Requests for Early Arrival Time

[Lorna170]

I am wondering how many hosts have seen an uptick in requests for early check-ins and guests not leaving on time?  My last two guests wanted check-in moved from our contractual 4 PM to as early as 10 AM.  They are not asking at the time of booking, but a day or two  prior to their arrival. Also, my guests seem to be less inclined to vacate on time, leaving me or the housekeeper waiting in the driveway.

It appears that guests are catching on to Air and other OTAs requiring/recommending that we block our calendars before and after bookings to allow for extended cleaning, and are demanding an early check-in (and late departures) as we no longer have guests who may be impacted.  We are a drive-to  location, and many of our guests come from 4+ hours away, so a 4 PM check-in has worked for 15+ years.  While we do clean after guest departures, housekeeping is also scheduled for the morning of a guest arrival to ensure that our property is pristine and ready for the guest.  I do not accept last minute reservations, so the cleaning and maintenance schedules are set well in advance, and it is unfair to my housekeeper (not to mention the expense of rescheduling a contractor) to change up her schedule last minute.  

What can Air do at booking to discourage this behavior?  

[Helen3]

As part of my IB questions I ask guests to confirm their check in time within. My check in hours.

if a guest asks for a 10.00 am check in let them know they can book the night before.

always contact your guests to confirm their latest check out time the day before and that this can’t be extended because you have cleaners booked in to carry out extensive Covid cleaning.

if you arrive and guests are still there I would enter the property and start your clean.

[John5097]

That's always a challenge. I've tried different things with some flexibility but guest will mention early check in their review and furtre guest request super early check in then don't even bother to respond when you explain it takes 3 hours to clean. 

I agree guest are catching on and see more making reservation with an empty one night on both ends. So if there is a 4 day opening they will choose the two days in the middle leaving non booked night on each day before and after. I've been booked this entire year and haven't had a single covid issue, so suggesting blocking off a night between guest isn't necessary, and could lead host who expect high occupancy rates to consider other booking platforms. 

[Ann72]

@Lorna170  As @Helen3 suggests, I tell my housekeeper to go right in and start cleaning.  However - Airbnb has your back and this is something you can add to your rental agreement:  Guest Terms, paragraph 2.3:

"If you stay past checkout, the Host has the right to make you leave in a manner consistent with applicable law, including by imposing reasonable overstay penalties." 

Read the Terms of Service and you will see that Airbnb will back you in charging twice the nightly rate per day of overstaying.  Drawing from that position, you can, as @Helen3 suggests, add a day before or a day after to the guests who are asking to arrive early or depart late.  You can tell them that is the only way they can insure the property will be available exclusively to them for that time.

I have a guest coming this weekend who asked "How early can we check in?"  I wrote back, "You can check in as early as 3 pm, Charlie!"  3 pm is, of course, the check-in time.  Did this guest really think he could trick me into giving a different answer by the way he worded his question?  Oy.