What's on your pre-check-in checklist?

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

When you're preparing for your guests there's lots to think about. From ensuring you've cleaned every nook and cranny to checking there's enough toilet roll, it's easy to forget things! If you're anything like me you like keeping on top of things with a list.  

Do you have a checklist you follow when preparing for your next guests? If so what's on it?

It will be great to compare lists!

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Jennifer976]

I have a limited time to grow flowers in Canada but will plant some next year just for this purpose.  I have a long stairway coming up to my house that has pots of herbs on each level that I use for cooking but I'll for sure add flowers now.

[Lizzie]

That sounds like a lovely idea @Jennifer976. I'm currently trying to grow some vegetables and herbs in my little garden. I think herbs can looks really decorative in a home, plus they are functional at the same time! 🙂

[Sarah977]

An arrangement of attractively colored dry branches, rosehips and other such things can be just as nice as flowers, and more in keeping with a non-flowering season. 

[Karen296]

I don't do chocolate, because it's highly likely guests will stain the sheets with it. I do leave a guest book with maps etc.  I don't do  flowers  as many guests have allergies. 

[Cathie19]

To be very truthful @Lizzie, my “Arrivals checklist” really begins with my previous “Departure checklist”, which is pretty thorough.

But to assist with final countdown preparations:

Landscaping: lawns mowed/gardens watered/ floral arrangements and pot plants watered

All areas inside and outside are tidy, clean and good to go. (Would pass a photo session)

All food, bathroom and linen supplies have been placed in-situ, to meet the group number 

Specific guest / cohort requirements, if any, are in place - as per communications

Final Airbnb messages and check-in instructions have been sent

Mobile numbers known if needed - my phone charged

Guest folder - up to date items replaced where needed

Welcome board - has guest names chalked on it 

Welcome card - Personalised (noting anything specific from messages)

WiFi Password - in situ

Keys

Air conditioners on

Oil diffusers activated

Have flight details for observing flight delays through Apps and airport arrival boards.

Have confirmed through the Airbnb messages that the guest will text me or Airbnb message me when departing the airport, to gauge arrival time for a smooth check in.

[Rachel0]

@Cathie19, Yes I forgot to mention that I also have "Live Flight Tracker" bookmarked on my laptop and having got the flight details for guests coming from far away, I check the flight to make sure it has landed on time.  

I also leave out a welcome card - I got 50 Union Jack cards from an online florist suppliers shop - and leave one in the room next to the chocolates.  They are a bit twee but the guests love it and often take them home!

[Cathie19]

Hi @Rachel0. My preferred App is Flightradar24. But the live departure board of the departing city is useful when the call sign is not yet showing. 90-95% of my guests fly in! 

[Lizzie]

Great suggestions @Rachel0 and @Cathie19. 

Rachel, I am glad you recapped your idea about having lots of spare bulbs. It is one of those things that could be easily forgotten, but can make a huge amount of difference to the look of a room and if it is cared for. 🙂

Cathie, it is really interesting to hear how your pre-check-in list starts as soon as your other guest leaves. It makes a lot of sense. Is this the same even if you have a bit of a gap? 

Maybe we should also have a topic called post-check-out checklist? 🙂

[Huma0]

This is a nice idea I hadn't thought of. I do always customise the welcome chalkboard with the guests names (it has the WiFi details too), which they love, and leave cards for special occasions, but @Rachel has got me thinking about bulk buying welcome cards for the guests. It's a nice touch and wouldn't add much extra time to the turnaround. 

[Shaunti0]

this welcome board thing must be for whole apartments/houses or something? 

[Cor3]

Hi @Lizzie,

Upon booking receipt, I send out my standard question list and the link to our electronic house manual (the manual nowadays unfortunately somewhat delayed, because of the 48-hour grace period 😞 )

I copy all booking details into my own ‘tenants data base’, which mainly drives the rest of my booking-processes.

For your information: This data base holds more data than all relevant data fields on Airbnb!

Because many of these are a lack of functionality on Airbnb (Such as estimated time of arrival, mode of transport, flight numbers, special requests).

Maybe a bit double, but then at least I’ve got everything in a central place. And I don’t have to scroll through a massive message exchange, over and over again to look for particular information.

I.e. I transform text into data fields.

And I use a form of a flowchart 🙂

Mainly depending on guests mode of transport and the composition of the group.

I.e. No need to apply the child safety measures we have available, when the group consists of only adults (at least hopefully 🙂 ).

And guests arriving by (rental) car are dealt with differently than guests arriving by plane.

Last but certainly no least, I tell all our guests to sign up with UBER!

In an attempt to avoid getting dinged on location, all the time.

As I’m a so-called remote host, I use a local contact person (with a few backups). And she has been doing this type of job for decades. So very experienced. And there is hardly any need to tell her what to do.

I inform her about each new booking, so she can register this in her diary.

And we keep in touch through WhatsApp.

Before arrival of the guests, I just go through my little data base. To check whether we missed out anything. And I also use this system, to send out reminders. As sometimes guests only give half of the information. Or are waiting with handing over information for a wide range of reasons (we are obliged to collect identity details and report them to the authorities, for instance. And usually it takes a bit of time to get this sorted satisfactorily).

Obviously all of my standard messages to guests are personalized. I.e. I don’t ask for the mode of transport, when they have given me this piece of information already.

Hope that this does give some insight and possible help.

Oh, and funny enough: I never ever have to tell the guests the WiFi Password!
They only contact me about it, when they can't get unto the WiFi for some reason.

So it must be pretty easy for them to connect from what's on or in the Airbnb App.

Ps.

The WiFi password is also mentioned on the back of the router and in the manual.

[Lizzie]

This sounds really organised and thought out @Cor3. It sounds like you have taken a lot of time to work out the different needs of your guests and how they are arriving. 

How do you deal with things like cleaning? Does your local contact help with this or do you do this?

[Cor3]

Hi @Lizzie,

Our current processes gradually developed over time. So basically we have an off the shelve scenario, which we tailor to the needs of each specific guest (Using my little DB and the flowchart).

And as Cathie (whom I can't tag here) already mentioned, the departure of 1 group is usually interconnected with the arrival of the next group (especially on change-over days).

I.e. You can’t really allow departing guests a later departure, when the next guests are arriving early.

But you can allow such a request, when the next group is arriving late too.

As said before, I’m a ‘Remote host’ (it would take me at least 6 hours, to get over there – by plane). So our local contact also takes care of the cleaning, etc.

I.e. I do all the back-office stuff, and she takes care of the rest locally.

[Huma0]

@Cor this sounds very organised. I am not much of a 'techie' and hate databases, perhaps because in a former life I had to manage huge ones as part of my job and found it a bit soul-destroying! I hate spreadsheets even more.

You are completely right though that the Airbnb system does not allow you to have all the information you need readily in one place. I have a simple Word document to record guest bookings/income by room and by month, for accounting purposes and also to help me set prices, and another to keep track of my reviews/ratings so I can spot any problem areas.

The rest I keep track of in the old fashioned way. I have a desk diary where I record the guests' names, nationalities, which room they've booked and their check in times. Their names & arrival times also go on a chalk board week planner on the wall, so I can see at a glance who is coming and going over the next few days.

There was a time when I had a photographic memory and never needed to revise for my exams (as long as I had paid attention in class in the first place). Age has put an end to that! Now all schedules and appointments must be written down, even multiple times. 

However, I don't need to write down a pre-check in list. When you do something that often, it becomes such a routine that it would be hard to forget anything.

[Shaunti0]

you all must have loads of guests constantly! who pay a high price?! because with only 2 (cheap!) rooms listed, i don't really see the point in all this rigamaroll. i mean, you do have other jobs and projects, right? this all sounds very very time consuming...