Call the host or pay for parking?

[Inna22]

A guest that arrived last night could not find my garage. It is behind the house so you could see it with your eyes, I provide arial map and turn by turn directions. This is a fairly frequent problem. I guess many people are not used to the Chicago lay out with alleys in back. That was not the problem.

The problem was that it was midnight and the guest decided to wake me up to get help with the directions. Of course my poor husband who had to be up at 5 was woken up as well. I am thinking the guest should have just parked anywhere, even if he had to pay a few dollars to do so. There is paid parking a quarter of a block away and often free street parking. I do not think this justified a midnight call.

Thoughts?

[Pat271]

I think that dealing with the myriad of questions a guest might toss your way is part of a host’s job. There are quite a few guests out there that simply don’t want to read and/or use any vacation brain cycles to figure things out. For me, it can be annoying if the question seems solvable without my help, but I don’t even respond with “As I said in the instructions”, because that might feel like an admonishment to the guest.

I do admit that I am probably somewhat more forgiving with questions than the average host. Every host has a hospitality style that works for them, so it’s somewhat subjective.

As you have mentioned, the first line of defense is to provide simple, hassle-free instructions and directions in your Welcome packet. I know you said that you provide an aerial view, but I found (even for myself) that sometimes a simpler google diagram map is easier to digest visually, showing the surrounding streets and alleys, overlaid with “text bubbles” pointing to the driveway and garage. Not the aerial view, but the diagram view. I have one of these in the Welcome packet of one of my listings, along with accompanying written instructions.

[Inna22]

@Pat271 I do not mind questions. In fact, it gives me a chance to engage. The problem here was the time of day

[Karen114]

@Inna22  Yes this is frustrating.  I do have in my communications to guest prior to arrival to let me know if they are arriving after 9 PM that way I can be on somewhat standby.  I also have an automated message that goes out several hours after check in that we stop monitoring phones and email after 9PM and we will get back to you in the morning. If it's an emergency to call 911.

The larger issue is that nobody reads anything.  I have a guest guide as well as multiple emails sent leading up to their stay outlining everything.  I feel it's largely a waste of my energy.

Just yesterday guest calls at 11:30 am saying he cant find the unit location.  I said well check in is not for a few more hours.  

This month I have had 4 guests walk up to the Masterlock lock box mounted on the wall near the door  and attempt to enter their 4 digit code.  There is nothing anywhere indicating this is how to get into the unit.  I also have a picture of the Yale lock that is on my door with instructions.  It's really mind blowing.   

[Pat271]

@Karen114  I have your exact issue of a lockbox on the siding 20 feet from the front door, and the actual entry lock ON the front door. A couple of guests  have tried in vain to use the lockbox on the siding. I ended up  putting “(keypad is on the front door)” directly after the code, on the same line of the instructions. So far, so good…

We even tried to remove the lockbox from the siding, since it belonged to a previous owner. We can’t get the darn thing off the wall without ruining the siding, which I guess is by design…

[Karen114]

It's so weird.  I have a picture of the Yale lock in the check in instructions.  I told my husband, well I guess I am going to take a pic of the Masterlock lock box and insert that and maybe, just maybe they will attempt to open the right one lol.  

[Gillian166]

@Pat271  I stayed in an airbnb a month ago and she had a similar situation. i'd read the check in instructions but we arrived at dusk and i went to the "front" door and found the lockbox. we spent 10mins trying to open it, and then i went back to the check in instructions and noticed it looked different. sure enough, around the side was the proper 'front' door with the proper lockbox. I felt like such a dill! thank goodness she didn't have cameras to see us being idiot guests. 😅. That experience gave me the necessary reminder i needed to be kind to guests coming to my property for the first time. 

[Inna22]

@Gillian166 I always come back from trips with renewed empathy for my guests struggles and stupid questions 

[Deidre1]

Agree 100% and am reminded after we recently stayed at Airbnbs in Iceland that the itinerary is what the guest has the easiest access to on the app on their phone. It takes a click or 2 to get to the various sections hosts have filled out. This is a user interface issue, but the host gets the heat (or the midnight phone call) when answers are not readily apparent in the itinerary.

[Mark116]

@Inna22  Guest parking is the bane of our hosting existence.  I don't think we've had anyone call us at midnight, but definitely at 11pm, and people have sent messages at 2am with screen shots of their parking place.  ? Dude, I am not going to see  your message until well after the parking police have either ticketed you or not.

I wish I knew why people have lost so much basic common sense.  We have had to write a novel in terms of check-in.  I can't understand why someone could not see a garage right on the property, but certainly they should not have telephoned the hosts at midnight.  Unbelievable.

@Pat271  I can't agree. If a guest needs 24 hour availability of staff, they should book a hotel or resort, not an Airbnb.  We say on the listing we're available for non emergency questions from 9am-10pm.  At some point, people need to use their brains and pay attention to what they've booked, not expect to call the host at any time of day or night to ask a dumb question because they're too lazy to look it up.

[Nanxing0]

@Mark116 Echo that! I have dealed with many guests before that are too lazy to read my instructions. Some guests simply think they paid some peanuts for the Airbnb and should receive premium service which is completely untrue. They are responsible for reading instructions instead of relying on hosts to teach them hand by hand.

[Richard531]

I see both sides of the argument.  I applaud @Pat271 for his patience and holding back the "as I said" blurb.  That's not an easy thing to do!  But certainly, we need to be as available 24/7 as we can be.  Which is awful.  But remember, we're getting paid a lot!  

We start our replies to idiotic questions 99% of the time with, "Have you had a chance to check out our award-winning comprehensive Welcome Guide?"  Then we decide if we want to actually answer the question after that blurb.  In fact, that blurb is a keyboard shortcut on my iPhone.  We use it that much.  

99% of the time, the answer IS INDEED in the Welcome Guide.  We have also found that when we say that blurb and THEN give them the actual answer?  It can open the floodgate to more idiotic questions.  And we'll give those answers with the "Welcome Guide" blurb prior to the answer too.  And usually that stops them.  So the majority of the time, we just point them back to the Welcome Guide (and don't even answer the question).  

A guest that will ask a stupid question will ask another, and another, and another.  It's entitlement.  And we won't allow it to proliferate while we're hosting someone.  

[Inna22]

@Richard531 I often use "it sounds like you have not had a chance to read through my listing. Please let me know if you have any questions after you do". I do not mind answering questions but if someone did not bother to read at all, it will lead to unhappy customers

[Sybe]

@Inna22 That's really well-worded, you make it sound vital to read through the listing without accusing the guest of not having done so.

[Huma0]

@Richard531 

Firstly, you have to get the guests to read the listing/house rules, which is hard enough. I am happy to answer a couple of questions that are already answered on the listing (while reminding the guest to please read it), but it can get to a point where it gets silly. My feeling is that guests who do not pay attention to stuff and need so much hand holding before they even get here are likely to be a pain in the backside while staying here, although there are a few exceptions to that rule.

Then there are the directions. It is so simple to get to my house from the station. I mean, you just walk down the same road. That's it. Still, a lot of people will automatically go to my neighbour's house. One of the first things in my directions is to tell them not to do this! The houses are numbered. It's not rocket science. My house is very distinctive because it's painted light green and has a pink front door and there is no other green house, let alone one with a pink door, on the street. I point this out in my directions and tell them there are photos on the listing. So, why are they going to the grey house with the black door? Why??? 

If they are coming by taxi, then it's even worse. I give very clear instructions and really reiterate DO NOT PARK ON MY NEIGHBOUR'S DRIVE. Still, some guests will completely ignore this. The last one even told me she was about to be dropped off at the spot I had instructed and, though she knew I was then waiting for her there to help with her bags, didn't think to tell me she had suddenly decided to ignore the directions and was dropped off elsewhere. Guess where I eventually found her? On my neighbour's drive!!! SMH.