What is the First Impressions Topic?

You only have one chance to make a great first impression.

Things like unclear door lock instructions, an outdated WiFi code, or small issues on arrival can impact your guest’s experience and lead to poor reviews or missed repeat bookings.

The First Impressions Topic helps you stay ahead of this.

It’s a special type of topic that allows you to collect your guests’ first impressions shortly after check-in.

This gives you the opportunity to:

Spot and fix issues early
Respond quickly if something isn’t right
Make sure your guests are having a great stay

Here’s an example of how it appears in the guest view:

When a guest submits their response, you’ll receive an email with the details.

Add a First Impressions Topic to your guide

You can add a First Impressions topic to your guide from the Content Hub.

Steps:

Go to the Content Hub
Open the subcategory where you want the topic to appear
Click the three dots or use the + Add Topic option at the bottom of the subcategory level
Select Special Topics
Choose First Impressions Topic
Set up your First Impressions Topic: it works just like any other topic. You can customise:
1. Topic name: This is what guests will see (e.g. “Your First Impressions”)
2. Add email recipients
  - Enter the email address(es) where you want to receive the first Impressions rating and comments
  - Click Add Email if you want to include more than one recipient
3. Choose marketing settings
  - Select Yes if you want to collect emails for marketing
    → You’ll need to add a Privacy Policy link
    👉 See Collecting contact details (marketing settings) below for full details
  - Select No if you only want to collect feedback
4. Advanced options (optional)
  - You can customise how the rating appears:
    Edit the rating button text (e.g. “Leave your rating”)
    Edit the rating stars label (e.g. “Your first impressions:”)
  - You can also choose which fields are required:
    Phone number
    Email
5. Add your topic content (the message guests will see before leaving a rating)
6. Activate the All guides tag if you want this topic to appear in every guide
7. Click Submit

Collecting contact details (marketing settings) ⚠️

When using a First Impressions Topic, you can choose whether to collect guest contact details for marketing purposes.

Select Yes if you plan to use guest details for marketing
Select No if you only want to collect feedback

If marketing is enabled, you’ll need a Privacy Policy link to stay GDPR-compliant.

How can I create a Privacy Policy link?

If you don’t already have one, you can:

Create your policy using a free generator like Termly, PrivacyPolicies.com, Iubenda or ChatGPT
Publish it on your website or social page.
Add the link in your First Impressions topic settings so guests can view it before sharing their details.

Include these key points:

What personal data do you collect (e.g. name, email)
Why do you collect it (for guide access, marketing updates, etc)
How you store and protect the data
How users can unsubscribe or request their data

ℹ️ Note: Check the data protection rules for your country, as requirements may vary

💡 Important for Airbnb bookings

Airbnb has rules around:

Promoting direct bookings outside the OTA
Collecting guest contact details for marketing purposes
Asking guests to leave reviews on other platform

If you are sharing your guide with Airbnb guests, we recommend using OTA Compliance Setting

👉 This helps ensure your setup remains aligned by adjusting what guests see and how their data is handled.

How do I encourage users to submit their first impressions rating?

A simple reminder at the right time can make a big difference in getting responses. Here are a few ways you can remind your guests to share their first impressions:

Option 1 — Use your own messaging system

Send a message after the stay with a direct link to leave a rating
👉 Learn how to get a deep link to any section of your guide

Option 2 — Use Message Hub (Memo)

Send your message using Message Hub
Include a deep link to the rating topic in your message template so guests can open it directly
Keep the message short and easy to read