This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
Actually, it’s in statistics. My other two degrees are in math. I mention this in my profile. Which is arguably a little weird, but I’m trying to reassure people that I’m not (a) clueless and/or (b) a psycho. Actually, I’ve met plenty of academics who were psychos. But people seem to find higher degrees reassuring for some reason.
It’s just a piece of paper, people.
Most routers let you set up a guest wifi which doesn’t allow access to the main network.
I think I’ve addressed this earlier. But ok, I’ll try again.
What I tell people is, if I don’t have guests checking out, you can check in early, within reason. I tend to quote 10.30 am, which is good enough for most early flights. (Of course, sometimes people just assume, which can get tricky.)
And if there are guests checking out, then they will have to wait till they’ve left, and room has been cleaned,
I also regularly get asked whether I can keep baggage till check-in or after check-out. To which the answer is no. Though I’ve not been asked the latter question much.
This has not been a problem so far, because mostly guests tend to check out early to catch an early flight or train. Either that, or there are no guests checking out.
I think this is a reasonable thing to do, at least for now. The alternative is for people to schlep their baggage around town waiting to check in. I’ve seen people write things on their listing saying things like - if you need to check in earlier, please book an extra day. I wonder if this ever works.
If I get busier, this will probably cease to be an option. As I suppose is the case with many of you.
Perhaps you missed my points. I am offering a real connection via ethernet which is secure and access to my printer. These are features that are very important to anyone who wants to do banking and/or VPN work. Why set up a second wifi, if I am going to let them use these more secure connection protocols on the main network?
Hi @konacoconutz,
Thanks for your concern. It’s nice of you to care.
But like I’ve said already, I don’t have a problem with people checking in early. As long as it is convenient for me.
I don’t have a problem saying no. I regularly get asked whether they can drop off their luggage before check-in, and occasionally whether they can leave their luggage after checkout. To which the answers are no, and hell no.
Also, a few people have asked if they can be picked up. No, I’m not a taxi service. Sheesh. I just tell them we don’t have a car and leave it at that.
And I’m not really trying to fend off a negative review. I’m just trying to be helpful. Treat people as you’d like to be treated. That kind of stuff. People will write whatever they write. Honestly, I don’t get paid enough to care. Also, with the kind of volumes short stay hosting generates, I’d have a nervous breakdown if I got worked up over individual reviews. I’ve already stopped asking people to write me reviews - I’m over it. I think I’m well on the way to becoming jaded. High fives, anyone?
No. But those were students. These are customers. There’s a difference.
@faheem OK, you’ve got the hang of this rental thing, you seem to know how to ‘handle’ difficult people and you have rave reviews, for you as well as your room. Time to start raising your prices. The theory is that higher prices (for places with great reviews) results in better guests. I would rather host 5 great guests at $100 than 10 needy guests at $50. Test the theory. You can always either lower them back down or quit if things don’t improve. I constantly tweak my listing and my prices depending on the market and how I feel about upcoming vacancies, but I never want to win the race to the bottom price wise. I’m not a world traveler and have no interest in visiting India, but if I ever do I am spending time at The Tower Room! Can I have an early check in? And a discount? LOL
Nope, not really. To both of the above. Working on it, though. But thanks for the vote of confidence.
I’d like to of course, but I don’t think I can. There’s too much competition. And much of it is really quite cheap. I can’t speak for the quality, but people seem satisfied, judging from reviews.
Though I was thinking of unblocking the last two weeks of December and raising the prices then, as an experiment. What markup are you folks charging? And is this a more in demand period internationally?
Early check-in, yes, but see conditions above. Discount no. Unless you’re here a week or longer. 
And, honestly, I don’t see the attraction in visiting India either. I mean, if I didn’t live here, it would be right at the bottom of the list for me.
See, you do have the hang of it!
Open up December, challenge the price of your highest competition. Wait a month and then start lowering week by week. Hopefully you will book some dates at some higher rate than now. Also, there is a theory that raising or lowering your price by a small amount frequently, moves you up in the search for your area. Marks you as an ‘active’ host. When I do this I often get an inquiry.
No, I’m not saying they can. I’m saying the maneuver is a defensive one. And not guaranteed. Because if the stay was a bad or awkward one for both guest and host and the guest sees you’ve written a review, then it MIGHT and probably WILL prompt them into writing something bad about you.
But this is what I am talking about… You just said you don’t have a problem confronting people.
I just feel like accommodating inconsiderate people will go nowhere since if they are inconsiderate folks to begin with the chances are they will be unhappy with something and leave a bad review. It’s nothing to them.
I don’t like seeing you get pushed around and what you are describing sounds like that. But I’ll butt out now. 
Hi @konacoconutz,
I did? I remember saying that I don’t have a problem saying no.
See? But the context was @cabinhost asking whether I made it clear that 4 pm was the normal check in time, and 10 am was early. In case the guest was confused. But it wasn’t clear to me whether anything would be gained by that. And it’s true, I don’t like confrontation, but I’ll do it when necessary. Though I really don’t enjoy it.
That sounds like the voice of wisdom. Hopefully I’ll get there eventually.
Thanks, it’s nice of you to say so. If it becomes a problem, I’ll have to adjust things. Channel my inner Kona.
OK. Well it’s semantics. Are you sure you didn’t also teach debate?
You see what I’m saying…
This problem could have been avoided by just telling the guest no. Or maybe not. Some are just clueless.
I do speak from experience, not because I’m a know-it-all but just because I want to save someone else from getting burned the way I did. Inconsiderate = entitled and entitled = red flag.
OK…guest said “I hope we’ll not have to wait until 1000 as it was the case the first time” - I would have come unglued…taken a walk, and then come back to politely let him know he did not “wait” at all. And that I kindly allowed him to check in six hours early for free.
He’s either a complete ass trying to push boundaries. Or he is clueless and thinks he can arrive anytime on his arrival date. If it is the latter, then he may say something in a review if he truly thinks you didn’t have the accommadtion ready on time.
If it is the former, then he needs to be corrected so that you send a clear message that you will not put up with any more of his bull shit. This can all be done civilly of course
I keep hearing that raising your prices brings better guests. It certainly hasn’t been the case for me and I have great reviews. We recently had a guest who came home in the wee hours after I’d gone to sleep and left the front door wide open. Not just unlocked, wide open. We had a close call with our dog getting out. Our guest two days ago (an adult) peed on both sides of our new Tuft & Needle mattress. He stayed for three nights. The morning after the second night he washed the sheets and blanket. We asked why. He said that although they smelled fine when he went to sleep; they smelled strange in the morning. The next morning was the morning he left. The bedding and the mattress were soaking wet. He’d taken towels from our linen closet and placed them between the sheet and the mattress. We then saw that he’d turned the mattress over and that there were large round stains on both sides.
Hi @cabinhost,
Sure, at the time it would have made sense to send him a message saying something like - you do realise normal check-in is at 4 pm, right? I let you check in early. (Not that he would necessarily have got the point.) But I missed my window. Hopefully, I’ll be faster off the mark next time.
In what I said to @konacoconutz, I meant bringing it up after the event. Given that he didn’t bring it up himself. Maybe it would have. Hard to say.
I’d go with clueless. Which does seem odd in a man of his age. In general he’s not been aggressive at all, really. Those aggressive type of people tend to be generally pushy, in all sorts of ways. That could be really stressful even for a short amount of time.
As evidence for clueless, I’d point to a frozen beer bottle.
Well, it does bring more money. If you can get the bookings. So +1 from me.
You can always get bad guests, no matter what you charge.
But your guest does sound like a freak. Do you use mattress protectors? I have the fitted sheet variety. But you can also get the enclosure variety.
Hi @konacoconutz,
You’re too cute. No on debating. Just math and statistics, to bored teenagers.
Well, like I said, I don’t mind helping people out. And it’s possible for me to change. Grow more hair on my chest. Speak in a stern and commanding voice. Buy a walking stick. Channel my inner Mr. Rochester.
And I do appreciate it, honestly.
Thanks for the suggestions. I could try doing that. I’m a little reluctant to mess with prices, because Airbnb is wacky, and could easily end up using the wrong price. It’s happened before.
Actually, I’ve noticed that getting a new review seems to be the most strongly correlated “event” with getting a new enquiry or booking. Has anyone else noticed that?
It’s a theory, not a certainty. That is a horrible experience!
oh dear god!!! Did you claim that through resolution? I would have!
Is it too late for you to get on board with Nest? You should write to them soon.
I personally would toss a mattress that had been thoroughly saturated with adult urine. Geeeze.
My son has left my front door open. He isn’t careful about shutting it. One time he left the door open and our little Maltese got out and was out exploring (we call her Dora the explorer.) Trouble was she was right in my driveway as I was backing down! Thank god she got out of the way because we all know how that could have ended. I did not see her and was shocked to see how close I came to hitting her and thoroughly scolded my son. Doors left open can create dog heartbreak.