Late checkout followed by early check in

Checkout 11am, gives me time to turnaround before next guests arrive at 2pm checkin.
Heard a bit of movement this morning, but all quiet at 11am, so I messaged a reminder. Now 11:40, I think the 3rd and final guest is starting to shower. Checked next guest messages, maybe they won’t be getting here till late. No, “we’ll be arriving about 1pm”.
So outgoing guests are an hour late, and incoming guest want to be an hour early :slight_smile:
I might just be able to manage it!

But how many stars to award the late-outs?

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3 stars for late out without at least asking. You aren’t the Ritz-Carleton! Arriving guests can just wait in your parking area or at a coffee shop…

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As you are in a shared home situation, @Barns I think it’s always best to talk in person to guests about checkout time before check out day, so there is no way guests can claim ignorance.

I’ve noticed many guests don’t have their Airbnb profile set to receive notifications of messages, so they may not well see a message.(of course they should know what the check out time is, but as we all know guests don’t always read).

In your situation i would have knocked on their door at 11.40 to remind them they are way past their check in time.

I think agreeing early check ins is always a risk @Barns when you have a same day turnaround so personally i never accept them unless I know the previous guest has an early flight to catch.

I would knock off one star I think, rather than two and mention it in the review.

And you live in one of the best cities in the UK with loads of lovely places to get a coffee and something to eat, so its not like your early arrival guests can’t keep themselves entertained for an hour.

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Good advice from @KenH. I’d mention the late check out so that other hosts will be aware but the severity of the ‘offence’ depends on the situation.

In my own case, for example, I am opposite one apartment and next door to the other so if I don’t see signs of movement by five past checkout time (guests taking garbage out or loading their car) I barge in with my arms full of folded sheets, loo paper etc. and sound so very surprised.

“Oh you’re still here! I’m so sorry to burst in but look, your rental time is over and I have to get the apartment ready for the next guests. Is there anything I can help you with? Let me take that bag for you. Oh don’t worry about the garbage bag, I’ll take it… oh thank you so much…”

Nice enough but firm too hopefully. If they say “but I just want a shower” then “oh dear, I have to get the shower curtain, the towels and the bathmat into the laundry right now…”

I just act like a fussy old dear… :wink:

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I heard them launch into action when I messaged at 11am checkout time, so I knew they were on the case, just a annoyingly tardy. I’m not Basil Fawlty enough to bang on the bathroom door. There’s every chance the next checkin guests will actually arrive later than their “we’ll be early” statement, but…! I’ve done it! All is clean and presentable, a couple of corners were cut, but I’m just seeing to them now, awaiting the next guests. I’m 2 pillow cases short, but they’re in the drier, so I might have done a record turn around.
A bit sweaty, but I daren’t shower just yet, because I know who’ll ring the bell the MOMENT I step in to the water :slight_smile:

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Sod’s Law for a same day turnover. :wink:

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Precisely this scenario, which I tired of, is why my House Manual notes that “you have to be checked out at 11 a.m., on the other side of my front door, or a $25 late checkout fee applies.”

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I think we have all had the “oh crap” moment when there is little time btwn guests. Kudo’s for getting it ready in time!!! Recently I went to clean a room to find they had not left yet, this was an hour past check out and they said " oh I thought check out was noon" geez did you not read my checkout message let alone the app? You have to wonder at times!

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it’s now half 2, no sign of the incoming guests, so I’ve even had plenty of time to get the last 2 pillows done. Still need to walk the dog, and it’s looking like it might rain. Also, we have a music festival in Brighton, The Great Escape…the shop 4 doors from me has become a temporary venue for bands…hope the guests will be ok with the intermittent shouty youth bands!

Never a dull day (apart from Thursday 3 weeks ago, that was dull)

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I have a 11:00 check out as well, about 930 I send this message:

Thanks for staying at River Rock Retreat we really hope you enjoyed your stay! just as a reminder check out is 11 and housekeeping is scheduled, a late checkout is available (1:00) for a $45 fee (if it is available) if you would like a late check out please let let know now so I can contact the housekeeper.

Once they know its pay to stay they leave on time. No need for fines or confrontation.

RR

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Charge a fee for early check in and late check out and spell out the times. Have a fee for every 10 minutes they are late. There’s also an easel sign in the kitchen table reminding them of check out time and in my thank you message sent the night before. In my thank you message I remind them of the late check out fee and how I need to know the day before so I can arrange a rush cleaning with added fee. (It’s really me but they don’t need to know that.)

Also, I moved my checkout to 10 am and that seems to quash late check outs for some reason. My check in is at 4 pm. Gives me more breathing room too.

Nothing like a little time crunch to put a skip in your step!! AND you even had time to post!
5 Stars all around :star2::sweat_smile:

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Many people now use their cell phones to tell time, instead of wearing a wrist-watch. But the cell phone screen must be on to see the current time.

My framed list of house rules mentions our 11 a.m. check-out time. But I have battery-powered table clocks (with 8-inch-diameter clock faces) in both rental bedrooms and the guests’ TV lounge.

No matter in which room our guests are, they know the current time and cannot use the excuse they did not know how late it was after 11 a.m.

Only once did I have a father and his two children leave late at 11:20 a.m., as kids are sometimes difficult to get moving in the morning.

clock

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I always message guests the day before check out with something like, “I hope you’ve had a comfortable stay! Just a reminder that check out time tomorrow is no later that 11AM. Please let me know if you have any questions.”

It seems to work…

Also, if a guest messages me with a statement like “we’ll be arriving about 1PM”, I reply with, “As mentioned in the listing, my earliest check in time is 2PM. Unfortunately, I am unable to accommodate an early check in today.”

You don’t have to apologize or explain. They are your rules, stick to them. You’re not doing anything wrong.

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I don’t understand how that solves the problem? $25 isn’t exactly a deterrent and so if a guest decides that they’ll pay the $25 and stay for another hour, that’s one hour fewer that’s available to prepare for the incoming guests. In the case of Barns, it would have left him with only an hour.

Huge deterrent for my guests, I guess they are on a lower budget than yours?

No real problems since I instituted this, had to charge four guests in four years the fee, and all suddenly found rocket-powered jets to pack and go when they were reminded they were late.

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That’s our Jackie – "a fussy old dear.":grinning:

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Yes, but are you sure they can read an analog clock :wink: :laughing: ? I am constantly amazed by the number of customers in my business, which is time based, that cannot read an analog clock. I have an equal amount of digital clocks and analog clocks because of this.

We also have battery operated clocks in every room, and yep, Analog :joy:!

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Whenever I have a back-to-back day, I message the guests who are leaving the day before to let them know that I will be there at 11 a.m. (my check-out time). When I have a request for early check-in on a back-to-back day, I tell them that they can drop off their bags if they want, but that I need the full four hours to make sure the place is really clean for them. Very rarely has anyone ever dropped off their bags early. The only time I can remember over the past 5 1/2 years of imminent early arrival was a wedding party. I let them arrive two hours early and let them know that only the top floor (where the bedrooms and shower are located) were ready. I cleaned around them on the first floor and actually got to know them. They were super cool. Always good to be flexible. I got a good review and they got a good review – because we communicated and made it work for everyone.

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I had 2 adults+baby who I messaged 3 hours before stating they had to leave by checkout as I had guests arriving early afternoon and needed the time for the turnaround. Went down at 11.05am and he was still in the shower and no sign of packing up. Told her they had to pack up and leave immediately. Went down at 11.15am and still not packed up so was a bit more direct this time. I may have gone the full Basil. They left at 11.25 but there was still about 30 minutes of tidying up and furniture being put back I had to do before starting the normal clean. Just before the 2 week deadline a review came in which I guessed was not nice. Turns out they were bad at timing that because even the next morning I still was able to send mine. So I let them have it in. Theirs was the worst review I’ve ever got. Said I “barged in” and made their baby cry. There was alot of shouting after I left and the baby was crying all weekend so maybe that was it. I had flagged it to Air what happened. Tried to get it taken down but as usual no chance. Next time I’ll contact Air and get them to tell them to leave immediately. I’m guessing they won’t let them complain about that in public just hosts. 1 star and remember to say “do not recommend” because Air hides that part of the review.
ps. she also said the backyard was uninviting and the promised farm animals (I chicken and some ducks) failed to materialise. There is an actual sign on the back door saying don’t go out there without permission.
pps. I’ve been waiting for someone to bring this up so I could get it all off my chest. Cheers Barnesy.

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