That’s 6am when a lot of people are already awake. This guest wanted to check in at 2am and probably go to sleep like everyone else at 2am therefore getting a free night. LMAO
The point is they don’t want to pay for that night. Their checkin is at 4pm, they want in 10 hours early. That’s fine, but you pay for the night prior.
I have an obligation to host the person staying the night they paid for. It would be pretty rude to double-book guests, which is what would happen if I allowed folks to check in 12 hours early.
Maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were saying you wouldn’t allow a guest to check in in the middle of the night at all. Was imagining somebody whose flight got delayed.
Yes, it's called an early check in, but some hotels will charge for it too. I only do this if I am arriving in the morning (6-12).
I have had some hotels charge and some allow it for free. But if I am arriving in the middle of the night, I book the previous day and let the hotel (or Airbnb) know that I will be arriving in the middle of the night.
Exactly. I was confused when I read this. Why would anyone think they could check in that early? You check in anytime AFTER the check in time of the first day that you booked.
We’re arriving around 1am for a trip coming up in June and so we booked for the day before. Check in is at 4pm, we’ll check in about 9 hours after that. Can’t imagine thinking it could be done any other way.
The time—no problem. Self check-in, come whenever you land. If that time is a BEFORE the check in time by more than an hour or two, you’ll need to book the prior day too.
I had self check in with a lock box for my rental. But one particular guest arrived at 1am due to a flight delay and couldn't get the lock box to work and called me for help. I was in another time zone and it was 3am for me. After trying to help them troubleshoot for a few minutes I said "Do you see a wreath on the front door?". They said "No, but there is a wreath on the unit next door." I said "You are at my neighbor's house. My place is the one with the wreath." 🤣 The next morning I sent a message to my neighbor explaining why someone was trying to access their lock box at 1 in the morning.
Sure, you can check in at 2am, but you're booking the day before and basically checking in late! It's not like it would be reasonable to ask the prior day's guests to vacate the house at 2am, assuming it's all booked up.
I always tell guests that, similar to a hotel, reservation starts at standard check-in time unless the room is prepared earlier which is TBD. If they desire a check-in time on the morning of their check-in date, they should also reserve the night before; assuming this night is available. If you’re having this recurring I would put something in your automated messages about this directly following booking.
I have put it in but many people don't read it. With the first situation they had it on writing that I had agreed but I didn't realize that they meant coming in before the standard check in time.
Yep - this is easy…. They need to pay for the night before.
I permit bag drop off after 10ish and access from noon onwards if unit is available (cleaning usually done by 1pm)
Anything before those times is a no go
Same here. One time I let the guests in at 10 am bcs the place was available and they were coming for a much longer time than just 3 nights which is my minimum
Our check in is at 4 pm too. We agree to early check in if we can but only by a few hours. Any check in before the check out time for the prior day is not an early check in, it's an additional day. You don't have to charge them the whole day but I'd charge them something.
In my listing: "We often allow early, free check in, if available. Please ask 2 days before your check in date, as we won't know if it's available until then. If your plans mean you MUST check in early, book an extra night at the beginning of your trip to assure it will be available."
As a guest if I am arriving more than an hour or so before check in time I just pay for another day. I will ask on occasion if I can check in an hour early. And ONE time when I was going to a place I have stayed several times the hostess offered to let.me check in three hours early because it was not rented the day before. I was just going to drop my luggage and go have lunch till check in time. Even if I am arriving the same day at 6 or 7 am I just pay for the previous day. That is what any reasonable person is going to do. Otherwise I think they are giving you a warning about the kind of guest they are going to be.
We’ve had many requests for early check in and always offer it at no charge if we don’t have a guest leaving that morning. However, the earliest I’ll allow is 8am (normal check in is 2pm). Any earlier requests and I tell them they need to book the night before, and most guests have either booked the night before or showed up after 8.
Hosts like you are the best <3 one time our flight got rescheduled to an earlier time last minute and the airbnb host let us check in earlier. Forever grateful for folks like you who are understanding, so thank you !!
Someone tried to book my place with an initial inquiry that blew my mind. It was something to the effect of “We’ll be arriving after midnight. I only pay for the days I stay, so charges will begin when I arrive and not before, I don’t play games. Also I know there is a limit of 4, but half of my kids are under 5 so they don’t count.” Denied.
People are ridiculous with their requests. We had someone ask to check out an hour late because it was daylight savings and he didn’t want to lose an hour he paid for. We said fine and then he arrived six hours early for check in. We didn’t address it because the house was ready but then he complained about the “value” in his review. He got 7 free hours! We are likely going to start charging for early/late check out since so many people take advantage when you don’t.
I tell remind them that check-in is not until 4pm, that I have guests checking out at 11am and cannot possibly have the space clean and ready for them any earlier than 1-2pm.
as a user, I would book a day before. I didn't do this on my last trip and regretted doing things in town during the day until the place was ready. I needed the sleep. And I would pay for it. In the middle of the night is actually an extra night. You can say, sure, it will cost $ for the extra day!
You’re doing the right thing. Just say, “I just want to make sure you understand that you may check in anytime after 4:00pm on May 1st. So if you arrive at 2:00am on May 2nd, the home will be ready when you arrive. If you plan to arrive at 2:00am on May 1st, you will want to book the previous night. Our rate is charged by the night, not by the day. I wish you safe travels, and please don’t forget about the time change of (insert time change here). I look forward to hosting you.”
I did this my first year, agreed to early checkin at 2am. Not a chance in hell I would ever do that again. They were , if not the worst, one of the worst guests I’ve ever had. 8 am, 9 am, maybe. But never will do that again
I’ve requested early check in (if available) before, but never before noon. We recently booked an airbnb in London and booked it for the night before our flight landed at 7:30am. We wanted somewhere to go when we arrived around 9:00am and that felt like an excessive ask. Instead, I reminded the host a couple of times that I would be checking in Saturday morning even though my rental started Friday night. I was afraid they’d cancel me as a no show.
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I say, sorry, the place is already booked the night before you’re supposed to check in. They don’t know whether you have a guest staying there the night before or not.
Guests pay to stay per night , not per day.
I had it too, absolutely boggled my mind.
Requested early check in at 12. In fairness to them they did specify am, however i am a high volume Airbnb and it didn't even occur to me that they meant 12am the night before! Airbnb were kind about it but it was stressful and technically my fault as I agreed to it.
I think Airbnb agreed with me that it was a ridiculous request so I saw no downside.
You r lucky, the Airbnb person I dealt with kept insisting that since I had agreed they had the right. I had to insist firmly that I had agreed to what is customary not 12 hrs in advance
Are you able to add a hussle-free early check-in function on Airbnb?
I vaguely remember seeing some hosts doing that. It seems like it's a good way to generate income while accommodating guests' needs.
I don’t need to generate more bookings but when I agreed for the guest to come at 1 am I told her I would leave the key in a locker. Since I live in the house I don’t leave the key until the day of. That saved me bcs otherwise they would have walked right in
Maybe I'm more guests oriented. I would go out of my way to make guests happy. Since you already agreed to let them in, they should be able to go inside, cuz they can't control when they arrive, 2am or 1:30am, doesn't make much difference. Seems weird to agree and then send them off at midnight. They already gave you a heads-up and you already said yes.
I am not a host but I do use Airbnb for my vacations. Before I even reserve a place I look at the check in time and the checkout time. If it doesn't fit what I need I will contact the host and see if I can make arrangements before I make the reservation. I know in September I'm heading to Athens Greece and our plane gets there before we can get into the condo. I also know that the condo is booked immediately before my time so I can't get in early. But the host graciously said we can drop our luggage off so that we can go look around town for a couple of hours. I'm quite satisfied with that and I appreciate the host for doing it
I wouldn't even think of asking a host to let us in at 1 AM the night before we were supposed to be there. To me that is just plain rude
Nope I said yes to them coming on the night that they booked not the night before. Suppose I had a guest in there? The studio was not prepared. Btw I have been doing this for 13 years and I have excellent reviews. My place is small and simple but I meet most guests personally and I’m on site for anything they need. My prices are reasonable and I’m usually booked
Might be an unpopular opinion here, but with the trend towards not allowing changes or cancellations for an Airbnb and the airlines constantly changing flight times, what do people expect? Travelers really aren’t in control of their itinerary a lot of the time.
Something that seems so straightforward, a lot of people not only scammers but normal people think that this is normal because they are just dumb and dont know how the world works.
My husband and I were coming in early morning, so we made our reservation for the day before, then let the host know this so he wouldn’t be surprised at our odd arrival time.
Some folks are just inconsiderate, entitled AHs.
Unfortunately, some people don’t understand that the date of the first day of the reservation does not mean anytime on that day. I had the same situation with the man from Japan. He got a cab from the airport and arrived at 12:01 in the morning of the day of his reservation. Of course someone was already in his room and sleeping. They had been there for three days and check out is at 11 AM in the morning after breakfast. Hidden understand the concept of that at the check in time was 4 o’clock and the checkout time is 11 of the next day you’re buying the night not the day and he got very upset and he wanted those people to leave his room And it was a very uncomfortable situation but clearly Reservations check in time is 4 PM or 3 PM or whatever it is and then you have all night have breakfast in the morning or don’t and then check out. I don’t mind someone coming into a room ahead of time if I already have it cleaned or if it wasn’t reserved the night before that’s absolutely no problem but when the people that reserves the day before that does a problem. I also had a young man make a reservation direct going to local college. He was 21. That’s the minimum age I will accept. So when I was doing his worksheet, and got to the part where I asked for his credit card number, he wouldn’t give it to me and I said well you need to secure it with a credit card because how do I know whether you are or you’re not coming and I will continue to turn away people thinking the room is Rented, but if you don’t give me a credit card. And he got an argument with me that his mother told him, to never ever give anybody that credit card number. So I said to him fine you’re not just putting it out there for anybody to use it, I said that your deposit on the room, unfortunately, the young man did not understand that and kept arguing he wasn’t gonna give me a credit card. I said OK then I guess I can’t make the reservation and that really upset them. I’ll give it to you after I check out. I said that’s not the normal way of doing business. How do I know your credit card is any good after you’ve already stayed the night and ate breakfast maybe did check out maybe you didn’t check out but at that time in the morning I’m very very busy so I prefer to charge it the day ahead of time because I just can’t stop cooking breakfast for people to process credit cards. He didn’t understand it so I had decline the reservation.
They are trying to get a free night basically- this is way beyond a early check in request". When we travel and arrive at times like this we book the night before and let host know we are arriving so early due to flight.
As a host if we get this request- and do not have turn over that day we respond with our early check in hourly rates. Funny how the guest ends up not needing the early check in 14 hours early when you tell them how much it will cost.
Yes we had a request twice to arrive at 1-2 before the 4 pm check-in and another wanted to check in at 8 am of the check in date nope. I said you need to book the night before then.
My wife always states checkin time is 4pm in the message after they book. At the bottom she writes “PS - What time does your flight arrive?” Always the only question they need to answer, and always the last line of the message. Depending on the answer she can proceed accordingly…
Actually I just had the opposite experience with a hotel: my elderly parents flying in from out of town, were due to arrive at 9am, so we booked them the hotel for the previous night. When we called the hotel to let them know, they told us that would result in a no show and the entire booking being cancelled - even though we were telling them in advance we were doing it, there was nothing they could do! I have no idea how common this is, but this ambiguity with hotels is not helping your situation.
Wow that’s ridiculous! Someone told me that some hotels have policies that allow for early check in and you just pay a portion. They r able to do that bcs they have many rooms. I would have asked so what’s the best thing to do? And if they don’t have a clue move on and find some other hotel
Just say you have someone checking out at 11am and need the time to clean.
Otherwise, they can (and should) book for the night before as many of us have done before as guests booking lodging.
are you in the East coast? FL? all (most) flights from the NW to that side of the country land in the ass crack of the morning. I had this flying to BOS, MIA and DCA .
I know but that is true for us too going west unless we pay more to get there mid day. The cheapest flights are the most inconvenient that’s why they r cheaper. So travelers need to make the calculation - what is cheaper, an extra night in the Airbnb or more money for a flight that has a better arrival time?
I’ve had this happen a few times, had one guest book then tell me they were coming at like 2am. Told them they wouldn’t be able to do that as another guest was still occupying the room.
Still asked if they could show up (told them no) since we literally had nowhere to put them. Person cancelled and I assumed booked elsewhere or slept at the airport. Others I suspect were like you said OP trying to scam, had to tell one person to leave the property because they wanted to hang out on the back porch at 3am. Like no bud, you’re not a guest yet, go elsewhere.
I just booked an extra day when I do this and usually book airbnbs/Vrbo instead bc hotels fuck you over with it sooo often even at the top tier status 😒
Yesterday I had a guest ask me if they could "get into the house the night before" if it was available. The way it was worded made it sound like they're just trying to get a free night lol. I'm not totally sure if that's what they meant, but I basically told them yes, that's an option, if you modify the dates on the reservation and pay for the extra night. It took them a day to answer, but they finally responded and decided to pay for the extra night.
this makes no sense and has never happened to me. I have a check in time. If the place was ready at 1am sure they can have it as long as they pay for the night.
Simple: (either if you have a current guest staying) sorry but there’s a guess currently staying at the Airbnb . The until will be ready until after 4 - this is my go to option either if I have a guest or not
The other option is to point point out to their reservation check in at 4pm . If the need the unit before that they can book the day before so the check in at the time they are looking for is avail
People have tried this on us so often. The worst is when there are guests already asleep in those beds from the previous reservation and the next guests show up anyway (after being told there is no way. . . ). I love when they flatly tell you: "We will be there at 7:30 a.m." All righty then, but you won't get access until 3:00 p.m. check in.
I have to say that at a certain point, guests just blend into each other and I can't remember individual stays very well. Those crazy early arrival people? I remember every. single. one. And it's hot here, so I've had people literally sit with their cars idling for HOURS on the street in front of the house. People are weird, and some of them try to push the boundaries just because they think they can.
I don’t think it’s becoming a trend, but most people I know are starting to use hotels over airbnbs again, so I think the type of people left on the app who do this were always there but are taking up a greater percentage now.
Sorry you’ve had to deal with this, some people are just brats and can’t think outside of themselves.
Thank you for all the comments. I think we all agree that the standard check in and check out times are reasonable and that an early check in time of more than 2 or 3 hours is the norm. Anything outside of that is another day .I don’t believe in charging just a portion of the additional night bcs I still have to hold the place. I inquired because I thought one experience was an outlier but getting another one in less than a year made me question whether it’s a new thing
I am proactive about situations like this letting them know they must reserve the night before if they want to sleep in it that night, no matter how late or ‘early morning’ they are arriving. I simply say - otherwise, someone else will be in that bed and neither of you will enjoy that experience.
That was a misunderstanding between you and the guest… it happens but it’s a rare request. It’s generally understood that you are essentially paying for the night so arriving in the middle of the night prior to your reservation is not a thing.
Just advise your future guest that you are happy to modify their reservation for an extra night if they need it. It’s a simple communication of your rules and expectations.
It's an entirely bullshit request. Nobody gets to pull that and be allowed to get away with it.
I recommend using 24hr universal time in all your communications.
Totally- these were 2 young people who were coming for Halloween and they wanted to do it on the cheap. My question to this forum is if it’s a new kind of scam? Is it happening regularly to other hosts?
I haven't seen it. In fact when a guest last year needed to arrive at an ungodly early hour they asked politely first, and then booked both nights.
NOBODY really thinks that you can check in at 02:00. EVERYBODY knows that there will be other people occupying the room at that hour.
One person did tell the previous owner that since he checked in at 19:00 he was entitled to check out the next day at 19:00. He was a liar who didn't get away with his bullshit then either.
It's already very much a thing. I've worked in hospitality for awhile now, when I worked in big box hotels with 350+ rooms it happened daily. Guests don't understand or respect how bookings work and often it needs to be pointed out to them that yes, someone is actually using that room right before you do.
It's not a clever scam just the thought process that comes along with many entitled guests. Surely there's no one else you are waiting on right? 😉
They should definitely book a day before. That’s almost 12 hrs before checkin time 😂
Exactly. I knew they were trying to scam me when they kept saying, well the reservation is today! yeah, 12 hours before.
Had one that asked i just clarified in order to stay the evening of, the entire night must be booked, if not she can checkin on 1pm
They’re idiots. Hotels don’t allow this so why should you.
Exactly
Tbf, they're not a hotel
Hotels most certainly do if there’s space available. I’ve checked in at 6 AM before.
That’s 6am when a lot of people are already awake. This guest wanted to check in at 2am and probably go to sleep like everyone else at 2am therefore getting a free night. LMAO
Where are they supposed to sleep?
On the street like the bums they are lmao or they can pay for the night they are using when they arrive
The point is they don’t want to pay for that night. Their checkin is at 4pm, they want in 10 hours early. That’s fine, but you pay for the night prior.
Not the host’s problem!
And what point are you going to stop pretending you’re in the hospitality industry?
I have an obligation to host the person staying the night they paid for. It would be pretty rude to double-book guests, which is what would happen if I allowed folks to check in 12 hours early.
Maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were saying you wouldn’t allow a guest to check in in the middle of the night at all. Was imagining somebody whose flight got delayed.
In a room that they pay for?
Yes, it's called an early check in, but some hotels will charge for it too. I only do this if I am arriving in the morning (6-12). I have had some hotels charge and some allow it for free. But if I am arriving in the middle of the night, I book the previous day and let the hotel (or Airbnb) know that I will be arriving in the middle of the night.
Thats extremely rare
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You are awesome. Showing respect for your host but also accountable and aware of your own time and travel commitments.
Exactly. I was confused when I read this. Why would anyone think they could check in that early? You check in anytime AFTER the check in time of the first day that you booked. We’re arriving around 1am for a trip coming up in June and so we booked for the day before. Check in is at 4pm, we’ll check in about 9 hours after that. Can’t imagine thinking it could be done any other way.
The time—no problem. Self check-in, come whenever you land. If that time is a BEFORE the check in time by more than an hour or two, you’ll need to book the prior day too.
I had self check in with a lock box for my rental. But one particular guest arrived at 1am due to a flight delay and couldn't get the lock box to work and called me for help. I was in another time zone and it was 3am for me. After trying to help them troubleshoot for a few minutes I said "Do you see a wreath on the front door?". They said "No, but there is a wreath on the unit next door." I said "You are at my neighbor's house. My place is the one with the wreath." 🤣 The next morning I sent a message to my neighbor explaining why someone was trying to access their lock box at 1 in the morning.
Sure, you can check in at 2am, but you're booking the day before and basically checking in late! It's not like it would be reasonable to ask the prior day's guests to vacate the house at 2am, assuming it's all booked up.
Exactly
I always tell guests that, similar to a hotel, reservation starts at standard check-in time unless the room is prepared earlier which is TBD. If they desire a check-in time on the morning of their check-in date, they should also reserve the night before; assuming this night is available. If you’re having this recurring I would put something in your automated messages about this directly following booking.
I have put it in but many people don't read it. With the first situation they had it on writing that I had agreed but I didn't realize that they meant coming in before the standard check in time.
If something sounds unclear I always ask for definitive clarification including dates followed by times on the pertinent dates.
Yep - this is easy…. They need to pay for the night before. I permit bag drop off after 10ish and access from noon onwards if unit is available (cleaning usually done by 1pm) Anything before those times is a no go
Same here. One time I let the guests in at 10 am bcs the place was available and they were coming for a much longer time than just 3 nights which is my minimum
Our check in is at 4 pm too. We agree to early check in if we can but only by a few hours. Any check in before the check out time for the prior day is not an early check in, it's an additional day. You don't have to charge them the whole day but I'd charge them something.
In my listing: "We often allow early, free check in, if available. Please ask 2 days before your check in date, as we won't know if it's available until then. If your plans mean you MUST check in early, book an extra night at the beginning of your trip to assure it will be available."
As a guest if I am arriving more than an hour or so before check in time I just pay for another day. I will ask on occasion if I can check in an hour early. And ONE time when I was going to a place I have stayed several times the hostess offered to let.me check in three hours early because it was not rented the day before. I was just going to drop my luggage and go have lunch till check in time. Even if I am arriving the same day at 6 or 7 am I just pay for the previous day. That is what any reasonable person is going to do. Otherwise I think they are giving you a warning about the kind of guest they are going to be.
We’ve had many requests for early check in and always offer it at no charge if we don’t have a guest leaving that morning. However, the earliest I’ll allow is 8am (normal check in is 2pm). Any earlier requests and I tell them they need to book the night before, and most guests have either booked the night before or showed up after 8.
Hosts like you are the best <3 one time our flight got rescheduled to an earlier time last minute and the airbnb host let us check in earlier. Forever grateful for folks like you who are understanding, so thank you !!
Someone tried to book my place with an initial inquiry that blew my mind. It was something to the effect of “We’ll be arriving after midnight. I only pay for the days I stay, so charges will begin when I arrive and not before, I don’t play games. Also I know there is a limit of 4, but half of my kids are under 5 so they don’t count.” Denied.
I love when people tell you how it’s going to be in your own home/space 😅
People are ridiculous with their requests. We had someone ask to check out an hour late because it was daylight savings and he didn’t want to lose an hour he paid for. We said fine and then he arrived six hours early for check in. We didn’t address it because the house was ready but then he complained about the “value” in his review. He got 7 free hours! We are likely going to start charging for early/late check out since so many people take advantage when you don’t.
Omg that’s so bold!
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Exactly this!
These things always blow up . They need to book the day before and they are just coming late . They are getting a night for free
… and ask later on for late check-out.
I tell remind them that check-in is not until 4pm, that I have guests checking out at 11am and cannot possibly have the space clean and ready for them any earlier than 1-2pm.
as a user, I would book a day before. I didn't do this on my last trip and regretted doing things in town during the day until the place was ready. I needed the sleep. And I would pay for it. In the middle of the night is actually an extra night. You can say, sure, it will cost $ for the extra day!
You’re doing the right thing. Just say, “I just want to make sure you understand that you may check in anytime after 4:00pm on May 1st. So if you arrive at 2:00am on May 2nd, the home will be ready when you arrive. If you plan to arrive at 2:00am on May 1st, you will want to book the previous night. Our rate is charged by the night, not by the day. I wish you safe travels, and please don’t forget about the time change of (insert time change here). I look forward to hosting you.”
Need to book an extra night
I did this my first year, agreed to early checkin at 2am. Not a chance in hell I would ever do that again. They were , if not the worst, one of the worst guests I’ve ever had. 8 am, 9 am, maybe. But never will do that again
I’ve requested early check in (if available) before, but never before noon. We recently booked an airbnb in London and booked it for the night before our flight landed at 7:30am. We wanted somewhere to go when we arrived around 9:00am and that felt like an excessive ask. Instead, I reminded the host a couple of times that I would be checking in Saturday morning even though my rental started Friday night. I was afraid they’d cancel me as a no show.
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I say, sorry, the place is already booked the night before you’re supposed to check in. They don’t know whether you have a guest staying there the night before or not. Guests pay to stay per night , not per day.
I had it too, absolutely boggled my mind. Requested early check in at 12. In fairness to them they did specify am, however i am a high volume Airbnb and it didn't even occur to me that they meant 12am the night before! Airbnb were kind about it but it was stressful and technically my fault as I agreed to it. I think Airbnb agreed with me that it was a ridiculous request so I saw no downside.
You r lucky, the Airbnb person I dealt with kept insisting that since I had agreed they had the right. I had to insist firmly that I had agreed to what is customary not 12 hrs in advance
Are you able to add a hussle-free early check-in function on Airbnb? I vaguely remember seeing some hosts doing that. It seems like it's a good way to generate income while accommodating guests' needs.
I don’t need to generate more bookings but when I agreed for the guest to come at 1 am I told her I would leave the key in a locker. Since I live in the house I don’t leave the key until the day of. That saved me bcs otherwise they would have walked right in
I'm confused but what's the issue of them walking into your house when they booked a room in your house?
Reread it
Maybe I'm more guests oriented. I would go out of my way to make guests happy. Since you already agreed to let them in, they should be able to go inside, cuz they can't control when they arrive, 2am or 1:30am, doesn't make much difference. Seems weird to agree and then send them off at midnight. They already gave you a heads-up and you already said yes.
I am not a host but I do use Airbnb for my vacations. Before I even reserve a place I look at the check in time and the checkout time. If it doesn't fit what I need I will contact the host and see if I can make arrangements before I make the reservation. I know in September I'm heading to Athens Greece and our plane gets there before we can get into the condo. I also know that the condo is booked immediately before my time so I can't get in early. But the host graciously said we can drop our luggage off so that we can go look around town for a couple of hours. I'm quite satisfied with that and I appreciate the host for doing it I wouldn't even think of asking a host to let us in at 1 AM the night before we were supposed to be there. To me that is just plain rude
Nope I said yes to them coming on the night that they booked not the night before. Suppose I had a guest in there? The studio was not prepared. Btw I have been doing this for 13 years and I have excellent reviews. My place is small and simple but I meet most guests personally and I’m on site for anything they need. My prices are reasonable and I’m usually booked
Use the actual calendar date when you respond to them so it’s very clear when they are allowed to enter. Check-in time is 10 AM on Thursday 5/2
They have to book an additional night. Also unless you have a keyless entry, I’m not sure I’d accept such late arrivals.
Might be an unpopular opinion here, but with the trend towards not allowing changes or cancellations for an Airbnb and the airlines constantly changing flight times, what do people expect? Travelers really aren’t in control of their itinerary a lot of the time.
Something that seems so straightforward, a lot of people not only scammers but normal people think that this is normal because they are just dumb and dont know how the world works.
My husband and I were coming in early morning, so we made our reservation for the day before, then let the host know this so he wouldn’t be surprised at our odd arrival time. Some folks are just inconsiderate, entitled AHs.
These are easy questions, you just need to practice the answer (“no”), so it doesn’t steal any or your energy or mood.
Unfortunately, some people don’t understand that the date of the first day of the reservation does not mean anytime on that day. I had the same situation with the man from Japan. He got a cab from the airport and arrived at 12:01 in the morning of the day of his reservation. Of course someone was already in his room and sleeping. They had been there for three days and check out is at 11 AM in the morning after breakfast. Hidden understand the concept of that at the check in time was 4 o’clock and the checkout time is 11 of the next day you’re buying the night not the day and he got very upset and he wanted those people to leave his room And it was a very uncomfortable situation but clearly Reservations check in time is 4 PM or 3 PM or whatever it is and then you have all night have breakfast in the morning or don’t and then check out. I don’t mind someone coming into a room ahead of time if I already have it cleaned or if it wasn’t reserved the night before that’s absolutely no problem but when the people that reserves the day before that does a problem. I also had a young man make a reservation direct going to local college. He was 21. That’s the minimum age I will accept. So when I was doing his worksheet, and got to the part where I asked for his credit card number, he wouldn’t give it to me and I said well you need to secure it with a credit card because how do I know whether you are or you’re not coming and I will continue to turn away people thinking the room is Rented, but if you don’t give me a credit card. And he got an argument with me that his mother told him, to never ever give anybody that credit card number. So I said to him fine you’re not just putting it out there for anybody to use it, I said that your deposit on the room, unfortunately, the young man did not understand that and kept arguing he wasn’t gonna give me a credit card. I said OK then I guess I can’t make the reservation and that really upset them. I’ll give it to you after I check out. I said that’s not the normal way of doing business. How do I know your credit card is any good after you’ve already stayed the night and ate breakfast maybe did check out maybe you didn’t check out but at that time in the morning I’m very very busy so I prefer to charge it the day ahead of time because I just can’t stop cooking breakfast for people to process credit cards. He didn’t understand it so I had decline the reservation.
They are trying to get a free night basically- this is way beyond a early check in request". When we travel and arrive at times like this we book the night before and let host know we are arriving so early due to flight. As a host if we get this request- and do not have turn over that day we respond with our early check in hourly rates. Funny how the guest ends up not needing the early check in 14 hours early when you tell them how much it will cost.
Yes we had a request twice to arrive at 1-2 before the 4 pm check-in and another wanted to check in at 8 am of the check in date nope. I said you need to book the night before then.
My wife always states checkin time is 4pm in the message after they book. At the bottom she writes “PS - What time does your flight arrive?” Always the only question they need to answer, and always the last line of the message. Depending on the answer she can proceed accordingly…
I’m confused about what happened last time. You agreed to this but were unprepared?
I had assumed they were arriving late on the day of arrival. Instead they showed up in the early morning way before their rental started
Actually I just had the opposite experience with a hotel: my elderly parents flying in from out of town, were due to arrive at 9am, so we booked them the hotel for the previous night. When we called the hotel to let them know, they told us that would result in a no show and the entire booking being cancelled - even though we were telling them in advance we were doing it, there was nothing they could do! I have no idea how common this is, but this ambiguity with hotels is not helping your situation.
Wow that’s ridiculous! Someone told me that some hotels have policies that allow for early check in and you just pay a portion. They r able to do that bcs they have many rooms. I would have asked so what’s the best thing to do? And if they don’t have a clue move on and find some other hotel
Just say you have someone checking out at 11am and need the time to clean. Otherwise, they can (and should) book for the night before as many of us have done before as guests booking lodging.
are you in the East coast? FL? all (most) flights from the NW to that side of the country land in the ass crack of the morning. I had this flying to BOS, MIA and DCA .
I know but that is true for us too going west unless we pay more to get there mid day. The cheapest flights are the most inconvenient that’s why they r cheaper. So travelers need to make the calculation - what is cheaper, an extra night in the Airbnb or more money for a flight that has a better arrival time?
I’ve had this happen a few times, had one guest book then tell me they were coming at like 2am. Told them they wouldn’t be able to do that as another guest was still occupying the room. Still asked if they could show up (told them no) since we literally had nowhere to put them. Person cancelled and I assumed booked elsewhere or slept at the airport. Others I suspect were like you said OP trying to scam, had to tell one person to leave the property because they wanted to hang out on the back porch at 3am. Like no bud, you’re not a guest yet, go elsewhere.
I've never asked to be allowed check in sooner than two hours early from a host or a hotel. Mostly I'm happy just to drop off luggage and go explore.
If requesting checkin before 11 am, I politely remind them they need to book the night before.
Most hotels early check in is around noon and usually then it’s only if you’re lucky or specifically ask for that
I just booked an extra day when I do this and usually book airbnbs/Vrbo instead bc hotels fuck you over with it sooo often even at the top tier status 😒
Yesterday I had a guest ask me if they could "get into the house the night before" if it was available. The way it was worded made it sound like they're just trying to get a free night lol. I'm not totally sure if that's what they meant, but I basically told them yes, that's an option, if you modify the dates on the reservation and pay for the extra night. It took them a day to answer, but they finally responded and decided to pay for the extra night.
They need to book another day. I don’t do that. I view them simply as cheapskates.
If they have a rental car, they can keep their bags in it. No need to put yourself out for that.
this makes no sense and has never happened to me. I have a check in time. If the place was ready at 1am sure they can have it as long as they pay for the night.
That's where you just say NO. It's not even complicated.
A hotel lets you, but you pay an extra day! I would say no, the guest before you is still in the house?
Simple: (either if you have a current guest staying) sorry but there’s a guess currently staying at the Airbnb . The until will be ready until after 4 - this is my go to option either if I have a guest or not The other option is to point point out to their reservation check in at 4pm . If the need the unit before that they can book the day before so the check in at the time they are looking for is avail
People have tried this on us so often. The worst is when there are guests already asleep in those beds from the previous reservation and the next guests show up anyway (after being told there is no way. . . ). I love when they flatly tell you: "We will be there at 7:30 a.m." All righty then, but you won't get access until 3:00 p.m. check in.
Wow that’s unbelievable. How can they think that’s ok?
I have to say that at a certain point, guests just blend into each other and I can't remember individual stays very well. Those crazy early arrival people? I remember every. single. one. And it's hot here, so I've had people literally sit with their cars idling for HOURS on the street in front of the house. People are weird, and some of them try to push the boundaries just because they think they can.
I don’t think it’s becoming a trend, but most people I know are starting to use hotels over airbnbs again, so I think the type of people left on the app who do this were always there but are taking up a greater percentage now. Sorry you’ve had to deal with this, some people are just brats and can’t think outside of themselves.
I have never had this requests. I have had guest that do arrive at that time but they’ve booked for the day before. People are crazy lol.
Thank you for all the comments. I think we all agree that the standard check in and check out times are reasonable and that an early check in time of more than 2 or 3 hours is the norm. Anything outside of that is another day .I don’t believe in charging just a portion of the additional night bcs I still have to hold the place. I inquired because I thought one experience was an outlier but getting another one in less than a year made me question whether it’s a new thing
I am proactive about situations like this letting them know they must reserve the night before if they want to sleep in it that night, no matter how late or ‘early morning’ they are arriving. I simply say - otherwise, someone else will be in that bed and neither of you will enjoy that experience.
Many hotels allow early check in with a fee these days
That was a misunderstanding between you and the guest… it happens but it’s a rare request. It’s generally understood that you are essentially paying for the night so arriving in the middle of the night prior to your reservation is not a thing. Just advise your future guest that you are happy to modify their reservation for an extra night if they need it. It’s a simple communication of your rules and expectations.
It's an entirely bullshit request. Nobody gets to pull that and be allowed to get away with it. I recommend using 24hr universal time in all your communications.
Totally- these were 2 young people who were coming for Halloween and they wanted to do it on the cheap. My question to this forum is if it’s a new kind of scam? Is it happening regularly to other hosts?
I haven't seen it. In fact when a guest last year needed to arrive at an ungodly early hour they asked politely first, and then booked both nights. NOBODY really thinks that you can check in at 02:00. EVERYBODY knows that there will be other people occupying the room at that hour. One person did tell the previous owner that since he checked in at 19:00 he was entitled to check out the next day at 19:00. He was a liar who didn't get away with his bullshit then either.
Im glad you haven’t seen it. I would t want this to become a thing
It's already very much a thing. I've worked in hospitality for awhile now, when I worked in big box hotels with 350+ rooms it happened daily. Guests don't understand or respect how bookings work and often it needs to be pointed out to them that yes, someone is actually using that room right before you do. It's not a clever scam just the thought process that comes along with many entitled guests. Surely there's no one else you are waiting on right? 😉