Key points
- The guest wants to sleep. That is it.
- Settle these once per apartment and write them into your notes, so the reply is ready before the message arrives.
- No greeting, you are mid-conversation. The first reply is the one that saves most calls.
On this page
In Bangkok, Bali or Manila, "the aircon is not cold" is the message every host dreads at 11 PM. The guest is hot, tired and maybe a little angry. You are picturing a technician at 2,000 baht and a bad review. Most of the time, neither happens. In our experience, more than half of aircon complaints are the remote, the mode, or a filter, and a good reply fixes them in five minutes.
What the guest actually wants
The guest wants to sleep. That is it. They are not interested in the brand of compressor. They want the room cool within the hour, and they want to know someone is on it.
What they are worried about: that you will say "it works fine for everyone else" and leave them sweating until morning. The reply that works is the one that takes them seriously and gives them something to try right now.
Questions to answer for yourself first
Settle these once per apartment and write them into your notes, so the reply is ready before the message arrives.
- What mode does this unit need? Many remotes in the region default to "fan" or "auto" after a power cut. The snowflake (cool) icon is the one. Know what it looks like on your remote.
- What is the lowest sensible temperature? Setting 16 degrees does not cool faster, it just freezes the coil. 24 to 25 is where most units work best.
- Is there a breaker or an isolator switch? Some condos have a separate switch for the aircon near the fuse box. Guests flip it by accident.
- When was the filter last cleaned? A clogged filter is the most common cause of "running but not cold." If it has been more than a month, assume that is it.
- Who is your technician and what are their hours? Know the name, the LINE contact and whether they come at night. Know your cost so you do not have to decide under pressure.
- Is there a second unit or a fan? A fan in the cupboard turns a bad night into an acceptable one while you sort the real fix.
Three replies you can copy
No greeting, you are mid-conversation. The first reply is the one that saves most calls.
Sorry about that, let us get it sorted. Three quick checks that fix this most of the time. First, press MODE on the remote until the snowflake icon shows, not the fan or sun. Second, set the temperature to 24 and the fan speed to high. Third, check the small wall switch next to the unit is on. Give it ten minutes and tell me if the air coming out is cold. If not, I will arrange a technician.
Thank you for trying. It sounds like the unit itself, so I have asked our technician to come. He can be there between 9 and 11 tomorrow morning, and we will message you before he arrives. For tonight there is a fan in the wardrobe. I am sorry for the trouble.
Thanks for the photo, that helps. I am checking with our technician now to see how soon he can come and will confirm a time with you within the hour. In the meantime the fan in the wardrobe should take the edge off.
Keep the three checks in the exact order: mode, temperature, switch. Guests follow numbered steps. They do not follow paragraphs.
Mistakes hosts make
- Sending the technician before the checks. You pay for a visit to press MODE. The technician will do it in front of the guest, and the guest feels silly.
- Saying "it worked for the last guest." True, and useless. The guest hears "I do not believe you."
- Asking for a video first and then going quiet. Ask for a photo of the remote screen if you like, but reply with the checks in the same message.
- Not having a fan. A 400 baht fan prevents more bad reviews than anything else in the apartment.
- Letting filters go. Put filter cleaning on the cleaner's monthly list. Most "not cold" messages in low season are filters.
- Promising a time you have not confirmed. "He will be there at 9" when the technician has not replied yet is how you get a second angry message at 9:15.
How Tokay handles it
With Tokay, your front desk agent Pam already knows the three checks for each apartment, because they sit in the three-level knowledge base: general (how to read a remote), building (the isolator switch position in that tower), apartment (which unit has the fan, which one needs the second remote). Write it once and it covers every unit in the building. If the checks for an apartment are missing, Pam asks you instead of guessing, and she answers in the guest's own language, which matters when Lukas writes in German at midnight.
If the checks fail and the guest is still hot, that is a live problem with a tired guest, so it comes to you first with a draft ready to approve or edit. Sam adds the aircon to tomorrow's cleaning brief so the cleaner checks the filter, and your technician can be reached on LINE. If the night ends up in a review, Andy drafts the reply the morning it lands.
On our own apartments, this is one of the questions that went from "wake up the host" to "answered in two minutes."
Questions hosts ask
Should I give guests the technician's number directly?
Usually not. The technician may not speak the guest's language, and you lose track of what was agreed. Keep the guest talking to you and you talking to the technician.
What about aircon that smells?
That is almost always a filter or a drain, and it is a cleaning job rather than a repair. Apologise, schedule the clean, and add filters to the regular cleaning list so it does not come back.
How cold should a bedroom aircon get?
If the air from the vent is clearly cold within five minutes of switching to cool mode, the unit is working. If the room never drops below about 27 degrees on a normal night, something is wrong and it is time for the technician. The something is broken page covers the handover from message to fix.