines that guest have to follow during their stays. These things could include rules regarding smoking, pet policies, guest numbers, and Check in Check out instructions.
- Check Their Reviews
Good vs. Bad Reviews
If a guest has all 5-star reviews and all hosts have good things to say about the guest, then it’s good.
If a guest has a rating of 4.5 and one of the reviews mentioned the guest left a lot of trash behind and it was pretty messy, I would consider that moderately bad.
On the other hand, if a guest has a rating of 4.5 or lower and hosts start mentioning things like smoking inside, partying, being a picky guest, or other difficult behaviors, I would consider that bad and probably not accept their stay. Below is an image of a reservation I would NOT accept. It is best to avoid unreasonable guests.
- Check Reviews the Guest for Other Hosts
Review allows users to click on the guest’s profile to see what the guest has been saying about other hosts. If the guest done bad things for other hosts or is unreasonable, that would be considered a red flag.
- Ask some questions to the guests
If the guest has not answered the questions from the pre-booking message, copy and paste these questions and send them in a message BEFORE accepting the reservation. If they have already answered some questions, delete and edit the questions accordingly.
Here are some of the question patterns that you should use to ask your guests:
- What brings you to this area?
- Can you confirm how many people will be staying?
- What do you have planned for your stay?
- Have you read our house rules?
Analyze the answers
If the guest is not answering the questions at all, it could indicate that the reservation should not be accepted these things should be mentioned in the house rules. If they are not seeing the messages and not responding promptly, it indicates that they are not reading the rules and regulations that you have mentioned in the rules book.
- Communicate with your guest before arrival
Communicating and screening guests before arrival is one of the steps of screening the guest. This starts with sending a welcoming message to guests first of all. Try to ask the guests what are the things that they are bringing while coming to the serviced accommodation. This gives you insights into whether their interests align with your house rules and a better understanding of who they are. If they are hiding something, consider it a red flag.
- Turn off instant bookings
Across OTAs, instant bookings allow you to automatically accept booking requests from your guests. This is great because you can capitalize on last-minute reservations, but it also gives you less time to review the results of your screening. And, since your account can be suspended if you cancel people at the last minute when you find an issue, most guests choose to turn the instant booking off.
- Keep your listings up to date
To find guests who are looking for what you offer and therefore less likely to complain, you need to ensure your listings are accurate. If your pool is closed in the winter, for example, make this clear in your property description to avoid disappointing anyone. If you have no parking close by, provide helpful suggestions for where guests can park. Later, we show you how you can send this information as part of an automated message flow before check-in.
As you manage more properties, you can’t afford to spend hours screening guests manually or replying to messages. Automated solutions using automateyourbnb and Aiyourbnb allow you to avoid difficult guests through advanced insights and to manage relationships with those that slip through the cracks.
With the ability to update your listings easily, streamline communication, and keep an eye on your property, you’ll safeguard your relationships with your neighbors and guests, and protect your business as it grows.
