The 11 PM SOS: Managing a Guest Emergency from 4 Hours Away

At 11pm, my watch pinged and snapped me out of my thoughts. A guest was messaging me on Airbnb with a late-night SOS.

Earlier, he told me he was happy with my hosting. Still, anything can happen when you’re an Airbnb host on vacation.

Sometimes guests ask for things you don’t expect, like super glue, an extra towel, or, in this case, extra bedding late at night.

The problem was that I was four hours away from the apartment I host, finally resting after a long drive up north. My friend was leaving, and I wanted to join her despedida, her farewell party.

Back to the message: the guest was feeling sick and worried he might need extra sheets, but I hadn’t left any in the unit.

To make things more stressful, the guest was also an Airbnb host.

For my last few guests, I set up a remote preparation system to make sure the unit is always ready, even if I’m not there.

My system is simple. My trusted cleaner handles everything on-site, while I handle messages and requests from a distance. Most urgent issues get sorted out quickly. But late-night requests for bedsheets need extra planning. I count on my cleaner for regular tasks, but I know she can’t always help, especially on weekends or late at night. If she’s not available, I have a list of local contacts, like the owner of the nearby convenience store, so help is always just a call away.

Luckily, my partner was home, and all the extra bedding was stored in a closet just for my listing supplies. I called him. He’s usually easygoing and happy to help, but that night, he felt my request was intrusive.

It was past 11pm, and he had just finished working online and was ordering food for a late dinner. I asked him to video call me so I could check which sheets were available, then I asked the guest when he wanted them delivered. Then I realized my partner could just leave the sheets at the door since the guest was sick.

No-contact delivery is great for guests who value privacy and shows you care about their needs. To keep things simple for my partner, I had him hang the bedding on the door handle, so he didn’t have to wait, and I didn’t need to set a specific drop-off time. I sent this message to my guest:

“Hi [Guest’s name], my partner is about to drop off the extra bedding. He will leave them hanging by the door handle so you can grab them anytime you want. Get well soon!”

That took care of the problem.

But you might wonder how an experienced Airbnb superhost could forget to leave extra bedding.

We’d had back-to-back guests and rainy days (yes, the kind that cancels flights). I also didn’t want guests to use extra sheets unless needed, since laundry costs add up. Washing one more set can cost about $10 per stay, which quickly eats into profits.

For future guests, I now keep an extra, unopened set of bedding in the closet labeled "Emergency set." If guests use these sheets, there’s a small $10 laundry fee. I let guests know about this fee in the house manual in the apartment and in a note in their welcome message before check-in. This way, everyone knows about extra costs ahead of time, which helps avoid confusion and keeps hosting smooth.

I hope this blog post serves as a practical reminder to leave an emergency bedding set for unexpected incidents.

A little extra planning can save you from late-night headaches and give you the peace of mind that makes hosting easier for you and your guests.

Recommended Read: Top 10 Tips to Get Superhost Status on Airbnb in 3 Months (or Less!)