host etiquette - when a guest rents but has to miss the first night, what do you do?

[Derrick86]

We are new to this.

Our third renter booked 7 nights, but can't make it on the first night. Assuming everything else is equal, should we:

a) offer an extra night at the end (it seems unlikely they'd stay longer)

b) offer to refund one night ($450) even though they haven't asked

c) offer them a restaurant gift card for $100 or something as a courtesy

b) wait to see if they ask for anything

I want to be a good host. Doing SOMETHING seems like a reasonable thing to do, but what is that thing?

[Kelly149]

Something that is good to keep in mind is that the guest fee actually serves 2 purposes. 
purpose 1 is that the space is available to the guest for their use. 
but purpose 2 is that the space is made UNavailable to all others. 

so, for whatever reason the guest has not utilized purpose 1, but they have utilized purpose 2. 

they could be reasonable and realize that you’ve held up your end of the transaction and expect nothing. Or they could be unreasonable and expect you to pay for their change in plans. Or they could fall somewhere in between. 
only you know what your business could/should do. To my thinking there is no universal right/wrong answer here. 

[Anonymous]

@Derrick86 No, it is absolutely not necessary to offer anything at all - especially anything of monetary value. The guest's rescheduling did not leave you an opportunity to re-book the first night and recoup the rent. You extended the guest the courtesy of holding the room for them for the time that they reserved, and accommodating a revised check-in date is also an additional service (one which not all hosts would be able to schedule).  Even a hotel wouldn't give you a free night if you checked in a day late. If the guest feels the need for compensation, they can take that up with their travel insurance.

I would strongly discourage you from bringing up the topic of money/compensation to the guest, as it establishes that free stuff is ripe for the picking. But it would be reasonable to offer an early check-in, as there are no departing guests to clean up after, and perhaps a thoughtful welcome package to make a great first impression.

If the stay goes well and you are happy with this guest, of course you can offer an extension or discount toward a future stay upon checkout/inspection. But you'd feel awfully foolish if you threw money or gifts and the guest upfront and they turned out to be a disaster or damage your property.

[Colleen253]

@Derrick86  The two answers you've already received are right on the money.

The urge you feel to do something is misplaced. It would be appropriate if YOU had done something wrong, or if something went wrong with the stay/the house, that was no fault of the guest. Leave this one be. 

[Ann783]

This happens to me when I was a guest. I was traveling to Europe and forgot to take into account the time difference when booking. I inadvertently booked a day earlier than necessary. The host did reach out to me when I didn't "arrive."  That's when I realized my error. I did not ask for or expect any compensation.

[Jessica-and-Henry0 · Accepted solution]

@Derrick86 

You don't have to refund and even if the guest asks for one, you don't have to........ but my suggestion is, if you do want to refund, wait till after they leave to decide. Don't do anything and see what happens~

The guests might not arrive on the 1st day of the booking BUT may end up arriving early in the morning before your usual check in time. Also, the guests might assume since they missed the 1st day they can stay past the check out time on the last day. And a refund will not guarantee a good review. As others have mentioned, their booking means you lost the opportunity to book someone else who could have stayed and you didn't do anything wrong. You don't owe them a refund.

I was in a similar situation, where my guest booked a day more than needed. He was a great guest and we didn't HAVE to but we decided it wasn't much money and didn't feel right keeping it. So after he left, we refunded 1 night's worth, wished him a safe trip home thanked him for being a great guest. He wasn't expecting a refund, said it wasn't really necessary but he appreciated it, wished us well and left us a 5 star rave review. 

[Ute42]

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@Derrick86 

The answer to Your question is:

• First: d)
  
  

• Second: e) = no refund

[Derrick86]

Thanks to everyone for their views on this subject. It has grounded my thinking on the subject.