Latest / Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights / This Is How Airbnb Hosts Can Deliver A Great Guest Experience & Secure 5-Star Reviews Every Time

Transcript

This Is How Airbnb Hosts Can Deliver A Great Guest Experience & Secure 5-Star Reviews Every Time · Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights

0:00
Hello and welcome to House Planet Bite Size, the podcast
0:03
brought to you by House Planet and Housefully.
0:06
My name's James Farley, the founder of House Planet, and our
0:08
goal is to share everything you need to know about buying and
0:11
managing short term rentals. Today's guest is Frank Vossi
0:15
from Housefully and he's going to be talking about experiences
0:18
and how you can secure a five star review every single time.
0:23
Are you looking to streamline your operations and amaze your
0:26
guests? Look no further than Housefully
0:29
with their top rated. With property management
0:31
software, you can automate reservations, payments, and
0:34
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0:36
Plus, their award-winning digital guidebooks provide
0:39
personalized recommendations and essential information, ensuring
0:43
your guests have an unforgettable stay while helping
0:45
you achieve those all important outstanding reviews.
0:49
Join the thousands of satisfied property managers who just
0:52
housefully to grow their business.
0:54
Visit housefully.com to elevate your short term rental game
0:58
today. Frank, welcome back to host
1:05
Planet Bite Size. A pleasure to chat as always.
1:09
Now today we're going to talk about experiences and you're
1:13
going to share 5 cool ways that hosts can offer experiences and
1:17
achieve outstanding results. So take it away.
1:22
Yeah, I'm thank you so much for having me, James.
1:24
I always look forward to to chatting with you about all
1:27
things STR, but especially this topic on on guest experiences,
1:33
especially coming from a decade in the luxury hotel world, you
1:38
know, the Ritz Carlton, the addition Marriott luxury
1:41
collection. I worked at The Four Seasons
1:44
Prior to joining coastfully. Guest experiences has always
1:47
been top notch, top priority. So I'm really excited to see how
1:54
it has also become one of those things that gets talked about a
1:58
lot in the short term rental space, more so now than ever.
2:02
And what we've seen is that the the operators who are really
2:06
thriving now in their day-to-day and they're thriving in the
2:10
industry and the visibility that their that their brand and their
2:13
properties are getting are the ones who go beyond the basics.
2:17
And they're thinking about the guest experiences as part of
2:20
their brand, not just hospitality and their day-to-day
2:23
operations, but focused on the brand.
2:26
So today, I thought I'd walk through five key ways that hosts
2:30
and property managers can really elevate the guest stay and the
2:34
guest experience, regardless of whether you're managing 3
2:38
properties or 300 properties. So kind of just jumping right
2:45
into it because I know we only have 30 minutes and I tend to
2:47
ramble, but I think the first one is personalization.
2:52
So especially personalization, but at scale.
2:56
So I know that personalization sounds like a buzzword.
3:00
So you know, it's, it's so powerful when done correctly.
3:04
Even something as simple like like referencing a guest's
3:08
reason for travel, whether they're celebrating a birthday,
3:11
a honeymoon, maybe it's their first trip with their child.
3:15
Recognizing that can go a long way because it sets up how
3:19
you're going to also personalize their stay with amenities.
3:25
We actually just had our AI hackathon day where we heard
3:30
from a property manager who used tools like host Flea's AI Inbox
3:35
Assistant and by doing and taking advantage of that
3:39
feature, they suggested smart pre written responses based on
3:44
the guests questions, their booking info, even the tone that
3:49
they're using. So this type of software really
3:52
helps property managers respond faster, more quickly, but also
3:59
still sounding personal. It's like having a, you know, an
4:04
on point Co host working 24/7. We have some users kind of give
4:10
you like hard examples. There's one that we have from
4:15
Colorado and they use pre arrival forms that asks why
4:20
specifically guests are travelling.
4:22
So like I mentioned earlier, whether it's a celebration, a
4:25
work trip, family vacations, that one question helps trigger
4:30
different messaging sequences as well as amenity bundles.
4:34
So we have homeowners who get a romantic playlist and a welcome
4:39
bottle of wine as an option. If they're remote workers that
4:45
travel constantly for business, they get a Wi-Fi upgrade tip,
4:50
but they also have a map of local quiet workspaces and Co
4:54
working opportunities. Also, we have one where they
4:58
focus on new parents, so they get baby gear recommendations,
5:04
but they also provide a sound machine upon request.
5:07
So those are just kind of focusing like, hey, you're here
5:11
for this reason, we're going to recognize it and we're going to
5:14
enhance your stay because of that.
5:17
So that's one is personalization.
5:19
But then what you can also do is really personalize the guest day
5:23
is with our digital guidebooks and the guidebooks that actually
5:27
get used. A lot of people all their time,
5:29
they're like, Oh yeah, you know, we use the guidebooks.
5:32
No one signs in, no one uses them.
5:36
It's probably because they're not doing it correctly.
5:38
So a nice little tip I learned along the way is upgrading your
5:43
welcome manual. We've seen like those binders
5:46
with the, with the business cards, the PDF attachments that
5:50
never get opened. But when you switch to something
5:53
like Hostfle's digital guidebooks, it really is
5:56
sincerely a game changer. Now, they're not.
6:00
The guests aren't just looking at these digital versions of
6:05
your house rules. They're interactive.
6:08
They're branded with your logo, your colors.
6:11
It's mobile friendly. So you don't have to be at a
6:13
desktop. You can be on, you know, an iPad
6:15
and iPhone. Really the cool thing is with
6:17
your guidebooks is that you can embed videos, maps, restaurant
6:22
recommendations. You have a great opportunity to
6:25
upsell additional items for more or increase revenue generation.
6:31
And really there's so many more features that enhance the guest
6:34
stay experience. So your guest can access it on
6:38
their phone as I mentioned before they arrive or you know,
6:42
they'll often use it multiple times during their stay as a
6:45
reference for rules, attractions, or even
6:48
recommendations. For example, we have a host in
6:51
Austin that I just saw at VR Nation.
6:54
They replace that, they replace their entire PDF welcome e-mail
6:58
with a branded app like Guidebook from Host fully.
7:03
Since then, you know, they've embedded personal videos with
7:08
introductions for each restaurant, suggestions, how to
7:12
use the fireplace, how to use their Jacuzzi.
7:15
And it's not just an how to video, it's actually them
7:19
recording themselves using that device, uploading it into the
7:23
guidebook, which again, they shot on their phone.
7:27
And when you shoot it on your phone or even you could ask, you
7:30
could actually get it professionally recorded.
7:34
It just sets this level of personalization and, and getting
7:37
to know the host, somebody you've been talking to for six
7:40
months about your vacation. They're the ones telling you how
7:43
to use certain items within the home.
7:46
So that's, that's a huge benefit.
7:50
They've also added clickable maps.
7:52
So they had dog friendly parks, running and hiking trails with
7:57
recommended pit stops. And in those pit stops, they
8:00
have a quick blurb as what you can see on that stop or why that
8:05
stop is important to Austin. So really cool, focused on the
8:11
the local experience. They also linked Viator, which
8:15
I'll get to in a moment. They linked Viator experiences
8:19
like that watching boat cruises, which was on my list to do when
8:22
I was in Austin, but I never got around to it or even he had a
8:26
cool, what was it? Oh, BBQ food tours.
8:31
And he, the property manager, earned commissions off of all of
8:36
this, which is one of my favorite things about our
8:38
guidebook. So our partnership and
8:39
integration with Viator, it's where host can actually showcase
8:44
local tours and experiences. So the guest can book things
8:49
like wine tasting or hot air balloon ride directly from the
8:53
guidebook. And you, the property manager
8:56
will get a Commission on those bookings when they come from
9:00
Viator via the guidebook, if that makes sense.
9:04
But ultimately it's just an added convenience for the guest
9:08
and really passive income for the host.
9:10
Which brings me to Part 3. The third is offering a
9:15
memorable local experience. This is a huge opportunity area
9:20
that a lot of people don't take advantage of.
9:25
Travellers nowadays don't just want a place to stay, some do,
9:29
some just want a pillow, bed and then leave the next day.
9:33
But majority of travellers now really want the experience.
9:38
They want to tell a story, they want to feel as though they are
9:42
a resident of that specific city.
9:45
So one of my favorite ways is seeing some pretty creative
9:49
hosts partner with local vendors and offering chef nights,
9:54
welcome experiences, even neighborhood food tours.
9:58
And simply by connecting that to their guidebook or their
10:01
property management system makes it really easy to offer and also
10:06
to easily track who's opened it and has moved forward with that
10:11
recommendation or that suggestion.
10:13
Suggestion. Some of my favorite examples, as
10:16
I mentioned earlier during our chat, James, we have a host in
10:20
Oregon who offers mushroom foraging trips, which I think is
10:24
pretty nifty. And it's regular mushrooms.
10:28
You can't do the other stuff. Another one is in NOLA, they
10:34
book historic and ghost tours, which is pretty nifty because
10:39
there's so many, especially in a city like New Orleans.
10:43
Having the one that the property manager recommends just makes it
10:48
easier for the guests to make that decision instead of wasting
10:51
two hours on Google trying to find one.
10:54
There's also we have a client in Napa who created a wine and
10:58
cheese pairing with local cheese mongers.
11:01
I can never say that with a straight face.
11:03
Cheese mongers straight from the guests, Airbnb.
11:06
And what's important to take from all of this is that with
11:09
the right technology, these experiences don't require tons
11:12
of back and forth. And they also lead to five star
11:16
reviews. And I get it, host, enjoy the
11:19
back and forth to an extent. A lot of people are like, I
11:22
don't know if I want to do AI. It takes the personalization
11:25
away because it gives off that human touch experience, which
11:29
I'm all about. You can ask my colleagues, you
11:32
can ask my friends. They think it's hilarious that I
11:35
work for SAS and I work for software and I'm I'm doing a
11:38
hackathon and AI because I'm more of the the back and forth
11:42
human touch experience. But with the right software,
11:46
like host fully, you can do just that, even with the automation,
11:51
which brings me to the automation without losing that
11:55
human touch. Now this one's in, in my opinion
12:01
is obviously a bit more behind the scenes, but it's just as
12:05
important. So if you do it correctly, as I
12:08
mentioned the the keyword is correctly, automation actually
12:13
improves the guest experiences. You can have automated check in
12:16
instructions based on specific time zones, smart triggers that
12:21
send upsell offers right before arrival and during the booking
12:26
flow, or even auto reminders for late check out.
12:31
Host Fleece property management software really makes this
12:33
workflow super intuitive. You set it up once and it runs
12:39
in the background, so even if a guest messages you at like 2:00
12:43
AM, they still get the info they need without the the delay and
12:48
it still feels personal. Even with some of our AI
12:52
integrations that take it to the next level.
12:55
Your team isn't overwhelmed with manual tasks so they can
12:58
actually focus on elevating the guest experience.
13:02
One of my favorite is, and I think a lot of listeners will
13:05
really appreciate this. Airbnb not so much, but is the
13:09
focus on driving more direct booking.
13:13
So once a guest stays with you, you befriend them, you get to
13:16
know who they are and then you get their e-mail address.
13:20
What's really cool is my favorite is we have something
13:24
called complex conditions where you can create a message to get
13:27
sent out days or hours before the stay starts, before the stay
13:32
ends, after the stay starts and after the stay ends.
13:35
So one of my favorite is creating a template saying hey,
13:39
we miss you, we'd love to welcome you back.
13:41
Here's my direct booking website.
13:43
Here's a discount code to save 10/15/20 percent on your next
13:49
day. That gives them the incentive to
13:52
book again. And with with our triggers,
13:55
which are automations as you can create it 90 days after
13:59
checkout, 95 days, 130 days, whatever you feel works for your
14:04
market and your, your brand, you can send it to send out to every
14:09
single guest X amount of days after they depart to book with
14:13
you directly telling them how much you miss them and how much
14:16
you would love to welcome them back.
14:17
So there's a lot of opportunity with our automations.
14:22
And the last thing I want to touch on is really just
14:25
delighting your guests with these small thoughtful extras.
14:31
It's really those little surprises that that guest
14:35
remember. And because going back to my
14:39
experiences in the luxury hotel industry, I'm a huge believer
14:43
that guest experiences live in those minute, tiny details.
14:48
Whether that's like a handwritten note, a local snack,
14:51
a local coffee, or even like a curated guide to like hidden
14:57
gems in the area. These small touches create this
15:01
emotional connection and resonance with that property
15:06
manager and that host moving forward.
15:09
We have a host in Nashville, for example, who created this guest
15:12
bar in the kitchen with a handwritten note.
15:15
They also have like a small rotating local treat.
15:21
So whatever is available to them, whatever they, they
15:24
approach, they approach the vendor and they're like, hey, we
15:27
have guests. We have a short term rental in
15:29
the industry. We want to promote your brand,
15:31
so whatever vendors give them. So this one in particular had
15:35
hot sauce, candy, coffee. They had a candle at one point.
15:41
So having those just in stock build a relationship with the
15:45
vendor, but then also give these thoughtful little extras in
15:49
their in their guest bar. Some seasonal add-ons as well.
15:53
They have hot cocoa packs in the winter, but then the in the
15:56
summer they focus on bug spray and sunscreen.
16:00
So again, just those small little things.
16:02
And another hot tip that I have found to be successful is
16:06
sending a follow up message a few hours after check in.
16:10
So going back to what I said earlier, with our automations,
16:14
you can create a template and then send it to the guest 2-3
16:19
hours after the guest checks in. So in this case with this client
16:24
from from Nashville, did he did exactly that after check in, but
16:31
with a locals only guide and it offers to be of assistance
16:36
should they need anything throughout their stay.
16:38
And again, you know, just offering that check in and then
16:42
that offer to like, hey, I'm here if you need anything is all
16:46
automated. But it doesn't feel automated
16:50
because it's actually a person sincerely asking and suggesting
16:54
that if you need help that they're here.
16:57
The thing also is revenue. It doesn't cost much to get this
17:01
all set up, but they make people feel seen and then it also
17:05
generates revenue. And that's what it all comes
17:09
down to, not generating revenue, but making the people feel seen
17:14
because it ultimately leads to loyalty to your referrals to
17:19
repeat guests. And with repeat guests come
17:22
easier stays, you know who's staying in your unit, less
17:26
chance of, you know, issues and with guest screening and all
17:31
that. But also it's going to get you 5
17:34
star reviews. And we know that five star
17:36
reviews, you get more visibility, more visibility, get
17:40
you more guests, more guests, you get more money.
17:42
And with that money you can start scaling or improving your
17:45
day-to-day. So it is this nice little domino
17:47
effect that this small little change to your approach can
17:53
really make a significant impact for your business, but also for
17:57
all of your guests. And that's my 5.
18:00
Frank, so many really wonderful tips there.
18:03
Absolutely just packed with essential knowledge that I'm
18:06
sure hosts and property managers around the world will get a lot
18:09
of value from. One thing that stood out for me
18:11
was the the host that you were talking about who were creating
18:15
the personal videos in their digital guide book.
18:18
And we've spoken a few times on our podcast series about
18:21
personalization and you as a host and a property manager,
18:24
showing your face to your guests, whether it's a photo of
18:28
you on your website or videos in your digital guidebook.
18:31
How important do you think it is to have that level of
18:35
personalization but also like showcasing who you are and
18:39
showing the human touch, I think.
18:42
Well, yeah, because your personal, your personality is
18:44
going to shine. And also what I would suggest is
18:47
some hosts don't have the bubbly personality that may match their
18:52
brand. It doesn't have to be the host.
18:55
Ideally it would be, but if it could be someone else on your
18:58
team that has a, maybe a warmth approach or something.
19:01
So as long as you get like a face to the brand, that could
19:04
work as well. But it is super impactful
19:07
because there's times where I'm talking like for example, we
19:09
stay in Oak Island, it's like 3 hours from Charlotte.
19:13
We stay there every summer. We have yet to find a place that
19:17
we enjoy going to year after year until last year.
19:23
And what happened was last year, the property manager, the host
19:27
made themselves known with personalization.
19:31
We knew what they looked like. We knew that you know their,
19:34
their back story because they said, you know, our family lives
19:37
on Oak Island. I was born and raised on Oak
19:40
Island. And then they gave their just
19:42
again, a personalization of personal story on why they're
19:46
they're short term rental hosts on this specific island.
19:49
You have the rest of the US, you have the rest of the world where
19:51
you could benefit from short term rentals.
19:53
But why they chose this small, unique little island on the
19:57
coast of North Carolina just made us feel like, OK, we know
20:02
who this person is. We know their story.
20:05
During our stay last year, we booked our stay for this
20:09
upcoming summer. So again, just getting, getting
20:14
that connection with your host and somebody that you've been
20:16
speaking with for months, it just makes the space feel a
20:20
little bit more like like home, you know, like you, you kind of
20:25
feel comfortable knowing who your host is instead of just
20:29
like checking in, not knowing who the person is and then
20:32
checking out, never interacting with them again.
20:34
And going the extra mile and making the guest feel seen.
20:39
This is a little bit out of the ordinary.
20:42
I mean, in my experience, I spent a few months out in the
20:45
Far East earlier this year and the vast majority of house and
20:49
property managers of places that we were staying, they didn't
20:53
really contact us. They didn't, you know, tell us
20:56
about local experiences or anything like that.
20:58
So if you do go the extra mile, you are going to be a little bit
21:02
out of the ordinary and put yourself at the top of this this
21:05
hosting game. I should have touched on it
21:07
earlier, but yeah, that's actually one of the most
21:10
important parts is you're standing out amongst your
21:13
competition, especially in areas like New Orleans, Nashville.
21:19
Oak Island has a ton. I think, you know, it's a very
21:23
family oriented island where there's a lot of residents.
21:27
But now because North Carolina and especially Oak Island and
21:30
the coast have become such a boom, there's so many rentals
21:33
there. So just having that
21:36
personalization and that level to really or that that just that
21:40
want to elevate the guest day. Simply if it's 123 tasks or
21:46
changes that you make, that's awesome because that's three
21:51
things that your competition isn't doing.
21:54
So yeah, it definitely helps you stand out amongst, amongst your
21:58
competition in the area. And stuff like digital
22:01
guidebooks with Hostfully is a game changer because there's so
22:06
many features and capabilities that the guest book themselves,
22:09
the guest book itself offers that you don't really have to do
22:14
much. You kind of just have to do it
22:15
once and then it's done and then you can automate and, and all
22:19
that stuff afterwards. So it's pretty, it's a pretty
22:22
sweet set up once you get it. And like I said, the main thing
22:26
is guest experience is important, yes, what you need to
22:30
make sure that you do it correctly because there's a lot
22:33
of automations that you can do. Like there was one guest and I
22:37
forget, I don't remember the software that they used.
22:42
I forget what it was, but I remember the story and it was
22:44
the guest asked, the guest mentioned that the Wi-Fi went
22:50
out, their automated message recognized the word Wi-Fi and
22:56
sent them a response saying this is the Wi-Fi code.
23:02
And you know, it's like, you know, like the how and like the
23:06
instructions on how to log in and the person got infuriated
23:11
because they're here without Wi-Fi and you're telling me what
23:14
the Wi-Fi code is. So like automations, you kind
23:17
of, you know, we're still at the tip of the iceberg with that
23:20
stuff. So it's one that's making sure
23:22
it works, but then also that you know that you're doing it
23:24
correctly and that you're using the right software and the right
23:27
tech in order to to elevate the guest experience.
23:31
Another thing that you've mentioned a few times is
23:34
partnering with local vendors and by recommending local
23:39
companies, local restaurants or experiences or whatever it might
23:43
be, you're being a really great advocate for your local
23:46
community and being a net positive for your neighbors and
23:50
other businesses that are nearby.
23:51
How important is it to be a really good advocate for what's
23:54
going on nearby in your local area?
23:57
Yeah. And I mean, you, you want those
23:59
vendors on your side. So if you can say, hey, I have 5
24:04
listings in this particular market, I would love to showcase
24:10
your business as a small business focus.
24:13
Instead of having them, you know, go to Target and buy
24:16
something, they can go on Main Street and visit all of these
24:19
different vendors based on my recommendations.
24:23
That vendor is going to appreciate you.
24:25
They're going to know that you're not just in the
24:27
neighborhood and in the market to just make money, that you're
24:31
really being inclusive of everyone in that market and in
24:36
that neighborhood. And it just sets up this
24:39
holistic approach to benefit the city.
24:42
And with that being said, when that time comes, with all the
24:46
regulations and the restrictions that property managers are
24:50
encountering lately, having those vendors, those
24:54
restaurants, those small businesses, those mom and pop
24:57
shops on your side. When that conversation
25:00
approaches whether you know they're going to restrict your
25:02
short term rental. If you get those guys on your
25:05
side, it's going to show how much short term rentals in that
25:10
particular city are benefiting not only the city financially,
25:14
but also all of the other patrons and all of the other
25:17
vendors. So yes, you want to have this
25:20
genuine approach to selling and to suggesting your vendors, but
25:25
at the same time thinking ahead, it's actually going to help you
25:28
significantly when that time comes.
25:30
Frank, really great points there about being a local advocate and
25:35
getting all those businesses on side, especially with
25:37
regulation. That's just a brilliant point
25:39
there about everybody uniting really in the face of whatever
25:42
regulation you might be facing. So some brilliant points there.
25:46
So many great tips. I'm sure there's there's many
25:48
things people can take on board. Just before you go, tell us all
25:52
about House fully. Tell us about the digital
25:54
guidebooks and the PMS that you have.
25:56
Yeah, I mean, so hostfully has digital guidebooks and we also
26:00
have property management software system.
26:03
Both of them are two separate entities.
26:05
You could of course use them both together.
26:07
But let's say you know you have you're loyal to your current
26:10
property management software, that's fine.
26:12
You can still use our guidebooks.
26:13
It's a simple URL link. But the really good thing is
26:17
when the guidebook and the property management software are
26:20
purchased and used together, you can sync a bunch of information.
26:24
We also now have Hostfully devices, which we're really
26:28
excited about. But essentially, if you're
26:31
looking for ways to streamline your operations, offer a better
26:35
guest experience, but also still grow and scale your business,
26:39
definitely consider looking more into hostfully.com.
26:44
You'll find information on our property management software,
26:47
digital guidebooks, host fully devices, all the integrations
26:52
that can help you take things to the next level, whether that's
26:55
Viator, dynamic pricing tools, AI integrations, hostfully.com
27:02
is going to be the place where you find that.
27:04
And then, of course, if you're not sure where to start, I'm
27:08
here for you. Feel free to e-mail me directly.
27:11
I'm happy to join. I'm happy to host A1 on one demo
27:14
personalized for you and your setup.
27:18
It's Frank at host fully dot com super simple.
27:22
Feel free do not hesitate to e-mail me.
27:25
I'm I'm always happy to connect with industry folk, but I'm also
27:29
always happy to showcase host police features and capabilities
27:33
in further detail. So again, frank@hostfully.com,
27:37
do not hesitate to e-mail me. Superb.
27:40
We will put the links to the website and your e-mail address
27:43
in the show notes as well. Frank, it's been a real
27:46
pleasure. As ever, thanks for sharing your
27:48
experiences, tips, and for joining us on host Planet Bite
27:51
Size. Again, thank you always for
27:53
having having me, having my colleagues, having host fully.
27:57
Great chat to Frank Bosey there from host fully so many amazing
28:01
tips in order to provide the very best guest experience and
28:05
secure those all important five star reviews.
28:08
All right, that's it for today's episode.
28:10
Remember, this series is sponsored by House Philly.
28:13
And if you'd like to try their PMS or digital guidebook, head
28:16
to housephilly.com. For more free education tips and
28:20
trends from the STR industry, visit houseplanet dot club,
28:24
where you can sign up for our newsletter, listen to our
28:26
podcasts and download a suite of ebooks for hosts and property
28:30
managers. That's it for today's episode of
28:32
Host Planet Bite Size. Until next time, happy hosting.