Late Check In

[Sharon31]

I'm SO tired of guests telling me they didn't realize what the check-in time is. Doesn't Airbnb send that to them in a confirmation letter? I'm sure they have to agree to the rules and the listing before booking. My check-in time is between 2-4 pm. I sent a reminder to my guests yesterday like I always do the day before. They just informed me that they "didn't realize" check-in was between 2-4 pm and can't get here until 7-8 pm which really means 9 or 10 pm coming from the NYC on a Friday. I have plans out of town and I refuse to drive back an hr to let them in at 7-10 pm. I have a strict policy and offered to stay and wait until 5 pm. This seems to happen EVERY SINGLE booking! Which is often 5-7 days a week.

[Emiel1]

@Sharon31 

The check-in times are on the itinerary, so guest should know it.

But from 2pm-4pm is a rather short time period for check-in, so maybe remind  the guests already at time of booking of this.

[Sharon31]

Understood however, I used to have it set for 3-6 but found guests wouldn't show up until 10-11pm. I also work afternoons/evenings so it makes things very difficult. Guests in the morning don't leave until 11 am and are always leaving late while others want an early check-in. I can't please everyone. 😞

[Colleen253]

@Sharon31 As Emiel says, guests have this info, so perhaps these people are just taking liberties and hoping or assuming you’ll be fine with it. Who knows. But if your schedule is pretty rigid, I suggest you make sure guests know at booking that the window is firm and if it doesn’t work for them, they should cancel immediately. Also make this very known in your listing description and houses rules etc. Same with check out time…it’s firm, so sorry but we aren’t able to deviate from it.  

[Sharon31]

Thank you! It is listed but I may put it in the description if there is any more room. I know guests are asked if they have read the house rules and are told that when they confirm a booking that they are agreeing to everything on the listing. 

[Lisa723]

@Sharon31 I recently made this mistake as a guest. I am so used to self-check-in that I didn't stop to think that I needed to check the host's check-in window before I made the reservation-- and it was not obvious when booking. I realized it after the fact and the host was gracious enough to make an exception for me, but I felt bad about it. And 2-4 is a really early check-in that many people would have a hard time making. If I were you, if self-check-in can't be an option, I would definitely underline this requirement in your pre- and post-booking messages.

[Colleen253]

@Sharon31 “I know guests are asked if they have read the house rules and are told that when they confirm a booking that they are agreeing to everything on the listing.”

Yes, but to think ‘that’s good enough’ is to open the door to all the aggravation you’re experiencing. In a perfect world, every Airbnb guests would real ALL THE THINGS. We don’t live in that world. Cover All Bases. Always. 

[Kia272]

@Sharon31  I think that allowing check-in only between 2:00 and 4:00 is too short a window, and extremely rigid. And extremely early!  Aside from the fact that it must really limit your market to unemployed or retired people. What on earth? 

What about someone with a job who has to finish the work day on Friday and then leave for their weekend getaway? Personally, I wouldn't book your place, precisely for that reason. Remember, hosting isn't always convenient for the host, but that's the nature of the beast. You should accommodate your market, not the other way around. 

[Sharon31]

I understand what you’re saying but I am fully booked. I also work three other jobs so Airbnb Hass to fit into my schedule. If it doesn’t fit into my guests schedule then they can book somewhere else. 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Sharon31 @Kia272 @Colleen253 @Lisa723 @Emiel1 

Your check in time is yours to decide and if guests don't like it they are free to book elsewhere.

Ours is 5-9 pm.

We have it in our photos for those who don't read.

 

[Jenny349]

I like the photo idea very much @Mike-And-Jane0 ! Very good 👍!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mike-And-Helen0 actually but happy to take the praise!!

[Guillermo494]

Hello Sharon! Good day!

I will give you my experience and what i do to not end up in these type scenarios.

I had the same issue as you and i realized the window i used to give them to check in was too small of a gap.

What ended up happening was me waiting all day for the guest to arrive, losing appointments and things i had to do through out the day, quite annoying.

The solution, make a bigger gap between check ins and also cancel any appointments or events you have for the check in day.

I know it can be exhausting but trust me it's better that way!

Cheers!

(This might also boost your reservations!) 

[Sharon31]

I don't keep apts throughout the whole tourist season here. I have 3 other jobs. One includes taking care of my 83 yr old mother. She is homebound. So I don't have a choice on my check-in times. I agree with everyone above to make sure I mention it from the get-go. Thx 🙂 

[Jessica-and-Henry0 · Accepted solution]

@Sharon31 

Regardless of how clearly it's stated in the listing description and house rules that guests need to confirm they read and agree to..... you should always reiterate the *important* stuff to guests at the time of booking (during the inquiry stage or right after booking is confirmed). Just because someone reads something doesn't mean they understand it. 

Also, people tend to ASSUME or think rules don't apply to them, or interpret rules to their own advantage. I state clearly that our private guest room is single occupancy and I don't allow guests/visitors of the Airbnb guest (no unregistered guests allowed) to enter my home at any time, but I still get inquiries or messages that go something like this 'My GF is not a random visitor and as long as she doesn't stay the night my GF can't be considered a guest, so I don't understand why she can't come hang out with me in my room. We wouldn't bother you and you wouldn't even know she's there' or 'I know the room is single occupancy, but my mom will be visiting and wants to stay with me. She says she's fine sleeping on the sofa (since the room is single occupancy) and wanted me to ask, if she brings her own bedding, sheets and towels, would you still charge extra (and if so how much) to let her stay for a week?' 

Guests will interpret rules to suit their own needs, so it's easier to check and double check that guests clearly understand what certain house rules mean EXACTLY and what is expected of them. It's always better to manage expectations in advance, rather than a few days~hours before the check in date/time.

Before the guest tells you when they plan to check in (as if it's up to them to decide) you should be telling them way in advance before they start planning trip details for that specific day that check in is between 2-4pm and they need to plan their day around this check in window.