Difficult booking, early checkin

Difficult booking, early checkin

Hi everyone, I’m fairly new to hosting so I’m still working out the finer points and I’m hoping someone can give me some advice with a gentleman who is trying to book with us at the moment. All his previous reviews from other hosts are fabulous so I’m sure he’s not all bad. He originally contacted wanting to make an 8 day booking, he’s now advised he will split the booking, stay for 3 days leave for a couple then book for one night which is fine with me but...he requested early checkin which will be approx 6am ( more like 5:30am as our airport is very quiet, quick to get out of and we’re five mins from the airport and his flight arrives at 5am) any way after several changes we’ve advised him he would need to book the additional night for such an early checkin. He’s now come back to say he’s happy to just drop off his bags. I’m really not sure how to proceed as it does mean I will need to be up at 5:30 to take his bags. Any advice would be so greatly appreciated! 

20 Replies 20
Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Kristi96 isn't there some place in the area where they offer luggage drop off? If there is, advise him to go there. If not, I personally would just open the door and let him leave the luggage but if it is very inconvenient for you to get up at that time just for that tell him that he will need to take the luggage with him and come at check in.

Reminds me of an Inquiry dialogue that went something like this.

 

Q:  I'll be arriving at 7 AM, can I check in then?

A: The earliest check-in time I can offer is 2 PM.

 

Q: OK, but can I just drop off my bags and get the keys?

A: That is what checking-in is.

 

@Kristi96  It's up to you to decide if that extra night's booking fee is sufficient compensation for getting up at 5:30 AM. If your aim is to get the best reviews/ratings, it helps to be aware that guests who are the most difficult and needy in the booking process are the least likely to give you a 5-star review. It's often the case that the guest's needs would be better served by a hotel with 24-hour desk service, and this one is no exception.

 

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Anonymous 

 

re Q & A

 

For me drop off luggage & pick up keys isn't 'check-in', which is the full works:.settling guest in room and showing amenities, (bathroom & toilet, kitchen).

 

I have flexible check in & out times, and on cross-over days negotiate a convenient time with both parties.

In case departure leaves me short for cleaning & preparing room & amenities, then I offer drop off & pick up 

 

 

 

 

@Alon1  It's nice that you're able to do all of that, and I hope your guests appreciate it!

 

But unlike hotels with 24h desk service, small-scale Airbnb hosts tend to have other jobs and scheduling demands outside of the property. To do a "bag drop" separately from the full check-in means scheduling two appointments with the guest rather than one. 

 

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Anonymous 

 

Thanks for reply.

 

I can manage it because I predominantly work from home.

It's why I have flexible check in & out times.

Guests highly appreciate it, and it also sometimes works in my favour.

 

However, I fully appreciate your comparative point.

  Hosts have different schedules.

  But also for this reason  I find comparing notes or giving advice to others in particular situations is well meaning, but isn't practically helpful, because what works for one doesn't for another.

 

 

Fair point @Alon1 , how foolish I am to give advice in a forum called "Help."

Hi @Anonymous  I honestly appreciated your input, I really am one of those people who normally will go out of my way to help my quests but I completely agree that the ones that are difficult when booking are normally the ones that will give me the hardest time throughout their stay and regardless of what I may do to help them, it won’t necessarily be good enough. So thank you for your advice, it made me feel a lot better about standing up for myself and not allowing a guest to steam roll me into doing something I wasn’t keen on. 

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Anonymous 

 

Of course you are entitled to give your advice.

 

The part I find strange (as in so many other cases), in this case, the person asking the question need  ask a global forum if they should get up at 5.30 am or not?

  Evidently the person doesn't know him/herself well enough, and so maybe a whole bunch of strangers round the globe may help the person make their mind. 

 

Hopefully the global consensus will help this person make up their mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Anonymous 

 

Note that I did not contribute to this debate.

 

My only interest was to give a different definition of 'check-in'.

Yes! That’s pretty much what our guest has said only a wee bit more forceful. And I do agree, someone who is “needy” or is difficult at the time of booking is usually the most hard to please throughout. 

Jackie-And-Matt1
Level 2
Arlington, MA

If our guests only want to check in/ check out within a reasonable time  of what our actual check in/ out time is we usually accommodate it. if we have another guest checking out / in around this guest I make it clear that i say (our normal checkout time is 11am, but you are welcome to stay until 1230 at the latest as we have another guest checking in at 4. If we do not have another guest scheduled in for that afternoon we usually let people stay a bit later, especially if they have a long flight overseas. If we go this route, i make sure that I let people know that if someone else ends up booking for the afternoon we will have to stick to out original check out time. 

 

We have had several people ask if they can drop bags early or leave them late, but we have chosen never to allow that. my thoughts on this are that if a guest drops bags off early the apartment may not be presentable yet. If it is presentable they may just ask why cant we just check in now? third item is I do not want to ever put myself in the situation where a guest can drop bags off early and then claim that something went missing or is damaged. 

 

Just sharing my thoughts on this, and I hope you make the best decision for what will work best for you.

 

Matt. 

That’s a great point about the possibility of them claiming something is missing from their baggage I didn’t think about that at all! 

Thanks Matt!

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

I find that these people tend to realize they have other things to do when there is a cost associated. 

Elena87
Level 10
СПБ, Russia

@Kristi96 

 

I get a lot of visitors that use the night train services that arrive from 5am onwards.

 

I don't mind guests dropping off luggage with me - but with the caveat- come only after 0800 or 0830.