The guest message playbook: 10 moments that decide your review score

Most review scores are decided before the guest ever sees the pool. They are decided in the inbox: the reply that came in four minutes instead of four hours, the directions that worked at 9pm in the rain, the complaint that got fixed before it became a paragraph on Airbnb.

After years of running villas and apartments, we see the same ten moments again and again. Get these right and five stars become routine. Get two of them wrong and you are explaining a 4.6 to yourself at midnight.

The 10 moments

1. Booking confirmation. The guest just paid and is quietly wondering if you are real. Reply within the hour.

Hi Anna, thank you for booking Villa Kemuning for 12–16 March! We'll send directions and check-in details 3 days before you arrive. Any questions until then, just message here.

2. Three days before arrival. This is the message guests screenshot. Put everything in one place: address, map pin, check-in time, parking, who meets them.

Hi Anna, see you Thursday! Check-in is from 2pm. Map pin: [link]. Our host Made will meet you at the gate. Flight times? We can arrange a driver.

3. Check-in day directions. Lost guests leave angry reviews. Send a photo of the gate and the last turn, not just a pin.

Hi Anna, the last turn is after the yellow Indomaret, our gate is the dark wooden one with the number 7. Made is waiting there from 2pm.

4. Wi-Fi and house questions. Small question, big signal. A fast answer says "someone is looking after you".

The Wi-Fi is "Kemuning_5G", the password is on the card by the TV. If it drops, the router is in the cabinet under the stairs: switch it off for 10 seconds.

5. Early check-in request. Never promise what housekeeping can't deliver. Check the calendar first: if last night was vacant, say yes.

Good news: the villa was empty last night, so you can check in from 11am. Your room will be ready when you arrive.

If it isn't possible, offer luggage storage and a time you can guarantee.

6. Mid-stay check. One message on day two, not every day. It catches small problems while you can still fix them.

Hi Anna, just checking everything is good with the villa. Anything you need, towels, a fan, a restaurant tip?

7. A complaint. This moment decides more scores than the other nine combined. Use four steps:

I'm really sorry the AC in the bedroom isn't cooling, that's on us. Our technician is on the way and will be there by 4pm. I'll message you after he leaves to make sure it's fixed.

8. Late checkout. If no one arrives the same day, a late checkout costs you almost nothing. Offer it before they ask.

Your flight is in the evening? There's no guest arriving today, so you're welcome to stay until 2pm for IDR 300,000.

9. Checkout morning. Short and warm. Tell them what to do with the keys, rubbish and AC, and nothing else.

Good morning Anna! Checkout is 11am. Please leave the keys on the table and switch off the AC. Safe travels!

10. Review request. Send it within 24 hours of checkout, while the stay is fresh. Be specific, not needy.

Thank you for staying with us, Anna! If you enjoyed the villa, a review would mean a lot to our small team. We'd love to host you again.

Response-time targets

Write in the guest's language

A Korean family will forgive a slow pool heater. They will remember a host who wrote "안녕하세요" back.

• Reply in the language the guest wrote in, even if it's only the first and last line.
• Keep sentences short. Translation tools handle short sentences far better.
• Write times as "2pm" and dates as "12 March", never "12/3", which reads differently in different countries.
• Avoid local slang and jokes. Warmth survives translation, humour often doesn't.
• Keep a saved version of messages 2, 3 and 9 in your top five guest languages.

Where Santara AI fits

Santara AI brings guest messages from Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia into one inbox. Each message is translated into your language, and the AI drafts a reply in the language you choose, usually the guest's. Nothing is sent until you press Send.

The Daily Brief arrives at 6am with today's arrivals, departures, cleans and guests needing attention. Late checkout and early check-in opportunities are spotted from the calendar, priced from your live nightly rate, and you decide whether to offer them.

Your first 3 months are free.