You know what? I actually don’t like the personal greeting when I travel. Particularly if it’s a self contained place. I’m usually just exhausted from travelling and as long as I can get the keys and find the wifi code, I’m happy. I wonder how many other travellers are like me.
4 Likes
Exactly! As long as the access is explained, there’s no desire to meet the host. It’s draining to have to play social butterfly after a long trip.
2 Likes
Thanks for all the replies!
I have tried it now once, and it worked fine. I will continue like this, it seems to be hassle-free and convenient for the guest (and for me 
).
2 Likes
I totally get that, but find I have far less trouble if I greet and explain a few things… Plus collect their tax and waivers. Then all the business is done and I leave them be unless they want to ask me questions or socialize. Some do.
Nay guests prefer u are not there- like privacy just leave a key.
agree, same here. We are strangers, i am tired, we will talk later. I noticed that my guests cant even comprehend what i am telling them because they are tired
1 Like
I think in your case it matters because you have some things that need thorough explanation like water. I dont collect tax from guests and dont do any waiver so the process is much easier
1 Like
Can I have some tips for that message that says ‘I am not going to be there to meet you but here are the instructions for getting in’?
i want to say it without sounding like I don’t want to take the time to meet them.
“So that you can arrive at anytime you like after the check in time at 3pm, I will leave a key in the key safe”?
This is for an entire house.
1 Like
Suggestion for the message:
Hello XXX,
thank you very much for booking my apartment.
The address is:
XXX
The apartment will be ready for check-in from 2:00 PM on June 25, 2016.
For your convenience, I have set-up a self check-in procedure so that you can check in anytime after 2:00 PM. You can pick up an envelope with the access cards, the key and the printed house manual with all instructions (use of pool, fitness, Wifi code etc.) at the security desk in the lobby of the building. Please just mention your name and the apartment number XXX
If there is anything I can assist you with, contact me anytime.
Thanks again & best regards,
ABC
2 Likes
I just wanted to provide feedback after 5 successful self check-ins:
Everything is fine*, no problems at all, guests like it, reviews are as good as before.
So thank you all for the suggestions and tips, this saves me a lot of time!
*apart from one guest calling at 3 am just to say “just wanted to tell you that I have checked it”
2 Likes
Glad the self-check in has worked out for you. It is the way I have run my VR for over 6 yrs. I’m an off-property host and always intended to manage my VR without having the up-close and personal interaction with guests. It’s a hospitality industry and I wanted to avoid premature burn-out from possibly hundreds of guests and their personalities, so I decided that distancing myself would be the ticket.
I establish a friendly relationship with guests via email to promote trust (so they will take care of my property). You would never know by reading the reviews that we have never met because they all comment effusively how great it was dealing with me. I’m often told that I’m a “people person”…(whisper)…but I’m really not.
I really prefer not to judge hundreds of books by their covers. Illusion is good.
3 Likes
hooray for you! Thanks for the update.
Very astute of you Sandy, especially the part about knowing thyself.
Hello everybody. Sorry for so long post.
I have read this topic, but looks like it is about letting out separate property.
We live in the house upstairs and rent out the room downstairs. There is common entrance to the house and there is no door to go upstairs, the rented room has privacy lock from inside.
We meet every guest, show them around. We prefer to see guests in face, because we had once bad experience. 2 people booked and 4 arrived, the wanted to snick in, 2 of the stayed in the car, but we noticed them and did not let them in at all.
I asked the day before arrival every guest to tell what time do they plan to come. Some of them answer more or less accurately, some do not answer at all, some tell first about 4pm, them call later about 7 pm, then later 9pm and actually arrive at 11pm. We are tired but do not know what to do.
I have few ideas:
- Make check-in from 5pm
- put the door to upstairs and key box by the entrance
- Limit to 2 days minimum stay, now we have 1 day minimum.
Any more advice?
I don’t understand the relevance of the door to upstairs/no door to go upstairs. I think you can allow self check in most of the time without problems since you live upstairs. So yes, get a key box or a lock with a digital code so you don’t have to wait for your guests. Make it clear in your rules that extra people are an extra charge and if someone breaks the rules you can cancel their reservation. If you can put a security camera on the outside of the door so you can see who goes in and out that would be the best. I don’t know what country you are in but in the US such cameras are inexpensive and easy to set up. Video or pictures can be sent to your phone for a live peek at arrival or stored on the cloud for viewing later or even emailed to you.
Thank you for the idea about camera.
I mean that there no door between floors and guest can get upstairs when we are out.
1 Like
I would agree that putting a door to prevent guests from going into your space is a great idea if you can. Many people, including me, have given access to the home while we are away and never had a problem. But I added a door so guests no longer have to come into my part of the house to get to the room. Now I never have to be home or stay up late for them to check in .
Looks like we have to put a door. It is quite difficult to install, that is why I tried to find some easier way.
I used to do the same for my second property (also city and in an apartment building, and self-check-in is incredibly popular!) but unfortunately I’ve had two separate bookings from working girls, because it becomes clear that the owner is not on-site. One I googled her name and got proof before she arrived (cancelled without penalty, thank you AirBnB) and the second I realised only afterwards, but at least there was no damage and no angry neighbour complaints.
You might also be risking people use the place for other unsavoury things such as parties or drug behaviour if they know nobody’s around to see.
I am still self-check-in, but I now don’t mention it until the booking is confirmed. I’m yet to have anyone complain, my listing makes it clear they will need to collect the key so they know there will be slight effort on their part to begin with. And once they book I give them clear, SHORT, concise info about the process, through the messaging system.
Two options I suggest for you:
- Concierge… don’t mention the arrangement until booking is confirmed. You could even wait until a week before they arrive and then casually say you have an unexpected appointment that day so you’ll leave instructions and keys with the concierge.
- If you want meet and greet, but need guests to be less tardy… wait until the booking is confirmed, then, “I don’t live at the same building, so let’s make an appointment time for me to arrange to be there and let you in.” Somehow, the words “appointment” and “arrange to be there” makes it clear to them that you are putting in effort and they shouldn’t be late. The reason I came up with this is that I had done it to a host before I was one myself, because I’d never even stopped to think about the fact that they would be waiting for me! I mean, I was a guest, so all I thought about was what was convenient for me. So it’s understandable that they’re on holidays and stop off for lunch or go to see some movie or whatever, since these things suit them just fine
Sort your wording out and suddenly they realise it’s not all about them, and they won’t complain either
Not a perfect system, but it worked very well for about 90% of guests when I had a non-self-check-in property.
2 Likes