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? 

 

[Mariann4]

Hello @Gillian166 

I was looking into a new host's ad and just wandered around. I went to check out pricing and there was a message over the book now-button: tell the host why you are travelling and when you will be checking in.

So yes, guests are now asked about check-in time. I would rather the guests were shown the houserules and asked to tick a box for every houserule they agree upon.... Right now guests are only told that a booking request means they agree to the houserules. They need to click a link to actually read them. Which they don't. So I, like @Huma0 , keep my easter egg question in the houserules. 

[Laurelle3]

@Mariann4 yes it is sad about the change of rules. I have quite a few in January and February that they will be arriving at ! ! Such and such time. I usually reply saying the cottage will be ready at 3pm but if it is ready before hand I will let them know. I then send the message that the cottage will be ready at 2pm and some turn up then but most dont turn up until 4 or 5pm after you have rushed around to get it ready for them. As I dont think they have true travel time on their electronic devices which hasn't calculatated road works in process or deviations.

The last guest booking had requested for 1pm. Then within 1 hour sent second message I have just read 3pm check in before I had replied. So maybe he has been notified by Airbnb about check in time. Not sure. 

Maybe there has been a change from within. Also I heard maybe Gillian is unable to reply to you.

[Mariann4]

The mods censored me @Laurelle3 . But yes, @Gillian166 has been put down and put a lid on. But we are not allowed to talk about it. Soon none of us "can belong" in CC...

Now mods: stop with the censoring. There's nothing wrong with letting people know that contributors to CC are shut down. You want discussion. Then allow discussion. 

[Huma0]

@Mariann4 

**

As for guests reading the house rules, I just looked over my last ten enquiries/booking requests, and only ONE of these had read them and included the answer to the Easter Egg question. Yep, that's right, nine out of ten had definitely not read the house rules.

Bear in mind these are all long term guests, so you would think they'd be more likely to actually want to read about the place they would be staying for weeks or even months. But a few of these guests had clearly not read the listing AT ALL, not even the basic description, judging by the questions they sent, let alone the house rules.

**[Content removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Nicole2738]

Literally my last 2 requests told me they were checking in at 2pm 🙃

[Frances3408]

@Gillian166. I havent experienced it recently but then I dont have overnight guests. Its the sort of question motels have been asking guests for years. Perhaps with more larger accommodation listings on ABB they have updated the check in to include those requests. If only we all had 24/7 receptions. 😂

[Laurelle3]

@Gillian166 Maybe we have to say a reminder,  that our check in time is..3pm ... when we send our address and the nearest cross road.

           Also at this time I ask for the names of their family members and or guests. I also ask at this time the age of the children.

           I also put in the welcome note on arrival check out time is 10 am on ....... day and date.

           Yes I have also had people asking to check in at 12noon but I have said in reply because of cleaning between guests the check in time is 3pm but if finished earlier I will contact them.No complaints so far.

[Gillian166]

@Laurelle3  Yes I have a confirmation message that I send once the booking is done, and it includes: # people, arrival and departure date, and check in time, even though all that info shouldn't be required, I've found it necessary as people make errors. 

I get asked for early check in a lot, but this latest request with the booking is new, because it's not a request. And that's why I'm wondering if something has changing with the booking process. 

[Troy252]

Try accommodating the guest with a free one hour early check in based on host situation. Notify your guests anything sooner then an hour early will be an extra fee?

[Gillian166]

@Troy252  we do try to do this, but we have 3 listings on our farm, and we do mostly 1-2 night stays so we do a lot of turnovers, we are busy !  We stagger our checkouts too, so one of our listings gets an automatic "late" checkout anyway. 

We get a large number of guests wanting early check-in, it feels like 50% are requesting it lately. but my point is that these latest messages are NOT requests, they are telling me what time they are arriving, and I feel like ABB has some wording that is encouraging this messaging. And given that the review process now includes a field for "how flexible was the host with check in times" we could all be in for some low stars.  

I considered a fee but it feels like a nickel and diming situation to me. We already charge a solid price for our listings, I'm happy to offer early check in when I can to add value. 

[Lorna170]

@Gillian166   as @Helen3 pointed out, when a guest books there is some reference to telling the host when they would like to check in.  It probably has to do with their push for hosts to offer a flexible check-in.  

I can't find the screen shot that I saw, but I will tell you that it did not show the host's check in times and ask the guest to say when DURING those hours the guest planned to check in.  It was just a generic "When do you want to check in" question.

[Helen3]

What has happened @Gillian166  is about six months ago Airbnb has included a check list for guests reminding them to tell hosts what time they are checking in.

What they didn't bother to include is a reference that this should be within the hosts check in times.

This results in guests choosing whatever check in time they feel like regardless of advertised check in times.

I just reply to guests saying they need to specify a check in time within my advertised check in hours. 

[Gillian166]

---

@Helen3 wrote:

What has happened @Gillian166  is about six months ago Airbnb has included a check list for guests reminding them to tell hosts what time they are checking in.

---

yes, I'm aware that there's a prompt for them to do that, but something else must have been thrown in, because this is different, never before have I had a run of guests telling me they will check in at noon. 

[Fran13270]

I agree, there’s something peculiar going on! 
I received one today just telling me the time they were arriving.

[Christine615]

It’s beyond ridiculous. I declined someone who wanted a 3 hour early checkin. Then their husband, using a different last name instant booked and immediately asked for the same thing. I recognized they were the same location and inquired about it. Gave them an slight modification and they were fellow “hosts” who left my house filthy on checkout.

So now I don’t make the key available until shortly before checkin because we had people walk in on us while we finished cleaning. One woman said “I told you my plane gets in at 11am!”  I said, “I told you checkin was 3pm.”

Airbnb needs a way to rate guests so other hosts know to avoid them.

[Helen3]

Hi @Christine615 

Airbnb do have a way to rate guests so other hosts know to avoid them. It's called host reviews.

Sadly some hosts don't bother to leave honest reviews to warn their fellow hosts or even worse large scale management companies or hosts with multiple listings who use cleaning crews just leave a standard 5 star reviews regardless of guest behaviour.

[Trude0]

This is very interesting…

I agree, it sounds like something has changed in the booking process.

I recently received an IB, from a newbie (”no trips yet”), who’s only communication was this: 

My check in/out information says ”Flexible” for check in, and ”before 13:00/1 p.m” on check out. And I try to be very flexible on both. But none of my guests have ever taken it for granted that they could check in that early, if they wanted an early check in, they have always asked if ok. This one also took for granted he could check out 4 hours after my check out time. And also weird that he would not write ANYTHING else in his initial message, just ”inform” me of when they would be coming and leaving. 

The bookings right before and after this IB, did not mention check in/out times at all. These were booking requests, I turned off IB after the above IB.

 

[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%

[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.