A family have driven five hours. It is dark, the postcode dropped them at the wrong end of a lane, the key safe code arrived in an email they cannot load with one bar of signal, and the owner's phone is going to voicemail.
Nothing about the property matters now. This is the bit they will remember and the bit they will write about.
What guests ask
They usually ask what time they can arrive, whether early check-in is possible, how they get the key, what the code is, where exactly the property is, where to park, what to do if they are delayed, what time they must leave, whether luggage can be left after checkout and who to contact if something goes wrong.
Send arrival information before it is needed
Directions, the key arrangement, parking and a contact number, sent a few days ahead and again on the morning of arrival. Not buried in a booking confirmation from three months ago.
Example conversations
These scripts use information an operator might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Guest: What time can we get in on Friday? Assistant: The arrival page shows the check-in time and explains the self check-in arrangement, including where the key safe is and when the code is sent. It also covers what to do if you arrive later than expected. Would you like me to pass on a request for early access, since that depends on the changeover?
Guest: We are going to be very late, around midnight. Assistant: That is fine with the self check-in arrangement, and the page explains how it works after dark including the lighting and where to park. I will let the owner know your expected arrival time so they are aware.
Guest: The postcode is taking us to the wrong place. Assistant: The directions page has the precise location, including the what three words reference and the final approach, which is often where satellite navigation goes wrong. It also has the emergency contact number if you need someone to talk you in.
Give a precise location, not a postcode
Rural postcodes cover large areas. A what three words reference, a photograph of the entrance and a description of the final turn prevent most arrival problems.
Explain parking exactly
How many spaces, where they are, whether the lane is passable for a low car and whether a permit is needed. Guests worry about this more than owners expect.
Have a contact who answers
Self check-in works until it does not. A number that is answered on arrival evenings, and an assistant that can give the instructions at midnight, is the difference between a problem and a disaster.
Publish early and late departure terms
Whether they are possible, what they cost and how far ahead to ask. Changeover timing usually decides it and guests accept a clear no.
Set expectations for the property itself
Wifi, heating, the house rules and where everything is, as covered in check-in, wifi and house rules questions from guests.
Pre-booking questions come first
They are covered in guest questions before booking a holiday rental.
Owners have their own enquiries
They are covered in holiday let owners and the questions before they instruct, and asking the right questions up front is the approach in qualifying leads automatically, let the chatbot ask the questions.
Getting started
Publish arrival times, key arrangements, precise directions and parking, then answer at any hour including the moment a guest is lost in a lane. SpideyChat for accommodation providers answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about answers on the features page.