Your guest hasn't arrived and isn't answering. What now?

Check-in was at 3pm. It's now 9pm, the guest hasn't arrived, your messages show as unread and you're wondering what to do with the evening. In most cases this ends with a tired guest walking in at midnight apologising for a cancelled train. But it helps to know what to do in the meantime, and what not to do.

First, assume they're delayed

The most common reasons a guest goes quiet on arrival day are dull ones. A flight is late. A phone has died. They're driving and not looking at messages. They've landed somewhere with no signal or no roaming. Very few guests book, pay and then simply don't turn up without a word.

So the first step is to stay calm and make it easy for them whenever they do arrive. If your check-in is self-service, make sure the instructions are clear and work at any hour. Our post on late-night arrivals covers how to set that up so a 1am arrival doesn't need you awake.

Send one clear message through Airbnb

Send a short, friendly message through the Airbnb app, not by text or WhatsApp. That way it's on record if anything needs sorting out later.

Hi Sam, just checking you're on your way. No rush at all. The check-in details are in your reservation, and the lockbox works any time. Let me know if your plans have changed.

One message is enough for a few hours. Messaging every thirty minutes doesn't make a guest with a flat battery reply any sooner.

Know what a no-show actually means

A guest who doesn't arrive hasn't cancelled. The booking stays active and the nights are still theirs. That has a few consequences:

• Don't change the lock code or block their access. They may arrive late, or the next day.
• Don't re-let the dates. Taking another booking for nights that belong to someone else creates a mess you'll have to unpick.
• Don't move their belongings or go in to tidy unless the stay has fully ended.

If they never arrive, your payout normally follows your usual schedule. Our post on the Airbnb payout schedule explains when money actually lands. If the guest later asks for a refund, it's handled under your cancellation policy, not as a special case. Our post on handling refund requests covers how to respond.

When to involve Airbnb

If you've heard nothing by the next morning and there's no sign anyone has been in, contact Airbnb support. Explain the timeline and share the messages you sent. Support can try to reach the guest by other means and can advise on what happens to the rest of the booking.

This matters most for longer stays. A guest who misses one night of a week may still arrive. A guest who has vanished entirely leaves you with empty nights you can't fill, and Airbnb is the only route to clarifying whether the booking continues.

What to tell your cleaner

If your cleaner is booked for the checkout day, keep them on schedule unless the booking is cancelled. If the guest never arrived, the turnover might be quicker, but someone should still check the place before the next guest. Our post on the five-minute post-checkout check covers what to look at.

Preventing the worry next time

You can't stop flights being delayed, but you can make a silent arrival less stressful:

• Ask for an estimated arrival time a day or two before check-in.
• Put check-in details somewhere the guest can find them offline, like a screenshot-friendly message or a printed card.
• Use a self check-in method that doesn't depend on you being there.

Our check-in instructions template gives you a structure that works whether the guest arrives at 3pm or 3am.