We recently asked you, our property managers, how booking inquiries were going. Your answers were clear, and a little surprising.
Many of you told us you weren’t hearing back from travelers all the time. At the same time, travelers were telling us they weren’t hearing back from hosts. Both sides were reaching out, but the conversation wasn’t connecting. In some cases, replies were landing in junk folders and never being seen.
That’s a broken journey, and it’s one we knew we could fix. So we did.
What changed: two emails became one
Before: When a traveler sent an inquiry, Stay sent two separate emails. You received a “New booking inquiry” email with the traveler’s details, and the traveler received a separate confirmation that their request had been sent. Each side was left waiting for the other to make the first move.
Now: Every inquiry starts one shared email thread with both you and the traveler on it. You’re introduced to each other right away, with everything you need in one place: who’s on the thread, the property, dates, number of guests, and the traveler’s message.
Now: one email that connects you and the traveler on the same thread
Why one thread works better
- Either side can start the conversation. You no longer have to wait on each other. If the traveler replies first, you’ll see it; if you reply first, they will.
- Fewer messages lost to junk. Replies stay inside an existing thread, so they’re far less likely to be filtered into spam.
- No more “which property was this?” The property, dates, and guest details stay at the top of the conversation, so the traveler always knows exactly which stay you’re talking about.
The early results are encouraging. Since the switch, we’ve already seen a lot more back-and-forth between hosts and travelers.
How to get the most out of it
- Hit Reply All. This keeps the traveler, you, and Stay on the same thread, so nothing gets split off or lost.
- Keep Stay on the thread. Staying copied helps us see where conversations stall, so we can find better ways to support you and help more inquiries turn into bookings.
- Respond quickly. Travelers are often comparing a few places at once. A fast, friendly reply makes a real difference.
We’re always listening
This change happened because you took the time to tell us what wasn’t working. That feedback shapes what we build next, and we’ll keep making changes based on it.
Have an idea, a frustration, or something you’d love to see on Stay? We want to hear it.
Thank you for being part of Stay. We’re building this with you.