I have a guest checking in tomorrow and she is not answering my messages asking at what time she will be arriving. I have sent her 3 messages. Should I call Airbnb? Any suggestions on how to handle this?
Where is she coming from? Are you in the same country? Don’t you have a phone number for her? Call or text in addition to trying via the airbnb platform. If you can’t reach her you can inform Airbnb and see if they can reach her.
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She is in the US just like me. I do have a number for her but I rather not contact her outside the Airbnb platform. Maybe I’ll contact Airbnb. Thanks.
Do you have a check in window? Adhere to it and if she shows up outside of it, too bad for her. She wouldn’t answer you to come to some sort of agreement.
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My check is window is pretty wide. 11am to 8pm. I have flexibility. But I don’t want to sit at home all day. I’ll have Airbnb contact her.
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Hello @msague, After two and a half years contouring these situations all the time ( our check in window is wide and we are always available). now when a guest does not respond and does not notify their approximate time of arrival, after numerous attempts. I leave a last message on the platform saying that “since you have not communicated your time of arrival, please let us know when you arrive and we will combine a meeting to deliver the keys.”
We do not wait any more for people who do not respect our time.
At the beginning we also try the airbnb path, but it also consumes your time and most of the time they also do not get to communicate with the guest either.
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Totally agree with this, after years of hosting, you wise up
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I would do what @Mirta_Gubetta suggests. Leave a last message (she may be traveling). Wait half an hour, then call the number. I always call guests the morning of arrival day to get a real arrival time. I don’t sit and wait for people any more either.
Suggestion: Set a narrow arrival time – say 4-6PM. People can ask to arrive early and you can decide yeah or nay depending on circumstances (guests checking out that morning etc). Likewise late arrivals. My listing says “Arrival Time 4-6 PM. No early or late arrivals without prior permission. We have a life outside of Airbnb.”
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Well, I scrolled all the way down to post just to find that @KenH has said more or less what I was going to say.
Call the guest. As it seems that you have a non-communicative person on your hands leave a message something like:
I’m looking forward to meeting you tomorrow. Please note that check in time is between 4 - 6 pm. Please let me know what time you’ll be arriving so that I can arrange to meet you, to greet you and show you to your accommodation. Have a great journey.
In the Airbnb message system say:
Further to the message I left on your phone today… [then reiterate your message]
Hopefully the ‘meet you’ part of your message demonstrates that if they don’t tell you what time they’ll be meeting you, they simply won’t get in.
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Thanks everyone for your input. I will call the guest this afternoon if she has not communicated yet. Will keep you posted.
Also keep in mind that communcation via the platform can be interrupted by the site being down or someone not checking the email or not using the app while traveling. I’ve had multiple guests over the year apologize that they “didn’t see a message sooner.”
The site is down right now as I type this. I’m trying to communicate with a host for an upcoming trip and can’t.
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Update: The guest finally answered through the platform that she would be arriving Sunday instead of Saturday, so one day later, but again did not provide a time. 
She says she will not be adjusting her reservation from 5 to 4 nights because she knows it´s a last minute change. I responded that arrival on Sunday is OK, but still need to know her arrival time. I will call her tomorrow if she does not provide the time sooner.
Again, thanks for all the input. I love this forum.
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How annoying. I hope she doesn’t end up being an awful guest.
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Sounds like an exceptionally good guest to me.
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That part is good but she should tell her what time she’s coming.
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If she isn’t providing a check in time after being asked several times she’s not a good guest. We’re not hotels with 24 hour reception. I know some hosts don’t care or do self check in but for the rest of us it’s a pain in the arse.
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And this is what makes Airbnb both charming and infuriating. One host doesn’t care, for another it’s a dealbreaker. And I’m afraid that as Airbnb matures more and more of us will be forced to conform to narrow Airbnb defined parameters like self check in or instant book.
I had this happen last month with 2 guests in a row. I called the phione numbes provided, one mailbox was full, the other was a non-working number. I called Air and they tried on their end, but to no avail. I googled both guests, found both work numbers and eventually made contact. Turns out, one was out of the country (full mail-box guest} and the other had an outdated number listed. Both of them turned out to be wonderful and appreciative guests! Another thing to keep in mind is that many guests do not have push notifications on their phones and are not aware you are trying to contact them.
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Agreed, send her my way 
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Yes I think the key is the host contacted them several times and the guest did not respond. I agree you need to try texting and calling as well to cover all bases but both parties should definitely make themselves available for communication. I had something important on one evening and needed a reply from a guest to know whether I had to get someone to wait for them. They chose not to respond to the many avenues of communication I had tried over several hours. After I had been run ragged, they finally excused themselves with a ‘I was just strolling around the centre in the sunshine’. 1 star for communication and thumbs down I am afraid.
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