Should I be at the house every night

Should I be at the house every night

I have a owner occupied Airbnb.   It is pretty remote and I am constantly booked, which is wonderful.   The Airbnb is self contained with its own private entrance bedroom, Bathroom, Screened In Porch, Deck and Kitchenette.

My Question is... Do I need to be here every night?  Sometimes my Mom who is elderly would like be stay the night with her.  She lives 1 hour away.   I understand I must be here when they arrive and leave and they always have my cell number if they have a question or a problem arises.    But I have never  spent the night away with Airbnb guest.  I would love to hear what you wonderful Hosts Think.  Thank you so much, Mimi , Mt Shasta Views High Desert Retreat and Sanctuary

Mimi Sudbury
24 Replies 24
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Maureen447  You certainly can spend the night elsewhere. But as a home-share host myself, I would only do that if the guest has been in residence long enough to get a sense of whether you wouldn't have anything to worry about, as far as them not snooping around, or inviting other people over. (And lock up any valuables).

 

With the majority of the guests I've had, I'd say I could judge that within a day or two.

 

I also wouldn't let them know it's an hour away, I'd just say your mom would like you to spend the night with her and to just call if they need to. Let them assume it's really close by and that you could be back at any moment.

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

I think you need to assess this on the basis of your instincts of each guest. If you sense they're potentially problematic, you'd probably be best keeping an eye on things. 

 

Every host has different experiences, but most of our guests are people we feel we can trust. And especially now, I've been vetting each guest extensively before letting them book, so "problem" guests have been fewer and farther between. 

 

It's entirely up to you. Do your best to attract good ones, and you'll have fewer problems. Keeping your prices at the max you can reasonably get seems to help a lot. You get fewer inquiries, but you tend to get better ones. Quality over quantity. 

Thank you, Great Info!  

Mimi Sudbury
Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Maureen447  No, not at all.  Only if you feel that a particular guest might need more oversight, but as long as you are available for guests to reach if they need something/questions/emergency, through the airbnb app or your cell, I don't see any reason you have to be chained to your own house.  

Thank you so much, Mimi,  🙂

Mimi Sudbury
Pat271
Level 10
Greenville, SC

I would let guests know at booking time (or maybe even in your listing description) that there are times when the host may not be present. Some guests (not many, but some) may be booking your place because they prefer to spend the night with the host nearby.

@Pat271  Sorry, I have to disagree with that advice. I would absolutely not let a guest know ahead of time or write that in my listing. She only stays with her mom occasionally, and she should make this decision on a case by case basis, depending on the vibe she gets from the guest.

 

It's easy enough to say to a guest who is in residence " My elderly mom would like me to come spend the night with her- are you okay with being here alone?" 

 

She doesn't have to go if the guest objects, unless of course there's some emergency reason for her to, of which I'm sure a guest would be understanding.

Ah, Good Advise.    Yes, I must say, I'm Not too keen on advertising I'm caring for my elderly Mom.  99% of the time, i would be home, but there's just that 1% when Mom wants me there overnight. Most of the time, I just go up for the day and come home.  Thank you Sarah 

Mimi Sudbury

Ah, Good Advise.    Yes, I must say, I'm Not too keen on advertising I'm caring for my elderly Mom.  99% of the time, i would be home, but there's just that 1% when Mom wants me there overnight. Most of the time, I just go up for the day and come home.  Thank you Sarah 

Mimi Sudbury
Mimi Sudbury

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Mimi Sudbury

@Maureen447  I am a home share host and as I only host one guest at a time, I get a lot of single women. As long as they felt okay about staying alone for the night, I wouldn't take that into consideration. Plenty of single women don't have any fears about that sort of thing. It's not like you live in the middle of a big city in some sketchy neighborhood. I know your area- I have some good friends in Yreka.

Kath9
Level 10
Albany, Australia

@Maureen447,  I'm also a home share host, and I have spent plenty of nights away. I don't advertise this because I don't want to attract people who think I won't be here, but often I will let them know after they have arrived that I will away for a night or two and check that they're okay with it. Most of the time they're delighted! They get a whole house for the price of a room. For example, my stove/oven and lounge are usually out of bounds for guests, but if I'm not going to be here, I tell them they are welcome to use these facilities. On rare occasions, I have been away when a guest arrives, and I simply send them detailed check in instructions - I've never had a problem with this.

 

One thing I'd advise that gives me peace of mind is that I have installed a lock on my bedroom door that can be locked from the outside. I can then stash any valuables in there, and it means that any weirdo guests can't go snooping around in there. Otherwise, I'm happy for them to have free range of the house.

Pete69
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

Much more often than not, I never even meet my guests. I have a self-check-in guest suite (no shared interior space, but part of the same house).  In my 3 years of doing this, only once did I need to be present, and that was to deal with a plumbing backup. Other than that, the only contact guests make with me are for minor things like asking questions, but the vast majority don't need my help with anything.

So, if you have a cell phone and you can show up to deal with something like the WIFI router not working, that's good enough.

@Pete69  You don't understand the topic here. You have an entire place listing with self-check-in. Of course it doesn't matter if you are home or not.

 

The OP has a private room home-share where guests expect to be sharing the space with the host. It's a different situation.