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Guide · Answer each once

40 questions guests ask before booking

If you run a small guesthouse, B&B, holiday rental or tour company, you already know the strange truth of the inbox: almost nothing in it is new. The same forty-odd questions come in all day, in three languages, at two in the morning, from guests who have not booked yet and want to be sure.

The fix is not answering faster. It is answering each question once, in writing, where every future guest can find it — and answering it the same way every time, because a price or a policy you say by accident is a policy you are held to. Below is the list, grouped the way guests actually ask. Your own answers will be shorter than you think: most are one sentence about your place.

Arrival and check-in

The hours before arrival are when guests write most, especially from another time zone.

  1. What time is check-in, and can I arrive earlier or later?
  2. How do I get the keys if you are not there?
  3. Is there somewhere to park, and does it cost anything?
  4. How far are you from the airport or train station?
  5. Can you arrange an airport or ferry pickup?
  6. What is your exact address for the taxi driver?
  7. Do you hold luggage before check-in or after check-out?

The room and the stay

Guests are picturing themselves in the room. Vague answers here cost bookings.

  1. Does the room have air conditioning or heating?
  2. Is the bathroom private or shared?
  3. How many people does the room or rental sleep, and how are they bedded?
  4. Is there Wi-Fi, and how fast is it really?
  5. Is the place quiet at night?
  6. Are towels and bedding provided, and are they changed mid-stay?
  7. Is the accommodation suitable for children, or for a wheelchair?

Food and drink

For guesthouses with breakfast, these decide between you and the place next door.

  1. Is breakfast included, and what is served?
  2. What time is breakfast, and can it be earlier on my departure day?
  3. Can you cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or halal?
  4. Is there a kitchen or kettle I can use?
  5. Are there restaurants within walking distance?
  6. Can you store or prepare baby food and formula?

Getting there and around

Guests plan days from your answers, so "about 10 minutes on foot" beats "close by".

  1. How far is the beach, the old town, the trailhead or the nearest sight?
  2. Is there a bus or a boat, and how often does it run?
  3. Can I rent a car, scooter or bicycle nearby?
  4. Do you offer or recommend a local guide or tour?
  5. Where is the nearest supermarket, pharmacy or cash machine?
  6. Is the area walkable in the evening?

Booking, payment and cancellation

These are the questions a wrong answer makes you honour, so write them down word for word.

  1. What is the total price, including all fees and taxes?
  2. Is a deposit required, and how much?
  3. When is the balance due, and how do I pay it?
  4. What is your cancellation policy, and what happens if I cancel late?
  5. What happens if you have to cancel on me?
  6. Do you charge for extra guests, cots or pets?
  7. What are the check-out time and late check-out options?
  8. Do you take card payment, or cash only?

For tour operators

Tour guests ask the same safety and inclusion questions every operator hears daily.

  1. What exactly is included in the price, and what is not?
  2. How long is the tour, and how much of it is walking or swimming?
  3. What should I bring, and what should I wear?
  4. What happens if the weather is bad?
  5. Is the tour suitable for children or non-swimmers?
  6. What is your refund policy if the trip does not run?

Now answer each one, once

Take the list and strike out everything your place never gets asked; add the three local questions only your guests ask. What is left is your guest-question list, and it is worth writing properly, because it doubles as your FAQ page and as the script for whoever answers your inbox — including a helper. The ones about price, deposit and cancellation deserve exact wording: those are the answers a guest can hold you to.

This list is where HelpLingo AI starts too. It is a chat widget for your own website that answers guest questions only from the facts you have written and approved, shows which fact each answer came from, and hands the guest to you rather than guessing when nothing covers the question — so a wrong refund rule is never invented on your behalf. It is Free at $0 with 50 AI answers a month, and $19 a month for 300 answers. The sample answer on our home page shows what one looks like.

HelpLingo AI itself is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp, which is how a one-person company can keep guides like this one current.