I find that almost every other booking that I host ends up with the guest messaging to ask for an early check in or a late check out time outside of my specified booking times. Most ask for an hour leeway to some degree and some have even asked to arrive a few hours early or leave hours past the checkout window. So what is the best answer: should I allow early check in or late check out?
With the rise of budget travelling deals and fierce travel competition, Airlines often offer cheaper fares for more inconvenient travelling hours such as early morning or late evening. This means guest’s arrivals and departures can leave them hanging around with luggage with little else to do while they wait.
When a guest requests adjustments.
No this isn’t a hosts problem, but guests asking hosts for an early check in or later checkout doesn’t harm. Plus you as a host can actually win over guests by accommodating these sorts of requests where possible.
I do honestly wonder where guests think small time hosts get the time to clean and turn over a property for them before they arrive when they wish to check in early.
I don’t doubt that these same guests wouldn’t be happy either to turn up and find that less attention was given to the property for their booking due to a rushed clean to accommodate their early arrival.
A lot of the time I get the impression that it’s just harmless ignorance on the guests part who haven’t thought about the wider implications of their requests beyond their own needs. But hey, that’s people in general I suppose!
My Airbnb
My Airbnb booking schedule is usually set up to allow a check in of anytime after 3pm and a checkout of before 12 o’clock midday. This is actually later than the usual offering that hotels and other local Airbnb’s provide.
My competition seems to offer usually 3 or 4pm check in and 10/11am check out so my guests are already getting a more casual and calmer window to vacate the premises at their leisure with me.
I no longer accept back to back bookings, but if I did this would give me a cleaning and turnover window of just 3 hours. Given my work situation this sadly wasn’t always practical so I have a day blocked in between bookings to prepare the property, but I’ll touch more on this later.
If you book a stay at a hotel and ask for early or late check in, they can’t always accommodate it and if they do, you’d often be expected to pay for another full nights stay and this is perfectly accepted.
The only bonus to hotels is that they frequently will store luggage for arriving or departing guests which is something that isn’t always an option for us Airbnb hosts.
Another thing is guests killing time before check in or before leaving for a flight. Hotels will be more like to have seating or recreation area such as a pool or restaurant for guests to wait in, something that short term hosts can’t compete with.
This is why, if generating max revenue from renting is your main goal, it’s really important to be as accommodating as you can to ensure you get bookings.
It’s okay to say ‘No’.
There’s nothing wrong with politely and regretfully saying ‘No’. Sometimes you just can meet a guests needs. Our listings provide details of the contract of what we can offer for a pre-determined price up front for a potential guest to see. Because of this, any deviations to our offerings aren’t always possible and most guests are understanding of this.
Hopefully the guest will have contacted you to ask before making the booking (although guests have often contacted me right after booking to make these requests without checking with me beforehand). I would much rather be honest with a guest up front to set their expectations rather than let them down later on.
Whilst a guest may be disappointed that I’ve had to politely refuse an early check in or late checkout, I’m sure they’d ultimately be grateful rather than get a property that hasn’t been cleaned or prepared properly.
My nightly rate is such that it ensures this is done to an appropriate standard so I wouldn’t want them to feel ripped off or to complain if anything was missed or rushed.
Here’s a tip!
Being flexible as a host is a sure-fire way to get in a guests good books. As I’m a casual host and not renting full time, I’m more selective with my bookings. Because of this as explained earlier, I have my booking settings to block the day before after a booking so I can prepare beforehand and clean afterwards and this fits around my job.
I know that when a guest asks for an early check in or late checkout it won’t affect my schedule as the property is ready for the guest the night before they arrive and I am the one cleaning.
Despite this, I’ll go back to them and let them know that I’ve contacted the cleaner and made alternative arrangements for them so they can have the check in/out time that they need.
Have I made any changes? No! But it’s a cheeky way to look like I’ve gone above and beyond and I always get a glowing response back from them! The responses from guests are always appreciative and glowing.
Be aware if you have a booking leaving before your next guest arrives the same day, you’ll have to count on that guest leaving on time. You also have to hope that that guest hasn’t left any significant mess or disarray for you to clean up which will add to your stress levels knowing you’ve got an earlier arrival not long after.
Offering Self Check In
If your check in requires you to meet the guest, this can also add little flexibility, particularly if you have other commitments. Offering self check in can allow guests to arrive at their leisure.
Summary
If a guest is in a bind or trying to put plans together, being as hospitable as you can will earn you extra brownie points. Letting them check in a bit earlier can really please your visitor and contribute to that all important good review. One way to do this is to speed up your turnover time.
The above points can help you be more flexible to guest arrival/departure requests. Believe me when I say, you’ll frequently find guests will often ask for an early check in or late check out and then not even use the extra time you’ve allotted them despite us often going above and beyond to make the arrangements for them in the first place.
Guests…you’ve got to love them!