[Matt Landau]

Setting and meeting a guest's expectations is an essential factor in any hospitality marketing campaign. After all, if you don't set and meet expectations (no matter how spiffy your direct booking funnel) there's no repeat or referral stays.

And I don't think I've ever come across a question that sets the tone for the booking and stay process quite as well as the following:

"What's the purpose of your visit?"

Guy Fomin (SeaNRent) asked me this question prior to visiting Israel last Feb and it really caught me off guard: "umm, to vacation?" I considered responding.

But any reasonable adult knows the question is actually asking much more.

"What's the purpose of your visit?" opens the door for context and details and an actual relationship with the host: why are you taking a vacation? What's going on in your life? Who else is coming? What's important to them?

What was the purpose of going to Israel for the first time in my life? Upon reflecting I went from "umm, to vacation?" to "learning more about where I come from." The purpose of my trip (upon coming home) was to know myself better!

I really like how this question asked something of me (the guest) that in turn gave me intent and helped frame my experience. While also providing the host with framing to make suggests or special arrangements.

Would you use "what's the purpose of your visit?"

Do you have different questions that elicit guest information?

 

[SScurlock]

When I call guests after reservations are made, I ask them, "Are you visiting family or friends, celebrating something special, or just getting away?" I then use this info in the handwritten welcome note note I leave for them in the home, in the handwritten thank you note after their stay, and in my response to their reviews. It really personalizes the notes. For those celebrating a special occasion, I can recommend specific restaurants.

 

[DMartinez]

Our community faced serious animosity levied against the presence of STRs and their owners.

In a template email triggered upon each inquiry after assuring the dates selected are available, I send out the post below. The language in the questions point directly to our HOAs rules and County's regulations.
####

I am honored you selected our home for your holiday. However, first I want to assure we meet your expectations and you are a good fit for our home. We do offer an amazing, clean, comfortable, and safe home. I also absolutely expect our guests to abide by the rules in our contract that will be sent to you in a separate email.

👉Please note your booking will be finalized once you sign the contract.

I'm pretty easy-going actually and readily available to answer any question or concern you have about the booking process or your stay in Sea Ranch. That said, I do want to make sure I clearly state my expectations to my guests at the start. I sincerely hope you can understand my need to communicate this first to our guests.

If any of these could be an issue feel free to contact me. As your host, I am always available to answer any questions you may have about our property and location prior to finalizing your booking. In turn, I hope you will be kind enough to answer mine and take special note of our requirements.

~ What attracted you to my listing?
~ Have you stayed in a short-term rental before?
~ Will this be your first time staying in our uniquely beautiful and quiet coastal community?
~ What is the purpose of your visit. Is your visit a celebratory one - such as a birthday, anniversary, honeymoon, retirement?
~ Will you be meeting up with others who plan to join you there? We will require you to fill out a registration form with their names and their contact details later.
~ Will you be bringing a pet?
~ What can I do to make your stay better?

 

[Craig]

I'm on the fence with this one. If you are a small, boutique operator I'm sure this is a great question to ask. If you are managing 150 properties like we are it sets the expectation that you are going to do something with the information, which we wouldn't do. So personally we wouldn't ask the question. I don't deny that this question will help you to better understand what guests want but you have to be prepared for the consequences, effort and time to do something meaningful with the responses.

 

[davidliedl]

I'm on the fence with this one. If you are a small, boutique operator I'm sure this is a great question to ask. If you are managing 150 properties like we are it sets the expectation that you are going to do something with the information, which we wouldn't do. So personally we wouldn't ask the question. I don't deny that this question will help you to better understand what guests want but you have to be prepared for the consequences, effort and time to do something meaningful with the responses.

Good points Craig - if you can't deliver on the info the guest is giving you it's almost setting them up for disappointment.

On the flip side, Limited Edition, means doing something with the information, creating a more meaningful, and personal connection with the guest.

 

[Matt Landau]

I'm on the fence with this one. If you are a small, boutique operator I'm sure this is a great question to ask. If you are managing 150 properties like we are it sets the expectation that you are going to do something with the information, which we wouldn't do. So personally we wouldn't ask the question. I don't deny that this question will help you to better understand what guests want but you have to be prepared for the consequences, effort and time to do something meaningful with the responses.

Good points, Craig. Do you use any kind of other questions to better serve them?

 

[Debi]

If our future guest doesn't offer information regarding their stay, I will ask something like: "Could you tell us a little bit about yourselves and what brings you to our area? We love knowing something about the folks we share our home with." My intention is to point out that we are caring and hospitable but that we are also homeowners with concerns. And as Craig said, this wouldn't work if we had a lot of properties but is easily done with just two.

 

[RuthM]

Any way to connect to guests is always a good idea. I personally am very private and don't necessarily like to be asked pointed questions about my intentions on vacation...so I bring this view to my messaging with guests. Here is what I send every single guest after booking:

"Thank you for booking. We are looking forward to your visit! Please let me know if I can help you with travel logistics or how to help you plan the best visit to the Cinque Terre."

This last phrase tends to open the way to "hey, we're on our honeymoon, can you recommend..." kinds of answers. It allows people to share with me, if they want to, and starts our conversation.

 

[RichardC]

We tend to direct guests to our FAQ’s page and a link to our home page, but we follow up with the comment. If you can’t find what you’re looking for please get in touch and we’ll do our best to help. Directing people to our FAQs page does eliminate some of the most basic questions and saves us time and shows that we have knowledge of our area.