Unregistered guests

[Ann31968]

In our house rules we state no unregistered guests/ visitors on property. We have a 2 guest max. I also make it part of my initial message when I get inquiries or IB . Though several times we hear extra voices on the patio/ pool area or see another car parked outside. It’s not a matter of extra guests sleeping there as it is a small guesthouse with 1 king bed but we want guests to follow our rules. Do we message them and ask them to have the extra people leave? Do we go out there and ask them to leave? Do we call Airb&b and have them reach out to the guests? I don’t want to put myself physically in a situation and feel that if this is in our rules that Airb&b should take action on their end.  

[M199]

@Ann31968 

Your place is great.  My thought is that in the "About This Space" section, add that "unregistered guests/visitors are not allowed without prior approval".

We have this rule, it is very effective, and we are lenient with known return guests.

If that helps any.

[Anonymous]

@Ann31968  I'll tell you what happens when you ask Airbnb to intervene on your behalf: your call goes to an outsourced contractor with limited English skills who doesn't fully comprehend the situation. Hours or even days later, they contact the guest with a totally inaccurate version of what you wanted to say. The guest either denies receiving any message, or gets angry that you reported them to the company instead of talking to them yourself. Meanwhile, the visitors are long gone, so everyone's time has been wasted.

It's really not worth involving Airbnb just to enforce your rules. That should be a last resort if all direct attempts to solve the problem fail and you need the booking terminated.

I know it's really uncomfortable to have to physically approach your guests and ask them to send their visitors away. But it's just a part of the job of hosting. If you deal with them face to face, you have the most control over the tone and, if necessary, you can de-escalate in real time. If you have concerns about your safety, you might consider enlisting a Co-host who is prepared to help you defend your house. 

[Ann31968]

We live on the property in the main house and yes I know in our situations where I have messaged Airb&b and then a rep calls me back they are hard to understand and have me repeat what I just wrote in my message. I was assuming that if someone is breaking your house rules and you call Airb&b and they see it listed in your house rules that they will then contact t the guest immediately on your behalf and take care of it 

[Anonymous]

@Ann31968  I don't think Airbnb's customer service operation is nearly as organized or effective as you might have assumed. They're call center agents, not hosts; they don't specialize in performing hospitality. But even if things went down the way you imagined, it wouldn't solve the problem at hand. If the guest gets a call from an Airbnb rep saying that the host next door just called in a complaint about them, you've just antagonized the guests for the rest of the stay and guaranteed a bad review, with zero assurance that they're actually going to stop breaking the rule. Eventually, you'll have to deal with them yourself, but at a much more disadvantaged position because you'll have lost their respect.

On the other hand, if you summon your hospitality and communication skills to deal with the uncomfortable conversation head-on, the guests might be irked at first but you have a chance to carry the issue through to a resolution. Their reaction on the spot will be your best indicator of whether you should allow them to complete the stay.

[Gwen386]

@Ann31968 Hearing extra voices and/or seeing an extra car parked is not confirmation that extra visitors are at your property. It’s extremely important to SEE extra people before making what could be considered an accusation. There’s always the possibility that music could be playing, or your guest is having 3-way conversation over FaceTime using speaker on a cell phone. The extra car could be a rental.  

Now, if in fact you do SEE visitors, message the guest via airbnb platform reminding them of the house rules and ask that the unregistered visitor(s) leave your property immediately. 

[Helen744]

@Ann31968 I have been wavering about letting guests check in without seeing me , the host , but honestly if they see you they respect and understand that you have seen their faces and checked on them, and this can become a two way street where you assure them that you are around to help . but check through communicating and asking for the id of all adult guests before they arrive . If necessary ask them to verify until you are comfortable asking , how many are travelling and remind them that the booking was for only two or four or whatever. In other words , work it out before they arrive , its so much easier and you dont have to lurk around or check H

[Ann31968]

Yes it isn’t a matter of checking in with more people as our place only sleeps 2 the issue is friends/ relatives stopping by to hang out later for an hour or 2 outside on the patio. Which is typically another couple not a ton of people coming for a party.