Extra guest

[Ruth492]

My policy states that extra guests after the first paying guest pay $10 per night extra.  Seems simple enough.

But now I have a long-term guest who has a female best friend he wants to hang out with after he gets home from work at 10pm.  He says she's not sleeping over, so I guess she'll leave at 3 am or something.  I don't like the situation.  What if all my guests decided to have night guests for several hours after midnight?

What would you all suggest?  How should I re-write my policy so that I avoid having people ask for special concessions like this?

[Colleen253 · Accepted solution]

@Ruth492 Yep, we have to make sure not to leave anything open to interpretation when it comes to setting expectations for guest behavior.

"All guests must be disclosed on the booking and paid for in advance. These will be considered 'authorized'. A guest is any adult or child at the property, whether staying the night or visiting. No unauthorized guests may be on the property at any time". You can even go further and state that violations of this rule may result in termination of booking. And be sure these statements are in your house rules, not just in the listing description.

[Debra300]

@Ruth492,

Similar to @Colleen253, my house rules state that only registered guests may stay overnight, and I require guests to update their reservations to include all guests.  I also state visitors are not allowed to stay pass 11 p.m.  I do say that quiet hours are 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., but I after reading this thread, I will include that visitors aren't allowed during this time period.

[Kelly149]

Convoluted situations like this are why many hosts find it easier to say no guests at any time - day/night, sleeping/awake, doesn’t matter. You’re either included in the reservation. Full stop. Or you aren’t. 

[Debra300]

@Kelly149,

I understand where youf point of view, but many of my guests stay with me because they are visiting family on island or in the area.  Right now, during the pandemic, I say no visitors.  But during more normal times it would be unrealistic of me to not allow their family members or friends to spend some time with the guest in the apartment.

[Kelly149]

@Debra300 Im not saying it has to be that way. Buuuut why should your space host the group rather than the local house? Extra feet across your floor, trips thru the bathroom, double the dishes in the dw...

I think it depends on your pricing or your market but my space is GREAT for a large group & a big party, it’s where we throw our biggest parties, but I don’t want to host 10 for the rental fee on a family of 4. Now, I’d be happy to host the 10 for a bump in $$ but, funny, everyone always wants it for free. 

and yes, extra friends/family could be no trouble at all but if it is, then what? No way to collect extra, no help from abb, no way to know if your house is the next rave location. 
I think many hosts would be more lax about this if ABB gave us any backup against bad actors. 

[Debra300]

@Kelly149,

I agree that it really depends upon the property type and location.  My rental spaces cannot hold a large group like yours, and they are attached to my homes. Usually, we are on site, but when we are away, our neighbors keep an eye open, and my property manager is very close.  This has been a big deterrent for guests having visitors for extended periods or during overnight hours (booty calls), and having gatherings. 

In the Caribbean, guests may not have seen their family and friends for years, and there is a lot of catching up to do.  Everyone wants to see the returning person during the short while they are on island.  Since time is limited, it is often easier for the locals to visit than for the guest to try to stop by everyone's home.  Especially, if the guest does not have a vehicle to use.

[Helen3]

@Ruth492 why don't you simply let the guest know that it's not acceptable to have their guest stay so late as a visitor. To be honest I'm surprised in a shared home situation with Covid you are allowing any of your guests to have visitors. To me that is too high risk.

I am the same as others I say not day or overnight guests without advance agreement with the host.

In reality I usually am fairly relaxed with day visitors but have this in my house rules to cover myself.

Currently though no guests are allowed day or overnight visitors because of the risk of Covid.