How can I stop guests ignoring the check in time?

[Huma0]

I really don't want to have to put it in CAPITALS at the beginning of my listing, as that's not very welcoming, but I am starting to get frustrated that so many guests simply ignore my check in time (3pm). It is in my listing and house rules, which I ask them to read.

Check out (12 pm) doesn't seem to be a problem. Occasionally a guest asks if they can leave bags and pick them up later, which is fine, but most leave earlier than noon with no fuss.

Check in is another matter. I would say that the majority of my guests want to come earlier. Some politely ask if that is an option, or if they can drop their bags earlier. Unfortuntely, a lot just assume they can come straight from the airport/train station and wouldn't have bothered to even communicate this to me had I not asked.

I always message them to ask what time they will arrive (the majority don't offer this information without a prompt). Even when I stress in my message that check in is from 3 pm onwards, they still respond saying, "We'll be arriving at 11 am." So, it's not that they don't know check in is after 3, they just simply don't seem to think it matters.

Even at a five star hotel with 24 hour reception, this is usually not okay.

Any tips for how I can prevent this? What am I doing wrong?!

[Ange2]

 @Huma0

"If you require early or late check in, or late check out, please inform me well in advance. These can be accommodated when possible for a small additional fee"

I used to have similar wording, without the additional fee, but people abused it by not informing me and arriving at all hours without notice or sending me a text 10 minutes before arrival.

But, the problem also lies in the way Airbnb is set up, the automatically generated features say "Anytime after 1PM if you choose a start time and flexible, if I put a start and end time it indicates anytime between. I can see why someone who does not read or wants to try their luck could take "Anytime"  to mean anytime without notice even though right above it It says  "I am NOT available 24 hours..."  The screenshot below  is what my listing looks like:  It could be confusing from a guest's point of view, especially if they do not understand English and/or view Airbnb as a 24/7 hotel service.  I add a list of luggage storage spaces to push the point home but that is a catch-22.

I did add a Host Voice asking to add  "Always contact host ... ".   And replace anytime with earliest,  but no joy so far.

I do not charge an additional fee so I don't mention flexibility on my listing anymore.  But, I  allow people to check-in earlier and check-out later if possible and drop off bags prior to check-in and store bags after check-out, but they need to ask me now rather than me offering or them taking it as a given. I do always remind them in messages, not completely effective but an improvement.

[Huma0]

Hi @Ange2 yes I can see how that might be confusing to some guests, even though you have tried your best to make it clear!

I tried adding the bit about a fee to make guests take arriving early/leaving late seriously. I thought that the check in times would seem less inconvenient to them if it was the cheaper option. However, I have found that even though they still want to check in early, apart from one or two guests, they seem to conveniently miss the bit about paying for it! If you then ask them to pay, they feel like you are trying to con them!

Although I don't put the details on the listing, I do message any guests arriving early/departing late with left luggage options. Some guests appreciate this, because they had simply not thought about it. Others feel resentful that they have to spend money to store their bags. Do you list these facilities on your description?

I have found more recently though that it helps if I highlight from the beginning the cheaper services. There are now online companies here (and in some other places in Europe) where you pay as little as 1 Euro per hour, or £6 per day to store a bag. This is MUCH cheaper than the traditional left luggage services at train stations (typically £12 a day). If they have light luggage, I also mention they can use the cloakrooms at major galleries/museums for free.

So, I say something like, "I can send you a list of left luggage facilities in London, of which there are many, starting from as little as 1 Euro per hour or £6 a day." It makes it harder for them to argue, because that would be like them saying that my time is worth less than 1 Euro per hour!

Also, when I do send them the list, I make sure now to put these very cheap options at the top, so that they don't miss them and use a more expensive service instead.

Of course, there are still guests who will expect me to cater to their every whim and for no compensation. I am just trying to find the most 'helpful' way to say no!

[Ange2]

@Huma0 

Thank you for the suggestions. I think your approach is far better than mine, offering it in a message comes across as more considered and thoughful, as well doing duty of alerting guests to your rules.

I list the luggage storage places on the welcome letter they get from Airbnb when they book, under the links for getting to/from Airports, interesting things to do, link to my Guide Book, etc. and under please tell me time of arrival I am not available spiel.  Some guests have been grateful, some guests never notice and ask me about luggage storage.  I have only ever received one negative rsponse, from a guest who believed I was trying to "shaft him".  He also gave me low marks for not having an ensuite bathroom and elevator and never did tell me what time he was arriving.

[Huma0]

@Ange2, oh dear. There's really nothing you can do to please that kind of guest. They want everything for nothing and can't wait for an oppportunity to criticise. Thankfully, most guests are not like that.

I try my best to phrase the left luggage thing as helpful information I am giving them. In a way, I AM trying to be helpful, because although I don't want guests dropping off bags hours early for the reasons given earlier in this thread, I also don't want them to have to spend a fortune paying for left luggage or to be greatly inconvenienced.

However, some simply don't want to spend a penny more than they have to. A recent guest did not go for the cheap options I suggested and instead dragged two huge suitcases around central London while she was sightseeing! She ended up paying for a taxi, which are super expensive in London, because she was exhausted, thereby spending much more money in the long run. I could tell she felt quite bitter about it.

[David126]

@Huma0

I accept same day but not IB so if I have any doubt I can confirm first, ie happy to accept the booking but will not be home untill whatever time, is that OK?

I would not suggest that you advise a guest that you maybe able to allow them to come early. They can see your check out time, you can mention that if you want to. If you feel so inclined and can that morning then message them and say the room is ready ealrier than I expected and you are welcome to turn up ealry, between whatever time suits you.

No false expectations and should be a plus if they have any sense.

[Huma0]

@David126, no I try not to indicate that an earlier check in is possible. My standard email goes something like "Please let me know what time you will be arriving, bearing in mind that check in is from 3-9 pm."

However, as @Clara116 mentioned, my listing does state an earlier checkin might be possible, albeit for a fee. Perhaps they are latching on to this, but ignoring the fee part!! I think I'm just going to remove that sentence.

[John498]

@Huma @Ange2

I am thinking that maybe the time is now nigh for an adaptation of the Irish sign about getting goods on credit I used to see in the shops when I was a kid;

"PLEASE DON'T ASK TO CHECK IN EARLY AS A SMACK IN THE GOB OFTEN OFFENDS"

[Huma0]

Ha, Ha @John498! Yep, I'm sure most guests do not realise just how annoying it is to constantly be asked for early check in.

Then again, if I was in their shoes, I would probably ask too. The difference is that I would only ask once. The ones that drive me round the bend are the ones that ask repeatedly and then you end up worried you're coming across as a total b*tch for saying 'no' over and over again. Or worse, the ones that agree to the 3 pm check in but then message you earlier in the day saying, "We are ready to come now, so are on our way."

[John498]

I just had someone cancel today from another site which I use because Airbnb seems to be foundering- another thread I know! - saying this for my 1pm check in:

"Hi, my name is Emma. My sister and I are coming in from America (Washington state) for a week as a Christmas/Birthday present. My boyfriend will serve as our tour guide.
We'll get off our plane at seven in the morning on the fifteenth of February and leave by six in the morning on the twenty-first. Will that be okay? And, will we be able to cook in the apartment? Thank you!"

I love the quid pro quo. I will arrive at what time suits me as I am vacating your apartment at 6am.

She booked a room. And then messaged me asking would they have the whole place to herself or  is it a B n B type thing? For £98 quid a night in central London. Err helloooo? *%5&6

[Huma0]

@John498it's funny how many guests just assume, despite our numerous reviews, that nobody else could have booked the room either just before or after them and that there might be other guests who still need to check out/will be checking in before they want to leave, never mind the time to turn the room around. It is like the room exists in some sort of special dimension in space only for them.

Yes, I've also had a few enquiries where guests have thought they are getting the whole house for my already very reasonable room rate. Really? A four storey house in London in a fairly central location for £45 a night? Are they bonkers? And who do they think looks after my three cats if no one else is here?!

I am having this issue with my current guests. Despite having confirmed that they had read the whole listing and all the house rules (and I do prompt them in a message to pay particular attention to certain points, e.g. that I have three cats), it was clear as soon as they arrived that they had done no such thing.

Firstly, they were really surprised I have three cats. Later, I received the first of their late night messages, which are always questions about stuff I already explained to them. This time they had accidentally turned off a radiator after I had told them only hours before NOT to fiddle with the heating controls. They were astonished when I went in person to their room to sort it out. "Oh, we didn't think you would be living with us, but okay, that's fine." What? Apart from the fact that it's clear from my listing and house tour, do they think the cats feed themselves?!

So, no big deal, right? But, apart from not appreciating them messaging in the early hours of the morning, the fact that they don't listen to ANYTHING has caused damage to my house. They flooded the shower room floor, causing damage to the ceiling below after I had specifically told them to please make sure they close the shower door before they use the shower. Although they keep complaining about this or that, the moment I politely brought this up, they got really offended and said they would not shower again in my house for the remaining two days of their stay!

There are several other issues and all of them are related to them not reading the description/not listening to anything I say. And no, it's not a language problem as they have been living in Scotland and speak English perfectly well.

Sorry for the long rant, but I just wanted to give an example of how things can go wrong, no matter how hard you try to inform your guests. I am sure I sound like an old codger, but I think a lot of young people these days have the attention span of knats.

[Huma0]

I mean gnats!

[David126]

@Huma0

Tell them you will be out and not sure what time you will be getting home, you will be certainly be back by check in time.

[Huma0]

Hi @David126, yes that's my usual tactic and then I send them a list of left luggage options.

Initially I tried saying I couldn't do early check in because I had other guests checking out and then had to get the room ready. That just resulted in requests for early bag drops, which caused all sort of problems, some of which are mentioned above. Some guests would come to drop off their bags and then insist on checking in there and then, rather than coming back at the agreed time. I'd still be in the middle of cleaning the house and then they'd mark me down for cleanliness in the review!

I've put a complete stop to that. I can't remember the last time I did an early bag drop. Now they just get the list of left luggage facilities.

[John498]

I had a guy last week that booked on the day via instant book then at 0940 when I texted him to ask what time he would be checking in he said his train was getting in to Pddington at 10.10 and he would be round at 11am ( 1pm check in is my time).

So I go round to sort a few things out at the place as I live elsewhere and then he phones me at 11 to say the train was delayed and it was getting in at 1110 to Paddington. I said ok and then he asked to use the washroom to freshen up. I was thinking you have just come off a train from England somewhere why would you need to freshen up. I let him and then he wanted to use the uncleaned room for 10 minutes.

Next came haggling over check out time wanted as late as possible as he was going to be honest he was going out on a drinking session. We agreed 1215 though my check out is 11am and when I go to the room at 1220 he emerges from the shower just wearing a towel. Grr. Probably my worse experience ever!

[Huma0]

@John498that is soooo annoying and exactly the sort of thing I am talking about. The guest thinks that because they have paid a bit of money (and most don't realise that Airbnb is taking a cut and you're not getting all of it) that they can arrive and leave anytime as long as it's convenient for them.

This is why I now really stick to my guns about my check in time, unless it happens to be 100% convenient for me for guests to come early, e.g. on Christmas Day, both sets of guests were arriving earlier but that was good as I needed to get to my family Xmas lunch! Of course, many of the guests wanting to come early end up being late anyway and you're waiting around, but there's not much either party can do re delayed flights, trains and buses, other than to communicate.

Late check out is less of an issue for me and I'm happy to allow it if I don't have other guests checking in the same day. If I do, but the new guests are arriving late, I will have some flexibility on check out. If the new guests are arriving at 3 pm or close to it, then I won't agree to a late check out for the previous guest. It's just too stressful.