Guest did not show up at agreed time- does that warrant a negative feedback?

[Inna22]

Guest were to arrive at 4 pm.  I was supposed to greet another guest after her so at 4:15 I messaged checking in on her. No reply. Phone went straight to voicemail. I eventually left and was late for the other guest (they checked in with a code, so at least not stuck waiting outside). They were not happy with me though. After being done with the second group I called the first guest who very matter of fact told me that they arrived and I can now come. It was 5:30 at that point as I started back on the road to see them. I am mad because I was late for the second guest and because I would have rather spent that time with my kids but objectively should this be in the feedback?

[Linda108]

@Inna22   Check in is an estimate at best, so if the guest is under an hour late, that is not a real cause for negative feedback.  It was compounded by your schedule to meet other guests, so your annoyance is understandable but not the first guest's fault.  That the guest did not answer the phone is also not uncommon as during travel many factors affect the phone reception.

Perhaps if you know that you will have a short window of being able to greet guests, you make it very clear in a system message and advise that if they do not make it during that window, they will have to contact you and wait for your arrival.

[Trevor243]

@Inna22All of our properties are self check-in - keys are in a key safe close to the front door. It doesn't matter if the guest is late, which they often are because of transport, they can get in to the property at any time. We don't normally meet our guests unless they call us out for a problem. Even if we wanted to meet them all, there is no way we could be in several places at once! Could you consider a similar self check-in? Or do you prefer to meet and check IDs and show them around etc?

[Dimitar27]

I'm using the lockbox since my third or fourth guest. It's impossible to wait for all of your guests and meet them personally.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Inna22 

we are off-site hosts and are very annoyed when they are not reachable and are late so I totally understand you.

We don't have a self-check-in option and we make it very clear in our listing, house rules and messages so it works most of the time.... at least they usually let us know if they are late.

If you have a self-check-in option and they know it, then they feel more relaxed and don't bother to tell you they are late.

So my advice would be to remove a self-check-in from your listing if you want to meet your guests on arrival. Tell them you are the off-site host and you have to check them in personally and you need to know the exact time of arrival otherwise they may have to wait for you up to an hour.

The other option would be to allow self-check-in but I don't know how risky it would be in Chicago.

[Inna22]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 @Dimitar27 @Trevor243 @Linda108 

I have self check in with a code but offer guests to stop by and show them around. So this is their choice for me to come over and also their choice of time. I do not have to be there for them to gain entry. Also, with this particular guest we specifically discussed messaging me if their timing changes. I think one of the reasons I am annoyed is because there was no apology of any kind. I know it is a silly little thing but sometimes a very simple sorry goes a long way. 

[Ange2]

@Inna22   You could say something along the lines that changing check-in times and/or late arrival complicated the experience.  Like @Branka-and-Silvia0  I ask my guests to call if they are delayed, most do,  a few don't.  I agree it is frustrating.

[Inna22]

@Ange2 love your wording

[Kelly149]

@Inna22 IMO the problem here is you feeling responsible to "be nice" and wait for the first guest. I wouldn't do that. If they chose the time and they missed the time then you are free to move on to the next group.

In my experience guests have very little concept of what it means that we are waiting on them. They often think we are the standard hotel desk with literally nothing else going on other than to sit and wait for them.

I don't know how much drive time you have (my space is in backyard of family home) but in general you will likely have less waiting around on guests if you say "call me when you arrive and I'll pop over after awhile".

And yes, I think it's completely reasonable for the review to mention that they set a time, didn't make it and didn't communicate the change or appreciate how that affected you.

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  If I were to mention it, I might say something like "It would have been appreciated if the guest had advised me of their altered arrival time, as she had already assured me she would."

[Linda108]

As often happens with posts, the situational picture becomes clearer as the post originator fills in the details.  I change my response given that this time was chosen by the guest and there was self check in available.  I agree with @Kelly149  in that I would not have inconvenienced the second guest by waiting for the guest.  I have seen so many hosts, myself included, that being a kind person, works against us.

This is a business and most guests are understandably clueless given that their reference is often the hotel industry.  To reduce situations resulting in your feeling taken advantage of, stick to your rules and messaging.  Yes, so mention the poor communication along with a 3 rating.