Communicating with Hosts

This article addresses the following:

• Communicating Best Practices
• How to Contact a Host Before a Booking
• When will the Host Respond?
• Using the Swimply Inbox

Communicating Best Practices

• Communicate with Hosts clearly in a timely manner. Be sure to respond quickly to Hosts since you are the party making the booking request. There may be some important information you need to be aware of
• If how to access the space is unclear before the day of the booking please reach out directly to the host to clarify access rules. This will eliminate stress when already at the listing. 
• Work out all the details before, no one likes surprises. Communicate expectations, potential issues, or needs prior to the reservation to ensure that everyone has the best time possible. 
• Keeping messaging in the Swimply Chat allows our support team to quickly get caught up if there are any issues or changes requested. All communication and payment should be directed through the Swimply app.

How to Contact a Host Before a Booking

You may have questions for a Host prior to making your reservation! We have a quick, and easy way to do this through the website or app!

First, you must create a Swimply account if you don't already have one. Next, go to the listing page of the venue you are interested in booking. To initiate a conversation with a Host, simply scroll down to the review section on the left hand side, then click on the Contact Host button in green below.

Next, you'll be prompted to enter your interested date, time and number of guests. Once you've filled in each of these sections, this will enable the Start Conversation button. Once you're ready, press this button to send your first message!

You can easily send messages from your account on our website or through our mobile app.  

All conversations and correspondence between you and a Host should be done through the messaging feature on our platform. Sharing phone numbers and contact information is not permitted. Arranging to take payment offline or at the pool (with cash/transfer apps or credit card) is against our Terms and Conditions. 

 

When will the Host Respond?

Once you make a reservation request, we immediately notify the Host of the request.

Your Host has 24 hours to accept or decline the request. Some Hosts will use this time to gather more information about your request. Please be as patient and respectful as possible.

The reservation request will expire if the Host does not accept or decline the request within 24 hours. 

Pro tip: Use instant booking to confirm a reservation immediately and skip the wait.

Upon confirming, you'll receive an email with the listing's address, special access instructions, and any other notes your Host wants to share with you before the Reservation.

As always, if you have a question for a host, either before or after your reservation is confirmed, you can message the host via the Swimply chat. If you have any concerns about getting ahold of your Host, Swimply Customer Care is happy to assist! 

 

Using the Swimply Inbox

Through the Swimply app or website, you have the ability to communicate with potential Hosts in the Swimpy Inbox prior to, during, and after the booking. The inbox is a great way to ask your Host some clarifying questions about the listing and booking specifics. After requesting a booking you should make sure to turn on your notifications in the app an pay attention to any messages from your Host. There may be important details you need to know. It is important to be as responsive as possible…. after all, you are the one requesting the booking!  

We advise all communication regarding a reservation be had through the Swimply chat, that way it's easier for Swimply Customer Care to confirm conversations or track events if you ever need assistance. Please note that sharing phone numbers, contact information, or arranging to take payment offline or at the pool (with cash or credit card) is against our Terms and Conditions. Swimply will not honor transactions made with your Host off the platform and the booking will not be protected by our Swimply Protection Guarantee.

After the booking is complete, you and your Host will have the opportunity to review each other. Reviews are an invaluable part of building trust between Guests and Hosts in our marketplace as well as rooting out any concerning behavior, so we appreciate you honestly communicating your experience.

In order for a Guest to contact a Host:

• A potential Guest must have a completed profile to message a host. 
• Guests must select a date, time, and headcount to send with their message to help center your conversation. If Hosts have Instant Booking enabled on their Pool, they may be Confirmed already when contacting you. If you manually approve your reservations, they may show as Pending.
• If a Guest requests a booking, their name automatically appears in the Hosts inbox.

In order for a Host to contact Guest (for context):

• Hosts can only chat with potential Guests if the Guest has already initiated a conversation or if they have requested reservation with the Host's Pool.
• Any existing conversation thread can be accessed in the Inbox section.
• To start a new conversation go to the Reservations section, select the desired user, create your message, and use "Send A Message".

It's very important to note that all users must acknowledge and accept the following rules on the Swimply chat prior to using the chat:

 

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