What's your preferred guest check-in and check-out window?

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

What's your preferred guest check-in and check-out window?

guest checkin_checkout 2.0.png

 

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you're all doing well today!

 

Being an Airbnb host, you'll have guests booking with you very often, and this made me wonder at what time you let your guests check-in and check-out? 

 

Do you have a preferred check-in/check-out window? Maybe you have special instructions for your guests? Or is there perhaps something you would do differently next time you host guests? 

 

I'm looking forward to your replies!

 

Quincy

 

 

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18 Replies 18
Farah1
Level 10
Seattle, WA

@Quincy I hope you are doing well!

 

I have a key box that I hang on the entrance doorknob. This gives the option for my guests to do self-check-in when I am not home. I always send a check-in instruction one day before their arrival. It is very thorough with the address, self-check-in instruction (how to get the key out, where is the key box little door, etc), parking information, once they are in the house where to go to find their room and also for the bathroom. My check-in time is anytime after 3pm. I rarely take an early check-in because fortunately, my place is pretty booked (so, there are many back to back reservations). I do not have the limit time for check-in, I have had guests who checked in at 2am (and they paid for the night before). However, I have a house silent time in my house rules (10pm-7am), so guests who need to do late check-in are expected to keep the noise down during the house silent time. For guests who are coming in late, I usually see them and give the house tour in the following morning. 

 

For check-out, I always send a check-out instruction the night before check-out or on the morning of at the latest. Guests can check-out anytime before 11am. I definitely like guests who check-out early, it gives me more time to prepare the room for the next guests. However, not too early that they need to make a lot of noise in early morning.... ha ha (in the perfect world)

Check-out instruction has a thorough information (turn off heater and lights, put the dirty towel on the floor, lock the front door, put the key back in the key box and "mix" the code).

 

If I am home and up when they arrive/about to leave, I usually get the key for and from them to save their time from putting it from/back to the key box.

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Farah1,

 

I'm doing great today—I hope you're doing well too!

 

I can see you're very organised about the check-in and check-out times. I'm sometimes ok with accepting midnight check-in, but this would depend on which day the guests will be arriving (Friday and Saturday preferably). My guests usually leave quite early in the morning which is not a big problem, but as you said, they will make some noise in the morning. I have a chat with them the day before they leave so that I can explain to them that the keys can simply be returned through the letterbox at the front door.

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Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

Hello @Quincy 🙂

The most essential is that there must be some time between check-out and check-in, which for some guests (more and more) is a kind of rocket science. 

I try to be flexible because it is within my possibilities, I only ask my guests to stick to the arranged time. And here's our Pandora's box: guest 2 hours late? - 1/5 for the host for the check-in; guest changed their mind, failed to appear on time and then haggling for some other arrangements on the phone ? - again low score for the host for the check-in.

 

I would say that beside damage to the property, which reading from the forum seems to be spreading, some satisfying solutions should be implemented into the booking system and then to the rating system concerning checking in.

Iam fed up with constant asking for check-in at 8 am, or check-out late. Having received some unfair reviews, I am not inclined to do favour to guests.

So from me - Guests respecting the check-in arrangements they made with me. Am I asking for too much?

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"

Hi @Quincy 

Most of my guests check in directly after arriving on international flights, plus we tend to have long term stays so Henry and I would never be able to do a proper deep clean for a same day check in/out. (We manually block a day or two before and after long term reservations for this purpose.)

 

We do have times specified (check in after 2pm / check out before noon) but we've decided that we want to be more accomodating about people who have flight schedules to consider, especially if they are long term guests. Till now all of our guests have had flights arriving late afternoon/evening and flights leaving in the morning so they've all checked out fairly early (6~8am). But for any other reason, I would not accomodate early check ins or late check outs.

 

Henry and I both like to be able to greet our guests and see them off personally. I know this isn't possible for everyone, but for me it's something I consider as a very important, critial part of my hosting responsibilities.

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Jessica-and-Henry0,

 

I hope you're both doing well today 🙂

 

I love the way you take care of your accommodation before your guests arrive—I'm sure they really appreciate this! I was wondering for how long your guests usually book with you?

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Hi @Quincy~! Hope u are having a good day too 🙂

I've only been hosting since Feb this year and my 4th guest checked in last week. 3 of my 4 guests were exchange students in Seoul for a semester. The Spring and Fall semesters are usually just under 4 months (Mar~ mid Jun / Sep~mid Dec) and summer semster is a full 4 weeks in July. 

Willow3
Level 10
Coupeville, WA

As a morning person - my PREFERRED check out is 0600, lol.  I love when guest leave early and I can turn over the room early, and not have my day sliced up.  And as a morning person my PREFERRED check in would be 1000.  So again, I could go on about my day.  

But, preferrred and reality are very different things.  I'm pretty happy with my current check in/out windows  of 1500-2000 check in and 1100 check out - and because I have a seperate entrance with with a coded keypad for my guests... should they arrive very late, they can.  

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Willow3,

 

Nice to meet you 🙂

 

Great convenience for you and your guests! I had a quick look at your profile and could see that you've been using Airbnb as a guest. Have you also encountered hosts who were using smart-locks? How did you find the experience?

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Waves to @Quincy!  Sadly, I've never stayed in a place with a smart lock.  I think it would make both host and guests lives easier.  We recently traveled, and as we were in another country, we had no realistic understanding of how long it might take us to travel between sights and locations.  We did our best to communicate effectively with our hosts, but I hated knowing I might keep them tethered to their home.  

 

Even though I have a smart lock, I try to be present and greet each of my guests... I lead a pretty boring life.  But living on an island, when I have to go to the mainland, it's a full day event... so having the lock frees me up to live my life and accomplish my chores off island.  

Waves to @Quincy!  Sadly, I've never stayed in a place with a smart lock.  I think it would make both host and guests lives easier.  We recently traveled, and as we were in another country, we had no realistic understanding of how long it might take us to travel between sights and locations.  We did our best to communicate effectively with our hosts, but I hated knowing I might keep them tethered to their home.  

 

Even though I have a smart lock, I try to be present and greet each of my guests... I lead a pretty boring life.  But living on an island, when I have to go to the mainland, it's a full day event... so having the lock frees me up to live my life and accomplish my chores off island.  

@Willow3

I can totally relate that as a traveller, it's hard to know how long it will take to get from point A to point B. Because of that reason, as a host, what I always do is ask my guests to message me on the day of check in, specify where they are (exactly) when they start towards our home to check in and method of transportation so that Henry or I can do the calculation and estimate when our guest will arrive 🙂 

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

I would like to reverse the issue as I believe it is our job to try and accomodate our guests and not the other way around.  

Most of my guests arrive to the airport or the station, many arrive on late flights because they are the most reasonable. So I let them check-in when they arrive - up until midnight and beyond if they are willing to pay my taxi when public transport is no longer running. A very few have arrived by cruise ship and had to check-out of the ship in the morning. In these few cases I have let them check-in a 10am.  

My place is not a 5* boutique hotel type of place, so being flexible I feel can compensate for the few cons so that a high rating is maintained.  Maintaining the rating is cruicial in my area as the competition is beyond fierce.  

Kåre0
Level 2
Trondheim, Norway

Hi @Quincy 

 

I would prefer it if it was possible to set the check out time as flexible. As long as I`m not at work my guests may check in at what time they prefer. For check out I tell my guests what time the other guest is arriving the next day, and ask them if they can get their things out of the room till that time. I also tell my guests that they can put their luggage in my livingroom till they leave that day. I let my guests keep the key till they leave. So if they have a late 2300 train that evening, they can use the apartment and store their things as long as they are out of the bedroom till the next guests arrive. For guests arriving at 0600 in the morning I tell them to come and drop off their luggage and get the key, then I tell them what time of day their bedroom will be ready

 

As it is now I just put the check out time to 15. Having put that time some guests think they can stay in the bedroom till 15. I do not want to put an earlier time as it might be unattractive for bookings. I`d like flexible on check out as my guests can store their luggage use the apartment and keep the key till they leave. Its only the bedroom they have to clear out of 🙂

 

 

 

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

We set the times to take into consideration local flights, so check out at 10am (flight is at 11:30am) and check-in at 1pm (incoming flights with good same-day connections from US start to arrive at 1:15pm.