There’s nothing wrong with meeting guests on check-in, even if you have self-check-in. many hosts do that, for the same reasons-to make sure there aren’t more people than they booked for, to get a feel for the guests, etc. To ensure that it doesn’t come across as discrimination, you could say in your listing that while you do have self-check-in, that you meet and greet your guests whenever possible. Only you know if it’s “possible”
And it’s quite true that on-site hosts don’t have the issue of guests trying to sneak a party. And if you do see more people coming and going, it’s easy enough to kibosh that right away.
2 Likes
You’re right 
Another huge advantage is that it sorts out the serious hosts from the let’s-give-it-a-go people. Knowing that you’re fully legal, licensed and insured plus that you have the blessing (well, sort of) of your local authorities is a great feeling.
1 Like
Yes, I totally agree and I’m not trying to suggest that a certain age is or isn’t appropriate to stay in an Airbnb. I’m understandably just trying to make sure I don’t have underage minors staying in my space.
I’m curious though why Airbnb doesn’t require users to upload some form of identification or verify their age in some way…don’t you have to be at least 18 to book anywhere? Sorry if that’s ignorant, I understand things may be different outside the US so I’m just curious
1 Like
You have to be 18 to have an airbnb profile.
1 Like
Ha- great point! I may use that in the future!
Yes, Airbnb says that you must be 18 in order to have a Airbnb profile.
1 Like
@lauren_g I have self check-in but usually just happen to run into guests as they arrive ,) I don’t want to not offer self check-in as it assuades a lot of issues that some guests have about having to wait for a host to show up, etc but I really prefer to greet my guests and introduce them to the space. I’m careful not to force it though as technically I’ve promised a “self check-in”. Some guests say they would love for me to be there and they make it easy.
$$$ is the simplest answer. I have no restrictions on who can book. I’ve had guests instant book with only an email address and a selfie as “verification”. What a joke. But I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’m an onsite host so it works for me. It’s a different matter with a separate entire property, though.
Re. greeting guests: personally, I think it’s always a good idea to do this no matter who/what age the guests. It’s much harder to misbehave in a property when you’ve actually met the owner.
2 Likes
The option to meet the guest & do a quick walkthrough seems to be the factor that has afforded us an extended “honeymoon” period in our vacation rental experience. We always allow self check-in, but always try to meet them unless it is very late. Eye contact seems to make things personal, and the guests treat our place accordingly. Also, I have a few key questions that I ask at the initial inquiry, even if is an actual reservation request. People inevitably have missed these factors in the listing (such as the fact that we are owner-occupied, or that we are not right on VA Beach, even though it is in the first paragraph). I make three litmus test statements up front (like your “I require a government issued ID”). Nine times out of ten, those that would not be a good fit simply don’t reply or state that they didn’t see it in the listing and that they need to cancel. I feel that we both dodged a bullet, there, because both guest and host would have been unhappy. We each have to do what works for us, but these three statements have worked well for me in making sure that the people that book with us will be a good match.
Yes, I agree that meeting the guests is best. However, I believe it is a bit tricky to meet the guest if you have also listed self check-in. As a guest, it irks me to no end, if I choose a place that has self check-in but the host shows up to greet me. It’s definitely a double-standard, I know. But I might also get a guest that feels the same way, so unless they have mentioned “seeing me soon” or something, I just act like I happened upon them. It’s a silly game I think but, technically, a guest could complain.
Instant Book hosts can require ID verification as a condition to IB. If you only use Booking Requests (which I do), you can ask guest to upload it, but it’s a grey area. Some hosts have been taken to task for asking to see ID at the door in countries where it’s not a govt. requirement.
But I wouldn’t trust Airbnb’s verifications, anyway. They’re all about removing any barriers to guests booking.
We’ve had a few. It is my understanding that you definitely want to respond with “something” - so that your response stats are high.
IMO it is perfectly reasonable to ask them to post their IDs. We have hosted some young parties and were comfortable with it - IB in fact. It is nice that young people often are not good about privacy and it is often very easy to lookup all sorts of stuff on social media, etc.
We discouraged a different inquiry from a young couple primarily as they are very local.
My view is that if people want to rent private homes, rather than stay in hotels, it’s pretty rude to be averse to meeting the host.
3 Likes
I totally understand that. However, “Self Check-In” implies otherwise. It’s definitely a grey area at the very least. Booking an “entire place” with self check-in is totally different than booking a private room in a hosted house.
The worst thing is booking some place with self check-in but then the host keeps messaging and wanting to know what time you’re going to arrive so that they can meet you - it’s not really self check-in then.
My point is that a guest could complain about it. It is a type of amenity that they could claim they didn’t get if the host insists on greeting them. Like I said, a grey area.
Really, there should be no expectation of meeting the host in an entire place with self check-in.
I guess I see self-check-in (which I don’t offer) as more of a convenience to guests in case they are arriving at a time when the host may not be able to greet them, rather than as a way to avoid having to meet the person whose home you are staying in. Or if the guests are arriving with children who may be cranky or needing to be fed right away, it might not be the best time to meet the host right when they arrive, better for them to get the kids settled and have a breather before a meet with the host.
2 Likes
You did the right thing. If your booking requirements state goverment ID, then tell the guest they need to get their government ID verified with Airbnb before they can book. I do this all the time.
Also, renting only two guests over 25 is age discrimination, and if I recall you can do this only if your local government allows it. You don’t want a 1-year-long time-out from Airbnb.
But I am not sure how guests see it. It says “Self Check-In: Check yourself in with the keypad”. There’s nothing there about, only if the host can’t meet you. It really implies an independent check-in without a host. It sets a different expectation. I can just see it getting wonky if I wasn’t careful - some guest saying he didn’t get his self check-in because I showed up, I don’t know.
As a host, I just want to be careful about it.
As a guest, I can empathize because I know my expectations are different if I book a self-check-in place.
In the US, federal law allows discrimination for owner-occupied, 4 units or less. There is a different standard for rooms in the house. But STR is different and each booking company might have policies that limit it.
But, how one advertises a property may not discriminate except with certain house share situations.
Again, I think that it is perfectly reasonable to respond to an Inquiry as you did and expect a forthcoming response. Fortunately, it is merely an Inquiry not a booking request. All you have to do is reply with something to keep up your response rate.
Personally, we do not have an issue renting to young people in general. We get anxious when the situation is a local couple. IMO, if you are not comfortable renting to 18, 21 or 23 year olds - it is your owner occupied dwelling.
There’s another alternative to the either/or situation which I employ. I tell guests that I will meet them to show them to the apartment. They do not get the code until that point. I give them the code as we’re going in. So if they arrive at a reasonable hour, they don’t have the option of not meeting me - they simply won’t get in if they don’t.
I tell guests that if they are arriving later in the evening I’ll arrange a self check in for them. And who know? I’ve probably had guests who have been in the locality in plenty of time for normal check in but go for dinner or something so they can self check in. I don’t have self check in at normal check in time (+ 2 to 4 hours) but I’m lucky because I’m on the spot and have scheduled work around the arrival so it’s not inconvenient in any way.
1 Like
I tend to notice that most of our guests arrive late at night - usually after 8pm. It hasn’t been uncommon for us to have guests check in after we’ve gone to sleep and leave for good before we wake up in the morning. I note in the listing that we are generally available and responsive between the hours of 7am-9pm and that guests should take this into consideration when determining what time they are checking in as we may not be awake to address any issues that may arise. I may add to the listing that we try to meet guests in person when possible, and may also request that guests provide me with an ETA.
I think it depends on the “type” of Airbnb you have and what sort of guests you attract too though. Considering our space is a small basement apartment in the suburbs, the vast majority of our guests are either people passing through town and staying one night or people who have family/friends in the area and are using our space basically just as a place to sleep. I can’t really imagine us having many folks wanting to stay with us who are on a vacation.
Moving forward I am definitely going to make a habit out of checking that ALL guests have an ID on file before confirming a booking. Guests can only IB with the ID on file but I will be checking with inquires/booking requests too. I’m not particularly worried about age as long as they are legal adults. I keep hearing about lots of teenage runaways in my area and that’s a big concern for me. Thanks again for your advice!