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Usually I meet my guests in person at check-in, but occasionally I arrange a self-check-in when I have a conflicting engagement. My latest standard check-in time is 9 p.m. Should I waive that time for guests doing self-check-in, allowing them to check in however late they want?
There are two reasons I’m posing the question: 1) with no notification, a recent self-check-in guest checked in at 11:20 p.m., and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to waive/ignore my standard latest check-in time, and 2) I just returned from a trip during which I was an Airbnb self-check-in guest, and that host had no latest check-in time.
So is this a matter of the host’s personal preference, or is there a standard procedure?
I have self check in with a 10pm cut off not because I do not want guests to check in later than 10 but to restrict late night bookings (which cuts down on the drunks and hook up reservations). I do not live on property (5 rooms) and have a self check in policy unless the guest requests that I meet them (which of course I will absolutely do). Self check in is a person choice as is the check in time. Whatever your particular situation you should do what is most comfortable for you.
The guest unit is a detached bungalow behind my house, so I imagine that makes me a live-in host. Normally I have relaxing music playing when guests check in, and after nightfall I have driveway lights on in addition to bungalow lights, all of which I turned off at 11 p.m. the night my guests checked in so late, as it turns out just minutes before they showed up.
I have self check in for a room that’s attached to my house but with a separate entrance. They can’t enter my home as the connecting doors are locked. They can check in anytime after my stated beginning time which is currently 3pm. I think between 3 and 4 am is the latest anyone arrived. Those late arrivals are really grateful that airbnb is an option for them.
Its up to you really if thats the case. If your listing description says that checkin is until 9pm you could potentially losing reservations from people having late flights etc. If its simple to get in and they don’t have to wake you up when they arrive then I’d say 9pm is too early
I have self checkin. I don’t have a latest time but ask guests approximately what time they hope to arrive. If they are on a late arriving flight and then +2hrs to get here I just hope they don’t wake me up as I live separately upstairs. I’d rather they didn’t disturb me at 2am to say they were running late and just let themselves in and went to bed.
We try to meet our guests in person whenever possible, but have self check-in available otherwise. We don’t have any cut-off for the latest time they can check-in. We get road trippers, flights that ran late, etc., so I think guests are thankful they can check-in late. In regard to @Cindy_Turner_Dodd and the hook up reservations, we don’t allow anyone to reserve for the same day after noon on that day, so I think that cuts down on those types of folks.
I state that if you need to check in after 12 am, that you have to pre-arrange by 6 pm of the day of check in or you are charged a late check in fee.
My intent is never to charge a late check in fee but this gives me an opportunity to say I will waive the fee but to keep in mind that there are people sleeping below you and to be mindful of this plus to take off your shoes when you walk upstairs to your private (separate) suite.
This has worked out well and now I rarely get woken up in the middle of the night.
I have my latest at 2am i think. They have a private entrance but I dont want anyone later if they are due to leave at 11am. No one has come past midnight though and no issues with departing on time.
Lots of good answers here…as posted earlier it depends on what works for you.
My condo is self-check in BUT it is a gated community so although it is self-check in via a keybox to open the gate remotely requires a code which then calls my cell phone, I enter a code to open the gate. It is a one time event because there are gate cards in the unit. In general my latest check in is midnight but with advance notice, I will accomodate later.
When I have people who tell me they are very late I remind them that check out is still at 11 am. And some people are much later than they say they are going to be but I can’t do anything about it. I just put the responsibility on them to get checked out on time. No one has ever checked in late and then checked out late. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with your policy but you might needlessly miss out on some bookings.
I definitely doubt I have missed out on any bookings since I let people arrive into the wee hours. Anyone who wanted to come past 2am… well it isn’t like I would be waiting up for them. We also know many many just don’t actually read listings though so many just would come when they please. I think I set 2am because that was the latest in settings anyways.
