Help! All My Airbnb Guests Want Early Check-In and Late Check-out!
BY MIKEL HUBBARD
FORMER HGTV PRODUCER | CO-FOUNDER, THE HOST CO |
OWNER, TIMES EIGHT PROPERTY & DESIGN
Early check-in and late check-out has become the bane of being an Airbnb host. I used to be all, “Sure! As long as no one stays the night before you can check in early.” or “As soon as the cleaner is done, I’ll text you.” But that’s when Airbnb didn’t have scheduled messaging and I spent Sunday night sending out all the check-in and check-out info on my phone. I felt like I was tied to my phone in those days answering guest questions.
Then came auto-messaging and I didn’t need to be writing and sending out messages all the time. I got my Sunday nights back! Now, the only interactions I have with guests is early check-in and late check-out. It’s nonstop. It’s annoying. And quite frankly, none of y’all paid to leave at 1pm or arrive at noon. You all saw the check-in and check-out time when you booked, but so many of us hosts tried to be nice and the guests got used to it.
The Host Co invented the ultimate solution: ask them to pay for it. I know, I know. It feels un-host-like. Until you do it. And then people stop asking. It’s glorious.
How many times have you accommodated an early check-in, where the cleaner rearranged their schedule to get there as soon as the last guest checked out only for the guest to arrive 6 hours later? How many late check-outs were you nice enough to give an extra hour or two only for them to still be there or have left the house a disaster? A lot of hotels now charge for early check-in and late check-out and let’s face it, your rental isn’t a charity. It’s a business. You are free to do the same. It will change your life! Not seriously, but seriously.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
In your auto-messaging, you include a link to your Host Co store with the message after they book, “Thanks for booking! We’ll be in touch with the door code a few days before your stay, but if you’d like late check-out, early check-in or a massage (we supply local vendor in most major markets) during your stay, we sell them below in our Host Co Store!” And then include the link. (Airbnb does not block these links, btw, as they go out AFTER the host has booked.)
Then, you send a reminder with their check-in instructions, “And if you want late check-out or early check-in, we sell them in our store below!” (and include the link to your Host Co store).
I would say this technique cuts down on requests by 90%. Do you sell them? Yes. A handful of guests per month are willing to pay and that’s not so bad to accommodate the people who need it badly enough they’re willing to pay for it.
READ MORE: HOW TO SELL SERVICES IN YOUR AIRBNB
BUT WHAT IF I CAN’T ALWAYS DO EARLY CHECK-IN AND LATE CHECK-OUT IN ADVANCE?
We got you! Our late check-out and early check-ins now come with the ability to request and approve. That means you can accept the purchase or deny it. If you accept it, we charge the guest. If you deny, we tell the guest it isn’t possible. And the request does not expire until 7 days they make the request. So you can even let them know when they purchase it, “If it’s possible to check-in early, I can let you know the day before so only make this request the week of your check-in date” and then accept the payment at that time. Can’t do it? You just deny the request. Genius, right?
So what do you have to lose? Give it a try! See if it works for you. Schedule a demo with The Host Co so you can get started. Your store will be auto-loaded with the option to add an early check-in and late check-out.
If guests complain (I haven’t had a single guest complain about this or give me a bad review because of it), then you can stop. But once you experience the silence from a dearth of late check-out and early check-in requests coupled with the extra money coming in every month, we think you’ll be sold. :)
MIKEL HUBBARD
is the co-founder of the Host Company. He's run a property management company in California’s high desert and has owned three Airbnbs since 2013 in Lake Tahoe, Joshua Tree and Death Valley. Mikel is a former HGTV producer and is the owner of Times Eight Property & Design, a real estate investment and interior design firm.