Flexibility? Don’t want to be a Bother

Allessandra0
Level 2
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada

Flexibility? Don’t want to be a Bother

Hello!

my boyfriend and I recently planned our trip for August and booked an Airbnb. Now are trip is 4 months away would it be be fine to message our host and discuss flexible check in times? Check in on my receipt says 3pm but the listing states flexible check in. We will arrive in our location at approximately 10am. In addition, we have a late flight on the day we are leaving; we wish to discuss that. We just don’t want to bombard the host if it’s viewed the booking is to far away. Can anyone else tell it’s our first time using Airbnb... 

13 Replies 13
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Allessandra0  As a host I welcome guest questions about policy and flexibility.  Some host situations do not allow much flexibility and some do, so it doesn't hurt to ask.  Also, engaging your host in your plans and seeking suggestions is what allows the Air BNB experience to be different from the hotel experience.  Good luck!

Thank you for your response. It made me more confident on messaging our host! I am going to inquire more about the flexibility. 

Bruna-and-Siana0
Level 10
Santa Clara, CA

Hi @Allessandra0, if the check-in says 3pm-flexible it usually means you are welcome to check-in anytime after 3pm. It's not a problem if it's late night but earlier might be problematic. It seems you want to check-in earlier and that might not be possible if the host has another booking the day before. Go ahead and contact. Maybe you cannot check-in early or check out late but host can keep your suitcases. 

 

I agree with @Linda108, some hosts are happy to help you planning your trip or answering questions. That's why AB is great because you get local tips! 

Thank you for responding to my question! I am going to go ahead and message the host. The check in time on the listing just states flexible with no time stamp. However, on my itinerary it has 3pm. So maybe I have a chance to check in earlier! I never thought about seeing if the host could hold onto the suitcases that would be amazing just in case. It would be an ordeal to book an hotel for a day before the fight. 

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Allessandra0 one tip that I see guests often miss is to actually Ask (not tell), use please & thank you, and acknowledge that you are asking for something over and above what you have bought. For example if you arrive to her place at 10am or even noon, that may make it impossible for her to rent it the night before and get it ready for you in time. So, essentially you are asking her to give up income in order to be more convenient for you. Same on the back end. Think about what value YOU are receiving and consider offering her an amount of $ that recognizes that you are getting something extra.

If you were my guest, I would offer to let you pay now to for sure hold the extra time you want or to wait and see if it stays available if you just wanted me to give it to you included.

Most hosts are very willing to be helpful when guests are gracious with their requests

Thank you for this new insight. This is helpful as I didn’t want the host to think of us coming across as rude. I have already messaged the host but I did message her well mannered and apologized for the bombardment of questions. 

 

I may send another message seeing if she would like another payment to secure the extra time. I have already paid for half the trip the other payment comes out a week before we arrive. So I’m unsure if that would go through the site as well or if I have to deliver her more money in person.

@Allessandra0 If you read the reviews of the place you might get an idea of the type of host. Some don't care about hospitality and are in AB only to make money. Others (I would say the majority who are in this forum) do care and we try to go above and beyond for the guests. Response time and response rate are also good indicators to see if the host is on top responding in a timely manner. 

 

What I am trying to say here is depending on the host, you might want to keep communication to minimum or you might want to try and engage him/her into your trip so you can get local tips. 

The host usually replies in a few hours and her reviews all say she was friendly. I’ve messaged her prior and she said she would communicate further details closer to the check in date. It was a bit abrupt but not unfriendly. Hence why I posted on this forum to get a census if it was to early to ask. 

 

Since the reviews have all been positive I’m hoping for great communication between us. That would be the outcome we hope for. As we are staying at her place and want to be as respectful as we can. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Allessandra0     Also make sure you follow up on this with the host, if they say they are able to accomodate your early check-in, a week or so before your flight. The host may have forgotten about the outside-of-normal arrangement by the time 4 months goes by, or they may have work or family commitments come up that far down the road that they don't have at the moment, so a quick confirmation is a good idea.  

Thank you ! We plan on messaging the host 2 weeks before are scheduled trip to make sure everything is still on the same page

Letti0
Level 10
Atascosa, TX

@Allessandra0 We allow early and post stay luggage storage for guests. We have done early check in when possible. We've also gotten very creative in one case with 3 couples from Chicago coming in for the Final Four Games, lol. We had guests until 11 AM and then the cleaning crew comes in, check in is actually 4 PM. They did a red eye flight and needed to drop off luggage in early morning and clean up before leaving for the games. What we ended up doing was opening up our event center for them it has 2 Bridal Suites with full bathrooms and an entertainment area with sofa, loveseat chairs, a bar with pub tables and a 70" TV. That way they could shower and relax a bit before heading out later. We promised to move their luggage to the guest house for them also. So you will find some hosts that are very flexible when needed 🙂

Allessandra0
Level 2
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada

That’s amazing that you are so accommodating to guests; and so friendly. It’s comforting to know! We hope to experience that as well. The idea of holding luggage would help us out a lot so hopefully we hear from our host soon about that possibility.

When I am hosting I usually try to block the night before and after a reservation to allow for cleaning and preparation.  So I often allow check in earlier than our 3 pm check in time and  allow late check out.  I usually wait to offer this to my guests a few days before their arrival, when I can better predict my personal and the Airbnb schedule.  However sometimes I do have back to back reservations and then cleaning and prep has to be done between check out at no later than 11am of one guest and check in at 3pm or later of the next guest.

 

If you want for sure to have the early check in and late check out available to you, you could offer to book the night before and/or the night after your stay.  It is easy to extend your reservation to include these nights if they are not yet booked. 

 

Some hosts won't be able to check you in early even if you reserved and paid for the night before since they are not able to be at home until after 3 pm.  Other hosts have self check-in  or a flexible personal schedule and as long as you have reserved and paid for the night before you can arrive the next morning whenever you wish.  The important thing is to offer to compensate the host for extra services or extra time in the space, and to be prepared to make other plans if they say it is not possible.