A couple are driving from three hundred miles away. The motorway is slow and they now expect to arrive at half past ten at night.
They have a phone number and they are hesitating to use it, because it is a small guesthouse and they assume the owner will be in bed. So they say nothing, and arrive to a dark building.
What guests ask
They usually ask what time they can check in, whether there is a window, what happens if they arrive earlier, whether luggage can be left, what happens if they arrive late, whether there is a key safe, who to contact on the way, where to park and what time breakfast is.
Publish the arrival window
The earliest and latest normal arrival time. Guests plan a journey around it, and a property with no stated window produces a call from the road every single time.
Example conversations
These scripts use information a guesthouse might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Guest: We will not get there until about half past ten. Is that alright? Assistant: The arrival page explains the late arrival arrangement, including the key safe and how the code is sent, so a late arrival is not a problem. Could you confirm your name and expected time so the owner knows to expect you?
Guest: Can we drop bags off before check-in? Assistant: The page explains whether early luggage drop is possible and how to arrange it, along with the earliest time rooms are usually ready. Could you tell me roughly what time you would arrive?
Guest: Where do we park? Assistant: The page explains the parking arrangement, including how many spaces there are, whether it is on the property and where to go if it is full. It also covers the route in, which satellite navigation sometimes gets wrong.
Explain the late arrival arrangement plainly
Key safe, a code sent in advance, a door left on the latch or someone waiting up. Publishing it removes the guest's fear of being a nuisance, which is the real barrier.
Say what happens if plans change
Who to tell and how, with a number or a message route. Guests would rather tell someone and feel awkward about calling.
Explain the early arrival position
Whether rooms are ready before a stated time, whether luggage can be left and whether there is somewhere to wait. Guests arriving off an early train ask constantly.
Publish the parking details
Spaces, whether on site, restrictions and what to do if full. Small properties often have limited parking and guests plan around it.
Give the route in, not just the postcode
Rural properties in particular defeat satellite navigation. A sentence describing the final approach, or a what three words reference, prevents the call from a lane.
Mention the breakfast times with arrival
Guests arriving late want to know when breakfast is before they go to bed, which is the cluster covered in bed and breakfast guests asking about breakfast, parking and check-in.
Answer when the guest is travelling
These questions arise on the road and in the evening, which is precisely when a one-owner property cannot answer, as described in guesthouses with one owner and guests at all hours.
Cancellations and changes interact with this
They are covered in cancellation policy questions small guesthouses face.
Getting started
Publish your arrival window, late arrival arrangement, parking and the route in, then answer at any hour, which is the approach in automating the questions you answer over and over. SpideyChat for accommodation providers answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about answers on the features page.