Guides for hosts

• Smart Lock Backup Plan for Vacation Rentals: Who Gets Your Guest In at 11 p.m.?

  Smart locks fail: dead batteries, jammed bolts, codes that never synced. A spare key is only half a backup plan. Compare the ways to get a locked-out guest to it, by cost and reliability.

  Updated November 1, 2026

• What to Do When an Airbnb Guest Is Locked Out and You Can't Answer

  A host's playbook for guest lockouts: verify the guest, get them inside, handle locksmiths, refunds and reviews, and set up a fallback that works when you can't answer.

  Updated November 1, 2026