Is Airbnb hiding our check in time?

[Nanxing0]

In the past year or two I have noticed a drastically increasing trend that guests do not pay attention to the check in time. Basically those guests send in a booking request with a message saying they are checking in at xxx time which is much earlier than my 4pm regular check in time. Then I respond to the guest pointing out and most of time they would tell me that they did not notice that while booking. Is it that Airbnb has made the booking process in the way that check in time is not apparent?

[Helen744]

@Pat271 I think you risk underestimating other hosts and their ability , not to offend guests,  in fact put them at ease and be flexible if necessary, by using certain information, to do so. Also if you do not understand why at certain times it is very important to ask this question ,then you have been extremely lucky with all your guests. These are skills used by hosts to protect both themselves and their guests future guests as well . H

[Pat271]

@Helen744  I’ve been hosting for years, but do appreciate lessons and lectures from my fellow hosts, so thanks for those. 😁

To reiterate what I have explained:

I don’t need to know guests’ amusement plans while staying at my particular properties. Everyone visits my properties for the same purpose, and they all have similar amusement itineraries. My properties may be outliers in that way.

Much more critical to me is establishing a good rapport with my guests, and knowing a bit about them and their group during the booking process.

And, in case you misunderstood, I said nothing about other hosts and their abilities, and do not underestimate their hosting skills for a second.

[Huma0]

@Pat271 

Well, the answer is already there. If your guests basically all come for the same reasons, there is no need to ask. For a listing/location where it could vary enormously (e.g. London), the reason for the visit could be a crucial bit of information. 

I don't ask my guests their day to day schedule, but I would prefer to know if they are coming here for work or leisure and, if the former, does that mean working from home or going to a workplace every day?

To be honest, I very rarely ask these questions because most guests volunteer that information from the outset and I'm yet to turn away a guest because they plan to work from home. However, with the whole working from home and digital nomad thing becoming more of a norm, it's something I've started to consider, because it really does make a difference to mess, use of utilities and my own working life. 

Each host will have different circumstances though and therefore different priorities in terms of the questions they feel are important.

[Inna22]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 I think it’s more important to you because you don’t use instant book. It is not as relevant otherwise. Although generally, I do like to know, so I can customize their experience. Ideally, Airbnb should have multiple options and we as host can pick two or three. For example, I need to know what time they arrive and how many pets and you want to know why they are traveling. So this does not become an endless questionnaire, but two or three most important questions get answered.

[Robin488]

I absolutely like to know why they are traveling.   

I have all of the information as far as check in time, number of guests, pet policy(some of my houses allow, some don’t), how May guests we allow as far as “daytime visitors.”

parking instructions,  what we provide, things they may wish to bring along with them.  

i have had the opposite problem recently and guests have been leaving late, I have had 3 say they thought checkout was 11, but our listing clearly shows 10 am, so I have now added that to my instructions. 

[Emilia42]

I also think that the "why" is the most important question. In my situation, there is a big difference between parents coming to visit their college student and tourists coming to visit the major attraction 1.5 hours away. The more I know about why they are coming, the more I can prepare and help enhance their experience.

[Pat271]

@Emilia42  What do you do differently? My downtown property has the college parent guest and the major attractions guest, although the major attractions are on the street below them. I don’t prepare any differently. Are you an in-home host? Maybe that’s the difference.

[Emilia42]

@Pat271 I am an onsite host so that makes a big difference. If a guest tells me they plan on going hiking in a certain area I will leave out waterproof maps, bug spray, and maybe some hiking snacks. I recently got some temporary tattoos with university logos which I will leave for parents of athletes coming to watch games this Fall. When the guest arrives I want them to have the impression that I did XYZ just for them (which I did!) I read somewhere once (in a review?) that a guest booked to attend a Kesha concert (which she told her host about) and when she arrived at the house Kesha's music was playing in the background. That is something this guest will probably remember for a long time. 

But also my communication and expectations are a lot different. If the guest is coming for the National Park, I always need to reiterate that the drive is well over an hour both ways. These guests are usually gone first thing in the morning until evening. When friends and family members come to visit students, the apartments get a different use. I communicate a greater emphasis on my house rules since there are likely more people going in and out (not only the parents who booked but the student they are visiting and maybe their friends and roommates.) This is a different vibe than a couple "stopping for an overnight to break up the drive on the way to Canada." So just knowing their reason for staying helps me to mentally prepare for what to expect. 

[Pat271]

@Emilia42  Whether remote or in-house, kudos to such thoughtful preparation. I’d love to meet you and stay with you the next time I get up that way.

By the way, I am partial to the Tesla Model S with the S-Apex package, if you’d like to make a note.😛

[Carol6369]

I am an on-site host also.  I like knowing if guests are coming for their birthday or anniversary, to visit relatives, or to see area attractions in Atlanta., etc That way I can send them congratulations, suggestions, travel time info, and so forth.   I want my guests to know I care about them personally.  My after-stay reviews reflect they appreciate that.

I also use the info to alert me to a potential problem.  In my opinion, we need to know why they are wanting to stay at our property.

[Nanxing0]

@Pat271 Folks have discussed on this topic a lot in the past. Honestly we don't really care why guests are travelling, however the message clearly reflects the guest's personality. I personally don't want to work with guests who are not even willing to communicate with hosts. 

[Pat271]

@Nanxing0  Absolutely. I don’t bother my guests very much, but I also don’t want to work with guests who are resistant to providing simple, basic info.

I attempt to engage with every guest when they request to book. If they haven’t provided an intro, I ask them to tell me a little about themselves and the guests arriving with them. They have about 12 hours to respond, after which time I inform them that their booking request has expired, due to  requested info not received. 99% of the time they rebook with the requested info.

I don’t quite remember, but I think Airbnb asks the guest to communicate the reason for visit in the header of the intro text box, right? Many guests seem to provide that information in the initial request to book.

[Nanxing0]

@Pat271 I would say at least 80% of the guests provide this info in their initial request to book so I would assume Airbnb asks for it although not 100% sure. Most other guests would provide the info after I ask, but there is a small number of people that are weird though.

[Pat271]

@Nanxing0 Yes, there is more than a small number of guests that are annoyed by the question “So, what brings you to <obvious vacation destination>?“.  They may not say anything at the time, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t find the question annoying and obtrusive.

Coincidentally, I just came upon a tirade in a blog from a man who says he is a fireman who travels a lot and doesn’t feel like it’s anyone’s business what his plans are. He’s a host himself, and his requirements are if the guest follows ALL his house rules and pays properly, he is happy, and feels like that should be the extent of the guests’ obligations. He says he doesn’t need to know his guests’ itineraries. I need a bit more conversation than that, both because I enjoy engaging with people, and also so that I can gauge the guests’ likelihood of following the rules.

As we have discussed here, it’s a bit different with an in-house host, because those hosts can very naturally add value to the guest’s stay by knowing the plans and providing relevant guidance, gifts, etc. while the guest is with them. 

[Carol6369]

I personally think the fireman has a problem.