One of the most critical parts of a vacation rental operation is communicating with guests. Excellent communication skills convey respect for guests’ enquiries and feedback, enhancing the guest experience. However, communicating with guests is also one of the most time-consuming segments of this business. Platforms like Airbnb have developed features to automate communications through scheduled messages. But does Vrbo offer an automated messaging service as well?
The short answer is NO. Vrbo does provide some relevant services, but it is not a fully automated messaging feature. Typically, an automated messaging system includes reminders, thank you letters, and scheduled messages before/after booking and check-in/out.
For now, Vrbo does not employ a fully automated messaging system. However, there are ways to automate outgoing communications to guests at various points in the booking process.
To explore this concept further, let’s take a quick look at Vrbo’s relevant messaging services.
Table of Contents
Vrbo Welcome Message
To enhance the guest experience, Vrbo sends an automated welcome guide seven days before check-in. This email contains all the details guests should know about their stay.
You don’t have to send welcome letters for every booking you receive from Vrbo. This information is also accessible through the Vrbo app and the web, and it’s sent only to guests who have confirmed their reservations.
For each property, you can prepare a welcome message that includes information such as:
Guidance on using amenities like laundry
Host contact details
Property directions and location
Instructions for parking
Check-in and check-out guide
Vrbo Secure Messaging
Vrbo offers mediated pre-booking communication to secure conversations between potential guests and the host. The aim is to prevent sharing unnecessary information between the host and guest before confirming a booking.
When answering booking requests through Vrbo secure messaging, two templates are used automatically. If the property is available upon the guest’s request, the “Available Template” is used; otherwise, the “Non-available Template” is applied.
Templates contain editable plain text, but you can’t add email addresses, phone numbers, logos, images, or HTML text. If you use these contents, they will be automatically removed from the message to keep the conversation secure.
Vrbo Email Templates
Using email templates saves a considerable amount of time. To streamline communicating with guests and easily follow an email sequence, Vrbo has provided easy-to-use email templates.
You can name each template whatever you want, as only you can see the title of the email template. This allows you to quickly locate the template you wish to use. Vrbo also allows you to add attachments to the templates, which is especially useful for check-in emails that should contain check-in instructions.
How Can I Automate All Guest Messaging on Vrbo?
Don’t know how to automate all Vrbo messages? Your channel manager and PMS can make it possible for you. Many Property Management Systems provide an automated messaging service as part of their software. So you can easily sync messages between Vrbo and your PMS. Your PMS can also offer valuable integrations with some auto-messaging tools, such as ClickSend, to make the process more straightforward.
Moreover, some PMSes implement a unified inbox to communicate the right messages at the right time to the right guest. A unified inbox can organise all the emails and messages from different booking platforms, including Vrbo, into a single feed. Thus, you can set all sorts of emails and SMS, from booking confirmations to review reminders, through the unified inbox.
Aside from some unique messaging services like the automated ‘Welcome’ message, there is no particular Vrbo automated messaging system. However, a professional Property Management System can make it possible. By accessing many resources and using the latest hospitality tools, a PMS can regulate SMS and emails from various listing sites, making your real estate business more efficient.
