Answering Japanese and Korean guests on Airbnb

Japanese and Korean guests are a steady part of the inbox for hosts in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Da Nang, Cebu and Bali. They share some habits, which is why this page covers both, but they are two languages with two sets of expectations, and a reply that is right for one can be slightly off for the other. You do not need to speak either language. You do need to get the register right, because in both cultures the form of the message carries almost as much as the content.

Who these guests are

Japanese guests tend to come on short trips: three to five nights, often over public holidays, often couples or small families, sometimes solo travellers who have planned every hour. Korean guests come in a wider range: couples on short breaks, groups of friends, families, and a growing number of longer stays in places like Da Nang and Chiang Mai. Both groups tend to read the listing carefully before writing. When they do write, it is usually because something was not clear.

How they tend to write

Japanese guests

• Polite and complete. A first message often includes a greeting, a short introduction, the question and a closing line of thanks. "こんにちは" (hello) is a safe, polite opener for a daytime first message.
• Indirect. A question may be framed as "would it be possible to..." rather than "can I...". The answer they want is still a clear yes or no.
• Low tolerance for ambiguity. "Probably" and "should be fine" are unsettling. They tend to prefer "yes, at 3 PM" or "no, but here is the alternative".
• Preferred apps: LINE for everyday life. On Airbnb they stay in the app and rarely ask to move.
• Reply speed: they tend to be patient with time zones but expect a complete reply when it comes.

Korean guests

• Quick and friendly. Messages are shorter than Japanese ones and often arrive in bursts. "안녕하세요" (hello) is a polite, safe opener.
• Formal with strangers. The polite verb forms are standard until a relationship is established; a reply that is too casual can feel off.
• Preferred apps: KakaoTalk at home. Some will ask for it early; you can keep them on the platform.
• Reply speed: they tend to expect fast replies, within minutes if possible, and will send a follow-up nudge sooner than most.

Both groups tend to send a photo or screenshot when something is not working rather than describe it. Treat the photo as the question.

The questions they ask most

1. Exact check-in time and the exact check-in process, step by step.
2. Whether the apartment has a bidet, a bath or only a shower, and slippers.
3. Luggage storage before check-in and after checkout.
4. Directions from the airport that do not require speaking Thai to a driver.
5. Wifi speed, and whether there is a desk.
6. Whether the building is safe and whether the area is quiet at night.
7. How the shower and hot water switch work.
8. Whether towels and bedding are changed, and how often on longer stays.

The check-in process deserves extra care for these guests: write it as numbered steps, from the lobby to the door, with no step assumed.

Mistakes hosts make

Machine-translating a long English template. Japanese and Korean both carry formality in the verb endings. Free translators often produce text that is grammatically fine but socially wrong: too blunt, or oddly childish. Shorter sentences translate more reliably than long ones.

Casual register where formal is expected. "Hey! Yeah no problem!" is friendly in English and reads as careless in both languages when the guest wrote formally. Match the guest's register and stay there.

Mixing languages. Half Japanese, half English in one reply looks unfinished. One language per reply, the one the guest used.

Vagueness. "You can probably check in a bit early" is a bad answer for a Japanese guest. Say what is true: "Check-in is at 3 PM. If the apartment is free the night before, I will tell you by 10 AM on the day."

Repeating the greeting. Greet on the first message, then stop. A new "Hello Yuki" on every reply during the same afternoon reads like software.

Getting the apology order wrong. When something goes wrong, Japanese guests tend to expect a clear acknowledgement before the fix; Korean guests tend to want the fix first. Both want the problem solved.

Example replies

In English, so you can judge the tone. The translated version should keep the same shape.

Japanese guest, first message, asking about the check-in process:

Tone note: formal, complete, numbered, no step assumed, exact floor held back until the day.

Japanese guest reporting the shower is cold:

Tone note: acknowledgement first, then the fix, then a clear fallback.

One knowledge base, every language

The way to be consistent with Japanese and Korean guests is to keep one set of facts, written once in your own language, and let the language and the register be applied at reply time. The check-in steps, the shower switch and the bedding policy are the same facts whoever asks. Three levels keep it tidy: general (your rules), building (lobby, key card, pool), apartment (wifi, hot water, desk). Update a fact once and every reply, in every language, changes with it.

Questions hosts ask