TripAdvisor Owner Response Rates & Times

If you have a property advertised on TripAdvisor via Flipkey or HolidayLettings you will probably be aware of your ‘Response Rate’ and ‘Response Time’.

As well as updating your calendar regularly, these are important factors both in terms of how high your listing is positioned and how quickly potential guests will assume you are going to reply. They are calculated daily.

How are ‘Response Rates’ calculated?

Your HolidayLettings Response Rate (as of May 2013) is calculated on whether you have replied to your last 20 enquiries within 24 hours. If you have not yet had 20 enquiries with Holiday Lettings the figure will be based on the ones you have received. With FlipKey you will need to have received at least four. The FlipKey calculation is across all properties listed by an owner/manager.

How are FlipKey ‘Response Times’ calculated?

FlipKey also displays a Response Time and this is calculated by the average amount of time it takes an owner/manager to respond to the last 20 inquiries or booking requests (minimum of four).

FlipKey Owner Details (displayed to guests)

About the owner
(Your Name) | Full profile
Response rate: 100%
Response time: Within a day

HolidayLettings Owner Details (displayed to guests)

You’re booking with
(Owner Name)
100%
Response rate

Flaws with Response Rates/Times

In order to maintain a high response rate, owners can reply direct to encripted email enquiries, use their dashboard or contact the guest via the mobile app.

However emailing a guest directly using their personal email address (only available to annual subcribers) does not count. If you sign into your FlipKey account to retrieve a telephone number to call a guest, this will be credited to you however this does not apply with HolidayLettings.

Further issues, noted by hosts in our recent listings sites survey, arise when owners are forced to quicky reply to unavailable dates, scam messages or guest enquiries under a minimum stay. This can be especially frustrating for those paying subscriptions as they are essentially forced to use the dashboard and not having control to use their own preferred method of communication.