From First Click to Lasting Loyalty: How Trust Shapes the Short-Term Rental Guest Experience
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The Essential Role of Trust For Short-Term Rental Travellers
Trust is such a basic tenet in our industry but it’s rarely mentioned. It’s considered an afterthought to the arguably more appealing areas of marketing, dynamic pricing and revenue management. These are measurable - they can be stark reminders on a spreadsheet or a database that action needs to be taken or resources diverted.
Yet, trust is the assurance that your guests have in your ability to deliver what you promise.
Trust leads to repeat business, positive reviews, and referrals and without it, potential guests might look elsewhere for accommodations.
The Evolution of Trust in Hospitality
Decades ago, before the online world made it all so impersonal, hosts and managers talked to their guests before they booked.
Yes, it sounds weird, but people actually picked up a phone, made a call and had a real conversation with the owners or managers of the property they wanted to stay in. They shared why they wanted to vacation there and what they wanted to experience. The owner described the home, and often used emotional language and imagery to explain what it was like. They told their story too.
When the guests arrived, their hosts knew their names, the ages of their kids and often what they did for a living.
And the guests felt confident that all would be as described and if any problems arose, they would be handled well.
Technology has added multiple layers of difficulty onto the trust process, and now that AI has entered the field with increased use of automated responses and bots, it has become increasingly hard to create the those relationships.
A recent Facebook post promoted a bot platform that would ‘eliminate 90% of human contact with guests’.
Maybe this is fine with some guests, but as most of us can easily recognize non-human communications, this gets into dangerous territory.
Of course we want to use technology to reduce the time spent in our businesses but can it still be done without taking away the personal connection?
The Neuroscience of Trust: Understanding the Brain's Role
A word about Oxytocin.
Let’s take a moment to consider the connection between neuroscience and trust.
Trust is fundamentally a psychological state influenced by the brain's processing of social cues and past experiences. When a guest considers booking a short-term rental online, several areas of their brain are engaged, including those responsible for emotion, decision-making, and memory. For a guest on a mission to book a vacation, these brain regions work together to evaluate the trustworthiness of the owner, and the listing, based on available information.
The contribution of oxytocin, which has been labelled the ‘trust hormone’ can’t be overlooked as well.
There have been numerous studies looking at the correlation between oxytocin and trust. In this study the researchers found that oxytocin was associated with the belief in caution against social uncertainty, rather than the belief in the trustworthiness of others.
Traditionally, oxytocin was believed to enhance trust by making people more open and less fearful of betrayal. However, recent findings, including this study, suggest that oxytocin's role might be more about reducing cautiousness and fear of betrayal, rather than directly increasing trust or altering perceptions of kindness in others. The study found that oxytocin is linked to a decrease in cautious behavior, especially in individuals who naturally place a high emphasis on avoiding betrayal. This implies that oxytocin's effect on trust-related behavior varies depending on individual attitudes towards trust and caution. This new understanding could be particularly insightful for short-term rental guests, as it suggests that oxytocin might influence their level of caution in trusting new environments or hosts, rather than altering their inherent trust levels.
So, oxytocin has to be released in oder for it to impact how a potential guest might feel about us. This release can take place through physical contact, like hugging or petting a dog. Well, that’s unlikely to happen so fortunately the hypothalamus is just one part of the brain involved in trust - the pre-frontal cortex and the amygdala play their parts as well.
If this all fires up your interest, this article explains it in a little more detail.
Key Trust Signals for Your Short-Term Rental Website
Neuroscience aside, there are a range of factors that influence trust in a direct booking site:
- Reputation and Reviews:
The guest’s brain assesses these as social proof, helping to build trust. Positive reviews activate reward-related areas in the brain, signalling that the decision to trust the owner is likely a good one.
- Website Design and Usability:
A professional, easy-to-navigate website can instill confidence. The brain's response to aesthetic and functional design can positively influence the perception of credibility and trustworthiness.
- Clear Communication:
Direct and clear communication from the owner, whether through the website or personal messages, can foster trust. The brain evaluates this communication as a sign of transparency and reliability. However, be aware that too much use of automated or bot responses can have the opposite effect.
- Secure Payment Systems:
The presence of secure payment options activates the brain's risk assessment mechanisms, reducing anxiety associated with financial transactions and increasing trust.
- Personalization:
Personalized touches, such as tailored recommendations or a welcome message, can create a sense of care and attention, fostering trust even without direct human contact. Again, be wary of the bots…
- Consistency and Reliability:
Consistency in the information provided across various platforms (like the rental site, social media, etc.) contributes to a sense of reliability, reinforcing trust.
To put all of this into context, let’s consider the journey a guest might take and how her trust is developed in a provider through the thought they have put into the process.
Case Study: Mary's Journey with Sunny Vacations
Mary, is looking for the perfect vacation for her family and stumbles upon "Sunny Vacations", a property management company offering a charming seaside cottage. Intrigued but cautious, Mary embarked on a journey of trust-building with Sunny Vacations, guided by her own intuition and the subtle workings of her brain.
1. First Impressions: The Website
She clicks on the Sunny Vacations website. It was well-designed, with vibrant colors and easy navigation, immediately creating a sense of professionalism. Her brain, particularly the areas responsible for processing visual appeal, responded positively, making her feel more at ease and open to considering their service.
2. Above the fold: Trust Signals
The site has a Trust certification that is clearly shown on the home page and the Menu shows a Trust page and an About Us page - two signals that the company cares about earning her trust by sharing information about themselves, and talking about how they value the trust she is going to put in them when accept her money. When she reads the About Us story and sees the photos of the owners her hypothalamus begins to release oxytocin, reducing any initial caution she had felt.
3 Social Proof: Reviews and Ratings
Scrolling down, Mary finds an array of glowing reviews from previous guests. Each positive comment about the cleanliness, comfort, and exceptional service is like a nod of approval to her amygdala, the part of her brain that processes emotions. The high ratings act as social proof, reassuring her that others had pleasant experiences.
4. Clear Communication: Interaction with the Company
Mary has questions, so she used the website's chat feature and selects an option to talk to a representative from Sunny Vacations. She gets a prompt and friendly responses from what is clearly a real person. This clear and direct communication triggered her prefrontal cortex, the decision-making part of her brain, signaling that this company was reliable and trustworthy.
5. Security: Booking and Payment
When it comes time to book, Mary notices the multiple secure payment options. Her brain's risk assessment mechanisms, governed by areas like the insula, are calmed by these security measures, reducing her anxiety about the financial transaction.
6. Personal Touch: Final Reassurance
Just before finalizing her booking, Mary receives a personalized message from Sunny Vacations, including local tips and a warm welcome. This unexpected personal touch speaks to Mary's hippocampus, the memory center, reminding her of previous positive travel experiences and reinforcing her trust.
7. The Leap of Trust: Booking the Cottage
With all these positive signals aligning, Mary feels a sense of trust towards Sunny Vacations. Her brain has processed all the cues - visual, emotional, rational, and experiential - and concludes that booking the seaside cottage is a safe and rewarding choice. She clicks 'Book Now' with a smile, looking forward to her sunny seaside adventure.
So, Mary's journey through the decision making process with Sunny Vacations highlights the intricate ways in which our brains process various cues and past experiences to make decisions in the digital world.
Her story is a testament to the power of thoughtful customer engagement and the importance of trust in the virtual realm.
Now it’s time for you to take a look at your website and decide if all the signals are in place for your guests to trust you enough to book.
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