This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
More of a rant about entitled guest than anything…
So I just woke up to a instant booking for today for one person, in the message she informs me that THEY will be arriving about 12 and leaving tomorrow about 12.
I don’t care about the second person, from her profile it is clear she travels with husband. However my check in is 4:00 and checkout is 11. The listing states that late checkout (1:00) may be available for $45 this is in the rules right on top.
The cabin was cleaned yesterday and is ready, but no way in hell is she announcing she is showing up early and staying late, a total of 5 hours for free.
She has been on Air since 2016 with 2 good reviews and has left one good review for a host.
So this will be my response:
Good morning Elizabeth thanks for booking our cabin, I just saw your message and I am unable to accomodate an early check in today. Check in is 4:00 and checkout is 11:00 Late checkout (1:00) is available for a $45 fee, please let me know if you would like a late checkout so I can rearrange the housekeeping schedule.
No excuses, just laying out for her it is pay to stay. Had she asked about early check in I may have been flexible and let her in at 2
Do keep us up-to-date of any reaction she may give.
MY small rant for today: We got a reservation on January 24th. I immediately sent two small questions about arrival time and dietary restrictions (breakfast). She is arriving today and she still hasn’t answered, so we will be waiting for her all day long. We don’t mind waiting for an hour or two because we know it’s difficult to predict an exact arrival time in this country, but no indication at all? Rant over .
This is sort of saying either ‘you should have read the bloody listing’ OR ‘so you read what my check in and check out times are but you chose to ignore them, eh? Well, think again sunshine’.
I have added both a early check in fee of $30 and a late check in fee of $30 so if a guest mentions a time outside of my normal self check in 4 pm - 12 am and check out at 10 am I let them know its possible for the fee because I have to schedule rush cleanings which are extra. Shuts them down every time.
I do however let guests know if they are nice and ask if it’s possible for an early check in that I’ll let them know the day before but can’t guarantee unless they pay the fee and for late check outs, they have to ask before 6 pm the night before and I’ll let them know if available unless they want to pay the fee to guarantee. If they are rude, just the fee.
Little rant for today, I got a booking request at 2 am this morning from a guest who just signed up, no reviews and states that they would like to check in immediately because they are in a pickle. Not going to happen. My gut was screaming nooooooooo.
I am totally beyond guests dictating their arrival times we all have to enforce and educate. In my area, host must take down passport info and report all guests to police, it’s the law. How can anyone offer self check in under these circumstances?
Has anyone experience w/ booking.com? Just started with them, totally different and very complementary to Airbnb. But this platform seems to encourage people are very bad communicators. You can’t even really post house rules. Getting them to feedback after booking and provide eta… difficult.
I ask for arrival AND departure flight details to see if guests need early or late check out.
I tell them that free early or late is possible If the apartment is not booked before arrival or day of departure, confirmed 24 hours ahead. If they need •guaranteed• early or late checkout I need to book an extra empty night I explain this to them and ask for 60 euros (half price )
What hotel let’s their clients díctate arrival times and departure? I mean come on! Arrive at 7 am leave at 11 pm and pay one night then?!
Tiny rant for today… It’s High Season. It’s bloody COLD up North and everyone wants to come to South Florida where it’s been reasonable.
We have guests leaving in an hour (11AM) and new guests arriving tomorrow. Oh boy! a one night break.
So last night, after I went to bed, I get a Request to Book for 1 Night, tonight! I have 1 Day Notice set. I didn’t see this RTB until about half an hour ago (9:30 AM) after I made the current guests breakfast. Our first encounter with the "no photo till they book; also I can’t see any details on the guests, just 4 verifications (and we know what they’re worth). No reviews, no “Hi I’m BillyBob and I like to travel” backstory.
So I declined – “too short of notice, previous commitments, sorry”. Told Air what I thought of the No Photo until book policy, and that I didn’t think 11PM the day before a 4PM check-in constituted 1 Day notice. I may have to change that to 2 day advance notice if that’s the way they play the game.
Sure, I’d have earned $111, but the amount of aggro didn’t make it worth my while.
@lililou1 - A couple of years ago, we stayed at a place in Salzburg, Austria, with self check-in and they had a book on the table where we filled out our passport information for them. They took all the past entries (I could see from the stubs), so I knew our passport information was not going to be passed to the next guests.
But with the new European privacy laws, they might not do that anymore.
Yes that is what everyone is doing but it’s illegal, the owner or his mandate must check himself the passports of all guests upon check in. And Airbnb keeps hyping us to let self checkin for business travelers this should and must be eliminated for those few of us who respect all the laws
Dude,you take one nighters last minute? Well you’re always full I suppose so it was a number of random incidense that this was even possible in your schedule.
The no photo is horrible.
I hate it.
We have to ask Airbnb to review this policy.
Let’s say if guests don’t give photos then they can’t see
Photos of the apartment! Hahah!
I have to collect 10% tax and get a copy of ID. So after the 48 hour grace period (strict cancellation policy) I send a request for money through Air (since they will not do this) and remind them I will need a copy of id at check in. All of this is spelled out in my rules. If they have not accepted the request for payment by check in time when they ask for the code I remind them, sure you just need to pay the tax and text me a picture of your ID first. If they already paid just the ID. No tax no ID no code:)
Yes but do you have to personally verify their ID card or passport? And link to police website to record each arrival?
Under our circumstances it is obviously impossible to allow self check in, I am personally responsible if my guest commits a crime and I didn’t personally check his passport •and• do the entry into police database of all his info.
The no-picture until booking must go. And I would even tell AirBnb to recommend something besides a weird selfie. Don’t you have one friend who will take a proper shot of you looking friendly? I have complained to Air about this too. I agree that the “verifications” don’t mean much.
day long. We don’t mind waiting for an hour or two because we know it’s difficult to predict an exact arrival time in this country, but no indication at all? 
.