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!
So this post is really not meant to be polemical in any way. But I still want to share and see what your experiences are and perhaps better understand what are these customers expectations.
So far, we have hosted 26 guests - of the 26 guests, we have had issues (minor really) with 7 of them - all 7 were american. I am quite surprised because I have always seen americans as easy going, open and friendly (which they are!) but the 7 I have hosted so far ALL had things to complain about, which i felt were not really valid. Is it a cultural difference?
We host in Paris by the way, our French, European, Asian, Canadian guests have all been extremely satified and happy - but the 7 american guests all had complains, the following:
One complained that the neighbours on another floor smoked and so when they came in the hallway it smelled (I asked if it smelled in the appartment, they said no, but it would be nice if the neighbours didnât smoke or if the appartment doors were thicker so it wouldnât leak out). I apologized but said i couldnt ask neighbours not to smoke in their own house. also if it doesnt smell in the house. Also, the building is an old parisian building, and thatâs clearly mentioned.
The TV didnt work so a guest alerter, i offered to send a repairman asap, just to let me know if theyâre home. they preferred no one come while they were out, so i asked when theyâll be there, they gave me a time but then werent there so I paid the repairman for nothing, they barely apologized but mentioned in the review the TV not working.
One said nothing during the stay (even if i regulary wrote to check) in the review mentioned they had to buy a bottle opener because there were none as well as saying the place is not made for 3 people (we mention a max of 2 people anywayâŚ) and that they wouldnt walk around at night - they are the only ones to say that, i am a woman and i walk there all the time, itâs montmartre! I realize someone actually stole both because of course we had them! but had she told us we would have replaced it ASAP.
and four others I will not listâŚbut just so you get a sense of the types of complains. I am really surprised.
i donât necessarily want to rant, but I am not american and perhaps donât really understand the hosting culture in the US or what is expected -so to any american hosts out there, is this normal?? What can i do to avoid this. Again,all 19 other guests have been really delightedâŚ
Americans are known for being the fussiest guests, so dont worry, everyone knows that. Thats why the whole world likes to travel to US because of comfort and service. I am from Eastern Europe but live in US many years and of course host Americans all the time. My home is equipped with all possible comfort ever, TV in each room, private baths, AC, best neighborhood and so on. I had few reviews that i just laughed on. One guy listed over 10 items that needed to be improved including fan in a a bathroom. One woman wrote this: the worst stay ever. Its because we have a small step from dining room to the living room and she did not notice and almost fell, and that the could not see well in a bedroom.
The smoking issue is ridiculous. You are right, you cant tell people what to do in their appartments.
Montmarte can seem a bit âŚcreepy⌠at night, to be honest , depending where if you know what i mean. Americans are often afraid of many things that other nations are not,because they are less travelled then any other nation.
Unfortunately many first â or third time â abroad Americans simply do not realize that other places do things differently, and that bitching about differences and acting aloof and snooty etc. gives ALL of us a bad name. These are the same people who believe that TALKING LOUDER WILL MAKE SOMEONE UNDERSTAND YOU WHEN THEY DON"T SPEAK ENGLISH.
The Ugly American is a 1958 political novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer which depicts the failures of the U.S. diplomatic corps in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately there are many more Ugly Americans spreading their brand of ugly today.
Iâm American and Iâm not surprised that you find this with your American tourists. We are an entitled bunch, we actually have a phrase used by media and academics, âAmerican exceptionalism.â Many of us think our whole culture is special, and that we have every right to tell others what to do but they dare not do it to us, etc. Like any stereotype it only applies to groups. There are many wonderful Americans, like me. LOL.
Perhaps you could change your listing more to discourage that certain kind of American. âCharming old building of apartments, noise, cooking and smoke smells may enter the hall.â âBest for self-sufficient and adventurous singles and couples.â If you would be willing to share your listing maybe we could make suggestions.
My first trip to Paris, coming from Boston, was part of a charter plane trip. Fee included airfare and hotel. Then everything else was on your own. I remember my total and complete horror at the end of the trip, as the group saw each other for the first time in a week, how rude and obnoxious so many of our fellow travelers were. I remember one particularly loud, sloppy Texan who spent the entire trip to DeGaulle ranting about no one speaking English, not being willing to give him discounts, and how old and dirty all that artwork was. And he thought the fact that it had rained most of the week was a personal insult to him. Clearly, he had raised his voice when his English wasnât understood. At that moment, I learned what âThe Bad Americanâ meant.
My mother and I on the other hand, loved every minute of our trip. We butchered the French language, but in return, people were kind and polite. We visited cousins, who helped us learn French table manners. We oogled stain glass, meandered in the basement of the Louvre loving the chaotic [at least it was then] Egyptian collection. We went to a violin shop where the owner was thrilled to have a young American 11 year old violinist try her first French instrument.
Two families. Two completely different visits. I suspect that Mr. Sloppy Texan never returned. I have been back to Paris about 20 times.
It is hard for Europeans to understand just how big and diverse this country really is. My French cousins are always astonished by the sheer size of this place. You might want to learn a bit about our geography. Coastal urban dwellers, and a few mic-country city folks, will understand smaller homes, tiny kitchens, and older infrastructures, while folks who have always lived in rural or suburban environments, i/e. much larger spaces with tons of personal space, might need educating in advance of their booking.
The trick is to word your listing in a way that encourages people like me, people who know about city living and smaller spaces, who are visiting for what Paris offers, and not what it doesnât.
Thank you all for these fantastic suggestions! Indeed I should be more specific, I thought mentioning this is an old typical Montmartrois building with a dire need of paint coat in the hallway was enough! (The appartment itself is immaculate, renovated but with preserved charm, which people fall in love with).
I also mention the square meter of the place so there are no surprises.
Seriously I am not even trying but I literally just had to cancel a reservation from a lady from Florida who refused to give me a 2 hour window for her checkin - saying I should have mentioned I had complicated scheduling and in this case she prefers to find a more flexible host who wouldnât impose a checkin time. She said sheâs seeing some family that day and the most she can say is that sheâll come around afternoon or evening (but we all have commitments and I canât allocate a whole afternoon and evening to wait for her).
Sorry now I really sound like am ranting but I just donât get it⌠And I definitely know there are many many wonderful Americans and I am friends with many but it seems I am attracting the not-so-nice ones. :- (
I was one of those people raised in the Western US with a suburban ethos and lots of room and I know how to be a good guest. Please donât use that as a filter. I think you were wise to cancel this womanâs reservation. With more experience you will learn what questions you can ask to find the right fit for your place.
May be there is a difference between urbans and suburbia but in general Americans are very secluded from the rest of the world. My daughter was the most travelled kid in her grade. By the time she graduated high school she visited 30 countries. Traveling and see how other people live was part of her growing up and developing as a person. She saw most planet live on very little and have very little comparing to US. Most planet does not have all the comfort and luxuries she had. And the world is not that " pretty" outside her fancy house and private school.
And of course she fussed. I remember we went to Ukraine where she was born for the first time and the first thing she asked me when we stepped outside airport is how long we have to be here and was terrified to hear â10 daysâ.
Sometimes Americans remind me her when she was a fussy teen. When they travel they want to like everything and be super comfortable. This is where all the disappointment and fussiness come from.
When they travel everything needs to be " amazing", and super beautiful. And when itâs not this is when itâs time to complain .
So, meters mean nothing to a woman from Florida. Use a calculator and calculate the square feet. However, that might not even be enough. Use the warm words like cozy and intimate. Your listing is your way to tell a story. A story of the âafter navigating the narrow streets of Montmartre, going pass the open air butcher, and the lovely used book store, into our building with peeling paint, going up the stairs smelling what each family is having for dinner, and then into your clean, bright, and totally modern apartment with sunlight to enjoy an evening glass of wine.â
I find that the difficulties that I have with domestic travelers (Iâm in the US) is that they are so used to a hotel stay so an Airbnb experience is always compared to the Holiday Inn Express experience. Outside of NYC, LA, Chicago and some other major US cities, itâs totally affordable to stay in a decent hotel for about $100 a night. So if the majority of travelers have that as their âidealâ it will take a bit of a shift to go to a more modest (or just different), possibly shared, environment. Europeans have used home sharing/home stay type of accommodations for years, so itâs more ingrained in their travel pysche. They expect to find a cool, creaky old house with drafty windows in a small town in France - and they are prepared for that. The American traveler may want that cool new experience, but if all they know are white sheets, an MDF board desk and a generic lamp in each room - they might need a few stabs at a different type of place before they can appreciate it.
I do a lot of cultural profiling. I know what my Chinese guests will buy, whether theyâll prepare their meals or eat out, and the condition they will leave my apartment. I also know pretty well how my Swiss guests will be, and what small thing will make an Argentinian happy.
Superhostsync
If you have fully sussed Chinese expectations and communications Iâd love to know. I get ok reviews but it always feels like theyâd prefer a hotel or apartment to themselves rather than sharing a house with a host. And I usually feel âboundaries have been taken literally and pushed to the limitâ although everyoneâs very nice.
Rant away. Itâs good to get it out! Iâm in UK. - specifically say thatâs itâs an old house and suits a more laid back traveller. And my photos are not the best. But I think I have different guests to you - many people relocating for work or education rather than holidays. The Anericans Iâve had were liberal academics.
I am American. This is typical American attitude of the âcustomer is always rightâ - and sometimes they feel the need to tell every single silly detail in a review. Like you checking in multiple times, and not once did they ask about a bottle opener - I am sure you would have been happy to get one or at least reimburse the cost if they left it behind for other guests. But they choose to sit in there in silence and not say a wordâŚwait to mention it in a review.
I think that some Americans cannot grasp the idea that other guests just checked out that morning, and if something was stolen or broken, then the owner may not even be aware. They donât understand that it is just part of the experience of renting an apartment versus a single hotel room.
With your Americans who complained the space is not big enough for 3, even though you only advertise for 2. You have to say upfront âYou know I only provide dishes, blankets, seating for 2 people to be comfortable. Are you sure you want to book for 3 people? If you are okay with that then let me know.â - You have to plant the seed in their head that THEY are the ones making the space uncomfortable, and it was their choice. That will hopefully keep it out of a review. Itâs like those people who will book a place that can sleep 10, but clearly there is a picture of the dining table that only seats six. Then in a review they will say that they were disappointed that the entire family could not all sit at the same table to eat. SighâŚ
@cabinhost u know the amazing thing is i did! I actually initially refused the 3 people, saying the space was really made for two, there is no place to sleep, and towels and linens are for 2 people only - they wouldnt be comfortable. They said, âitâs cool, we have a sleeping bag!â So i said ok and didnât charge extra because i figured theyâre not using extra towels or anything. and i always find replying to reviews somehow comes out defensive - thankfully these comments are usually drowned in with the other positive comments so itâs ok. But of course, on a personal level, it does upset me because I just think, ok there is a rift here and I don^t seem to get themâŚ
@Ridanne yes I think we have different people - iâm located in a very touristy zone, but a great part of it that has retained authenticity - all my other guests have been wonderful - young adventurous couples (one biked all the way from denmark), another was a couple of divers from australia, a Brazilian artistâŚSo I donât know why am not attracting the cool americans! I know theyâre out there ;- )
Always charge for extra people. Every extra person uses more utilities, increases the chance of something breaking, an additional person to lose the key, spill their wine on the upholstery, make noise that irritates the neighbor and so on. At least then you have a few extra Euros with which to soothe your irritation at the unappreciative review.
I just wonât accept 3 people after this at all - actually because really the space isnât fit for 3, and we have nice objects around weâd rather not see broken because of an extra person. and i honestly think they find slightly bigger a tiny bit more expensiveâŚour place is really a romantic nest.
It is true that many Americans have not embraced the concept of âWhen in Rome; do as the Romansâ, but from reading this board Iâve surmised that itâs not limited to Americans. There are several reasons for this. One is that we donât travel much. Americans get much less vacation time than much of the rest of the world. We are one of few developed countries that donât have any legally mandated vacation time. As we have to pay and pay big for health care; that cuts in to the travel budget. Also, we are not taught much about different cultures and Americans who donât live in coastal cities donât interact much with people from other cultures.
I used to have an friend who upon returning from Italy told me that she had to repeatedly instruct them to put more sauce on their pasta. I was rendered speechless at the moxie of someone who would instruct Italians in how to cook pasta.
All that said; my husband and I did have a scary experience in Montmarte. Some young men came up to us and made bracelets from string on our wrists without asking us if we wanted them. They then got very close to us and asked for money for the bracelets. We gave them some money as we were scared not to.
Thats why the whole world likes to travel to US because of comfort and service. I am from Eastern Europe but live in US many years and of course host Americans all the time. My home is equipped with all possible comfort ever, TV in each room, private baths, AC, best neighborhood and so on. I had few reviews that i just laughed on. One guy listed over 10 items that needed to be improved including fan in a a bathroom. One woman wrote this: the worst stay ever. Its because we have a small step from dining room to the living room and she did not notice and almost fell, and that the could not see well in a bedroom.