By far the most common question I get from potential Airbnb guests is, “can I check in early?” Often this question comes after the booking is made. And of course, with the booking already being made, you want to be accommodating. And there’s always the fear in the back of your mind that if you come across as unreasonable, the guest will give you a bad review.
On the other hand, early check-ins and late check-outs play absolute havoc with your cleaning schedule. Everything looks so nice on the calendar until that guest with a single-night stay wants early check-in and late check-out.
I’m arriving on a red-eye flight at 6am and will leave the next day on an 8pm flight. Can I check in early and check out late?
I’m thinking, yeah, right, I really need the revenue from that one-night stay. Here is how I respond. It works about 80-90% of the time, which in my experience with Airbnb is pretty good:
I’m sorry, but the previous guest will check out at noon on the day you arrive. The cleaning lady will work from noon until 4pm, and it’s not fair for her to have to work with someone else in the apartment. You can drop your bags in the apartment any time after noon, but you can’t enter for any other reason until after the official check-in time.