That is in the movies; If he really had evil intentions, you won’t even get the chance for you won’t have the element of surprise. 
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We call this a s**t sandwich in America. You say something positive, then negative then positive again. I would reply in the same way, because she is scaring off all females in future.
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I totally understand how you feel. Having been a host for more than three years myself, I am always annoyed when reading unfair reviews.
I would prefer not to have reviews at all, but unfortunately, Airbnb do offer to post them, and in fact I have had guests who told me they booked my place because of some favourable reviews on my place they read before booking.
Mind you, there are some competing homesharing sites that do not offer guests the chance to write reviews, and I think those should be seriously considered, in addition to Airbnb.
I also didn’t feel the review was negative or passive aggressive, it was simply how she felt. Other guests might not feel that way about your location, but she was being genuine to how she felt and her comments might be helpful to other female solo travelers.
I think you’re being reasonable to feel annoyed, especially at the passive-aggressive condescending tone.
I tend to think of these things in terms of marketing and mop up the damage they did, if needed, never anything more than that.
One of the public replies I leave for guests of this kind, is “Thank you so much for your kind words, I’m sorry we were not up to your standards.”
The idea being, it directs attention to our other reviews and tacitly points out that this is one guest’s opinion - not shared by the majority.
I don’t ever want to get down into it with this kind of guest. Once they’re gone, I’m just glad they’re out of my house, frankly. What I generally do is smudge the place, open all the windows, give it a good clean and then start fresh.
@cabinhost you do realise the bolding (and indeed italicising) was done by Ren?
@ItsRen Imho this is in part an annoying review, in part reasonable commentary.
The room was small; the bed was small. Irritating because what did she expect?
It’s reasonable to state you’re sharing with a guy; some girls would not be up for that. (She seems to be one of those girls). Having been the victim of assault I can tell you now she has every right to voice her concern about the arrangements and it is unfair to criticise reasonable concerns or to see it as passive aggressive. She’s merely concerned for her personal safety and that’s perfectly alright. She sounds like she wasn’t aware of the arrangement; is it explained on your listing Ren?
Kennington is rough. I know it very well and particularly the Vauxhall end can get lairy at night. Most people may not notice it but depending on your personal history, you will have a very different opinion. Type ‘is kennington’ into google and the first hit is ‘Is Kennington Safe’. A variation of this question is also in the top 5 hits. When I google my part of London… questions about safety in the area do not come up at all.
You need to let this one go; calling it fear mongering
is a bit much. I’ve lived in Peckham, somewhere with a similar (and yet totally up and coming) rep to Kennington. Peckham (which everyone insists is safe) is where my flat mate was beaten up for his mobile phone; where my scooter was stolen; where south London gangs commited two shootings in the time I lived there, and where a guy attempted to get fresh with one of my female flat mates, chasing her up the road. Parts of Kennington, Camberwell, Brixton and Peckham (geographically close to each other, all South London) suffer the same problem and very active gangs. Generally these areas are ok, but can be rough especially at night.
I love London and I’d definitely tell anyone who asked it was safe overall, but some areas are definitely less safe, and just because you haven’t experienced anything directly doesn’t mean her perception of the area is invalid.
Sorry for the long post but I especially hate it when female concerns are dismissed as if they have no right to express these feelings. Personal safety is an issue that should never be belittled or dismissed.
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Lol! - No! I didn’t realize the OP bolded those parts. I thought the guest bolded them in her review. It changes things if those parts weren’t bolded. Thanks for pointing that out.
When I visit London and stay at my friends’ mews home in Knightsbridge… best area of London, right? Well one night I was coming home late, about 11pm, exiting at South Kens…and walking over to her place alone was SPOOKY! Maybe because I had to cross the Old Brompton cemetery… but i felt like I was being followed… I would turn around and no one was there.
++ Shiver. ++
Yep. That’s totally creepy especially late at night !
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It didn’t help that that section of London seems to get a fog settle in on it at night too! My son, 12 at the time and sensitive to things, insisted the street was haunted. He made me sleep with the light on because of all the “spirits” roaming the street outside the Mews house. I kid not.
What I don’t understand is what is the problem with sharing a bathroom with someone of the opposite sex? I mean, are they going to be in there with you? Can you not lock the door? I think this person had unrealistic expectations. Don’t respond, just ignore. It’s one of those can’t change it didn’t cause it situations.
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I just stayed somewhere where there wasn’t a lock on the bathroom. Was a bit suprised to be honest
The bold type is what makes it passive aggressive. Take that away and it is just an opinion. Young people never read the fine print. I am glad that I get mostly grown-ups.
I agree. I would only be concerned if the man was going to be in the bathroom at the same time!
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Yeah, I’d be very surprised by that as well. Our door has a lock. I expect every bathroom and bedroom to have a privacy lock at least.
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I would prefer to share the bathroom with a guy over a girl. That’s assuming he isn’t a princess and needs to put on his makeup, blow dry his hair, and then gel it all out.
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Yeah, and guys don’t stand there with a curling iron and take forever.
(I like that they tend to leave the door open so I can gauge their progress.) : )
My husband’s morning grooming ritual takes much longer than mine. I’m sure I’m not the only women for whom this is true.
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Well here’s the deal. Lol my daughter is no fuss, no muss. I explain that to all guests. And in any case, drying hair and putting on makeup or whatever - I’d just provide my daughter with a vanity, which is a lovely thing for any woman to have. Ikea has a couple cute ones.