Should I let my guest check-in early? Once upon a time, I hosted a guest that arrived 6 hours early and bumped into the guest that was checking-out. This caused an uncomfortable conversation with the arriving guest and anxiety for my cleaning team. This post will teach you how to avoid a similar situation happening at your Airbnb.
This Airbnb description mistake is the reason why your guests are ignoring your check-in times
First, you must effectively communicate the fee for arriving early. Similar to hotels, vacation rentals and short-term rentals should charge one half a night's rate for early check-in. What about the guest arriving an hour earlier? If its no big deal to you, to enhance the guest experience you should let them have an early check-in out of convenience. Mention, "I usually charge, but I want you to have an awesome experience so no worries, you can check-in early...have a blast!"
What if an early check-in is not possible?
If an early check-in is not possible because you have a same day arrival-departure clean, politely explain the situation to the guest. To illustrate,
"We have a guest checking out that morning, so the housekeeper has to prepare your home so you can have a great experience, I can let you know as soon as they are done if its before check-in time"
That way, they know you genuinely care about their stay and the need for them to check-in early, but it is not possible for you to accommodate their request.
Stop making this common communication mistake on Airbnb
Guests may think its ok to come a little earlier if you don't clearly communicate with them during the booking process. Through the Airbnb messaging system or by phone / email, explain clearly check-in time is strict because your team has to prepare the home for their arrival and an early check-in is not possible. Clearly let them know, "an early check-in is not possible at this time"
End of discussion, but do so politely (:
Greet Your Airbnb guests in person, if possible
If you have the time and are local, it may help to greet them in person at a time convenient for both you and your guest. If you are not local, consider hiring a local contact service who can meet and greet your guests for an affordable flat fee. Meeting the guest prevents a guest with your door code from checking in too early without paying extra.
Consider a smart door lock that limits access times
There are a few models of smart locks that allow the codes to only work at specified times. These locks are smart, so they allow you to change the code when the guest checks out as well. These save a ton of time and eliminate headaches. Comment for my recommendations.
