To Greet or Not To Greet?

To Greet or Not To Greet?

Yes, that is the question. We have a private room in our home situation. We were lax about greeting guests. If we were here, great. If not, we let them check themselves in and gave some directions, and maybe would bump into them during their stay.

 

Then, we stayed in a private room in a house when traveling where the host(s) did not greet us and seemed to be hiding the whole time. We thought that was super weird, so then we decided to try to at least greet our guests upon arrival, and went out of our way to make sure one of us was home. We then found that some folks seemed put off by it. Those folks were always the ones we had issues with, too, like ignorning house rules or being a third party booking (always parents of an AirBnBer), so we knew we had to greet everyone now, right?

 

Then, we had friends tell us they never get greeted, even at home shares, and sometimes never see/meet the host, and were totally okay with it - preferred it - especially since they didn't have to be there at a specific time to check in.

 

So, home-share folks, do you greet your guests? Whether you do or don't, how is that going for you?

50 Replies 50
John915
Level 3
New York, United States

YES, ABSOLUTELY. I share my home. Guests have their own room but it is a rather large apartment so I could “hide” if needed but I’ve found that greeting guests at check-in helps. I’ve had 2 travelers who had never used a gas stove and showing them how to use the appliance and reassuring them that it would not cause an explosion put them at ease!

 

I make an effort to greet for a few reasons:

 

1.)    They may see me in the kitchen or hallway and it is important that they know it is my home and I’m not another guest in a different room.

2.)    I give them a quick “tour”. Takes less than 5 minutes but showing where there is extra bathroom tissue, soap, more towels/linens if needed, where kitchen appliances are and encouraging them to use if they want to cook, etc. makes them feel welcome

3.)    When guests meet you and can match a face & personality with a name and you show that you are approachable, they seem more willing to raise concerns or issues during their stay rather than leave a highly critical review for something that could’ve been resolved.

 

I’ve had a wide range of guests – some here exploring NYC by themselves and wanted to hang out, chat and grab a drink and others for business/family who wanted nothing to do with my aside from getting keys and a clean place to sleep. In any case, greeting the guest upon check-in (or at least early during someone’s stay) helps a guest feel comfortable raising any issues (before they show up in a scathing review). And on the other side of the coin, I think someone who would otherwise be a pretty careless guest is less likely to trash your place if they think “I met him/her, seems like a great person who cares….I will at least not be a horrible guest for this one”!!!

Donald28
Level 10
Lithia Springs, GA

I honestly don't know how you folks allow complete strangers full access to your home when you are not present. So scary. I really dont understand that.

Rosa17
Level 2
Morro Bay, CA

I always greet guests when I have the opportunity, which is 95% of  the time. 

 

First, the reviews reflect the personal effort. When a connection is made, guests are more inclined to talk to me if they have questions or problems, rather than complain in a review. 

 

Second, I like to set eyes on who's staying in my home and gauge personality types. If they are independent or do they want more attention. 

 

Third, I consider it part of my job to make that extra effort and personal attention. 

Richard-and-Dee0
Level 2
Poole, United Kingdom

Hi. There are loads of places to stay where you can let yourself in with a key and have no contact at all with the host. As mentioned,  if you don't want to interact with other humans you can choose those places. We have found that people who stay with us are generally looking for someone who can recommend restaurants, local activities etc. If they have read our reviews they can tell we are interactive hosts! Once they have met us they soon realise we genuinely want them to enjoy their stay. We have an annex attached to the house so they can be separate but I would always greet people. 

Maureen21
Level 2
Perth, Australia

I ensure I m always available to greet my guests, be at any hour !.  as live in the home I feel it nice to meet face to face, the guest who is sharing my home also, I have the need to to introduce my dog also, both for thier benefit & comfort and for mine.

 

Yes, like you @Richard-and-Dee0 we feel that the personal touch speaks volumes to our guests who tend to stay with us at our villa for a week or more, sometimes, a month. Plus, we think establishing a relationship from the start helps everyone concerned if small issues crop up. Nearly all our guests take us out for a meal/drink as a big 'thank you'

 

We only really operate in the summer holiday months ( July - September) which is a shame as May, June, October even November are actually the best months, quieter, cheaper and the sea still lovely and warm.

Elsa64
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Normally I'm travelling, but everytime I have the chance to meet my guest at their arrival, I like to say welcome and give them the keys 🙂

Romero3
Level 2
Brisbane City, Australia

Hi Todd and Reese,

 

I think it is important to greet guest so you can break the ice, show what are the common areas and explain the house rules. It’s good to know better the hosts, help them with local direction/information or any other questions they might need help. E.g; Wi-Fi connection,

Honestly, we can't really decide if people want to meet us...

 

We rent out a full 1bd/1ba apartment with kitchen/wd/etc, it has a separate entrance and a lock box... and is an instant book.

 

Most of the time, people ask about self-checkin and we don't really know when someone is going to arrive. We have a 3pm checkin, but have found people are enjoying the city when they first arrive and seldom check-in until after 6pm or so. 

 

... haha, literally before I clicked Post here, the next renter knocked on the front-door and I met them. I guess you just don't ever know.

 

Edwin57
Level 10
New York, United States

My Dad greet the guest and also cheack them in the house Iam only 25 years old now my Dad is a little older but he has the know how in how to greet the guest he tells me some guest love it the reason is important to greet guest is because they feel safe if it's their first time in the city and also they love the stores ( like how the niborhood has Chang how they make a diffent in our city we as Airbnb family good or bad along with the guest yes we are making a diffent in our city and yes is always good to greet our guest it show that we care 

Sabrina209
Level 3
San Antonio, TX

We always greet our guests! 

I've never had someone appear put-off by it, and for our guests that stay longer, it's the beginning of our easy relationship. 

Our situation may be different than many in that we are retired and rent 3 separate rooms in our home with twin beds in them, so (mostly) people here for temporary work, classes, or moving here and apartment hunting stay with us. 

Pritesh0
Level 2
Goa, India

In my conversations on messages and calls with Guest I would guage there personality whether they are meeting & greeting types or just like to be themselfs. I would simply ask if its ok for me to drop by to say a quick Hi and check if there stay is going good. I normally make it a point to meet and greet my guests. But never unanounced. 

Giniffer0
Level 2
Sarasota, FL

Usually one of us greets every guest, most of the time it’s my BF since he works from home. Recently I had an inquiry prior to booking (she never booked) about a late check in.  I have a strict policy on late check ins, inquire well in advance so I can make arrangements. She insisted that I leave her key outside so she could just walk waltz into my home in the middle of the night.  I informed her that it WAS my home, I DID live there and did not feel comfortable with a stranger walking in the middle of the night. She proceeded to tell me perhaps I should not be renting to “strangers,” then.  I informed her I just don’t want them walking in during the night and that is part of the reason for that strict check in policy. She then proceeded to tell me I had an attitude and found another Airbnb host to accommodate her.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet there! Sometimes a few reasonable rules are useful just for weeding out the crazies. 

Taylor59
Level 2
Brooksville, FL

We arent always there when they check-in but we do make a point to introduce ourselves during the trip, even if it is while they are walking out the door and say "Thanks for staying!" One of us is usually there though, all of our guests have been very social and friendly though, so they appreciated it. If someone told us they needed space or didnt want to be bothered when they arrive and leave, we would happily oblige.