First impressions: how do you welcome your guests?

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Check-in is a key moment in any guest’s stay and it’s an aspect that everyone likes to do slightly differently. It’s the guest’s first chance to see the accommodation and perhaps meet you as the host, so it’s important to make a good first impression!

How do you welcome your guests? Do you meet them in person and show them around or do you have self check-in to give them more flexibility? Why have you chosen this type of check-in?

I’m looking forward to hearing your experiences!

Thanks,

Lizzie

[J-Renato0]

@ Doug

If you do not want to make small talk with "a stanger", you have two options:
Book a hotel, anyway you will have to exchange a few words with the concierge.
Via airbnb, ask the host if he has self-checkin before booking. You will spare the host of talking to you ! 🙂

I also have been to a place where I did not met the host.
Anyway, I have to say, I am not anti-social or have some phobia about "strangers" from other countries or cultures!

When I go abroad or travel in my country, I like being a traveller instead of being a tourist that only visit monuments, only take hop-on hop-off or are always isolated from the locals !

To me and my wife it would not be a problem to meet up an welcoming host after a long and boring flight and having a brief conversation about the property and area with him/her! Maybe it would be a pleasure.

Advantages of not having self-checkin:
Usually it takes less time than having to wait in a hotel looby for checkin.

Usually it takes less time and it is less boring than having to read a "house manual" in case of Airbnb stay! 🙂

Anyway, everything in the life has its pro and cons...

[Fred13]

Lizzie, about that cool-looking key chain, can you suggest to Airbnb that they would make a wonderful gift to hosts that achieve Superhost or some kind of milestone?  Great advertising.

[Robert-And-Nancy0]

@Lizzie    

We try very hard to personally welcome all our guests. We like to show them around and answer their questions. So far, we have only missed greeting 2 guests as they wanted to check in while we were at work. We rather let the tired traveler check in at a convenient time for them, then wait for us to personally greet them. We have a code lock which is the best investment we made. Everyone gets their own code and no more keys lost of forgotten. We find it especially helpful in couples who go in different directions some days and no one has to worry about who has a key to get it. As far as guests with check-in, some are very happy and appreciative that you took the time to show them around and help with luggage. Some guests send out the vibe, just hurry up as I am tired and just want to get settled. Those guest get the very abbreviated version of the tour.

[Wayne92]

So you're just feeling out the situation depending on how the person responds to you? I know you said that you've personally welcomed almost everyone, but do you think automating the process of check-in and answering of questions would be worthwhile? A product or service that accomplishes all of that for you?

[Robert-And-Nancy0]

Wayne,  sorry for some reason can't tag you.   We do feel out the situation and I would say 85% of our guests like the detailed tour and Q and A.  But after doing this for almost 5 years you do get a sense.  I think you need to set up your place for what works best for you.  Lots of Airbnb locations have a standard check in and  as long as the guest know that up front, and get it, they are fine with that.  Our place is attached to our house and we share the mudroom area.  We wanted to meet each guests as a way to explain the setup and get a feel of how and what the guest expects.  Some of our guests check in and we never hear from them again but some check in and we have a many MANY questions of how, where,  etc...

As a guests I prefer the personal aspect of Airbnb and look for places that include meeting our host.  I have stayed in both and all have been great.

[Linda-And-Richard0]

Hi @Lizzie,  Guests are always welcomed in person at check-on at our listing.  We introduce ourselves to everyone in the group.  Guests are told in advance that we live right next door.  This gives us the opportunity to verify the person checking in and that the number of guests matches the number in the reservation.  We show guests where to find items in the house such as BBQ equipments, kitchen supplies and extra toiletries.  The list of House Rules is reviewed and WiFi information made available.   

[Sarah977]

A big sloppy wet kiss followed by a swift kick in the pants,  just as a warning, in case they misbehave.

Just kidding.

My place is hard to find the first time. There are almost no street signs, and the house numbers don't   follow in any discernable order.

My doors are not built so as to be able to attach a lock box.

The lock and key require explaining for guests who are not used to the hardware here.

My large dog barks her head off at any new person who comes to my gate.

I host a bedroom/bath in my home.

So, no self-check in. I actually pick the majority of my guests up at the local bus stop. Some walk in from town, following the map I send them, some arrive by taxi. 

The first order of business is to shut the dog up (if I pick them up at the bus stop, this isn't an issue- the dog comes running over to the car, tail wagging, all excited), greet my guest, and let them know the dog might look and sound ferocious, but is actually quite sucky after making one's aquaintance. Many of my guests end up really bonding with her- they say they'll miss her. (They don't mention that they'll miss me)

Then we usually sit down at the outdoor dining table on my terrace for a few minutes, I'll get them a glass of water or some iced tea, we exchange a few words about how their trip was, then I show them up to their room. Give them the basic info on how everything in their space works, but try not to overload the info at this point. Tell them I'll give them a chance to get settled in, shower, have a lay down, or whatever, that I'll be downstairs and when they're ready, to come down for a coffee or tea (if I know they've had a long travel day, I'll often make them a snack at this point) and I'll go over where to find everything in the kitchen, where the drinking water is, etc. and give them a set of keys and make sure they can figure out how the front door lock works, in case I'm not at home when they come back during their stay.

At this point they may say they've had a long trip and just go back up and have a nap, they may go into town and to the beach, or we might end up sitting and chatting for awhile.

It's all pretty laid-back and I get a feel for whether they want to be super chatty and friendly, or whether they just want to do their own thing, and respond accordingly.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

We are similar to what @Sarah0 describes except that we are in a fairly central location and no dog 🙂

Most guests coming straight from the airport take a taxi from Seoul Station so Henry goes outside to the main gate to greet them (shows them how to input the code to enter the building as they come in). Or Henry picks them up from the subway station or we  send them a fairly detailed map with the walking route marked. We only host international guests so often times they have been on 12+hr flights - we usually do a really quick house tour (bathroom, water, fridge) and offer a snack they can eat now or take to their room for later, and let them rest/shower. Then do a more detailed house tour the next day.

Especially for our guests who are in Asia for the first time, Henry usually takes them to school on their first day, helps them buy the T-money transit card, shows them how to top up, points out places to eat around the neighborhood, shows them how to take the subway (and manage line transfers) - sort of a mini tour to make sure guests are at ease going out to explore Seoul and our neighborhood.

[Wayne92]

This seems very time consuming... would it be worth it to implement a process to automate all of this?

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Wayne0 

For Henry and myself, the time used to wait for and greet each guest personally is VERY much worth it. It is a part of our unique hosting style. 

If a guest wants an impersonal and 'as little communication/contact with host as possible' type stay, they should NOT book with us and look elsewhere. There are plenty of private rooms in guesthouses, goshiwons or professionally hosted shared home listings or even private micro-studios to choose from in Seoul that are similarly priced or even cheaper 🙂 

[Tomaz5]

We do both: greeting at check in and also self-check-in. If you don't do Airbnb for full time it's hard to always find the time and be available at the odd hours your guests can arrive. So far its 50/50 for me. If I have time I always try to personally welcome and meet our guests. But sometimes you just can't or you are on your vacation at a job or something else. For that time we use self-check in with very detailed instructions and so far our guests have been loving it and the also like that they can come at any time.

[Miloud0]

Salute everyone, 

@Lizzie At first, for me, and cause a guest is from another country, however i give the exact address, i tell her/him to give the taxi driver my number phone to explaine to him the exact direction or place. So when they come, find me waiting for them. 

I welcome my guests, and after show them our house, the rooms and they choose the one in which they prefer to stay. 

As well as we are talking with eachother, we present to them our moroccan tea and sweet biscuit, as our traditional way of welcoming our guests. 

Thanks, 

Miloud

[Barry-and-Lera0]

We generally have a parade, or a marching band play when guests arrive. Sometimes we hire celebrities to come and show guests around the property. We borrowed a friends elephant one time to shuttle guests from the driveway to the door. They really seemed to like that. Other times we just send them a keycode for the door.

[Cathie19]

Oh, I do like the key code..... 😁 but an occasional elephant might be fantastic, depending on the lay of the land. Stairs and lifts a problem?

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Lizzie]

hehe @Barry-and-Lera0! Certainly some creative ideas here, what a great thought this would be! I am quite a fan of a matching band. 🙂

Do you usually send your keycode on the day of check-in, or do you have a set time you send it?