Same here and I almost never used to allow self check-in but I no longer have the luxury of being present if I still want to rent it out or have a life. I will be considering a co-host in the future as I am expecting I will probably be absent from the state the properties are in in the future.
I donât see a quick meet and greet at a stand-alone unit as the host having control issues, nor the least bit creepy or unprofessional.
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True, I have not yet stayed as an Airbnb guest. But no, I would not feel differently if I had, or booked a stand-alone listing.
It seems perfectly reasonable to me that a host would want to meet guests who are staying in a home they own.
If the host was overly chatty, I wouldnât have an issue just saying, âThank you for your time, but Iâve had a long day and really need to just shower and relax now- is there any other crucial info I need to know?â
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That is the model guest, for our airbnb. A guest that understands that arriving at 2am shouldnât be considered an issue. A guest that does not need their hand held and given a âtourâ.
YMMV but our airbnb is built around guests like this. For us, a point of pride is how little a guest needs to interact with us to have a successful stay.
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Yes, I realize not every host wants or needs to interact with guests or vice-versa.
But one thing that has bearing on whether a guest and host will benefit from a tour and some explanations (which isnât the same thing as hand-holding) is whether you primarily get guests from your own country or not.
Things work differently in different places in the world and many are not self-evident. I get mostly international travelers- unless they have travelled extensively in Mexico, where I live, or are Mexican nationals, they would never be able to figure out how the door locks work, and many other things.
And I have read many posts over the years from hosts complaining about how their Chinese and some other Asian guests flood the bathroom. The hosts were unaware that they are used to bathrooms that are âwet roomsâ- cement and tile construction with no shower curtains. Those guests need to be shown how to use a shower curtain, with an explanation of why it needs to be used, because they donât realize that under the bathroom floor the subfloor is wood, which will be ruined, at great cost to repair, if water leaks through to it from a flooded bathroom.
As we know that many guests donât bother to read printed info, itâs often better to hands-on demonstrate things they may not be familiar with.
And as far as âhow little a guest needs to interact with us to have a successful stayâ, the kind of guests I get seem to consider interacting with the host to be a part of a successful stay.
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I meet and greet every guest if can. My homes are old and there are some things you need to know and best way is to demonstrate, the tour takes 5 minutes. When I cant i have a plan B message that is long but explanatory. In 9 years I have only had 1 guest complain - most guests appear to appreciate it and often ask the history of the homes
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I guess this can be argued both ways.
Where are the guests supposed to find pleasurable accommodations if Airbnb decides to not even listen to what a 5-star SH, GF host has to say âin their defenseâ, if they just flat out shut them down?
Obviously there are fewer accommodations than guests and once you run out of accommodations you will have a problem finding guestsâŚ
I donât see how this is supposed to keep Airbnb as an attractive accommodation finder if such 5 star hosts get shut down. Who wants to wade through a plethora of mediocre accommodations???
I understand your point and Airbnb seems to be following that strategy - I still donât understand the logic behind it. Even hosts who make big efforts to keep their 5 star rating wonât be able to compete the race to the bottom and quality will suffer - not for all of them of course. Iâm not talking about those fancy, exclusive or unique places but rather functional places in high traffic areas.
Anyhow, what do I know?
Right! I always thought that this was also kind of the spirit of an Airbnb, that guests will share someone elseâs space and treat it accordingly with respect and mindfulness.
Welcoming guests in person for me as a host is also a form to show respect towards the guest who decided to stay with us. We thank them and want to express how important it is for us that they feel welcome and comfortable. They are urged to contact us immediately if they have any questions or problems and we try to understand from the beginning how we can be of assistance once they check in by providing additional information about the area, transportation etc.
Most guest do appreciate this effort and gladly listen to what we have to say and also answer to their questions or concerns, in person.
As a guest I consider this helpful and nice and it is good to put a face to the place where Iâm staying. To know that I can reach out to the host anytime is reassuring and makes me at ease. I also think that this adds to the value of the accommodation instead of just letting myself into a place without any human interaction and feel lost or uncomfortable if things like heating, A/C or other stuff isnât working and I have to reach out to the host and pray to get a timely response.
The attitude of âI paid, therefore you have to suffer the consequencesâ is just heartless and disrespectful. Such guests should be quickly kicked off the platform as they do not contribute to this type of the hospitality business in a positive way.
Agreed. Frustrating.
Iâm like JJD, I screen for self check-in. The last thing I want to deal with, especially if tired from traveling, is a chatty host pointing out all the features and quirks, which frankly I wonât remember. If I have a question, Iâll message you.
Some hosts donât seem to have a sense of which guests want to engage and which would rather not. I recall one stay where I had just been personally checked in by the owner, and was settling in when there was banging on the door. It was the host bearing a loaf of bread. They wanted to come in, hang about and chat about how the bread was homemade and all their guests loved it. While they were well-intentioned, I just wanted the guy to leave while I was unpacking my underwear.
Maybe it has something to do with me being an introvert. That said, I have had lovely interactions and conversations with both hosts when I stay in an STR and with guests staying in my STR, that arise by happenstance and organically.
Also, more often than you would think, Iâve had hosts assume that I have similar political & spiritual beliefs as they do, or even similar biases, which they breezily reference during a meet & greet.
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I do this, meet and greet the guests and give a tour. The guests are told this well ahead of time. The AirBnB is a historic house with many original features that would baffle some guests (push button light switches, dual gas and electric light fixtures, a deadbolt on the front door that operates backwards from the way modern ones operate, etc). But I also have a ring camera on the outside entrance, pointed in the direction of the parking area. I have caught guests doing prohibited things, such as smoking. The camera is there for security (urban area with homeless) but I have from time to time caught guests behaving badlyâŚ.
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I have been an AirBnB guest almost as much as I have been an Airbnb Host. The majority of my Airbnb stays have been as a woman traveling alone. I am always happy to meet and greet the host and find it more reassuring to have that happen even if itâs a standalone Airbnb, your remarks speak to your preferences, but they are not universal preferences.
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I guess hosts who are overly chatty in a meet and greet is just one of those things they need guidance on, just like they might need to be advised not to try to cram 10 people into a 2 bedroom house or that guests need bedside tables and reading lamps and donât like clutter.
We have a unique house in a somewhat remote area of a Caribbean island. Iâve left signs around with instructions for some things and labeled the light switches, but there are a few things that are easiest to just show them in a tour.
My husband is like that. Heâs an extrovert and wants to show guests every little thing during the tour whether they want to hear it or not. Iâm an introvert and can tell when the guests want to be left alone.
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MIRACLE UPDATE to OP!!
After probably close to a dozen help requests for the money I was owed (due to Airbnb usually escalating to someone better equipped and then closing instead) I finally complained about that and how not only were they not helpful they havenât made good on their offer of $300 for good will either! Well, I guess I finally reached someone who just sent me the $660 that the guest had promised t send me but didnât!!! Beyond surprised!! Incredible result for once!
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