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Recent guest gave me 4 stars for cleanliness and had this to say for it in their review: “It’s a home and lived in”
Really?? You’re paying $40 a night to stay in a shared house with a private room, not a hotel. I have had guests stay for weeks and give me 5 stars for cleanliness. You stayed for two nights (and were a creep, unrelated!) and you gave me 4 stars because the house was LIVED IN?
I clean it top to bottom before every guest arrival and touch up daily and have been so close to super host status for a while now. I wish there was some way to catch all these nitpicky guests ahead of time.
I’m sorry this happened to you. It’s demoralizing to try your best only to have the guest be unreasonable. Some guests seem to think Airbnbs should be just like hotels/motels except in the areas where not being like a hotel/motel is beneficial to them (lower price, use of kitchen, free parking, free WiFi, laundry, etc.). I hope your next guest is wonderful and makes you forget all about this jerk.
Thanks, Ellen. I’ve been very close to super host status each quarter, with 85% 5 star reviews (you need 90%). And usually those 4 star reviews I get fall to something like this. (One lady complained there was no breakfast, despite it not being listed as offered. One said I needed to provide hairdryers, despite it not being listed.) It’s so disheartening.
I’ve found that in general nitpicky guests don’t Instant Book, because they want to make sure that all their nits have been picked. Therefore, you can read their reviews of prior stays before you accept their request. To read their prior reviews; click on their profile, then click on the profile of the hosts who have reviewed them. Scroll down until you find their review of the host. It’s a bit time consuming, but worth it if you can weed out someone with unrealistic expectations.
Not an IB. They did have 3-4 good reviews. They were in town for contract work at a local conservatory. I’ve had generally great luck with people in town for work.
I thought you need 80%.
You said it yourself, he was a creep. WHat can you expect:)
I had people telling me what i should provide like water bottles, breakfast and other little things. I am not going to let them make me feel bad or cheap because i dont provide breakfast which is not in my amenities. When i hear it my answer is: there are plenty of listings with breakfast included, but not mine. On suggestions of water bottles, i say: I think its a terrible waste of plastic to use water bottles when i have a fridge right there with filtered water for your use.
With that said, i am listening for feedbacks and if several people mentioned the same thing i try to get it for the room, if its not strain on me financially. I ,myself never use hairdryer, but i bought 2 for each room as many people mentioned it. I also put iron in each room.
I had a similar thing happen when I first started hosting. A Welsh couple arrived 4 hours late to my house and my husband had just come in from work and showered a few minutes before they arrived. In their review they praised me and my home but added that the bathroom was used on arrival and was not convenient for them. They didn’t like the condensation on the bathroom mirror and window. Had they have arrived on time they would have been greeted by a “dry” bathroom! They gave me 3 stars for cleanliness because of that. We can’t make everyone happy, even the most elite hotels get complaints about something!
Actually, in my experience, when I am shopping prices in my area and add the filter ‘breakfast’ almost all listings disappear. So, I think the majority of listings do not provide it. Just a thought.
@labonnita - how frustrating! I’m sure this will happen to me some day. We are a busy family with 3 teens. Sometimes we come and go and everything gets dumped. I do work hard to keep it neat, but it can’t always be done. Right now, near my dining room, I have boxes of home school curriculum I have listed on ebay to sell. I just don’t have anywhere else to put it.
O well, then there is even more reason to not complain, as obviously most hosts dont like providing breakfast.
I know there are people out there who book hotels and AIrbnb based on breakfast. I could never understand why. What is so important about breakfast that it determines where to stay. Especially if its not hotel but someone’s house. What if i dont like the choices? And wont eat it anyway?
I’m guilty of this, for me I’m lazy first thing in the morning. I also hate deciding what to eat so if you offer breakfast even if I don’t like what’s offered I’m more likely to book. And it’s one meal I don’t have to pay for. ( I know I’m paying for it but I don’t pay for it while I’m away is what I mean.) Also I don’t have to skulk around a strange city looking for breakfast I may not like anyway.
I like a breakfast served, since I’ve got three kids to feed - it’s more convenient. But I wouldn’t not stay in a hotel that didn’t serve breakfast, I’d just bring our own stuff.
We have gotten the dreaded ‘lived In’ complaint as well. So, I simple put in our listing this is our main residence, and we LIVE here. You will see photos, and some clothes in closets, but don’t worry we have ample Closet space for you as well. We haven’t had any issues since I put that in our listing…I’m now jixing myself!
