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!
Hello all! Need opinions on what I should do today…
A month ago I accepted a reservation, one night - 5 guests (friends I assume). The guests is a new user, zero reviews. Communication has been tough as the guest isn’t fluent in English. I just got a message from him that their flight is delayed 3.5 hours and they won’t arrive until 3am. We set our check in time 4pm-11pm and we have a self check in… but I’m not comfortable with a 3am check in. We have had some bad apples pass through and I’m starting to not enjoy hosting on airbnb. This feels like a red flag but I’m not sure…
I don’t know what flight they are on but I checked the airport arrivals and there is a flight delayed 3 hrs tonight… it seems like he is telling the truth and it would be their flight that is delayed. Yet I still have a not-so-good feeling about this.
What should I do? Let them check in at 3am or call airbnb & cancel?
Put yourself in your guest’s shoes. You have been delayed 3 hours. You’re tired and in a new place. You tell your host about the delay and they cancel your reservation.
I’d be pretty upset about that. I think you need to honor the booking. At least they will only be using your space for a short time to rest. Less power, wear and tear etc.
I would let him check in. I can’t imagine getting off a delayed flight and then finding out that the host cancelled reservation. How much damage can they cause? They will drop into their beds, sleep, get up and leave. They won 't have any time to be disruptive or damage property.
I don’t know what country you are in or where the guest is coming from but flight delays have become quite common. If I booked a self check in place and the host canceled because I was legitimately delayed I’d be furious. If you can cancel you will lose Superhost if you have it and the search algorithm will probably drop you dramatically. They might even disappear your listing awhile. A cancellation is guaranteed to be costly. Letting him check in is low risk in comparison.
They are there for a very limited time and probably just want to sleep, not really get a tour or assessment. And by you getting up in the middle of the night (because of events out of their control) may make them feel even more of a burden.
If it were me, I’d allow them to use self checkin, and set out some type of snack and beverage, with a nice note. … I’d rather they have a positive first impression in contrast to a terrible start of their holiday with the delays.
People can sense suspicion. That doesn’t feel good. It’s always a good idea to assume the best about your guests and give them support. Think of them as distant relatives who are coming to stay rather than total strangers and life hosting will be so much easier for both you and the guest.
You haven’t explained the issue. My guests all need a check in to go over things that are intricate about the cabin. I cannot rely on an entire family to read all house notes. Having said that, certain things wait like how to operate the theater room, etc. BUT …I always make sure I am up at the time of arrival. I don’t care how late and talk to them over the phone over the “other” things that can’t wait. Then plan on a time for next day for other things.
I disagree with @HH_AZ@robin1@NE10… very recently we had a guy try to sneak in two hookers to our home, then the next night another group decided to have a party & do drugs in our home. They broke a bunch of house rules so I kicked out both of these BUT Airbnb refunded their money! I may sound jaded but Airbnb hasn’t been the most supportive with past terrible guests, so I need to look out for myself.
Plus this guest has no reviews which makes me hesitant to simply allow him to let himself in at 3am. I think this solution is way better than cancelling.
why? My god the guy has enough to deal with without worrying about you being comfortable for him to check HIMSELF IN. As I type this my husband is finally on his way home from a business trip and he was delayed over 20 hours. Jeez,
Look back at the history. Were those all last minute booking types or a month in advance like this? I understand the hesitation and others who haven’t experienced the same can’t really compare apples to cherries.
@RiverRock wow you obviously haven’t read any of the previous posts. There’s nothing wrong with not offering self checkin at 3AM. This is a home not a hotel. I’m sure you obviously know that.
If you live on the same property, then you can weed these things out most of the time. If you are off site then it will depend on what you can find out soon enough. I wouldn’t cancel based on the info you have provided though. Unless you feel this is someone who is part of this “group” to do the same damages, etc.
If these past people are doing this under your home and under you nose, then easy way to stop that. An off site whole home rental has way more problems to control stuff like that.
If you offer it to 11 then what is the difference? These people are already having a nightmare with the airline now they need to make you comfortable? There are 5 of them so I doubt its for a room in the house you live in. I think you are just being controlling. Upset your rules are not being followed.
If you were looking for everyone to agree with your approach, pat you on the back and tell you that you are the best host ever, then I think you accidentally posted in the wrong forum.
If you didn’t want alternate advice / perspective, maybe you should rethink asking:
You can and will do whatever makes you comfortable (rather than what makes your guests most comfortable) but at least you were made aware of any downsides.
Like we said two weeks ago when you first posted about burnoout, it sounds like it’s time for you to take a break. Airbnb is not for everyone, don’t be fooled by their promo material.
I think the idea of a guest checking in in the middle of the night triggers some primal instinct that something must be wrong because “nothing good happens after 1am”. I had something similar and it was fine so I think a delayed flight is an exception you can feel comfortable with and think how grateful they will be
