What is Guest Messaging?

With Travelnest's Guest Messaging feature, you can take full control of your guest communication and respond to messages and queries in real-time. To use this feature, please keep in mind that you must have a property listed on Airbnb or Booking.com channels through Travelnest.

Currently, this tool is only available for bookings or queries made through Airbnb and Booking.com channels. 

Please continue to communicate with your guests as per the current process for bookings or enquiries from any other channels, such as Expedia and TripAdvisor.

Please note that this guide is for guest messaging on desktop. To know more about how to manage guest messaging in the mobile app, head here.

How to find Guest Messaging:

Log in to your Travelnest account, click on the “Messages” tab.

How to view all conversations:

When you click on the ''Messages'' tab, you will be able to view conversations with your Airbnb and Booking.com guests.

To view a conversation with a guest, simply click on their name and the conversation view will open to allow you to read and respond to messages.

How to reply to messages from confirmed bookings or guest inquiries:

To reply a message for an Airbnb or Booking.com confirmed booking, or to reply to a guest enquiry, type your message into the bar at the bottom of the conversation and either press Enter on your keyboard or click the arrow button on the right of the bar to send your message.  

If you are on your mobile, press the back arrow icon at the top left to get back to the conversation list.

Note that: Messages sent before a guest has booked your property will have an 'Enquiry' label to help you identify when a guest hasn't booked your property yet. However, if you see the label 'Booking', the guest has already booked your property.

How to initiate a conversation when a guest hasn't messaged you yet:

To initiate a conversation with a guest who has booked your property through Airbnb or Booking.com but hasn't sent you any messages, you can click on the guest's name then type your message into the bar at the bottom of the conversation and either press Enter on your keyboard or click arrow button on the right of the bar to send your message. 

If you are on your mobile, press the back arrow icon at the top left to get back to the conversation list.

Frequently asked questions:

How will I know if I have a message from a guest?

You will receive an email and an SMS from Travelnest every time when you receive a new guest message from Airbnb or Booking.com, we'll send you an email and an SMS notification.  You can click on the link in the email or SMS to take you straight to Guest Messaging, where you can read and respond to your messages.

When you log in to your Travelnest account and click on the Messages tab, if you have a new message from a guest, you will see a blue unread notification dot in your conversation list (e.g., there is a new unread message from Jane below).

How do I check if my mobile number is correct?

You can check if we have the correct mobile number for you here.

How are messages organised and displayed for Airbnb and Booking.com?

When you access Messages in your conversation list, you will see all Airbnb guests who have messaged you or made a booking from the 27th of February onwards. Your conversations will be grouped per guest, so if the same guest books the same property with you more than once, all messages with that guest will show in the same conversation.

For Booking.com, you will see all guests who have made a booking from the 1st of June onwards, and your conversations will be grouped per booking. So, if the same guest books the same property with you more than once, you will have a new conversation with the guest for each new booking.

Why is my message not sending?

If your message fails to send, it may be because you have included some text that Airbnb do not allow the following info to be sent in a pre-booking enquiry: Phone numbers, email addresses, the words ‘WhatsApp’, ‘email’ or website names.

What happens with other Travelnest communications?

You will continue to receive an email regarding the creation of new Airbnb or Booking.com bookings, modifications and cancellations. Travelnest will no longer respond to guest queries on your behalf for Airbnb or Booking.com bookings.

All communication remains the same for all other channels.

You can continue to contact Travelnest Support by phoning or using our live chat. Any messages with Travelnest Support will not show in Guest Messaging.

What if I can’t do something the guest is asking me?

If a guest asks you about any of the following in relation to their booking, please let them know that they can request these via Airbnb or Booking.com directly; modifications, cancellation, deposit claim, or discount request. 

Where are my messages from Airbnb before the 27th of February 2023? 

Any messages sent from your Airbnb guests on or before the 27th of February will not be displayed in Messages. For these, you will need to refer to your email inbox. 

Where are my messages from Booking.com before the 1st of June 2023?

Any messages sent from Booking.com guests on or before the 1st of June will not appear in Messages. You will need to refer to your email inbox for these as well.  

Can I add templates or auto-responses?

At the moment we don't provide any templates or auto-responses in the Guest Messaging feature this will be available in the future. However, we've put together this guide here with a few message templates so you can copy and paste these templates to each conversation to help you communicate with your guests.

Can I add photos or attachments to my messages?

For more information about attachments, read our guide here. 

How can I give feedback on Guest messages?

You can complete our quick survey here.

What should I do if a guest asks me about payment? 

Please ask the guest to refer to their email and call Travelnest if they need further support.