Inbox enhancements to manage communication with guests

Editor’s note: This article was published as part of the Airbnb 2023 Summer Release. Information may have changed since its publication. Learn more about our latest product release.

Successful hosting requires effective communication with guests, which can be time-consuming. We’re announcing two upgrades to simplify communication: read receipts and new quick replies.

You told us you’d like to know whether guests have received your messages. With read receipts, Hosts and guests can tell if their messages have been read.

Once you or your guests have read a message sent through the Airbnb app, a read indicator appears just below the last message in the message thread. 

By default, all Airbnb users will have read receipts turned on by early June. To turn them off, go to the Privacy and sharing section of your account settings.

Quick replies and scheduled messages already save time. Now you can add a handy visual card linking to your new checkout instructions to any quick reply or scheduled message. 

To help you do this faster, we’re adding auto suggestions within your inbox. Here’s how they work:

• If your guest sends a message asking about checkout, you’ll get an auto suggestion to send a quick reply that links to checkout instructions. 

• If you haven’t yet created your checkout instructions, you’ll get an auto suggestion to do so, and then you can share them as a quick reply card. 

These inbox features are part of the Airbnb 2023 Summer Release, featuring 25 upgrades for Hosts. Opt in to Early Access to start using these new tools today.