I analyzed 24,000 Airbnb guest messages. Here's what they actually ask.

I've been hosting on Airbnb since December 2016. One property in West Sacramento. Two listings. Not a destination city.

Over those years I exchanged 24,629 messages across 1,499 conversations with 1,236 unique guests. I downloaded every single one and had them analyzed.

I wanted to know: what do guests actually talk about? Not what I assumed. Not what Airbnb's help center says. What does the data show?

Finding #1: Nearly half of every conversation is about getting in the door

Door codes. Lockbox instructions. Keypad not working. "Which door do I use?" "Is there a gate code?"

Not WiFi. Not the hot tub. Not restaurant recommendations. Getting in the door was the single most discussed topic for nearly a decade.

This makes sense when you think about it. The first thing a guest does is arrive. And arrival is the most stressful moment of any stay — they're tired, they have luggage, it might be dark, and they need to figure out your specific combination of doors, gates, and lockboxes.

Finding #2: The messages hit when you're off the clock

During the day I'm fast. My median response time is about 10 minutes. But after 10pm? Average response time jumped to 5 to 6 hours.

A guest standing at the door at 11pm is waiting until morning. A guest who can't figure out the hot tub at 9pm is going to bed frustrated. That frustration shows up in reviews.

Finding #3: The arrival window is everything

This is the window. Guests are traveling, arriving, walking in for the first time, discovering the property. Between 4pm and midnight, they're figuring out how everything works. The door code. The thermostat. The TV remote. The coffee maker.

And you're probably at dinner, putting your kids to bed, or already asleep.

Finding #4: The same requests, over and over

142 guests asked for early check-in. That's 11.5% of all guests — same request, different conversation, every time. Completely predictable.

The early check-in question alone generated hundreds of messages across a decade. Multiply that by every other recurring question (checkout time, WiFi password, how to use the fire pit) and you start to see the scale of repetition.

Finding #5: Guest messages are short

Guests aren't writing essays. They have one question. They want one answer. Right now.

That's the mismatch with guidebooks, PDF welcome packets, and detailed info binders. You spent hours writing them. Your guest isn't reading them. They're going to message you instead — in 23 words or less.

Finding #6: Most stays are actually smooth

Here's the thing nobody talks about. 58.7% of my guest threads include post-stay gratitude. Only 23.3% include any during-stay questions at all.

The majority of stays go perfectly. The property is well-run. The systems work. The guest shows up, enjoys themselves, and leaves a great review.

But the ones that don't? Those are the ones that stick. One unanswered question at the wrong moment is the difference between a 5-star and a 4-star. And when your business runs on ratings, that gap matters.

What this means for hosts

The data tells a simple story:

Your guests have predictable questions. They ask them at unpredictable times. And they want answers immediately — not in 5 hours.

No amount of guidebooks, templates, or automated messages solves this. Because the problem isn't information. Guests have the information. It's in the guidebook. It's in the pre-arrival message.

The problem is access. At 11pm, standing at the door with luggage, your guest doesn't want to scroll through a PDF. They want to ask someone.

That's why I built OnStay. Not because I was a bad host — my data proves the opposite. Because even a great host can't be available 24 hours a day. And the moments you miss are the ones that end up in your reviews.