Hi everyone. I'm an experienced host but I'm looking for some 'form of words' or other practical advice regarding the situation where guests want to arrive several hours early.
Experience has taught me the importance of firm boundaries and I don't usually deviate from them without good reason - but I also want to be a welcoming flexible person who cares about my guests' convenience 🙂
Today's guests started asking for an early check-in when they booked several months ago because their flight would be arriving in the morning. My check-in time (in my own home) is from 3.00pm onwards. I told them that I could not guarantee an early check-in so far in advance - there could well be guests from the night before still in the room and I didn't know my own schedule for that day yet.
They asked again about two weeks out - and I explained that I still couldn't confirm this (especially on a weekend in high season) but that they could book the previous night if they wanted guaranteed access to the room before check-in time. They said they only wanted to drop their bags and go off out to explore. I guess I shouldn't have believed them! Once I knew that the previous night would not be booked and I could have the room ready for the morning, I agreed that that they could drop their bags between 10.00am and midday.
They messaged me this morning saying they would arrive 'by 10.00am', so I had to come home early from my morning appointment to meet them.
Instead of just dropping off their bags, they then spent nearly two hours having lengthy showers before unpacking and only then leaving the house to start exploring the city. I think this is a bit cheeky but I'm not going to say anything about it since they had just come off a long flight - but what took me aback was when just before leaving the house they then asked if they could "have breakfast now"!
They are already making full use of my house well in advance of the time they have paid for, and now they expect an extra free breakfast. I told them politely no, because it is now midday and well past breakfast time, and they seem to have accepted this.
I know I could just be completely strict and never let anyone 'bend the rules' in any way and then they wouldn't be able to take advantage, but with the aim of beng reasonably flexible, I am just wondering how other guests deal with this sort of thing and does anyone have a friendly-but-firm way of nipping it in the bud during a guest's stay? And what, if anything, would you say in their review afterwards?