Simple and Straight Forward Guest Check in Procedure

Your best option is a smart lock, and not a cheap one. The cheap smart lock you can buy on Amazon for $75 is cheap for a reason. The first time it breaks and you have to pay your Uncle Jim $100 to drive two towns over to let guests in, you’ve blown your budget. We like the Schlage Encode locks, but anything from Schlage, Yale, or August will work fine. Make sure the lock you choose will sync up with at least Airbnb, but should also work with other management softwares like Hostaway (our favorite) or Guesty for Hosts. Pro Tip: Set up the lock app to send you a reminder when batteries drop below 35%, and train your cleaning crew on how to replace them when needed.

Now, a backup. Why a backup you ask? Because there will be a time when your smart lock will break, or if you’re using lockbox, it’ll freeze the one night of the year when guests check in at 11:30pm and you really don’t feel like getting out of bed. Simple solution. Buy a little hide-a-key, it can have a little combo code on it for safety, and stash it somewhere that is easy to find if you guide someone to the right spot. It’s there for emergencies only so make sure it’s in a secure spot and won’t get blown away.

Now, most important. Give this information to your guests in a timely and organized fashion. What do we do? Day of check in, 8am, every guest, every time, we send a check in message that has some important info. Address of the house, wifi info, and check in instructions. Keep this message short as their in the middle of a mad dash to get on the road and get on vacation, they’re not going to read a book of instructions at this point.

Problem solved, and now you should never have to pay your dear old Uncle Jim $100 to go unlock a door, send him a card for the holidays instead.

That’s another BnB Bulletin for ya ! If you’re interested in our services for your own Short Term Rental, we’re taking on new clients through April 1, 2026. Hit the link below to set up an intro call.

Happy hosting,

- Jaryn