A clear and simple checkout

Checkout is a chance to give your guests a final impression of their stay. Setting expectations, providing simple instructions and sending reminders can streamline your hosting routine and make checkout smoother for your guests. 

You can add Checkout instructions to your Arrival guide in the Listing editor. Quickly create a checkout list by selecting from these common tasks: 

• Gather used towels
• Throw rubbish away
• Turn things off
• Lock up
• Return keys

You can add details for each task. For example, you might specify that guests put rubbish in one bin and recycling in another. You can also write requests that are specific to your home, such as covering the grill after use.

Guests can access checkout instructions and house rules before they book. After booking, they can find checkout instructions on their Trips tab, alongside house rules, wifi info and other important details. 

Guests expect an easy checkout without any cleaning tasks. They shouldn’t leave your place in a state that requires excessive or deep cleaning, in accordance with the ground rules for home guests. 

“We want to keep our checkout process as simple as possible,” says Keshav, a Superhost in New Delhi. “The cleaner comes in and does everything that needs to be done.”

A checkout card is a convenient way to send checkout information to your guests. Once you enter checkout instructions, you can add a checkout card to a quick reply. The card links to your instructions.

Scheduling a quick reply helps make sure guests get a checkout reminder even if they don’t have the app downloaded or notifications turned on. They’ll receive an email as well as your direct message.

Airbnb will automatically send guests a reminder with your checkout time and instructions. It’s sent as a notification to their mobile device the day before checkout at 5:00 PM in the time zone where they’re staying. 

Guests need to have the Airbnb app downloaded and notifications enabled to receive this reminder. Once they check out, guests can let you know they’ve left with a single tap or click.

You might want to emphasise why a timely checkout is necessary. “I tell guests the cleaner will arrive at 11:00 to prepare the apartment for the next guests, so they understand why it’s important to leave on time,” says Joh, a Superhost in Forestville, California.

After guests depart, they can give your communication a star rating and specify what went well or could have gone better. One option is to report “excessive checkout tasks”. Listings with repeated low ratings from unreasonable tasks may be removed from Airbnb.

Guests also choose an overall star rating for their stay. Feedback and star ratings for specific categories, like communication, don’t impact Superhost status.