Which do you prefer?

[Sudsrung0]

Which do you prefer?

Meet your guest?

Self check in?

Me personally I have never done self check in I always like to meet the guest and show them around

For us most of our guest are tourist and their first time here,

Let me know your thoughts,

[Huma0 · Accepted solution]

@Sudsrung0 

Meet and greet for me. I have never done self check in. My guests are staying in my own home, so it's important for me to meet them both for my own peace of mind and that of my other guests. I also find that the vast majority of guests appreciate it, especially as most are solo travellers and like to know I'm here for them if they need it.

Secondly, there's a lot of information that it's just more effective to explain while you are showing guests around. It's not that the information isn't available to them on the listing or in the guidebook, but not everyone is going to red/digest/remember. It's way easier to show people where to find things or how something works when it's right in front of them.

When I still did short stays and travelled a lot for work, I occasionally needed to ask someone else to check in a guest for me. This worked out fine, but I would much rather do it myself to be sure. 

[Sudsrung0]

@Huma0 

We acutually enjoy meeting the guest to us it's all part of hosting, and it can save you some trouble were we once had a booking for 4 and 9 turn up, 

And another time were they thought they could sneak a dog in,

[Huma0]

@Sudsrung0 

I guess because I host in my own home, I have never had people try to sneak in pets or extra guests. Still, I have had occasions where I was glad I was there on check in to manage things or keep an eye on things. 

Several times, I've had guests show up with friends or relatives who aren't staying, without having informed me, and just expecting I would show their friends around my home! Why would I want to do that? It's not an open house.  If I hadn't been here, I wonder how at home those unannounced people would have made themselves?

Then there was the girl who showed up with two people carriers' worth of belongings. I had to tell her that she couldn't keep all of that here. There was no way it was going to fit in her room (which was also up three flights of stairs). If I hadn't been here, who knows where she would have stored it around the house, which would not have been great for my other guests

Yes, I also enjoy showing the guests around. It's often the most fun part (depending on the guest of course).

[Flavia202]

@Sudsrung0 

Definitely meet & greet.  I like the face-to-face; to see who I'm hosting,  to quickly show them around the space and answer any questions they may have.  I usually host an entire space but am not hosting at the moment. Hope to resume soon.

[Sudsrung0]

@Flavia202 

I guess you are similar to us most of your guest are tourist?

[Elga207]

It is an interesting question, Sutsrung0. We started hosting during COVID, so showing guests around was not  really advisable. And since we offer a self-contained apartment in the same house we live in, we were not as concerned with meeting the guests as we would be if they were passing through our space. We offer self-check in. I like it, because I don't have to hang around waiting for guests to arrive.

Due to our location all guests arrive by car. When at home, we keep an eye on the parking pad, and we may go out and greet them if we see the car arriving. Then we watch how the person responds. Some are happy to chat, some prefer to be left alone.  We follow their lead, unless there is a reason not to do so.

We offer a lot of information on our listing and by e-mail, and have a printed house guide in the AIRBNB suite.  We let guests know that we are in the house and happy to answer questions, or help.  

At the end of the day, even though we never talk to many of our guests, most of them thank us for being great and responsive hosts.  So, I guess our flexible approach works.😊

We did have our (tiny) share of unannounced guests and dogs smuggled in.  We adjusted our rules to try prevent that, and I am fully prepared that it will happen again.  With the time, we have learned to spot "red flags" from the e-mail exchanges before the guest arrives.  If we have a concern, we keep an eye on things more closely. And overall we are happy with our arrangements.

By now, you must have discovered what works for you. What do you do nowadays? Meet-and-greet, or self check-in?

[Bhumika]

Hi @Elga207 ,

It's great to hear about your approach to hosting with self-check-in.

It seems you offer a lot of information to your guests through your listing, e-mail and a printed house guide, and you let your guests know that you are available to help if needed.

It's good to hear that your flexible approach has been successful, despite some challenges with unannounced guests and pets. 

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