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This is why communication is so important. I state in my listing that we greet all guests personally. I wish that guests who don’t want to stick to a schedule would book elsewhere.
I agree that hosts who don’t permit self check-in (especially if the listing is a whole house) should state as much in their listing. I also think that guests who vastly prefer self check-in should make sure that the host permits self check-in when they book.
It would be nice if Airbnb would add self check-in as an amenity that guests can filter for.
I wondef if any hotels do this? Like getting your plane ticket from a kiosk. Stick your credit card or tyoe your reservation number in a kiosk in the hotel lobby (scan your passport in if that’s a legal requirement in that country) and it spits out your keycard and room number.
I agree, however, I don’t think it occurs to most people to check before they book. It might be helpful, both for those who do self check-ins and for those who do escorted check-ins to have a run-down of how the process works. I.e. “I will meet you at the property and will allow an hour window for your arrival. Please let me know if your estimated arrival time changes. Once you arrive, I will spend 10 minutes or so showing you around the property and explaining how things work, then I will leave you to get settled in. Please note that you may want to factor in stopping for groceries or to eat before your arrival, since (xyz) is 20 minutes away and restaurants close at 8:30 p.m.” Or, something like - “you will find a lockbox at the back door and the code will be sent at x time. Please text or call to let me know you’ve arrived. You may want to stop for groceries or to eat at (xyz) beforehand since they are 20 mins away and close at 9.”
AirBnB does offer “Self Check in” as an amenity you can filter as a guest looking for accommodation.
If the Host offers it as an amenity hopefully they would not be the type of Host that insists on meeting their guests.
I have been looking for hours trying to figure out where I want to spend a couple of months in warm weather.
Hence I have recently seen the Self Check in option check box.
I don’t really think it would work to give such a detailed description of the meet and greet as it varies depending on the guest. If it appears that the guest wants to be left alone we spend about five minutes showing them around the guest room, how to work the shower/bath, where breakfast/drinks are located and where the dishes are located. If we skip any of this, we risk a review that says the guest needed more blankets, a glass of water, instruction on how to work the shower, etc. as none of them read the house guide. Many of our guests want to ask questions about the area. If they want us to socialize with them we’re happy to. I’m sorry, but I think it’s too much hand holding of adults to suggest what activities they might want to take care of prior to check in.
This is one of my three house rules. We also have an automated message sent to guests after they book asking for their arrival time. I still have guests who don’t tell me when they will arrive.
“What time will you arrive at our house?
As we greet every guest personally, we need to know your arrival time so we can be here to meet you.
Please tell us your arrival time (within a two-hour window) by the prior day or when you make your reservation if you reserve on the day your stay begins. If your arrival time changes, please let us know as soon as you know.
If you are arriving by airplane, please give us the name of your airline and your flight number so that we can check your flight status.
We are flexible about the check in/check out times if there is no conflict between arriving and departing guests.”
I think this is crucial. If the host was so upset over a personal check-in that he decided to leave 3 stars (!) and 1 star for check in, then it was his responsibility to check with the host in advance whether this is possible. If it wasn’t for the nasty downgrading and leaving vague comments about the “unpleasant check-in experience”, or whatever the phrase was, I could understand someone was mildly annoyed by it and decided to point this out to the host. Considering this reaction, however, I would say that the guest was a pure jerk. That’s it.
I rent separate apartments in my own house and it never even occured to me that I should point out that I or someone else will be present at the check-in. I would have to do this even if I rented out a separate place since I have to see my guests’ documents in order to register them with the police and tourist board. Therefore, I do not state explicitly I will personally check-in, although I do mention handling of the documents in my house rules, so I assume guests can deduce that some sort of contact, no matter how brief, will be necessary.
I know that in some countries, Airbnb hosts are required to review and sometimes make copies of guests documents. This is not the case in the U.S. Therefore, I think that many Americans would assume that if they’re renting a whole house self check-in would be an option.
I agree that the guest should have stated clearly his problem with the check-in so that other guests could decide if the check in procedure would be a bother to them.
Amusing anecdote: We had one guest who wanted early check-in so badly that she offered to pick up the house key at my husband’s place of employment. He works at a high school so due to security that isn’t possible.
I agree. Like this it sounds like Arlene and her husband were rude or something. Completely vague and unhelpful. Plus the bad grades… I mean, overall 3 for this sort of thing? If I was SO bothered by something I would’ve inquired about it in advance with my potential hosts. This guy didn’t even respond to messages prior to his arrival and it seems to me that he doesn’t understand that it is his behaviour which is actually not in the “usual” Airbnb spirit. I know that there are many different hosting styles and types of listings out there, but one thing is for sure: Airbnb is not a hotel, so the level of anonimity and independence expected by the guest in question was definitely unwarranted.
I mean, he said in the private feedback that he stayed with 6 other hosts who didn’t do a personal check-in. It didn’t happen at one place. Big deal.
It is a problem that many guests and hosts don’t communicate about their quirks.
I read the reviews for last night’s guests. In one the host said that he required bed linens that had been washed in unscented soap, but had failed to mention this. The host had to open brand new sheets to satisfy his requirements. Thankfully, I exclusively use unscented laundry soap.
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I can’t find it in my listing Amenities options to check. Can you find it? Or is it only available for whole place listings?
Oh it might be only available for whole place listings… That is what I am searching for when I am looking for a place to stay!
BUT I just went to my listing which is an “entire” place. Went in to see if I could select “Self Check in” — I cannot? Seems odd that it would be offered to a guest but the Host is not able to set that as an amenity.?? I must be screwing up somewhere.
Communication is an issue when you travel. I don’t have a personal cell phone, I don’t have texting. I don’t have access to email when I’m not in a place with wifi, I tell my host this when I book. One host ignored this, sent me a message to meet her at x time. I was there she wasn’t. Other guests let me in, an hour later host got in touch, she’d had texted me the info I needed. Huge fail.
Please don’t assume everyone is constantly connected to the internet, send all info in advance. Withholding basic info like door codes is counterproductive, a 3 star review reflects the difficulty that this guest had to suffer to get into accommodation they had paid for.
I’ve seen excuses like people won’t know how to use shower, find blankets. If they have managed to travel from home to your place, they have basic survival skills, can always send a message if they have problems.
There comes a point when we over help guests. I had one group complain there was no dish rack. It was in the cupboard under the sink, next to the other cupboards where they managed to find the pots and pans. Ditto the cupboards on the other side that held the garbage and recycling bins. As all my other guests have found what they needed, I’m not going to a) conduct an extensive tour, or b) write a house manual. As this guest spoke to me on multiple occasions during their stay, the complaint was ridiculous.
I understand that some guests aren’t connected to the internet when they travel, but it has caused problems for me as a host. I’ve had several guests get lost returning to our house because they can’t look up our address.
I think we’ve all received poor reviews because of things that guests can’t find or don’t know how to work. I had one guest tell me in private comments that she would have liked an extra pillow. The extra pillows are in the closet in the guest room. We leave the closet door open. We’ve had two guests tell us that they couldn’t figure out how to use our shower plus one who had me come in and turn it on for her. Many guests ask where the drinking glasses are despite the facts that we show them during the house tour and they’re in a cabinet with glass doors. As reviews are so important to us, I do over help guests so they won’t ding me for these things.
