Did you know that you can create custom email templates on VRBO (HomeAway)?

And thank goodness for them!

VRBO email templates do a great job of streamlining our emails to guests – making our lives as vacation rental owners that much better. 🙂

The amount of time we save by using email templates is pretty significant.

We’re easily saving 5 – 10 minutes with every single email we send.

On top of that, the templates also allow us to maintain a consistent email sequence.

Without the templates, an email sequence would be difficult (if not impossible) to follow, and things would start falling through the cracks.

Both Airbnb and VRBO have email templates but, we find the VRBO email template interface is much easier to use.

In this post, we’ll go over where to find the email templates in VRBO’s menus, and how we do our templates.

Creating Email Templates On VRBO

You’re now in the Saved Templates section of VRBO / HomeAway.

Saved templates is where all the VRBO email template magic happens. 🙂

If you click the Select Template dropdown, it’ll show you all the saved templates you have on VRBO.

Naming Your VRBO Email Templates

The title of the email template is only visible to you, so you can name it whatever you’d like.

The point of the template title is to make it easy for you to find the template you want to use.

With our templates, we name them similar to what is listed in the email sequence.

The name starts with the sequence number (that way they’re listed in order) followed by a short description.

So our first message thanking the guest for booking with us is titled “1 – Thank you for Booking”

Using that naming convention makes it very easy to find the template you want to send them.

Add Attachments To Your VRBO Email Templates

To add an attachment to your email template click the paperclip icon in the lower left of your template message’s dialog.

That’ll give you the option to upload a new attachment or select an already uploaded attachment.

The VRBO Email Templates We Use

These are the templates that we have created/customized and used.

There are a few other template types on VRBO that aren’t listed below, but we have never really used those.

Dates Available

We customized the default template, and that’s the one we use to respond to guests when responding to an inquiry.

We as have 2 additional Dates Available templates, one that’s a follow up letting them know that their dates are still available and another that asks if they made their final decision.

Unavailable

The Default Unavailable template was customized and we have another template for inquirers that are under age.

General

Request Review

Under Request Review, we have the 3 review request messages from #9 in the email sequence.

What To Do On Other Listing Sites

We prefer VRBO’s template interface over Airbnb’s saved messages (their version of email templates).

So when we need to use a template for a response on another listing site, VRBO is our go to.

We go to VRBO, copy the template text we need and paste it into the response on the other listing site.

It is slower than when we use a template directly on VRBO or Airbnb, but it’s also a whole lot faster than trying to recreate a response from scratch on the other site.

You’re All Set!

If you’d like to setup Airbnb Saved Message (their version of email templates), take a look at this post, How To Create Airbnb Email Templates.

I hope this was helpful. Is there something you do differently with your templates?

Let me know in the comments below!

Enjoy this post? Pin it for later!

Airbnb email templates are vital to the sanity of vacation rental hosts.

Without them, there’s lots of time spent recreating the wheel every single time a message is sent out.

After reading this article, you’ll know how to create Airbnb email templates…well actually Airbnb saved messages to be exact. 🙂

It may take a little bit of time to set them up initially, but you’ll get all the time (and then some) back after just a few correspondences.

They’ll be a work in progress for a while (meaning you’ll be updating them here and there) but that part is pretty easy.

As you reread your templates or come across new material, you’ll find better ways to communicate the same thoughts.

Before you know it, you’ll have your templates ironed out and you’ll be left with rock-solid email templates.

If you’re not sure why you should be spending time on email templates, take a look at my previous post, Why You Need To Use Airbnb Email Templates.

Naming Your Templates

The title of the email template (saved message) is only visible to you, so you can name it whatever you’d like.

The point of the template title is to make it easy for you to find the template you want to use.

With our templates, we name them similar to what is listed in the email sequence.

The name starts with the sequence number (that way they’re listed in order) followed by a short description.

So our first message thanking the guest for booking with us is titled “1 – Thank you for Booking”

Using that naming convention makes it very easy to find the template you want to send them.

Creating Airbnb Email Templates

To access your Airbnb Saved Messages, go to your Inbox in your Host account and click on your inquiries.

What To Do On Other Listing Sites

We prefer VRBO’s interface, so that is our go-to for our templates.

But if you prefer Airbnb or don’t use VRBO, then you can use the Airbnb templates for other listing sites.

When you need to respond to someone on a listing site other than Airbnb, go to Airbnb, copy the template text we need, and paste it into the response on the other listing site.

It is slower than when using a template directly on Airbnb, but it’s also a whole lot faster than trying to recreate a response from scratch.

That’s It!

Now you know where and how to create your Airbnb email templates (saved messages) to streamline your Airbnb messaging process.

Was this helpful?

Is there something you do differently?

Enjoy this post? Pin it for later!

Make It Easy On Yourself – Create Email Templates

Sending emails to guests can be a time-consuming task… especially if it’s not done correctly.

And the more properties you have, the bigger the problem gets.

It’s a waste of your energy trying to come up with the right wording for a message every single time.

And chances are you’ll realize later that you forgot to include something in the message or later figure out a better way of saying something.

Instead, lighten the burden on yourself and start using email templates.

Using email templates makes it A LOT easier to respond to guests.

There’s no worse feeling than standing in the middle of a supermarket while grocery shopping, trying to compose a thank you message for a booking, and for the life of you – you can’t remember what your last thank you message said (ask us how we know that lol)

What’s The Point Of Templates

When we’ve mentioned to other VR owners that we use email templates, we’ve had mixed reactions.

We were surprised to hear that some owners weren’t very keen on the idea of templates.

Some of the surprising comments to us were, “I like composing the messages myself”, “it’s easy for me to write up the message”, and “I want to make sure I add that personal touch”.

We like using message templates because:

• It’s Fast
• It’s Easy
• It’s Consistent
• Your Best Message Wording Is Always Used

It’s Faster

That speed has a double benefit.

First, it takes up less of your time. A message is sent out in a few seconds compared to at best at least a few minutes.

Second, responding quickly to inquiries boosts your performance on the OTAs and helps you get the booking. 

They’re Easier

Composing a message from scratch can be difficult, especially if your on your phone and in the middle of something.

With a template, you select the template, customize it a little if needed and shoot it off. You don’t have to put much thought into it.

It typically takes less than a minute to respond to most messages using a template. 

Email Templates Are Consistent

Once you do this for a bit it’s good to know the patterns.  With Templates, along with a good email sequence, you’ll know what information was sent when.

Otherwise, you’ll always be looking at your previous correspondences to see if you remembered in the past to send them their house guide, or the house address, or whatever bit of information you were supposed to have sent them.

The Best Version Of Your Message Is Always Used

Not sure if this happens to you, but with us, we’re not always very eloquent. We have our moments of wordsmith genius… and other times not so much.

Prior to using templates, our messages were hit and miss.

We would kind of sort of remember a past guest that we responded to with a good response and start searching for that person in our messages and hopefully we’d find it then copy the text from there.

If we didn’t find the old message, we’d have to start creating a new message from scratch.

With templates whenever we are in wordsmith genius mode and something good comes out of us, we update the template.

And from that point forward, the best version we came up with to say something is always being used.

Remember – Templates Don’t Have To Be Impersonal

Where To Create Email Templates

Currently, the two biggest OTAs, HomeAway/VRBO and Airbnb both give you the ability to use email templates.

We personally prefer HomeAway’s interface for the templates but they both do the job well.

It’s probably also a good idea to keep your templates outside of an OTA, even if it’s just a document or email in your drafts folder.

That way you don’t have to start from zero when the unexpected happens.

Thanks For Reading

Well, there you have it.

Enjoy this post? Pin it for later!

If done right, an Airbnb email sequence will give your guests that extra bit of reassurance that they made the right decision when choosing your house.

Effective communication with your guests is vital to a smooth booking experience and stay for your guests.

Your message flow guides them through the booking process and tells them what to expect as well as what to do next.

We’ve spent quite a bit of time on our message flow, and updated our message templates as we gained experience.

Here we’re going to share what our Airbnb email sequence is and why, along with a few tips.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase any of these products, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We recommend these products only because we have experience with them and use them for our own business. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.

What’s The Goal Of Your Messages

Our email sequence hasn’t changed very much in the last few years.

We have ironed out a lot of the kinks, and questions from our guests are pretty rare.

No matter who your typical guest is, the right email sequence will show them that you haven’t forgotten about them, and it’ll also help them have a better stay – which translates to more great reviews!

That’s what every vacation rental host should aim for, especially in the beginning.

Reviews are the currency of vacation rentals – more reviews equals more revenue.

Try To Keep It Wooty

I know you have no idea what that means. Let me explain.

We try our best to keep our messages casual and relaxed. It hasn’t been that easy for us. It’s most likely because we came from the corporate world, where writing in a more professional tone was expected… and now I guess it’s ingrained into our being. lol

When we first started working on our message sequence, we realized that our messages were way too uptight.

After all, this isn’t a real estate closing. It’s someone booking their vacation, let’s make it more fun!

Back then, we used to get regular emails from a site called woot.com. They were kind of like a deal of the day website, and their messages were really fun and relaxed.

That fun and relaxing style was the writing style we were going for.

So from that point forward, we tried our best to make the email sequence “wooty”.

Our messages are still not full-on wooty, but we’re still a work in progress. 🙂

So without further ado, here’s the messaging flow we use after a guest books.

Email #1. Thank Them For Choosing Us

We send this message right after they book their stay.

The first thing we do is thank them.

Let’s face it, we know that there are a lot of vacation rentals to choose from out there.

Expressing our thanks for choosing us over the others is a great way to start the conversation off on the right foot.

We also ask them for proof of id. We want to make sure they are who they say they are and that they meet our minimum age requirement.

Email #2. Thank Them For The Copy Of Their License

Note: If our gut tells us that something feels off with the booking, this is where we let the guest know that we don’t think they would be the right fit for our house.

Email #3. Thank Them For Their Second Payment (if there was one)

Email #4. The Check-in Info

Email #5. The Welcome Message

Email #6. How Are They Doing?

Email #7. Would You Like A Late Check-Out?

Email #8. The Thank You Message

Email #9. Please Write A Review For Your Stay

Make Sure To Create Templates For Your Email Sequence

Templates have totally revolutionized corresponding to guests.

Putting some time into creating templates now will make responding to guests soooo much easier going forward. It really is a night and day difference.

If your ready to start saving some templates, take a look at my next article, how to create your Airbnb email templates and it’ll give you all the details you need to create them.

If you’re not sure you see the benefit, take a look at this post, why you need to use airbnb email templates. 

Did You Like The Email Sequence?

There’s the email sequence that we’ve used for several years for our vacation rental business.

Was there an email that you were missing?

Is there something you do differently?

Let me know in the comments below!

Enjoy This Post? Pin it for later!

Background photos created by freepik – www.freepik.com