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No. Moderators at this site have no connection with Airbnb and no access to any information. We are just hosts, like everyone else here. We are here simply to make sure that members aren’t overly troubled by the inevitable spammers and trolls that a forum tends to attract.
Because we are located in various parts of the world, the time differences mean that, although we are busy hosts, at least one moderator is keeping a close eye on the forum at all times.
Even if the moderators here knew how many members here offered self check in as opposed to meet-and-greet that would still not be indicative of hosts in general as it would just be a small sample. And the host population is constantly changing so statistics today would be meaningless tomorrow.
But going on impressions only, as someone who tries to read every word posted here, my feeling is that most hosts here prefer to meet their guests whenever possible and of course, self check in doesn’t mean that this doesn’t happen.
With my own rentals, for example, I have a check in window of (approximately) 4 pm to 6 pm. This should and does suit most guests. I want to be fair to myself (so don’t want to be present when guests check in at all hours) but also fair to guests who might have travel delays or be arriving on flights that arrive in the evening or early hours. Therefore I provide self check in also outside of my regular check in window.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t meet the guests who check themselves in though. I can’t remember the last time I had guest I never actually met. There are plenty of opportunities during their stay for us to meet, for me to ensure that all is well with their stay and for them to be reassured that I’m on the spot if they need anything.
This offers the best of both worlds to the guests.
Offer self check in, which I do and advocate for others to do as well doesn’t mean I don’t also greet many guests in person. If I’m home and see the guests pull in, I at least open the door and say hi and assure them I’m right here if they need anything (or want to pull any shenanigans.) I used to always come out and show them into the room, it wasn’t a tour, the room is too small. But after reading here and gauging my guests I decided to quit doing it with each guest. It was like singing to a pig. It’s been about a year since I stopped and my ratings haven’t suffered at all.
I think guests are pretty self-selecting when it comes to self-check in/being greeted by the host. I personally very rarely will book anything other than self check in (but I almost never book a shared space, either). I’m sure other travelers prefer to meet their hosts and enjoy the “original“ AirBnB experience, it’s just not my thing.
I offer self check in for the same reason - guests prefer it and seek it out. My most recent review actually highlighted the ease of self check in.
I don’t think one option is better than another, or is any reflection on the quality of the host or experience.
Yes, I am aware this forum is not connected with AIRBNB, if it was I wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing some of my feelings & experiences I’ve had with AIRBNB guests. I was referring to members of this forum that post about their self check-in listings. This has gone far beyond the simple post I meant to make. This is the type of exchange that leads to people leaving this forum. I’m sorry I ever wasted a minute of the 4th of July looking at this forum. I’m done with this topic.
What’s the reason for treating 4 guests differently than 2? I’m only curious because I’d like to reduce the laundry as much as practical. We have 24 wash cloths, 24 hand towels, and 20 bath towels available to guests (max 8). That’s a sh1tload of laundry if a group leaves them all used. Only one group did that, but others have come close, only leaving a few hand towels and wash cloths.
We had a group of business travelers in January that told us they rented an Airbnb for 5 and were provided with only 4 bath towels, 1 hand towel, and 2 wash cloths. They were quite relieved when I showed them the stocked linen closet.
Hi JF
As a guest of Airbnb and a host I appreciate house rules and even have a chuckle at some of them. Hosts who generally have a lot of house rules have beautiful homes that are well looked after. If guests are put off by house rules they are not worth having. Most descent guests understand why even the dumbest house rule is stated. It generally means there are a lot of dumb guests who just don’t get it. I suppose similar to traffic signs which go unnoticed.
From experience, accommodation with little or no house rules have been disappointing.
All the best
Al
Hi CeeBee
You are quite right there is no right or wrong way with check-ins, but having been in the industry for many years we have found that meeting and greeting guests, makes them take a little more care of your property. A weird psychological thing.
I know for a fact when I met a host I almost want to go the extra mile and leave the place extra tidy.
All the best
Al
… that the host spent a lot of time on host forums before writing them.
“Don’t rearrange the furniture” came from reading how a woman rearranged an entire host’s house including the patio space, breaking potted plants in the process; and from reading all over how if things are written in the rules it is easier to charge for them.
If I have to pay extra labor and repairs because someone decides to redecorate my home to better suit their feng shui, I plan on pointing to that rule when I try to hit their security deposit. I hope it isn’t ever a problem but that rule wouldn’t even be there except some donkeys did it to fellow hosts who vented about it on a forum somewhere.
The great thing about Airbnb is (or used to be) that it’s not one size fits all. Those of us who recoil at the rules filled listings can find plenty with no extra rules. Those of us who think a long rules listing is a superior one can find those as well.
I can say with certainty that I’ve never seen a guest generated list of improvements (topic of this thread for those who lost track) that included “this listing needed to set more expectations or have more rules.”
Yes. I remove the last guests code and enter the next guest, last 4 of their phone, every time. I do have a rotating back up code in case of last minute IB Guests. I am always uncomfortable when it’s a reusable code.
Amywyo, I meet and greet guests too - I like to know who’s going to be living in my house! And meeting each other allows us all to get beyond the profile picture… I really hoped one guest wasn’t going to be the serial killer his photo suggested, and when I met him and his smiley wife, he was a jolly friendly chap who mentioned his photo (added in haste as he’d not used Airbnb before and didn’t have time that day to find a better one) as making him look like a mass murderer. (I didn’t say anything!)
Our lock stores up to about 15 different codes which is far more than we will ever need. There is a separate one for our service contractors that won’t change unless one of them changes; and a master code for us.
That’s rather insulting to the hosts (like me) who have just two or three rules and I can assure you that my apartments are in no way disappointing, as hundreds of guests will attest.
For the benefit of new or would-be hosts reading this, every host has his or her own way of working and if you prefer not to have a laundry list of rules, that’s fine.
Agreed, I did a lot of research before writing those rules and there would be a lot fewer if I could go over things in person during a personal check-in. I was worried that my rules may seem too militant, so I decided to keep the “deal breakers” only in the public, pre-booking view.
I put language that says basically, “you agree to abide by rules, pet rules, and guidelines to be provided upon confirmed booking. Failure to cancel during full refund period constitutes acceptance of all rules.”
This way, guests without pets don’t have to wade through the pet rules on the main listing. The rules about trash, noise, hassling the wildlife, not trespassing on the adjacent land… those all get sent after booking as part of the house manual. If I were personally checking them in, it would be a conversation.
I tried to write it in the same tone as if I were face to face, to the point but lighthearted and as positive as possible (“Don’t interfere with the wildlife but do enjoy the view!”).
Yep, I am. If they want to see them before booking I would more than happily send them in advance but nobody has asked yet. I send them after they book with all caps at the top telling them to read it all before they leave and let me know if they have any questions.
I tell them in writing in the first message to them when I get the booking/inquiry, if there are no pets on the reservation/inquiry, that their reservation/request/rate is for X number of adults, X children, and no pets but if that needs to change, tell me so I can add the extra guest/pet fees and send the pet rules as needed. This has resulted in the disclosure of three previously undisclosed pets and the fees being paid/pet rules being sent afterward.
The rules also say there is a $100 penalty fee per head for undisclosed guests (it’s only $10 per head daily over 4 if they are disclosed), which has resulted in a couple of guests admitting their party is really X many, not four, and paying the extra $10 per head charges as an adjustment to the reservation after reading the rules.
