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It sounds like today is the day (er, night) the trio are checking in. If so, since you don’t have any sanctions in place for guests who ignore your check-in window, there is really nothing you can do except:
postpone your bedtime and be available to greet them; or
have someone else in the household handle their arrival; or
place a note on their door telling them to let themselves in and that any questions they have will have to wait until morning (unless it is an emergency).
Otherwise, noting it in the review would be about the only action you can take at this point to ease your frustration.
Many hosts allow a much larger window than 2-5 pm for check-in. Five o’clock seems an early curfew when guests have an opportunity to get more sightseeing in while it’s daylight and stop for cocktails and dinner on the way.
Of course, if you are steadfast in maintaining that early check-in time, you should probably emphasize it in your listing or in your pre-arrival instructions that there is no wiggle-room. Then you’ll also have to set out what the sanction is.
How do you ensure that they don’t walk down the wrong hallway and come into my room? How do I ensure they turn off the front light? I have a lockbox I could use- but the check in offers a touchpoint between guest and host which I think is especially important in a shared space situation.
Fair enough, I understand that some hosts, because of whatever reason, will have to set limits for check in.
Unfortunately most guests don’t understand this, because it has never been made really clear to them, or at least not to the extent that the idea really settles in their brain. Imagine AirBnB setting up a campaign to advertise all the restrictions guests can face when using AirBnB , that would really kill our… uhhh… their business, wouldn’t it?
On the sharing economy: Who are we sharing with? Brian Chesky?
Anyway the OP now faces this problem and what is the solution?
This is certainly the way to make it clear to these guests that there are rules to be followed when it comes to AirBnB-ing, but haven’t we seen a few examples already on this forum where guests claimed to be “unable to get in”, and they got their money back from AirBnB?
OMG… This sounds like my guest who kept pushing back the check in time for the EXACT same reason. Lava viewing or hiking.
Having no idea how far or how long it was to get back (from the actual viewing area, three hours to my place!)
I used to be lax on check in times. Mainly because flights to Kona often get in so late and they cannot help that.
But this couple, finally texted me at two flipping AM saying so sorry they had got lost at the lava flows (going off the trail probably, a no no) and would check in tomorrow! I presumed they slept in their car?? I never asked and didn’t want to know.
It was the same couple who spilled a whole pot of coffee on my carpet. Have been unable to remove the stain.
So aggravating!!!
Sorry, have no idea what you should tell the guests except that check ins after 8pm (or whenever) will be turned away.
You have to work and you cannot wait up all night for flipping guests taking their time at the lava flows.
I’m with @GutHend on this. I can’t see how he was being snarky, there really don’t seem to be any options other than the host staying up for an extra 1.5 hours or cancelling on the guest.
Honestly, I think a 2-5pm check-in window is very restrictive. But I am in a big city where people arrive at all hours and going to bed at 9pm is not the norm. I’m wondering why it’s 5pm if you don’t go to bed for another 4 hours? What if guests are unavoidably delayed through no fault of their own? Are they expected to sleep in the car because they won’t arrive until 6pm?
Part of being a good host is to eliminate any frictions or possible difficulties for both parties. A check in window works only if the guest can control their arrival time. A later flight, a wonderful sunset and dinner, or a chance encounter with someone might mean that the ‘window’ needs to be renegotiated.
As a host, you should have a backup plan if these things happen, because a guest will never be happy if they have to walk away from that dinner or leave the park early because you have an inflexible rule. You need to for example hide a key and instructions, lock your bedroom door, hang a sign or two in your house. Preplanning for the occasional guest who gets lost or is having too much fun at the pub will make you a hero, and set you up for a good review.
I’m often surprised in this forum when a host lays out unusual or quirky rules that are missed or make for strained relations with the guest; yes, it should be part of the planning of a trip for a guest to know the parameters of the stay, but oftentimes the host makes vast assumptions as well - one recent host was ‘surprised’ when a guest opened a window that had an AC unit was not screwed into the window - assuming that YOUR ‘logical’ thing or situation is what everyone else ‘knows’ sets the host up for everything from embarrassment to lawsuit. ‘Assuming’ that your reality is obvious to the guest is a recipe for problems - a check in-window without a fall back plan would be terrible if someone ‘missed’ your window and was pushed out in the street - and certainly should be a ‘wake up’ call (lol) that you need to look at your hosting style and see if the stress level could be lowered for everyone.
People underestimate the distances here on the Big Island. Based on the info she gave, I predict those guests won’t be arriving at her place until well after 10pm.
This is not acceptable. It’s one thing to have a flight that’s late. I always accommodate those. But if someone books a tour on check in night and expects to get to my house at 12 midnight or 2 am, that is a no go.
I so agree. You see hosts complaining all the time that “it is written in my listing” when guests have not taken notice of something (like very specific check-in times) but often this information is not always immediately visible. Another thing is assuming that something in your culture is common knowledge for everyone around the world - it’s not! For eg, we don’t have a/c in the UK and I would have no clue what to do with it. Plus I always want to open a window no matter what, I feel claustrophobic otherwise. What works for me is having a personalised discussion with the guest prior to arrival to make sure we both know what to expect. With such restrictive check-in times as the OP has, I would re-iterate this in the initial message so it is super clear.
I always include the check in times in an email either before or after I accept the request.
There are frequently times I’m able to accept a very early check-in, or an exceptionally late check-out, I include that information in my email.
If guest chooses not to respond that email in 12 hours, I accept the reservation. If they respond sooner, I accept the reservation.
Your prediction about the guests arriving well after 10 is probably accurate.
It was inconsiderate of that gal to let the host know that she signed up for a lava tour hike that STARTS an hour and a half before the deadline to check-in. That is un-be-lievable and the host shouldn’t have let the guest off the phone until she made it clear to the guest to find other lodging for the night.
The OP was obviously caught off-guard at the gall of the guest and didn’t know how to react. The time to set the guest straight would have been then.
The OP has to state clearly and unequivocally what the consequences are if the guest choses to follow through on her late-arrival plan. To close the door in the guests’ faces upon arrival, when they were not fore-warned, would be unkind.
Based on my reading of the OP’s original post, the check in times are in her listing and must be agreed to as part of booking the space. S/he then sent at least 2 follow up messages which also included the times. Then, one additional message as the guest became more flakey. How is this not clear notification?
When there’s a chance one is dealing with flakes, it is best to put things in the simplest terms, namely, to specify the consequences of their actions. My folks did that with us (we weren’t flakes but were immature at times). They would make it clear that if we failed to walk a straight line, the consequences would be thus and so.
To say, we cannot accommodate you if you arrive after 9 pm does not really tell Ms. Flaky guest what that means. Some people need drawings.
I would have said to the guest: If it’s after 9, you will have to find another place to stay, and if you should arrive anyway and knock at the door, regrettably, you will not be allowed entry.
I think the guest, in negotiating a later or better check in time, could have asked me the best way to get to the lava viewing area- which I would have told her was past my house and I would allow her to check in early so she and her family could get to the hike tour on time.
I’ve had guests arrive on the last plane into Hilo ( yes, there is such a thing) at the time of booking. The expectation was clearly set prior to us entering into this exchange.
My policy is clearly stated in my listing. For my shared space I have 2-5pm check in time with some flexibility but please contact me for times outside of our typical check in window. She originally was going to be checking in within normal hours. To change things at the last minute without at least having a conversation with me is what the issue is.
I have that “check in time is 2-5pm with some flexibility. Please let me know if your check in time falls outside of our typical check in window.” And request the time prior to booking. She originally booked and had a check in time of 5:30pm but the story changed rather suddenly. Weekends are a time for me to catch up on farmwork. I have bee hives, pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks at our property outside of town. Fences don’t mend themselves. Right now I’m taking a water break from mulching the beds around the house. I tell people in the listing that we wake up early and go to bed early because our property is an urban farm.
I’m one of those Big Island people with 4 jobs. I’m a journalist, a farmer, Airbnb host, and working on starting up a boutique in town. My husband is a virtual medical provider and works from home. But not like the “I work my own hours from home” he has a set schedule and takes video calls.
Check out is 11am so check in starts at 2pm so we can both scramble our schedules and get the room turned over in time.
I don’t turn people away because they won’t arrive until 6pm. But I will tell people that they probably should book someplace else if they are going to arrive past 9pm.
@konacoconutz Oh seriously. And she wants to go out to eat then? Where? Everything in Hilo is closed. You can’t get from Kalapana lave viewing to my house in 30 minutes. It takes 45 minutes. To boot, she came around the south end, had to come up to Keaau to go to Kalapana- putting her 15 minutes from my house… so if she had left 30 minutes earlier from Kona she could have come checked in and gone to her tour on time. SMH.
No, if they choose to NOT respond to my email in 12 hours or sooner, I hit the accept button…then the onus is on them to show up or cancel and pay ABB fees and adhere to my cancellation policy if they decide they don’t like my house rules including check in times.
If I have other requests and they respond within 12 hours, then I accept them.
EDited to add: Over the years, I’ve noticed that most people will not respond to an email response containing house rules/check in time to their request, but send them a decline…and oh my, all of a sudden people respond ASAP. In which I then have to go through the arduous process of telling them they need to re-request, and state in an email that they understand and have read the house rules/check in time parameters.
Of course one all night place to eat is the overpriced but comfort diner, Ken’s.
I hope the guest gets back to you.
When it happened to me, they could not call for hours because… hello there are no cell phone towers at the lava flows.
It still irritates me all these months later!
I also have four jobs!
, that would really kill our… uhhh… their business, wouldn’t it?