No show from booking?

[Morticia]

After the disaster of not getting notified of a pending reservation, I've been logging into booking several times/day to check for reservations.
There's a note for today saying we have a guest arriving. No sign of guest. Guest's phone is turned off.
That might indicate they are on a plane. Who knows. I'm ready to call it a day. The wait time to speak to someone at booking is over 10 minutes.
Off to see if the cc is any good. Then closing up shop.

 

[2cat_lady]

You know what's going to happen, don't you? Phone call when you're in your jammies to let you know they're on their way. Be there soon. Where are you? Looking for the turn off!

 

[Morticia]

You know what's going to happen, don't you? Phone call when you're in your jammies to let you know they're on their way. Be there soon. Where are you? Looking for the turn off!.

I'm in my jammies now! There's a note on the door.
Just checked - there's a new car in the parking lot. They must have arrived.

 

[gillumhouse]

Waiting for my FIRST Tesla. Expected him between 9 & 10 so I just called. Almost here. YEA!!

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too.

 

[2cat_lady]

Agree. I have two late nighters coming up and I've already spoken to them about checking themselves in.
Already working on the wording of check in times on my site for next year. A little late for this season. Can't and don't want to be on call 24/7. I'm fine with my check in (3-6), but please people, call me if you're going to stop for supper before you check in! Let me have a chance to do my own thing if you won't be here!!!

 

[undersea]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...

We have simple locks with old fashioned keys. We leave the key in the door to the room. The rooms have names. Small place, so easy. We leave the front door unlocked. Burglary is almost unheard of in this town, so a small risk.
The issue is more that we are generally asked about where to go to dinner and aren't here to help. We leave a dining guide on the bed. It's a tourist friendly town, so really easy to find food.

 

[Morticia]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...

Both times this happened it was a self check in: guests refused to vacate premises at 11. Both left at 1pm. One left a scathing review about how awful we were when they were 'only' an hour late checking out. The other asked for a to go breakfast.
We've added the check out time in red on the note on the door. And now we know we can call the police to evict them.

 

[Morticia]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...

We have simple locks with old fashioned keys. We leave the key in the door to the room. The rooms have names. Small place, so easy. We leave the front door unlocked. Burglary is almost unheard of in this town, so a small risk.
The issue is more that we are generally asked about where to go to dinner and aren't here to help. We leave a dining guide on the bed. It's a tourist friendly town, so really easy to find food.
.

Because most of our self check-ins are after hours I have it right on the note: this restaurant is open until 10:30.
There may or may not be cookies on the counter by the time they arrive but there are munchies in the room in case they are that late everything is closed.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...

We have simple locks with old fashioned keys. We leave the key in the door to the room. The rooms have names. Small place, so easy. We leave the front door unlocked. Burglary is almost unheard of in this town, so a small risk.
The issue is more that we are generally asked about where to go to dinner and aren't here to help. We leave a dining guide on the bed. It's a tourist friendly town, so really easy to find food.
.

Because most of our self check-ins are after hours I have it right on the note: this restaurant is open until 10:30.
There may or may not be cookies on the counter by the time they arrive but there are munchies in the room in case they are that late everything is closed.
.

Because most of our self check-ins are after hours I have it right on the note: this restaurant is open until 10:30.
There may or may not be cookies on the counter by the time they arrive but there are munchies in the room in case they are that late everything is closed.

We did have a guest call and say they would not be in until after midnight. I left some food in their room. Packaged stuff like chips and a hummus snack. I felt sorry for them knowing the nearest food would be back to the big city.

 

[undersea]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...

Both times this happened it was a self check in: guests refused to vacate premises at 11. Both left at 1pm. One left a scathing review about how awful we were when they were 'only' an hour late checking out. The other asked for a to go breakfast.
We've added the check out time in red on the note on the door. And now we know we can call the police to evict them.
.

That was the earlier discussion about charging people for overstaying, but not necessarily for the whole day (as there may be people scheduled).
Like staying til 1pm - $25/hour, therefore an extra $50 staying til 1pm.
Just the concept of getting them out the door, or making some extra $$$ from their attempting to milk you

 

[undersea]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...

We have simple locks with old fashioned keys. We leave the key in the door to the room. The rooms have names. Small place, so easy. We leave the front door unlocked. Burglary is almost unheard of in this town, so a small risk.
The issue is more that we are generally asked about where to go to dinner and aren't here to help. We leave a dining guide on the bed. It's a tourist friendly town, so really easy to find food.
.

Yea, sounds easy. I am planning code locks for front door and each room. I am targeting perhaps 5 rentals, so do not want to deal with keys...
But I like the self checkin concept. I do not plan to hang around for 8-10 hours, staring out the window hoping people show up.
With rental properties a couple years ago, I bought a 6 family, and the previous owner collected cash rent by banging on every door. OF course, they lived 5 minutes away. I lived 75 minutes away, and sometimes hung around for hours trying to collect rent. Now, they send it to me.

 

[ChrisandShelley]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

In our short tenure, we have had only a few self check-ins and none have been a problem. Our B&B is very easy to locate since it is right on the town square. The front door has a coded deadbolt. We've just either emailed instructions or called with instructions (texted the door code) and left the keys in the unlocked room. For the outside rooms, we just left instructions and the keys in the rooms. Nice to live in a small town with very little crime.
But just as a precaution, we reprogram the guest code monthly. The owner's code stays the same, only Shelley, my son and I know it. And the cleaning girl.

 

[Morticia]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

In our short tenure, we have had only a few self check-ins and none have been a problem. Our B&B is very easy to locate since it is right on the town square. The front door has a coded deadbolt. We've just either emailed instructions or called with instructions (texted the door code) and left the keys in the unlocked room. For the outside rooms, we just left instructions and the keys in the rooms. Nice to live in a small town with very little crime.
But just as a precaution, we reprogram the guest code monthly. The owner's code stays the same, only Shelley, my son and I know it. And the cleaning girl.
.

Consider giving the cleaning person a different code in case you ever have to let her go.

 

[Copperhead]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

In our short tenure, we have had only a few self check-ins and none have been a problem. Our B&B is very easy to locate since it is right on the town square. The front door has a coded deadbolt. We've just either emailed instructions or called with instructions (texted the door code) and left the keys in the unlocked room. For the outside rooms, we just left instructions and the keys in the rooms. Nice to live in a small town with very little crime.
But just as a precaution, we reprogram the guest code monthly. The owner's code stays the same, only Shelley, my son and I know it. And the cleaning girl.
.

Consider giving the cleaning person a different code in case you ever have to let her go.
.

Yes. My thoughts exactly. So change YOUR code and leave the other for the cleaning person.

 

[ChrisandShelley]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

In our short tenure, we have had only a few self check-ins and none have been a problem. Our B&B is very easy to locate since it is right on the town square. The front door has a coded deadbolt. We've just either emailed instructions or called with instructions (texted the door code) and left the keys in the unlocked room. For the outside rooms, we just left instructions and the keys in the rooms. Nice to live in a small town with very little crime.
But just as a precaution, we reprogram the guest code monthly. The owner's code stays the same, only Shelley, my son and I know it. And the cleaning girl.
.

Consider giving the cleaning person a different code in case you ever have to let her go.
.

Yes. My thoughts exactly. So change YOUR code and leave the other for the cleaning person.
.

Good point, but she's been with the previous owners for 6 years and she is REALLY good at her job. She doesn't mind working seasonally. It's hard to explain, but there is a community of artists and musicians around here that work several different part time jobs just to live on so they can do their art. The PO's gave her a raise yearly and we kept her pay the same so she makes good money for a part time job. It will be highly unlikely that she will quit or that we will let her go. She is an employer's dream come true.
Plus the lock is easily programmable. You can put up to 8 different codes in it.

 

[Copperhead]

We are becoming more and more comfortable with self check in.
ON Saturday, we left the house at 4 for a party (visiting family, not just a random party) and left the check ins a note. "Welcome, sorry we missed you, had to run out." Directions to room and wifi info, "help yourself to a cookie and coffee....look forward to meeting you in the morning."
So far, it is working. We only do it when necessary, but heck, we have lives too..

What types of issues have you found with self check in? Perhaps that you did not anticipate.
I am thinking things like people who cannot find the place, whether you have a code for front and guest room doors or use keys, etc...
.

In our short tenure, we have had only a few self check-ins and none have been a problem. Our B&B is very easy to locate since it is right on the town square. The front door has a coded deadbolt. We've just either emailed instructions or called with instructions (texted the door code) and left the keys in the unlocked room. For the outside rooms, we just left instructions and the keys in the rooms. Nice to live in a small town with very little crime.
But just as a precaution, we reprogram the guest code monthly. The owner's code stays the same, only Shelley, my son and I know it. And the cleaning girl.
.

Consider giving the cleaning person a different code in case you ever have to let her go.
.

Yes. My thoughts exactly. So change YOUR code and leave the other for the cleaning person.
.

Good point, but she's been with the previous owners for 6 years and she is REALLY good at her job. She doesn't mind working seasonally. It's hard to explain, but there is a community of artists and musicians around here that work several different part time jobs just to live on so they can do their art. The PO's gave her a raise yearly and we kept her pay the same so she makes good money for a part time job. It will be highly unlikely that she will quit or that we will let her go. She is an employer's dream come true.
Plus the lock is easily programmable. You can put up to 8 different codes in it.
.

You are extremely lucky to have a jewel!

Yes those systems are easily programmable and have different codes for different purposes. But I still would start off by having a specific code for just your family and a separate one for the housekeeper.

 

[Kay Nein]

Agree. I have two late nighters coming up and I've already spoken to them about checking themselves in.
Already working on the wording of check in times on my site for next year. A little late for this season. Can't and don't want to be on call 24/7. I'm fine with my check in (3-6), but please people, call me if you're going to stop for supper before you check in! Let me have a chance to do my own thing if you won't be here!!!.

We do a 3-6p check in. Our confirmation email states that we only allot check-ins after 6pm if they make arrangements in advance. We get alot of calls from that. We also started a few other habits -

• We call when their room is clean to tell them that they can check-in early if they are already in town. This gets them checked-in and off our list while we are still at the Inn anyways and also tells us exactly what time they will be arriving.
• At 6pm we call and check in with anyone that's not there yet. We make arrangements to leave a key for them. They call us and we tell them where we've hidden the key and give them a verbal tour of the house. We do our full check-in speech on the phone and they don't miss any information. I've taken check-in calls from other states, on the lake, from my own couch. I can do that from anywhere. So, sometimes we'll just call them in advance and let them know that whatever time they do show up, they will have to call because we're going out to enjoy this beautiful day and won't be there. They don't mine at all and we've even had comments about how nice it was to just let themselves into the house. Like they were visiting friends. And if they are repeat guests, heck they know where the key is. They're on their own!

 

[2cat_lady]

Agree. I have two late nighters coming up and I've already spoken to them about checking themselves in.
Already working on the wording of check in times on my site for next year. A little late for this season. Can't and don't want to be on call 24/7. I'm fine with my check in (3-6), but please people, call me if you're going to stop for supper before you check in! Let me have a chance to do my own thing if you won't be here!!!.

We do a 3-6p check in. Our confirmation email states that we only allot check-ins after 6pm if they make arrangements in advance. We get alot of calls from that. We also started a few other habits -

• We call when their room is clean to tell them that they can check-in early if they are already in town. This gets them checked-in and off our list while we are still at the Inn anyways and also tells us exactly what time they will be arriving.
• At 6pm we call and check in with anyone that's not there yet. We make arrangements to leave a key for them. They call us and we tell them where we've hidden the key and give them a verbal tour of the house. We do our full check-in speech on the phone and they don't miss any information. I've taken check-in calls from other states, on the lake, from my own couch. I can do that from anywhere. So, sometimes we'll just call them in advance and let them know that whatever time they do show up, they will have to call because we're going out to enjoy this beautiful day and won't be there. They don't mine at all and we've even had comments about how nice it was to just let themselves into the house. Like they were visiting friends. And if they are repeat guests, heck they know where the key is. They're on their own!

.

You have a good system there. I'll have to try and implement some of those ideas.