new booking process that encourages guests to TELL me when they want to check in?

[Gillian166]

Has there been a change to the guest booking side in the past week? I've had the last 3 guests all tell me they are wanting to check in around midday. This is so tedious, as now I have to respond to them all politely pointing out my check-in time and if we can manage it I'll allow early check-in, but if every guest is going to be like this...... gah!!! I have my check-in time clearly listed, and last time I travelled, which was only last week, the check-in time was clearly displayed and I don't recall being prompted to tell the host what time I wanted to arrive. Is anyone else seeing an increase in this? 

 

[Gillian166]

and another booking request just now: 

 what is going on??

I also cannot fathom how so many newbies feel so entitled to ask for outrageous check-in times. 

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

The last booking request I had was in late November, so I don't know if something has changed more recently.

I don't want to send you a booking request, but perhaps I could send you an enquiry and see if anything about check in time pops up?

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

So, I don't know about booking requests or IB, but I just clicked 'contact host' on one of your listings, as if I was going to send an enquiry, and this is what I saw, i.e. check in times clearly stated...

[Gillian166]

@Huma0  are they prompting them to tell me their arrival time as soon as the res is confirmed? This is too much, because it means we ALL are going to be "inflexible" when it comes to their desired check-in. 

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

No, I don't like the sound of this either.

I suspect there have been a few more 'updates' recently that Airbnb have not publicised. We have already discovered some of them, like the pre-booking message and other filters disappearing from IB, or the changes to wording in the reviews.

I guess we will have to wait for someone else to clarify when they book as a guest, because Airbnb seem to keep any updates that they know hosts won't be pleased about on the down low...

[Gillian166]

@Huma0  just got an IB for tmrw and they haven't said anything about check-in times. 🤞🏼

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

Mmm, well hopefully it was just a run of clueless guests then. Let's see! 

My inbox has gone very quiet now. I had availability in December/January so was getting a bit of interest but, once that room got booked for those dates, no one is contacting me for stays further down the line.

One they (hopefully) do, I'll report back on whether or not I get weird messages RE check in.

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

We all get this from time to time, but for your last three or four booking guests to do this is indeed very odd. I wouldn't be surprised if something has changed, seeing as Airbnb has been messing around a lot with the IB settings (which they never mentioned to us until people started noticing and making a noise about), so who knows what else they have done...

I do remember a few years ago, Airbnb introduced a feature where guests could select a check in time from a menu. The problem with this, and the reason why a lot of hosts complained about it, was that it didn't take into account the actual check in window of the listing. So, even if a listing specified check in between 3 and 10pm, for example, the menu would give guests the option of selecting 12pm. I wonder if they have reinstated this, or something similar. I hope not, as that would be very bad news.

I am not planning any trips in the near future, otherwise I would check, but perhaps someone else here is and can let us know what they see RE check in during the booking process.

By the way, were these all instant bookings?

[Gillian166]

@Huma0  the only reason the 4th person didn't do it is because she's arriving after 3pm, but she also asked me twice "can we get late check-in?"  and I thought that was a really odd request. I checked that she didn't mean late check-out but no, she was asking if it was ok to check-in after 3pm, why would she ask that if the listing says self-check-in from 2pm? And this person even responded to my easter egg in the House Rules, so I'm wondering if there's some new change.

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

Well, that's even weirder. I do wonder if they are being shown random times for check in...

Maybe a new glitch?

[Gillian166]

@Huma0  and no, they were not all IB. 

[Ruth413]

@Gillian166   

Yes, I have had a few lately, but also had one with no mention of it.  Two  saying they were arriving at a time which was past my check in time, as you say - telling me the time not asking if it is o.k. to arrive late. 

I don't have IB but the one who didn't mention check in time did the other thing of thinking that they had booked automatically.  So not sure what is being mentioned to the guests re booking & arrival times now. 

[Sudsrung0]

@Gillian166 

That sounds like they are being asked what time would you like to check in

[Gillian166]

@Sudsrung0  they are, in the past I've shared a screenshot of that, but is it more prominent now? 

We have mostly locals who stay, so of course they only have a 40min drive and they want to maximise their stay (even though quite a few arrive and then sit in front of the TV all night 🙄... ) but I'm still experiencing a huge surge in guests asking for early check in. it's well over 50%