Your first booking is mostly a matter of knowing what happens automatically and what needs you.
What happens automatically
- The guest pays in full at checkout. Koobo holds the money.
- The dates are blocked on your calendar.
- You are notified, and the booking appears in your dashboard.
- A binding agreement now exists between you and the guest.
What you need to do
1. Confirm and welcome. If you have an automatic message set, this happens for you. If not, message them.
2. Send arrival details two or three days before. Directions with a landmark, check-in time, and your number for the day. Siargao addresses are imprecise, so this matters more here than most places.
3. Prepare. Clean, check everything works, and have anything the guest needs ready.
4. Host. Be reachable on arrival day.
5. Check in once during the stay. A short message on the first morning. Guests rarely raise small problems unprompted, and a fixed problem usually produces a better review than a silent one.
Getting paid
Your payout is released after the booking is completed, not when it is made. It is generally initiated on the first Saturday morning after checkout, typically within 1 to 7 days, and the bank transfer can take up to 14 days after that.
Commission is deducted automatically: 12% on properties, 17% on activities and rentals. You are never invoiced.
Make sure your bank details and business permit are in place before your first checkout, because a payout cannot be released without them.
If something goes wrong
Message the guest first. If it cannot be resolved, email [email protected] with the booking reference. Problems raised during a booking are far easier to sort out than the same problem afterwards.
Afterwards
The guest can review within 30 days. Your first few reviews carry disproportionate weight, so the effort you put into an early booking pays off for a long time.