It’s getting so common for people who tell me they’ll arrive at an earlier hour then show up much later, does anyone say, $10 charge for late arrivals or something like that? And if so, how do you make them pay it?
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what if you just tell them, that you’ll be there at the time you agreed, and dont late, because later you cant come back…? or at least send a message that they will arrive much later.
Are they not communicating with you in the meantime – i.e., “we are delayed and will be there 8 hours later”? Because that’s a MAJOR ding on a guest for poor communication. Someone like that is totally not suited for AirBNB – they need to stick with hotels if they lack the common sense and minimal logistical awareness to coordinate a check-in time. If they are in communication with me about the delays, then I don’t care at all but I’m housebound with 2 babies.
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In my case, I don’t care when guests arrive as long as it is after 4, my check in time. But my rental is separate and lockable… so I just leave it unlocked with the key inside. While I’d prefer to greet them in person, it is not mandatory. If they come in super late, fine… I’ll meet them in the morning, and they know this. If they want to come hours late, it’s TOTALLY fine, and I really could care less when they get here!
However for your case, and all others who need accurate arrival times, I would put this front and center in your guest documents… “PLease provide ETA of arrival time.” Make sure it is clear and almost one of your house rules. Don’t think you have a leg to stand on to charge extra for arriving late, or in telling them they can’t come back. But you sure could mark them down for communication in a review as long as you’ve made it very clear in your info documents that you expect to be notified of arrival time.
Once again, as Sandy and others have pointed out, how do those stars even show for guests? I don’t think they do. I don’t think it matters one wit unless you actually say something in the review itself.
They just say things like my flight is delayed. I’m on standby. I thought I’d check in at 1pm. Now it’s 3pm. Now it’s 10pm. Now it’s 11pm. I guess I should just accept it since it does seem that after they arrive it’s not something they wish for. It’s something beyond their own control since they are trying to travel cheap and planes are always late. I like having this host forum board for venting!
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It’s been happening to me regularly too. They’ll call when they are already and hour late (if at all) to say they’re still 4 hours away. I’ve had to cancel my plans more than a few times because of this. I’m happy to be accommodating to a check-in time, my only request is they keep their check-in time or notify me at least an hour prior to when they said they would arrive to let me know about plan changes. I wish there was a way to charge them for this. Dinging them in the ratings doesn’t do anything.
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I have a special combination lock on my mailbox so I let guests know what the combination is in our communications (it’s also in my documentation) and they can open the mailbox. Inside the mailbox I keep the keys for the guests. Easy and hassle free for all, guests can checkin anytime they like…
I always email my guest(s) a day or two before their arrival and remind them that our check in time is after 3:00 and to please let me know their ETA to ensure someone is home to meet them.I have only had one person not communicate well with me and he was definitely one of our younger guests.
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You should never expect guests to arrive on time. It’s simply not possible, particularly when you consider how often flight plans can change, be delayed, etc.
We have hosted hundreds of guests and we NEVER plan on them arriving on time. Early on, I got a lock box ($30 at Home Depot) and latched it to a wall outside my home. When a guest confirms, they get the code in their guidebook, and i also communicate with them one more time prior their stay.
You can also get an automated door knob that you can code automatically. These are usually around $100 and are a bit more nice and secure.
There are also services that you can pay to drop off a key in a local cafe to give to your guests. The problem with these services is that cafes also close, and they are only in limited cities. Here is an example: https://www.keycafe.com/
Best of luck!
Krista
www.homefoo.com
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It’s really hard for guests to be exactly on time. When they are first time in your city or even country they may have many problems with transportation. You should consider not to welcome guests in person.
I’m hosting 6 apartments, all of them are in city 120 miles away from me. I haven’t welcome guests in person very long time but I still get great reviews and guests are happy. I’m using RentingLock. With that service I’m sending them code to the doors which is valid only in selected by me period of time. It’s working perfectly. I am managing those locks via the Internet.
I’m writing a blog post how to manage AirBnb in different city than you live. If you have any questions, please ask.
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I think having a back up way of getting into the space is the best bet, not unless you are sharing your home, which makes this more difficult. I’ve had ppl text me to say they were delayed. In one case a flight was cancelled owing to mechanical problems, so I told the guest not to worry since it was better that the airline was playing it safe. The guest got in about 10 hours later (around 1 AM) and I put out a bit of food for her, which she really appreciated. I just thought it would be what I would want if I were in her shoes.
Shit’s gonna happen, unfortunately.
I live in a relatively safe neighbourhood, so I leave an envelope out with a keycard in it. It just looks like an envelope with a message in it and so far I haven’t had a problem.The condo itself has a combination lock, so the guests don’t need a key. I’ve also made arrangements with a local corner store, where they hold the key for guests who arrive when I’m not in town. They’ve offered to do it for free, but I give them $5 anyway, since I don’t want them to feel I’m taking advantage. It’s $5 well-spent.
I think to save the wear and tear on your nerves and your soul, you should try to find a way around this problem that makes you hpapy. Getting mad at guests is a waste of time.
I actually just wrote a blog post that offers alternatives to waiting (and waiting, and waiting) on your guests to arrive. It’s has everything about key handoffs, to welcoming your guests, and the like. Give it a read - you may find it useful
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Could you provide a link Sara?
Sorry, my bad, I thought I had pasted it. Here it ist: https://www.guesty.com/blog/remote-airbnb-key-handoffs/
Hi konacoconutz,
Listen, I have a young mother, with a 6 week old and 22 month old, who wants to stay three months. She’s a dermatology resident and I think is coming with her partner (although she didn’t mention one). She wants to see the place in advance, which, because she wants to bring a crib, makes sense. I’m a bit uneasy, though, about renting for that long. The rules in Montreal are deadly against landlords and just staying three months, no matter what the paperwork says, won’t be enough to move her out if she doesn’t want to go…I’m also concerned about the kids, the fact that this woman will be crazy busy, etc. I’m worried the place will need a major overhaul once she leaves. On the other hand, I’m going back to work in January and her booking will cover my complete semester, which means no cleaning for me during that time…I’m trying to figure out what to do. The place is so pristine right now…and when ppl only stay for a couple of nights or a week, it stays so much cleaner, meaning the long run will make things easier. Anyway, any thoughts? Sorry I’m using this thread to ask you…
Thanks BBM. No, it’s a low occupancy time–off season–which is why it’s attractive too. It’s conceivable that I could make about a few hundred more during that time period, but it would mean me having to clean (and perhaps put a day off in between guests) and this while I’m returning to work after a 1 1/2 year convalescence from a badly injured hand. So my feeling is that it would be worth the slight loss of revenue. My concern is the legal situation. I have agreed to let her see the place, since it’s a longer period of time and she needs to place a crib, so I will ask questions then. I did have one rowdy family stay early on, for two weeks. They were a nice family and I know kids will be kids, so I’m not going to lose the head over a bit of damage, but this is much longer and I’m concerned about three months worth of dirt. The place is new now, very easy to clean, and so a part of me wants to extend that ease of cleaning as long as I can. Anyway, thinking aloud here and will wait til I meet her next week. Thanks.
If you feel this one is not a good fit, it probably isn’t. I would stay clear unless you have a lot more information to put yourself at ease.
Hi Irene! I just saw this… Ummm, I don’t know… A possible family of four with two babies moving in for three months? I don’t know. I personally wouldn’t… Or if I did I would book her for 29 days and negotiate the rest as a month to month with a contract and everything? I understand the pull between wanting and needing the money but on the other hand is it possible that you will still getting bookings for that time slot without all the hassle and headaches of this?
Not sure if you’ve had kids before–but as a mom of twins, I can tell you kids get noisy… In the evening they are tired around 5-7pm and generally lose it… This was called the “arsenic hour” by us parents… LOL. So I don’t know. I would tend to say no on this one… It’s not really the kind of rental you want to endure for this length of time. And as you say, heavy impact on your nice place.
Do share what you decide!
With one of our places we need to be there to explain things like solar electricity and if it is after dark it can be hard to find even though it is on a main road in the country. I ask for a text or call 30 mins prior and tell them the town they will be at then. For overseas guests who don’t understand how big Australia is I make sure I let them know how long it will take to get here.
The ones who turn up early are more of a problem but that has only really happened once and was through stayz. Airbnb guests seem more respectful.
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My star rating was dinged because even though I had posted arrivals up to 9 pm, I had some guests call to ask if 1 am would be ok. I had to tell them no as we have to be up at 4.30 am to get ready for work. We are in our mid seventies and need what little sleep we can get. They seemed to accept our answer and when the left told us everything was great and gave us a great text review but dinged us in the star ratings on arrival category.
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