Would you respond? What would you say? (Review)

Can you list them? And do they handle private rooms or only whole homes?

Both and you will have to do your own research about how they list and what they offer…

I’m on glamping hub, wimdu, home escape and Trip advisor, formerly known as flip key. I’m not on VRBO so I cannot speak to that site.

Well, the other point of view is that hosts should provide whatever their guests need for a comfortable stay. In the case of dishcloths, how do you expect them to do the dishes? The more you can supply so that guests will leave the place in great shape, the better.

And how much do dishcloths cost? Pennies. I would take the comment as constructive criticism. And do you really know that the no dishcloth thing was the reason she gave you four stars?

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Do they mean the tea towel size or the dishrag size? Either one should not be a big deal… I get sponges and dishrag from the dollar section of my local Kmart and they are reusable.

I just had a guest complain slightly that it would be nice if I provided paper towels. Well I don’t. It’s in my guest notes that I don’t, and invite them to buy their own if they need them. I think they are wasteful and expensive and I don’t even use them in my main residence.

I also remind guests my apartment is intended to be self catering and that food and provisions are not provided.

The guest got my lowest rate and left me a laundry list of things “only meant to improve an already awesome place,” or so she said… Luckily she was not an Air guest. Had she been I bet I would have received less than five stars from this high maintenance guest.

I provide a full on dish rack, the dishwasher has a “dry” function. Dish
cloths harbor bacteria because people keep using it to wipe up gunk in the
kitchen and because of that, we cannot launder it. I’m a big
environmentalist and do not believe in wasting and extra load of laundry
for a few dish cloths. And although it is cheap, when I did provide it
before, people have “thrown” them away or made it disgusting and stained
enough that we never can use it. I found we always had to throw away 50% of
the dish cloth we provided. Instead, I provided a dish rack and also a
dishwasher with a drying function which not only is it more sanitary, it’s
less waste. I provide everything from toiletry to towel to true high speed
internet, tv, local cable, phone, you name it, I have it. It was seriously
for “dish cloth” that I lost a star. I’m just saying… ONE guest out of
every 40-50 or so will give you reason to hate doing this for a while
because of the personalities you meet. Now I mostly get these types of
customers from Airbnb. I also get the type of people who lie about their
stay and instead bring more people, create a racket. This is all because
Airbnb won’t let us screen our potential tenants with a phone call or let
us even have a proper email or phone number. How do we get this point
across? It’s actually quite dangerous because they don’t even share with
you other information so what if let’s say a fire sweeps through the city
and burns your house down? You won’t even know their real full address or
the guests names that are with them. Try explaining that to the fire
department…

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So am I which is why our rental does not have a dishwasher. I know that the manufacturers bang on about how they are ‘energy-friendy’ but they are not. It takes me under ten minutes to wash dishes by hand with only the minimal use of water.

The dishcloth goes into the laundry with everything else - you don’t have to spend extra.

I wonder why? Other hosts don’t have this problem. In several of your recent posts, you’ve made it clear that you don’t like Airbnb. So why are you using them?

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To this Brit, dishcloths are about 9 x 9 inches. We supply two and it’s easy to sling them into the washing machine along with the rest of the laundry.

I also like my dish towels for drying/polishing off the dishes and glassware. Supplying a few things guests want, because it’s them staying there, not the host, seems reasonable to me.

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Yes, we have a lot of competition in the hospitality industry. I suspect that the only hosts who nickel-and-dime their guests are the ones who are providing excessively budget listings. If we add an amenity to our rental then we raise the price slightly. There are always markets for every price point.

I’m wondering how you expect guests to clean the kitchen surface without a dish cloth? Or am I missing something?

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Personally, I use sponges to wipe the kitchen counters. I use dish cloths to dry my hands and my carbon steel knives.

I actually travel with 5 dishcloths. I consider them to be an essential item in my kitchen.

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I provide paper towels and multi surface spray. One of the things you have
to keep in mind is if your guest gets sick because you didn’t wash the dish
cloth properly, you’re liable for it! Dish cloths are a big harbor for
bacteria. All of it needs to be heavily bleached and washed in sanitizing
hot water. We do bleach and wash our sheets in hot water as well and use a
professional cleaning company. Even they do not suggest washing it together
due to the oil that accumulates on the towel. It’s more sanitary and safe
to wash apart from everything else. It’s one thing washing for home use and
another washing for commercial use shared guest after guest?

My point is not about a dish cloth by the way. This could very well be
about shampoo or conditioner or even body lotion, lol. My point is… not
everyone lives a certain way. We are not hotels and should not be perceived
to be or else we should charge hotel prices. I had a guest who wanted me to
deliver them “slippers” at 12 am one time. I also had another guest say the
ladle I had to cook soup is too big and if I could get a Japanese type, it
would be more convenient? Lol…

Well, I took the advice offered and blocked that time frame off.
The thing is…I did all this (easily goog-able) research for them, giving them driving times to get to places they wanted to see etc, and his initial email with his booking request actually said:
quote:
"We will be coming for the first time in that area. Right now we want to visit Mount Adirondack mountain and lake George. We also want to explore the places near by local food and attractions. We are coming from west Hartford, Ct and will be heading to mount Washington. Would love to have your recommendations around this plan.

Thanks and looking forward to meet you."

So, I did write back to him after 10 mins of research and crafting an email that included names of mountains, hikes, restaurants, shopping, and advising that my recommendation was that he make up his mind, either Adirondacks, or Mt Washington, as I didn’t think, due to distance, that both places could be explored fully within their stated time frame.
To be honest, I really don’t mind providing potential guests with names of mountains and hikes, and lakes and ponds and restaurants and shopping in my area before accepting their booking or during their inquiry, I consider it part of the job, to help them make up their mind and to ensure that my guests know exactly what they are getting access to, as they can easily use a search engine to look up what I recommend.
But the thing is, he did not respond to my response email at all. Yet, as the clock was ticking down for me to accept or decline, I finally declined.
Well, suddenly, he got the impetus to respond! 6 times in fact! Yes, 6 emails!!! Stating they decided on just the Adirondacks, they just know they would the love the area, very eager to stay at my ABB, they would be perfect guests, etc.
Just a big ole red flag waving!!

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“In your dreams, d - head!!!” Jeez what a jerk. He gives us hosts a bad name. I’m about to use my $100 host voucher and I’m feeling a little timid about it.

That doesn’t sound like something a “big environmentalist” would provide. But maybe there is some great logic to it and I am wrong.

Oh, that liability thing :rolling_eyes:…

I understand. You’re totally right ! :+1:

What a scream. Do you have a special carrying case for them? Monogrammed?

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@J_Wang. Actually, no. My dishcloths are not monogrammed. I travel, and you will think that this is funny, with a full kitchen kit. 4 knives, a cutting board, fish spatula, mixing spoon, whisk, citrus reamer, knife sharpener, and occasionally a sheet pan. (sometimes there might be more or less.)

Rentals are notorious for saying “gourmet” or “well-equipped” and are anything but! Finding a kitchen store in a strange city, often in a foreign language can help me discover areas of a place I wouldn’t see otherwise, but at the cost of time. And then you come home with yet another citrus reamer!

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Not at all! I totally understand your concern. On my road trips I take along a very funny collection of utensils: a big ceramic bowl, knife, soup spoon, fork, and various condiments in spices. I eat on the go and usually out of the back of my car. I stop at local markets or food co-ops and then do a Jamie Oliver al fresco cowboy meal. All raw though.

I can’t eat the awful food they advertise as “free breakfast” at the motels. Ghastly cheap stuff. I can usually find a microwave to do some oatmeal, my oatmeal, and toss a pack of trail mix into it and maybe some plain yoghurt.

Couldn’t you just pre-approve them instead of declining? Just curious.