I had a pretty strange experience with this yesterday. I had a guest checking in, but hadn't heard from her since she booked back in May and no response to recent messages, but she had said she was coming at 3pm, so I had the room ready and waited for her. She did not show up.
At 4pm, I messaged her to find out if she was okay and if her plans had changed. Turned out they had and was coming in the evening (hadn't thought it necessary to inform me apparently), but still wouldn't specify a time. Eventually she turned up just before 9pm which is the end of my check in window. Okay, but I do really specify on my listing and in my messages that guests need to confirm a check in time in advance and let me know if they are running late.
She went to the neighbour's house and called me from there, despite the fact that she had received two messages with detailed directions on finding the house (one with photos) and specific instructions NOT to go to the neighbour's. She claimed she hand't received either of them but strangely was aware of other information I had only included in those same messages.
She had barely got through the door, but as I was showing her the first bathroom, she asked why my bathrooms were shared. Why didn't I have a private bathroom per room? This threw me a bit given that it's really clear on my listing that the bathrooms are shared.
When I showed her to her room, she looked a bit perturbed, which is not the usual reaction. It's a beautiful room and most guests are really impressed when they enter. After I had finished showing her the room, she said that it was not the one she booked.
??? Apparently, she had booked "the pink room". I do not have a pink room. She insisted that she had booked a pink room and got the photos up on her phone. Well, it was clearly the same room, just with a different coloured bedspread (the one in the photos was not even pink, by the way). I pointed out various things in the room, like the very distinctive Louis style gilt silk uphostered bed, the five door painted wardrobe etc. etc. and finally she was satisfied that it was indeed the same room.
I think everything is okay now, but who knows what kind of review I'm going to get. Definitely one of the strangest check ins I've had. Why can't people just READ the basic info? Personally I would want to know what I'm booking, but apparently some people prefer to book and then expect the place to magically transform into some random idea of it they've formed in their heads.