Guests don't read(?) or ignore check in time

[Michael1107]

I've had some guests recently that booked the room and told me that their check in time was later to what i set on house rules 

Now i was able to accomodate this and everything was smooth,  but it was possible because it's august and i don't work

What to do in this cases?  If i don't accept the booking i can be penalized even if its not my fault

The check in time is there for guests to read but it seems to me that guests book anyway regardless if they can make it by that time or not 

[Huma0]

@Michael1107 excellent job on improving your listing and the photos! It looks a lot better and your recent reviews reflect your hard work. Well done. I would suggest, however, that maybe you could add some more photos when you have a chance.

As to your question above, my solution to this was to introduce a fee for late check ins (if these are something that you can accommodate). Once I did this, I got a lot less guests informing me after booking that they would be arriving late. 

Of course, some guests do not read, so might need to be reminded, but if it's stated in your listing, then they can't argue with it.

If you cannot accommodate late check ins, maybe make a big point of your check in times by reiterating them in the listing, i.e. clearly stating that you are not able to accept later check ins. If the guest ignores this, remind them and tell them that they need to withdraw their booking request or make the cancellation from their end. Hopefully they are letting you know in time for them to get a refund?

[Michael1107]

Thank you!  I'll take more pictures too

So if i accept a request and later the guest tells me that he wants to check in later then my check in time,  should he cancel or me?  I don't want to get penalty that's why i accept everyone 

[Huma0]

@Michael1107 

Do not accept everyone. You need to make sure you are happy with the guest and that they understand what they are booking because a lot of guests do not read the listing properly at all and then they are going to be trouble/leave you a bad review, even though it's not your fault. 

Airbnb tells you that you have to maintain an acceptance rate of 88% or above or you might be delisted, but this is not true. I have often slipped below this and never incurred any penalties. In fact, it was confirmed to me by several Airbnb reps that it didn't matter. It only matters if you are declining a lot of guests. It's more important to keep you response rate up.

Also, it's always worth asking the guest to withdraw the request so you don't have to decline it. They don't get any penalties at all, so it's better to try to get them to do it.

E.g.

"I'm really sorry, but as stated on my listing, I cannot accommodate such a late check in time. Please withdraw your booking request by X time so that you can be sure Airbnb does not charge you and so that you get a full refund. Thanks so much!"

Same tactic if they book but they are still within the 48 hour grace period:

"I'm really sorry, but as I stated on the listing, I cannot do such a late check in time. I would advise you to cancel your booking asap because Airbnb only allows guests to cancel penalty free for 48 hours after booking. After that, the cancellation policy automatically applies."

People do not want to lose money, so I find they are pretty willing to withdraw if they think there is a danger of that.

[Michael1107]

Where can i see my acceptance rate? So regardless of my cancelation policy, the guest always can cancel a booking penalty free if he does it within 48 hours after the booking? Even if he's booking for the next day?

Thank you

[Kim3446]

I have a keyless entry so guests can access the property whenever they wish. If they check in late, I arrange a time the next day to do the walk thru. This works for me and the guests.

[Helen744]

@Michael1107 

"some guests will try this. They are often used to motels and hotels and concierges. You need to send these folk a message that simply says that checkin is 'between ,such and such and ask 'Why they are travellin g so late ./ If you do not receive a satisfactory answer then simply say that you are unable to accomodate them at this time , refund their money and ask them to book elsewhere. H 

[Michael1107]

So to not be penalized i should accept and refund later? 

[Huma0]

@Michael1107 

If it is before accepting the booking request, remind the guest clearly that the listing states your check in time from X to Y. If that does not suit them, they should withdraw the request asap.

If they only tell you after they book, but according to the cancellation policy, they are still entitled to a full refund, tell them either they can either check in between the times specified on the listing, or they should cancel. 

Unfortunately, you have to sometimes get a bit strict about this, or guests will walk all over you. It has also been my experience that if you allow gussets to do this, they may well continue to ignore every other house rule or whatever is stated on your listing. We have a saying here: "Give them an inch, and they will take a mile." So, stand firm.

If the period for a free cancellation is over, then it gets a bit complicated, and you may need to involve Airbnb CS (which is not ideal). However, if you use IB, and it's an instant booking, you do have the option to cancel three bookings penalty free, 3 x times in one year, if you believe the guest will break your house rules. Not complying to clearly stated check in times is, to my mind anyway, a breach of house rules.

Hope that all makes sense!

Here is a discussion I started a while back on this topic, as I also found this problematic, although that was more to do with guests wanting to check in early...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/How-can-I-stop-guests-ignoring-the-check-in-time/m-p/304...

[Michael1107]

I've read the discussion, some interesting points!

Ps.  After some bad experiences i don't use instant booking 

[Helen3]

Hi @Michael1107 

another useful tip to familiarise with how Airbnb works is to use the Airbnb Help website - it has FAQs on all the basics around running your STR business on Airbnb

as you don't use Airbnb it's easy enough for you to confirm with guests before they book that it's subject to them confirming they are able to check in within your check in times.  @Michael1107