General Query- check in time

[Yadira22]

Hello all,

Hope you are well and thank you in advance for reading and responding (if applicable). 

Our check in time is 6PM, primarily due to work commitments and also just the shear volume of work needed to get the house ready. In my listing I am very honest about this and not really looking for means of getting that message abroad but always open for suggestions! 🙂 

Out of curiosity is this a late check in start time, as suggested by one of my guests or is it just a cultural thing. Am travelling to NYC soon and kept on seeing check in from 3PM a lot. 

Once again- thank you, thank you, thank you and have a beautiful day! 

Yadira 🙂

[Emilia42]

@Yadira22 

Standard time is 3pm.

6pm is late, in my opinion. I was thinking as I read your post that if guests had to wait until that time, where I live, 8 months out of the year they would be struggling to find their way in the dark (which always makes me nervous.)

Then I googled and found this article. 🙂

https://www.hotelflex.io/blog/the-reason-why-standard-hotel-check-in-times-are-at-3pm-might-surprise...

[Yadira22]

@Emilia42 I never thought of that. To be honest when we travel we do not fuss so much about checking in as we travel to visit the new area or people etc not exactly to use the hotel amenities. Truth be told my first thought is food- I always research places to eat wherever I go to. 

At most I assumed it was to leave luggage but as hosts we recommend a reputable luggage holding service with locals all over London and they charge £6/24hr. I can allow an early check in I do this, as well as luggage drop but prefer not to advertise something which naturally does not work with my schedule. I don’t know. 

[Sarah977]

@Yadira22  I think it all depends on where your listing is and how guests normally arrive. In my case, most guests are flying in, then have to take a one hour bus ride to my town. The flights from the US and Canada, where the majority of my guests are coming from, usually arrive mid-afternoon- by the time they get through customs and immigration, retrieve their luggage if they had checked baggage, find the bus stop and get here, it's often around 5-6. So for me, that time would work for most guests. But I can see where mid-afternoon would be a more convenient check-in time for most guests in general. In the winter, it's often dark by 5 in many places. Trying to find one's way in the dark in a strange place could be dicey-feeling, if not challenging. 

[Yadira22]

@Sarah977 Fair enough but honestly in London during winter months sunrise feels like 10-11am and sunset is around 3:30-4pm *SMH* 

With us most of our guests arrive to the furthest airport as the flights are generally cheaper- by the time they get through customs etc it’s about 5 and arrive for 7pm. So it works fine but was always curious how other countries/locations generally do it. Thank you 🙏🏻 

[Sarah977]

@Yadira22  Yeah, we just went on daylight savings time here (or off it, I can never really figure it out) so it now gets dark an hour earlier, I hate it. Seems so stupid to change the clocks twice a year. 

[Jim472]

I don't think it matters as long as your occupancy rate is where you want it. Some people might be put off by it if it doesn't match their travel plans. Depending on your checkout time others might feel they're getting shorted on some vague notion of a nights stay. It all boils down to what works for you, people will book or they won't and if you're happy then it's fine. 

[Kath9]

@Yadira22 as Airbnb hosts, we are in a unique position and shouldn't get caught up in 'standards'. If 6pm works for you and your situation, then go for it! Yes, 3pm is a standard check in and it works for me because I work from home. But if your guests don't like a 6pm check in, then they should find somewhere else to stay. Like at a hotel where they have 24/7 check in staff (for which they pay the price).

[Yadira22]

@Kath9 Yes!!!! 

i just always think If checking in early is so important- then communicate this before booking and have it confirmed and if possible/needed book an extra day. 

But I suppose certain people consider with their wallets before their logical reasoning *SMH*

[David5641]

If there is really quite a preparation needed for your listing for every reservation, you might want to set a preparation time for your listing, it is under availability. It will block 1-2 days before and after a reservation.

[Yadira22]

Hi @David5641 

we do have days when the workload piles up but for as much as we try to plan around this (probably best is by setting rules in check in/check out days- which I still need to look into) it’s very hard. If we blocked for preparations times just by the shear guest we host (average on 40 per month) we would lose too much income and our mortgage rates are already quite high so not my desired strategy but still a great option- thank you for the input! 🙂

[Kelly149]

@Yadira22 all places will be different ... I have specific reasons why my checkin window starts/stops when it does and why my checkout time is what it is. I am always willing to adjust as able and for a fee

as @Kath9 says, 24/7 flexibility comes at a price

[Yadira22]

@Kelly149out of curiosity how do charge for the early check in- via the resolution centre? Asking as your listing does not state this option much less the costs associated or at least I did not see it but as you mention a lot of information is naturally hidden via the app/mobile site. 🙂

[Kelly149]

@Yadira22 I try to avoid RC if at all possible... as long as you are outside of 24 hours of the beginning of the reservation you can just alter the fee through the 'Change Reservation' feature.

My listing is already longer than it probably should be so I only discuss changing times if it works for me and seems like it would be helpful for them.

[Susan1404]

@Yadira22I give a check-in time from 3 PM until 6 PM.  If they need something outside of that time, they must notify me so that I can make arrangements to be available to meet them.  I have had a few guests who ignored that time and one even arrived at 10 PM with no apology.  However, the majority of my guests are very good about arriving within that time frame.  I think if 6 PM works best for you, that is something you should continue with and if a few guests choose to comment negatively, well - you can't make everyone happy so make yourself happy with your chosen time. 🙂