I’ve noticed there are 2 types of guests that book through AirBnB: those who want to be sociable with hosts and those that don’t. I make it a point to give guests their space but sometimes they want to chat or have a drink and socialize also, which is fine too. What have you guys noticed? What works best for your listing and your guests?
Mine are all entire homes. Happy to chat when they arrive at the meet and greet… nothing after that.
2 Likes
Mine are separate place too but I don’t find there are two types of guests when it comes to being sociable - there are dozens. 
2 Likes
We home-share with guests. Probably 90% of our guests are somewhat or very sociable. We’ve had just a handful who don’t want to interact at all. We shared meals with several very fun guests.
We follow the guest’s lead.
2 Likes
I home-share and most of my guests book a home-share because they want interaction with a local, so they are sociable.
Some have a lot of things planned and I barely see them. Only one guy seemed socially uncomfortable and stayed in his room when he was home. He ate out and only used to kitchen to keep a couple beers in the fridge or fill his water bottle.
And one guest told me when she arrived not to take it personally that she wasn’t going to be sociable- she worked at a retreat center and needed a break from relating to people all day. She was perfectly pleasant when we crossed paths, it wasn’t like we didn’t have some convos, but I never initiated them, taking my lead from her.
1 Like
I’ve done both home share and separate place. My airbnb started out as the guest room down the hall and using the bathroom across the hall. All the home was available for guest use including kitchen and laundry.
After 2.5 years I remodeled to make an ensuite with separate entrance. Between the two, it’s not surprising the guests seemed more sociable when it was home share. But I’ve had plenty of sociable guests in the separate space. Pre pandemic I’d say 70% of my guests were somewhat sociable. During the pandemic I only socialized with repeat guests. Sociable people would be drawn to the Airbnb model in the past, it’s unknown what it will be like going forward.
I vote for Airbnb guests are more sociable.
3 Likes
I think the less sociable are less likely to book home shares like mine. We occasionally get one, but guests for us are usually sociable. It sometimes depends on why they are here. People vacationing have different interests than someone here for something like a funeral.
2 Likes
I’d say it’s the same with hosts- socialisers and non.
I take my cue from the guest , though I generally let them be. I think the majority of my guests don’t want a lot of interaction.
I love it when guests are communicative with me. I try to be communicative with hosts when I’m a guest, I have noticed the hosts in the listings I’ve chosen to rent have been less social than myself, but perhaps they have been hosting longer than myself and are just tired of it. Either way is fine, but I prefer social.
1 Like
As a home-share host, I much prefer guests who are easily sociable and have quite a bit of interaction with most of them.
I think that hosts who have a more businesslike approach might think that means the guests are monopolizing the host’s time, wanting to be chatty and telling you their life story and pouring out their problems, and I know there are guests like that, but I’ve never had one.
I can tell when a guest is open to being social, because they will sit at the outdoor terrace dining table right outside the kitchen, to read, or be online. If they were averse to conversation, they would do those things in their room.
I generally do my thing all day and they do theirs, having short conversations when we cross paths, but often we’ll share a bottle of wine in the evening, or a meal, and have a long conversation and laughs.
2 Likes