Flight cancelled, host not available for check-in following two days

[Kenneth12]

Dear hosts,

Recently,    we experienced a flight cancellation that made us unable to reach a destination (Paris) until the following day.

The host was fairly new (4 reviews),   out-of-town,    and had no one to check us in the follow two days.   Thus we had to make last-minute arrangements to stay somewhere else (ah,   the ongoing saga!).

How do other hosts see this?    I'm fine with paying for the day due to a flight problem (we have travel insurance),    but it seems to me as a host,   if you're not there and don't have someone to check your guests in if things change,   the days you couldn't get them in are largely on you.

Anyone have a different perspective?  Thanks.

[Helen350]

...but the host WAS available on Day 1, was she not @Debra300 ? Just not Day 2 or 3. - I wonder if there is any Airbnb rule about what happens in that unusual scenario?

Whose fault was the lack of access? Kenneth's, for not turning up on Day 1, or the host's for not being available on Day 2?

[Debra300]

@Helen350,

I didn't find any specific Airbnb guideline about guests who miss the check-in window on the scheduled arrival date.  I do think the implication is that the host will make arrangements with the guest to retrieve the keys, but it can be at the host's convenience, and possibly the guest's cost (transportation, courier service, etc.).  

[Jennifer1421]

I'm not sure that "faulting" is helpful to this issue; there are multiple things happening here, likely chiefest amongst them being the difficulties that are bound to arise whilst doing any traveling currently. I'd think that the quickest and smoothest path to resolution is the main goal.

As a guest, I would expect that a day later arrival might well present check-in issues and would be willing to make some concessions toward the host, given the change in plans (though I wasn't the reason or cause for that change).

As a host, it is my responsibility to do what I can to accommodate changes. If such accommodations are not feasible, I would do what I could to re-home my guest, foregoing the entirety of the reservation. (NB: Personally, there is absolutely no way I would have anyone looking after my property that wasn't available 24/7, in case of problems, but we all run our businesses differently. )

From the sounds of things, @Kenneth12's delayed arrival could not be accommodated, as the host chose an unreliable third party, resulting in 2 of 7 days being unused. It sounds (and if I'm assuming wrong, here, Ken, please do correct me) as if Ken agreed to check in for the final 5 days of the stay without coming to an agreement with the host around monetary compensation for the 2 unused days (28.5% of the nights {ignoring cleaning and ABB fees}).

Assigning blame and approportioning fault doesn't get any money refunded, so negotiating an acceptable resolution is now the goal, yes? I wonder, Ken, if you'd be open to eating a little bit of the difference? What if you were to ask your host to refund 20% of her nightly rate, thereby foregoing 8.5%? Would you feel that would be acceptable, given the time and trouble you've already invested into this issue, but also given that it would be likely preferable to finish with this and get on with your holiday?

[Kenneth12]

First,  I take this as a sort of first-timer mistake.  No big deal,  even if the particular circumstances (hey, it's not clear that the host's friend would have been available the first day) are odd.  Point it out,  point other issues out, this is their first time doing a whole-apartment rental,  move on.

The "defend the host" drama is IMO needless and inappropriate.   Why?

The question of whether a full amount or a partial amount is appropriate,  is indeed much in my head.   I don't know.  It doesn't matter that much.   It does seem to me,  there was a fault on the part of the host (she left without knowing she could check someone in,    resulting in what may have been a problem even if we showed up on time-- and definitely was a problem,  under the circumstances).

8.5%?   Dinner money.  We'd be done.

[Jennifer1421]

I agree, Ken - there is no need for any kind of drama. You have a dilemma, and an acceptable resolution is what's needed. Is the host just flat out refusing any kind of refund @Kenneth12 ?

[Sarah977]

@Kenneth12  New, inexperienced host, thought she could just go out of town and make money renting her place while away, didn't realize she'd need a co-host or friend or relative on call for whatever may come up. 

It's not something totally unheard of for guests to get delayed. I've had two guests whose flights were overbooked and they missed the first day of their booking. I offered to refund each the day, simply to be nice, because it's just a private room, not my main source of income, and they each had 10 day bookings. But both refused the refund, saying no way, it wasn't my fault, and that my place was great value.

But you likely have more $ at stake than the $28/night I charge, and yes, I agree the host needed to have someone available to accommodate your arrival, among any other issues that might come up and that she should refund your money. Sometimes learning curves, as this would be for her, don't come cheap.

If you had simply wanted to change your entire booking to different dates and the host couldn't accommodate that, you'd be bound by her cancellation policy, but arriving a day late while still within your booked dates shouldn't affect a guest being able to gain access, as long as the guest isn't demanding about exactly what time they can check in, since plans had changed and the host or person on call may have prior commitments.

[Alex893]

@Kenneth12 being available to address your needs once you check in is not the same as being available with a key. She may have a team of people able to fix things, clean etc but she was expecting you with a key on the date you booked. She gets to have a life. Yes, she should have had a back up but you also have to understand that these are unprecedented times to travel. You should have also thought of your flight being extremely likely to be cancelled and booked a place with self check in or talked though this scenario with the host prior to booking.

[Mika8]

@Kenneth12.. I'm also doing personal check-in due to several reasons. .. and if a guest make a booking, the guest see the check-in window from x to y at the check-in DATE .. and not that check-in is possible on every further date. Especially as an on-site host you also have a private life and probably private plans.

It could happen, that if a guest book from Friday to Monday that I also use this option to be away that weekend (as there is no other check-in to do) .. should I cancel then my booking, only because the guest did not arrive on the check-in day? .. and should then my host reimburse me, as it was not my fault that I could not make it?

Of course I have two back-up plans in place for such situations .. but yeah .. Murphys Law .. probably they just also had plans on that particular dates. .. further they are no problems with water or power shortage or anything else, which would need my attention .. so, every problem which a guest could might have, could easily be fixed remotely.

Therefore, of course I try everything to accomodate a guests need, but if I could not make it, there is no reason to reimburse the guest, as it is not my fault that I could not make it (in your case the airforce company would be to blame, nor the guest, nor the host). I always calculate with hours of delay by arrival by plane, bus or international train, but I could not stop making own plans for all the following days after a check-in.

I had once a guest, who finally informed me (after asking many times, first just after the booking weeks before) on the day of check-in that she will not check-in on that day. She only booked the place one night earlier as she will arrive at 8am. Nice move not to ask for an early check-in and instead booking the night before .. but what's about information? .. because I work in the morning and could not be at home at 8am (especially as you also need to calculate several hours of possible delay on that time). I could finally arrange something but it was really hassle especially due the lack of communication till check-in date.