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Quite likely this has been asked before.
We AirBnB two bedrooms in our house to guests. Sometimes we are unsure if guests are in their room or not. We need to go past the window of one of the rooms to the washline and it’s nice to know if they are there or not.
Also, it’s just nice to know.
Not sure what you’re asking. It is Never polite to peek in the windows! You should have opaque drapes and/or blinds on the windows so guests can adjust how much they see or can be seen in.
My security cameras are great way to help monitor this. For example recently i saw the guest car was gone. But I checked the video and the woman had stayed behind…with rhe dog no doubt. Without the camera I wouldn’t know.
We are in the tropics and often in our location houses like ours have timber louvres, so we don’t need drapes. Guests just adjust the louvres to suit their needs.
Is there a way, other than knocking on the door, to know whether the guests have gone out or are still in their room?
Another reason to get security cameras. Yes just an external camera pointing down the driveway will solve that for us. We’re making progress today.
It’s nice to have some kind of external camera to see who is coming and going. I think you’ll find it a worthwhile investment.
Don’t forget to add it to the section of the rules that discloses any cameras/monitoring devices on your property.
I’ve been happy with the Ring doorbell, but there’s a ton of good options out there.
I didn’t know about this. Thank you for the tip.
You could give them guest keys on a large ribbon or paddle and ask them to leave them in a bowl next to the main front door when in “so you don’t forget them or accidentally take them with you when you depart”.
It can be tough to tell sometimes. We have had a number of guests drive their car here only to hire an Uber to go out. (I assume so they can drink and not drive). We thought they were here when they weren’t.
I have a no-shoes house, I generally check whether shoes or slippers are by the front door.
I have an 8 yr old who shouts, are they on or out, one guy replied i am in. He nearly died ,went the colour of a strawberry. Rest of us just burst out laughing including the guest.
Living with young boys, it means fart out loud, leave the toilet door open when using it and get up to loud mischief if they guest is out.
I’ve never been bothered about whether guests are in or out. (Mind you, our rentals are separate apartments but neighbouring my own).
Once guests are in, they have paid for their accommodation so can use it/not use it as they see fit.
And for once, @jaquo, I am going to disagree with you. I share my home with my guests and there are times that I need to know if they are in or out. Every day I need to gather their dishes and coffee canister, grind fresh coffee, and play Breakfast Fairy. I prefer to do this while the guests are out.
And then, in the evenings, I leave the door unlocked for the guests’ return. If they are already home when I go to bed, I lock the front door and turn off the lights. If they are out, the door is unlocked and lights are on. I leave them a note to remind them to lock and turn off any lights that they can find.
And finally, my guests have a suite of rooms on the third floor. In the event of a fire [a real possibility with older housing stock], I have no interest in sending firepeople to the third floor to save people who are not there.
All of that said, I have no fool-proof system to know when people are in or out. If they come home when I am not there, I can see that they have used the key. If they prefer to take off their shoes in the foyer, I can see that. But then there are the “silent” ones. I simply don’t hear them go up the stairs and then they are so quiet while in their rooms, I don’t hear them then either.
That makes a lot of sense. I suppose it’s the difference between an in-home host and someone like me whose rentals are separate.
Love that 
Another method I use to supplement the cameras is checking to see how many devices are connected to the internet. It’s not foolproof but it’s another data point.
My OP only related to a house with the host. If it was a separate dwelling it would be of no interest to us
Even if there is no direct need to know whether or not they are in their room it is unsettling. We do adjust our behaviour to align with our guests where sensible. It could be TV or music volume or conversation. Think *!&^%#.
Just nice to know.
My house rules ask for them to tell me if they will be away for 24 hours or longer, just so I know.
(I do long term rentals.)
I once had a student who was awfully quiet for days and he had no car. Never saw him. I texted him to ask was everything okay and found out he’d left town to visit someone.