How to mark the room available early?

[Jeremy698]

So my checkout time is 10am, so I assume that's when ABnB set it as available. If a guest leaves at 6am is there a way for me to force mark the room as available again?

[Mike-And-Jane0 · Accepted solution]

@Jeremy698 if you don't have a booking for the day the guest is due to check out then the calendar will be available for that day before, during and after the guest's check out time.

[Jeremy698]

Thanks that makes perfect sense.

[Sarah977]

@Jeremy698 Your room is available not based on the check-out time, but the check-in time. If your check-in time starts at 3pm, the room is available at 3pm, regardless of whether the previous guest checked out at 6am or 10am.

@Mike-And-Jane0 I don't  understand your response. If a guest checks out earlier on the day of their check-out than the stated check-out time, that still doesn't open the calendar to a booking before or during the stated check-out time. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah977 I guess my thinking was that Airbnb offers properties on a nightly basis not an hourly basis. As such they are always available if the next night is not booked irrespective of the check out time.

The only market where actual check out time is for those more dodgy establishments that rent rooms by the hour - To my knowledge Airbnb isn't in this market (yet?????).

[Jeremy698]

Incorrect!

A business woman who works for a huge national company checked in at 2pm. She left early at 5am, as she had to drive to Abu Dhabi.

Now that room would not be available again for check in till 10am as per my settings.

Wouldn't it be good if I could have made it available for checkin on that day as soon as it was cleaned and aired?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jeremy698 No I am not incorrect!!!

The lady who left at 5am actually is still renting the property until your checkout time of 10am. Now if a guest checks out early you can always message your next guest saying the property is available earlier than your normal check in time.

[Kia272]

@Jeremy698  Actually, no. Your guests pay by the "day." They pay for units of time between check-in and check-out. Why are you anxious to give them extra time, and therefore extra opportunity to use your utilities, supplies and space? 

Doing this can also create a rush to turn the place over, as opposed to having ample time between guests. 

I do try to accommodate guests with early check-in when I can, but never more than two hours. When I have same-day turnovers, I need every minute in between guests to clean, sanitize, and do things like mow the lawn. If they ask on those days, I just say no. 

I'm always thankful for a breather between guests. I'd also never accept same-day bookings. 

[Emilia42]

@Jeremy698 Airbnb (like all lodging establishments) rent nights, not days. So if you allow same-day check-in per your settings, a guest can book any time on the day they will be arriving for the night they wish to stay. It is then up to you to work out with the guest when they can arrive based on your check-in/out policies. 

[Sarah977]

@Jeremy698 "Now that room would not be available again for check in till 10am as per my settings."

Either I'm not understanding you or you are confused. You said in your first post that your check out time is 10 am. That doesn't mean the room is available to the next guest who has booked that night at 10am, it is available at your check-in time that day.  So if your check-in time is listed normally as 2PM, that's when it shows as available to the incoming guest.

But if the outgoing guest checks out at 6AM, you can contact the incoming guest to let them know that you'll have the room ready at 9 AM if they want to  check in earlier than your stated check in of 2PM.

[Emilia42]

@Sarah977 I read this as @Jeremy698 thinks that a guest cannot book a same-day reservation until after his 10 am check-out (that is when the room will show available to book on the Airbnb website.) However, this is not the case. The listing will show as available for the current night regardless of the check-out time. It is then up to Jeremy to communicate that the space is available earlier than his stated check-in time.