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Yes, I’ve noticed a change in the guests as well. Not as adventurous as in the early days. I don’t know if they are more demanding but I don’t do a lot of short term guests.
My guests are mostly long term and are here for a very specific purpose and it’s not to have fun. Anything I do to make it a little easier for them they appreciate. Most are from outside the US. I help them get a simcard for their phone. Provide details on public transit. Let them use the kitchen. Take them grocery shopping at locations they wouldn’t walk to.
If I were to do vacationer’s I think it would be a whole different experience and strategy.
I’ve had two guests from other countries who wanted me to accompany them to gun ranges as firearms are banned in their countries. One of them believed in error that as he was over 18, but under 21 he needed someone who was over 21 to accompany him. The other one was 17 years old and believed again in error that he would be able to shoot guns at the gun range if he was accompanied by an unrelated adult. Both of these guests persisted after I told them that I hate and fear guns and that nothing could persuade me to visit a gun range.
We’ve had many guests who wanted us to draw them maps to every destination they wished to visit. They looked confused when we suggested that they use the Guidebook on our listing, Google maps or Mapquest.
I had a guest find me when he got hungry in the evening to tell me that it was time for me to cook him dinner.
I’ve had several guests who expect us to isolate the dogs from whatever room they wish to use regardless of the fact that our listing states that the dogs have access to the entire house except the guest room.
We’ve had guests ask us for bolt cutters (They locked the key to the lock on their luggage inside their luggage), jumper cables, to use our water and supplies to wash their car in our driveway (They didn’t want to pay extra for returning a dirty car to the rental agency.).
We had a guest who was a light sleeper and refused to use the earplugs we provide. She was awakened on her first morning by my husband opening the back door to let the dogs out. She told us that we shouldn’t make any noise at all while she was sleeping. She then got a bad cold and slept all day and night.
We had a guest who wanted to take our dog with her on her morning run. When I said no and explained that my dog is sometimes dog aggressive; the guest got huffy and told me that she is a dog trainer.
We had a guest who wanted to remove our mattress from the frame and put in on the floor as he preferred a very firm bed.
We had a guest who didn’t speak English very well who wanted me to call Universal Studios to arrange for them to not wait in line for rides as he had a “medical condition” that makes it difficult for him to stand for long periods. When I pointed out that he would need to pay more to park close to the entrance; he told me that walking was fine, it was just standing that was a problem.
My guests have also changed. When I first started, they were mostly from other continents (I’m in US), and extremely polite and undemanding. Now I have more North Americans, and they are more likely to believe I should upgrade cable to get the one channel they can’t live without.
Again, this is absurd. He “found” the check in code? If it is on your listing, then anyone can find it. You do not need to be a level 10 programmer to find something on an Air listing, the fact that moat guests don’t bother to read the entire thing, does not mean that no one does.
I really think you may need to rethink your hosting.
I suspect you meant something more detailed than what this says. As written, it suggests that when my mother took me to a Shakespeare event across the border in Canada she suddenly became a kidnapper when we crossed the border.
Agreed. For short term rentals in your home, I don’t find it unreasonable to know the identities of all guests ahead of time. I think you did the right thing by notifying Air that a different party showed up than what was booked. I would say that it would be reasonable to ask for a cancellation based on your own discomfort, but the guest requested to cancel anyway. As guest-biased as they are, it means something that they did not award her any refund. I would ignore any further contacts from her and move on.
Thank you! It’s a gaping hole that Air does not require the identity of all guests in a party. It would make the whole system safer. Perhaps I watch too much tv but for now I’ll take gut instinct over a virtual stranger’s word any day.
If you really wanted to know the age and sex of the guests it was your responsibility to clarify in advance, not do your thinking in front of the guests. We’re not supposed to discriminate unless there’s a good reason eg female only for safety. If you don’t want guests doing self check in you should remove the code from your listing and message it to the guests at the right time.
Personally I hate the idea of self check in (It’s in my own home anyway, but I think guests behave better if they have a personal tour). It’s only happened to me once, it was totally out of my control as a thoughtless guest let them in without contacting me first. I evicted the guest and gave no refund with Airbnb’s full support. It’s only happened once in 4 years.
