Guests who don’t respect arrival time

Kyi1
Level 6
Ottawa, Canada

Guests who don’t respect arrival time

it annoys me to no end that some guests think it’s ok to change their check-in time at the last minute because they want to go somewhere first before checking in. We just had 3 bookings in a row, and all of them didn’t show up on the time they said they would and then informed us 30 mins after they are grabbing dinner first. I find it very disrespectful 

26 Replies 26
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Kyi1  Yes, it's very inconsiderate. Some guests seem to think that an Airbnb is like a hotel, with 24 hour reception, or that the hosts are just okay with sitting there waiting until whenever. 

What can help is to message the guests the day before arrival, asking them to please let you know if their arrival time is going to change for whatever reason, because you would hate for them to be left standing outside, unable to gain entry. Any time guests are alerted that their failure to follow procedures could affect them in a negative way, they are more likely to comply.

Thank you for your suggestion. We’ve been asking guests to inform us about arrival time and it worked out just fine until that 3 bookings. We’ll try your suggestion next time. Thank you

Juan63
Level 10
San Antonio, TX

This is a difficult one. Sure everyone should be more considerate but when you are traveling, plans can change. If you want a strict check-in time, this should be discussed. Smart locks & cameras alleviate a big part of these situations.

@Juan63  There's a difference between plans changing when travelling which are outside one's control, like an overbooked or delayed flight, a traffic accident or highway construction, etc, and simply deciding to stop and go out for dinner when you told the host you'd be there at a certain time. It takes but a minute to call or text the host to let them know you'll be an hour later than you said.

Many properties don't lend themselves to self-check-in. I have the opposite of a strict check-in time-11AM-11 PM. I had a guest who should have been here in the mid-afternoon, but her flight was grounded for several hours due to a mechanical issue. She was really good about messaging me and keeping me up to date until she arrived in town, still within my check-in window. But then she decided to walk around town and go out for dinner without letting me know, leaving me waiting up for her until after midnight, concerned that she'd gotten lost (my place is hard to find and almost impossible in the dark) I don't mind accommodating a guest's change of plans, but not keeping me in the loop is just rude.

Not really a difference, if they see something cool and they want to stop by, then they should be allowed to go. If you have a strict checkin window, as I said before, discuss that with your guest. Then it's their bad if they don't stick to it. More often than not, smart lock works very well and will alleviate waiting for a guest.

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

Smart locks might be good for whole place listings, - but not good for home share hosts - with a dog! Vital for me that I welcome folk personally (don't want them rummaging thru' my clutter!) , & show them which bits they have access to, set the scene. So I'm not keen on sitting by the door from 5 -10pm either... Even when I'm not going out, an ETA helps to get organised! As does sticking to it!

We have a free roaming dog. Works out perfectly fine in my whole house listing and private room listing.

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@Juan63 1) I've no idea how my cute & cuddly dog would react to someone entering the house who he does not know. (I've nowhere to shut him up.) 2) It's not fair to guests to open the door to a barking dog without me there to reassure them! 3) To me, it's bad manners, not to welcome guests PERSONALLY. 

@Juan63 As I'm sure you're aware, not all dogs exhibit the same behavior. Some are fearful or nervous, some are aggressive, some are instantly friendly towards everyone. Many hosts have dogs that have to be "introduced" to the guests. My dog is quite large and a ferocious barker at strangers. She has never bitten anyone, she just looks and sounds scary. It's actually the perfect kind of dog for me, as I live alone in a rural area- she keeps me safe, but I don't have to worry about her actually hurting anyone. 

Once she is introduced to guests and realizes they belong here by my behavior around them, she no longer barks at them and, in fact, is quite the sucky baby, happy of any attention they want to give her. 

But it wouldn't work at all (and for various other reasons regarding my place) for guests to just self-check-in. Not only would she bark her head off at the guest, even if I said not to worry, she doesn't bite, and they aren't a person who is normally afraid of dogs, it can still be intimidating to have an unfamiliar 70 pound dog barking at you, while trying to determine if you're at the right house, where the guest entrance is, and how to work the key lock or entry pad.

Not to mention, it wouldn't feel like a very warm welcome.

@Helen350I ask for arrival time for this very reason! (my dog) I do prefer to be there when they arrive, but I also have self check-in so I don't have to rearrange my schedule if I can't be there. I use the dog excuse in my wording and say,  "Please don't stress over giving me an exact arrival time, but in order to make sure there are no unexpected encounters with the resident dog, please let me know if you plan to arrive close to check-in time (3-5pm), early evening (5-8pm), or late evening (after 8pm)."

 

It took me awhile to perfect that message but this one seems to work the best! If I'm not there I leave a personal note on the bed to welcome them and give them the basics.

 

@Juan63  What works for one host doesn't necessarily work for another. That's great you have a free-roaming dog who doesn't disturb guests and you can do that. I've stayed in a home share with two dogs who greeted me when I got there and it was fine. However, it doesn't mean other hosts are too restrictive because they don't. There are many ways to host!

 

Call me weird, but even though I vet my guests before hand, I still don't trust them with my dog roaming around until I meet them.

Where did I say it works for all hosts? I think you misread my post, you should read it again. 

@Juan63  You didn't, but sounded like you were implying it.

 

You said, "More often than not, smart lock works very well and will alleviate waiting for a guest."

Helen responded, "Smart locks might be good for whole place listings, - but not good for home share hosts - with a dog! "

Then you said, "We have a free roaming dog. Works out perfectly fine in my whole house listing and private room listing."

 

You may not have meant it to sound like it should work for all hosts, but that's how it came across to a few of us.

 

I can't help how you take it, I never said it, so... Arguing semantics is a losing battle. Someone said it wouldn't work in a shared listing, that could also be taken as all, but I didn't take it that way.  I simply countered the statement and said in my case it does. Everyone refers to their experience on this forum. We don't have to clarify every post by prefacing the conversation with "In my experience..."

I don't have self check-in option. Even if I do, I would rather assist the process because I had  experiences of guest having no clue of house-rules even though they said they had read the rule. I explained house rules as part of check-in process and make sure they understand what needs to be followed. I'm totally fine with accommodating change of plan beyond their control. There were times I waited till 3am in the morning because guest's flight was delayed. But I find it very rude for guests not to inform hosts in timely manner.