Latest acceptable time to check in...

[David3681]

I find the AirBnB platform very difficult to spot what is the latest time I can check in as a guest. 

I'm planning a two week vacation in Europe and my timing will not be exact. I may want to arrive late in the night. 

At the time of making the reservation you can see if the host has set a check in time limit of 7pm for example, but not all listings have this and once you make the reservation you can no longer spot the check in time limit unless you go in to the listing and attempt to make a similar booking on another date. 

This is totally inconvenient when you have to go through +10 different listings just to make sure you are not going to annoy or offend your host. I see a lot of hosts are annoyed because the guest didn't check in at the time they had agreed on (arriving by midnight instead of 8pm), but plans do change and one might have to show up later than expected. Note that I do expect to communicate with my host in the event of any late arrivals. 

Is there an easy or better way to check what the check in time limit is?

[Paul1255]

Hi @David3681  I hope you're well!

You could always do a couple of things during your search:

-tick the "self check-in" box in the amenities list when you start your search, this will give you the flexibility to arrive when you need to, rather than having someone waiting for you and you feeling prressure to be exactly on time (it's an added stress on top of travelling which has its own stress)

-you could use the "contact host" button on a listing before you get to the reservations stage to  ask abour their flexibility with your check-in possibilities, and pick a host who is open and flexible

You are right, hosts can get annoyed when guests give an arrival time and then don't adhere to it. I am sure there aren't many hosts who would be annoyed with a guest who had travel delays- they can and do happen, and a lot of hosts will ask guests for their travel details so they can track any delays online.

Personally I get annoyed with guests who give an arrival time and then turn up late through their own choice- either leaving home later than planned, stopping to sight-see or have lunch, without giving an update at all or even at  a time that would be useful 🙂

Paul.

[Huma0]

@David3681 

@Paul1255is right. It's better to check first with a host if you want to arrive outside their check in window. Some hosts will be open to this and others will definitely not.

If you have already made a booking and can't see the check in times (I'm surprised to hear they're no longer visible to you on the listing), you will find them on your itinerary. Go to your 'My Trips' page, click on the image of the listing in question and this should take you to the itinerary, which includes check in/out times, as well as the other policies for the listing.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@David3681host's check in and out time frame should be writen in your reservation mail. My guests often print their reservations and travel with them so they don't depend of wifi and can always check reservation infos.

Of course travel delays are possible but it is very important to let your host know you will be late and tell your new time of arrival as soon as possible. For example we are off-site hosts and need about an hour to arrive from our home to the location so it is very inconvenient if our guest tell us he will be late when we already left our home or we already wait for him in the city.

[David3681]

Hi guys, 

Thanks for reaching out everyone. My wife pointed out to me that the check in times and limits do show up in the email reservation. Funny, that they are not so visible else where within the app or the website.  I would hope that AirBnB makes it easier to show the Check in Time frames... and rest assured that as a guest I will do my outmost best to arrive by the time I indicate them via messages and conversations keeping them up to date with my ETA as soon as I know if anything might change. 

This is the resposible and courteous thing to do and it is basic form of politeness. Hency my post asking for help and also to AirBnB to make the check in time limits more clearly visible on the website itself. Some hosts don't want to handle anyone arriving after 10pm for instance (I want to make sure I know this and that I comply respectfully). Thanks again everyone!!

[Gordon0]

You make a good point, @David3681, in that (myself included) some hosts don't want to handle anyone arriving after 10pm.

Most of the time this works perfectly, and even I can deal with a delayed flight. But it's the entitled few who have spoiled it for the majority by turning up hours late ('Oh, we decided to stop off for dinner' etc.) with scant regard for anyone but themselves. Clearly you don't fall in to this group. 

Happy travels. 

[Yulianna0]

Hi @David3681, I’m totally agree with you that the check in/out frames have to be more visible. Even better if it will appear in filters, so people can choose by this criteria. It could be better for guests and hosts as we are always getting inquiries about arrival time that doesn’t correspond to what we had established.