Making sure people are your expected guests

[akwe-xavante]

Had an interesting / worrying scenario this week.

How do you know for sure that the people that just stuck there heads around the door at roughly the expected arrival time are in fact your guests?

Does anybody actually go through a process of checking that they are who you think they are or do you just accept that these people are the guests that have booked.

After all anybody could just stick there heads in the front door and pretend that they are your guests.

What happened, well I had a last minute booking this week, I phoned the person that was detailed on the booking form to talk about there arrival time etc. Fine but he was reluctant to give an expected arrival time and in the end he agreed to let me know / keep me informed if he was going to be later than 6pm.

At 3.30 a chap appeared at the door, I did not recognise the voice and was not expecting the person to be who he was.

He said that he had been asked to collect keys for someone that had booked the cottage and the person was going to be much later than expected!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me no Happy about this.

I tried phoning the chap that booked the cottage and got no answer.

I refused keys and sent him away after questioning as he couldn't convince me that he knew enough about the person that had booked. He couldn't even remember a name.

Now as it happened he was genuine and had been asked to collect the keys.

Do you ask your guests to prove who they are on arrival?

[akwe-xavante]

Completely by chance I've just received a phone call from this next weeks guests asking about arrival times and keys etc.

This in itself is no surprise as this telephone conversation usually takes place on a Wednesday / Thursday prior to arrival.

He says that he can't arrive before 11pm, OK but has asked if his son can call and collect the keys instead.

The booking is for two couples Mum, Dad and son and daughter in law. Son and his wife live a lot closer and can arrive at 3'ish.

I said that as long as they can satisfy me that they know you by answering a few simple questions on arrival such as the full name and postcode of the person that has booked the cottage it's not a problem.

What would you do?

[Joanna]

Just knowing the name of the lead guest would probably be enough. Are you thinking about people trying to get a free holiday? It seems unlikely to me that anyone would try this as they'd be found out as soon as the true guests arrive.

[akwe-xavante]

I'm actually thinking squatters in general and perhaps illegal or legal immigrants taking quarters rights by moving in and refusing to move out when found out or even thief's taking keys then quickly emptying the place perhaps.

Criminals, well some Criminals are very bright after all.

On this occasion the person who called in to take keys didn't have a clue and wasn't switched on and had no idea who he was collecting the keys for.

Just made me think "What If"

[Ecosse]

I think you're right not to have handed out the keys, and that it was unreasonable for the guest to expect you to hand over the keys to a stranger without contacting you first!

With regards to checking whether it's your guests who have turned up, I thinkJoanna is right that no one would try it on to get a free holiday as it'll get messy when the real guests turn up. The only concern I have on that front is the potential for a set of guests to be scammed and them think they have a genuine booking with me (kind of more likely as we're large and pricey enough during peak weeks, so a scamner wouldn't have to scam many to make it worthwhile)... not a lot any of us can do about that one, but we take measures to avoid inadvertently welcoming the wrong group in by asking the first to arrive if they are Mr/Mrs Lead Guest.

[EdinburghCityApartments]

I manage a flat in a building in Edinburgh which is extremely popular for holiday lets.

Waiting outside in my car, group arrive at door at the expected time and I said "Hi, are you (guests' name)?". Yes, were explaining about bus from airport...usual stuff.

Took them up to apartment, showed them around, gave them all instructions etc and confirmed that check-out was 11am on Sunday.

"You mean Monday?" Erm, ok maybe I've got it wrong.

Left then to it and checked booking system outside their door, definitely Sunday.

Went back in to ask for booking paperwork - completely wrong guests! Were supposed to be in someone else's apartment upstairs.

"I did think this looked a bit different to the pictures!!!" says the guest!

[Bunny]

I don't ask guests for proof of identity but I do ask their names on arrival. In your scenario I think you were right to refuse to hand over the keys. I had a similar situation once - guests informed me a week prior to their 7pm arrival that her brother (who was not a guest) would drop off some food shopping at 3.00pm. No problem; I said I would let him in to drop it off. They then came back telling me that he was on an early shift so wanted the keys so he could get his head down for a rest before cooking a meal ready for their later arrival. They then said they did not want me to attend for their arrival because they would be too tired after their flight (it was only a short haul 1 hour flight!) and that I could come around to see them the next day if I wanted to. At that point alarm bells started ringing with the same worries as you. Who was this person that I was being expected to hand over the keys to my property and what were their intentions? I politely explained that I could not hand keys over to a third party and that is when they got really nasty, which made me even more suspicious. Needless to say the booking didn't go ahead.

I wouldn't worry about someone trying to get a free holiday but, there are so many scammers/fraudsters/criminals out there constantly dreaming up new ideas that we can't be too vigilant IMO. Any genuine guest would surely understand why we can't just hand out keys willy-nilly.

[louloup]

We had just opened and were fully booked, they all arrived apart from one guest who was travelling separately. The group went off to explore while I waited for the missing guest.

When he arrived I showed him up to the bedroom before my husband realised that the body language wasn't right and rescued the terrified young man who was collecting for a local charity. I wonder what he thought I was going to do to him?

[Ecosse]

When he arrived I showed him up to the bedroom before my husband realised that the body language wasn't right and rescued the terrified young man who was collecting for a local charity. I wonder what he thought I was going to do to him?

[Joanna]

I agree with gitemontjoly that you need to check in case of scam double bookings. I'm not sure about burglars though - if they met you face to face then you'd be able to identify them, which I would have thought they'd try to avoid.

In terms of squatters I don't think anyone that you let in would have any sort of rights to stay - I seem to remember that it came up in some other thread that we have the right to call the police to evict guests who break their contracts or outstay their rental. I guess the same applies to people who don't even have a rental agreement. Not sure how that would work in practice though.

[AndrewH]

When he arrived I showed him up to the bedroom before my husband realised that the body language wasn't right and rescued the terrified young man who was collecting for a local charity. I wonder what he thought I was going to do to him?

+1

[akwe-xavante]

I agree with gitemontjoly that you need to check in case of scam double bookings. I'm not sure about burglars though - if they met you face to face then you'd be able to identify them, which I would have thought they'd try to avoid.

This has reminded me of a couple of situations that have happened over the years where I live.

One: Christmas Day, town centre shop. A couple of bobbies walking the streets came across a team of roughly 3 workmen that appeared to be changing a broken shop window. They had a friendly chat etc. They walked away with £20k of stock. They refitted the window before they left. They got away with it and nobody could remember what they looked like!

Two: A lorry, a big lorry and a van load of builders pull up outside a big house that had a very long high wall on the roadside. The wall was dismantled and taken away, approximately 14K bricks worth roughly £7k were stolen. Neighbours kept the workmen fed and watered with tea, coffee and cakes all day.

They got away with it and were never caught!

[Joanna]

[Ben McNevis]

...
When he arrived I showed him up to the bedroom before my husband realised that the body language wasn't right and rescued the terrified young man who was collecting for a local charity. I wonder what he thought I was going to do to him?

I feel an Alan Ayckbourn play coming on

[lester1meg]

I've just turned down a booking from Airbnb because the guests said 'we have posted a picture of our backyard because we don't want people to be able to recognise us on line.'