Download the full transcript PDF.

[00:00:00] Sarah: Hello. Welcome back for another great episode. My name is Sarah Karakaian.

[00:00:03] Annette: I am Annette Grant. And together we are–

[00:00:05] Both Annette & Sarah: Thanks for Visiting.

[00:00:06] Sarah: And this is the–

[00:00:07] Both Annette & Sarah: Hosting Hotline.

[00:00:08] Sarah: The Hosting Hotline is where any listener can head on over to hostinghotline.com, ask your question about hosting, about business, about marketing, and we’ll answer it here on these Tuesday episodes. They are one of our favorite things to do. We know what is challenging you right now, what’s going on in the hosting industry, what has you stuck. Let us help you get unstuck. So again, it’s hostinghotline.com. Ask your question. We love these episodes, so please keep them coming. Today we have a question from Vanessa.

[00:00:39] Question: Hey, y’all. I’ve been hosting for two years and listening to your podcast for almost as long. I’ve learned a lot from you, but I’ve never heard this issue addressed. I have a small apartment on five acres in rural Florida, and we are pet-friendly. We don’t get very many children simply because of the nature of the apartment.

[00:00:58] When I was updating my welcome book, I created a page to warn guests of the possible dangerous wildlife that could be found in the area. My intent is to ensure that they are careful themselves and to encourage closely watching their pets. When I finished the page, there were seven listed warnings. I do mention in the listing that some of the property is going back to nature. Is this too much scary information or is forewarned forearmed? Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks so much for everything you do to help our industry. All the best.

[00:01:34] Sarah: Here’s what I know, Vanessa, we’re going to address your question.

[00:01:38] Annette: But we want to hang out with you.

[00:01:39] Sarah: Yeah, I want to hang out with you, and I have to imagine that your messaging is so clear and concise and it’s only what needs to be said and shared. So without seeing the seven points, just from the way you speak and present yourself and ask this question, I’m going to assume that these seven questions are exactly what your guest needs to know in order to ensure safety for themselves and their pets.

[00:02:04] Annette: You even said it, Vanessa, and I don’t know if this is part of your messaging. Re-listen to this back, but you even said, my intent is to ensure and protect you, for your safety. And the way that you said that, my intent, even just sometimes relaying that, I’m not trying to, like you said, be too scary in this forewarning. I love like, my intent is just to keep you safe. You’re thinking of them first, being very guest centric.

[00:02:37] But we do want to offer some advice. And, Vanessa, you are right. We have not really talked about wildlife, AKA nature, maybe alligators, bears, insects. I don’t know what you got going on in this nature. But first and foremost, we do think you probably just don’t need to message this in one place.

[00:02:55] And this also might become more important as you’re getting to know your guest. And, a, if someone’s coming with a pet, you might want to reiterate the message a little bit different because everyone wants– or their children. You said you don’t get many, but if someone is coming, really [Inaudible] that messaging, like, I know you’re coming with small children. I just want to make sure that you’re very aware.

[00:03:15] I know you’re coming with your fluffy pride of joy, whoever their pet is. But maybe addressing it that way, they know this isn’t just a blanket thing. You’re really making it special messaging, even though you have it somewhere else, but then reiterating it. Maybe it’s a different time of year, that different nature, different animals are around, and then also just the difference between having maybe a pet versus a child.

[00:03:39] Sarah: Yeah. When Annette and I listened to your question, and we love that you’re putting in your welcome book, but we do know, and it can be frustrating sometimes, but not all guests look at the welcome book. And by the time they’re already there, maybe they don’t get to it until the next morning, when they’re drinking their coffee, they flip it open. And so if it really is seven points, that can be life threatening if they’re not aware.

[00:03:59] Annette: To them or their pet or children.

[00:04:02] Sarah: Addressing it in a way that before they arrive– our next phase of this answer is I don’t want to have fun with safety concerns necessarily, but there are ways that it can actually drive home your points in a way that is very memorable for your guest.

[00:04:19] So while you’ll have in your welcome book and maybe also in your pre-arrival messaging, and I wonder if this message is a standalone email, safety at our property, or some sort of subject line like that, when they’re at the property, is there some fun ways you can still get the message across but come at it in a way that’s maybe not as direct and poignant?

[00:04:42] And what I want to do, Vanessa, is ask you to, since you listened to our podcast and have for two years, re-listen to Episode 335. I don’t remember where in the episode our guest Sarah speaks about this, but she has a fun way of sharing her pet-friendly information with her guests where she actually talks to the guest’s pet, addresses them.

[00:05:06] It’s like, hey, Fido. Sarah here. And talks to Fido about all the different amenities she offers or things to watch out for. And as a pet mom, I can tell you that would be, first of all, memorable for me. Hone back the seriousness so I’m not terrified to come, but I also understand the point you’re trying to get across.

[00:05:27] And I wonder if you could have some fun or get creative with Sarah’s points in that episode about how she talks to her guests to really drive home some points that often get overlooked.

[00:05:38] Annette: And maybe people are actually coming to your property because of the nature.

[00:05:43] Sarah: I’m sure they are. Yeah.

[00:05:44] Annette: So almost highlighting it as embracing the nature and saying, because of our beautiful landscape and the wild terrain, these are things that you might encounter. And the one thing I really want to hit home here, Vanessa, is exactly what Sarah said. Yes, it might be in your welcome message. It might be in a direct message to the guests, but that might only go to the person that booked the property. So you want to make sure you do have it inside the home somewhere.

[00:06:11] So if it is the partner of the guest or the friend of the guest or just other guests staying, that messaging is clear for everyone. Sometimes they’re not sharing all of that information. So having it somewhere in the home that they can read it. And you could probably have some fun there.

[00:06:27] I just think about when I go to parks for walking or hiking and they have those boards, the boards always have some safety. Maybe it’s poison ivy, poison oak, or animals there, but they do it in a really fun way. And a lot of times there’s graphics. There’s visuals associated with it.

[00:06:46] So if you could do something with the visuals so they’re like, oh, there’s an alligator or there’s this type of plant that I need to watch out for. I can’t let my dogs eat that. It’s poisonous. I think having visuals are also very helpful instead of just naming things off. And I know that that is very, very prominent.

[00:07:04] I would look to the National Park Service for inspiration also because when people travel to those parks. There are bears. There are moose. There are things that are dangerous. So I would see the way that the National Park Service also relays that message to their guests.

[00:07:20] Sarah: At the core of it, Vanessa, even if you feel those seven points are a lot or a bit scary, at the end of the day, you are responsible for their safety. And so I say that’s okay. And be clear, concise, and make sure it drives it home. 

[00:07:36] And you know what you could do, Vanessa, is when you make a connection with your guests, because I bet you’re doing that too, when they go to check out, or if you connect with them during their stay at all the morning after, you can ask them like, hey, I am really trying to make it so that our guests enjoy the nature around them, but also understand the importance of being safe and protect themselves while with our stay. Do you think our messaging was clear?

[00:08:00] Did you have any questions about it? Ask three, four, or five guests, Vanessa, since you just updated this page, did they read it? Did they even notice it? I think a lot of us are afraid to ask for feedback when it comes to that booking process or any of the safety elements in our home. And if you have a guest that you feel would be really welcome to connecting with you just for a few moments–

[00:08:21] Annette: Yeah, you have that rapport with them.

[00:08:23] Sarah: I think that’s okay.

[00:08:24] Annette: They’ll want to help.

[00:08:24] Sarah: Even when we stay at high-end resorts, the manager is waiting in the lobby, asking us how our stay is. So I know we want to let our guests enjoy their time, but letting them know that we really care about how our messages are received, have they received it? Could we improve on that messaging for future stays? And we know who those guests are who’d be more than willing to share that with us.

[00:08:43] Annette: And Vanessa, we appreciate you listening, and we appreciate you sending in this question and just you taking care of guests and caring like that. You are absolutely who we like to speak to and want more hosts to be like you. So well done, Vanessa.

[00:08:57] Sarah: With that, I am Sarah Karakaian.

[00:08:59] Annette: I am Annette Grant. And together we are–

[00:09:01] Both Annette & Sarah: Thanks for Visiting.

[00:09:02] Sarah: Talk to you next time.