99% occupancy for 4 months with two rooms and feeling burned out

21

Maggy, we have so many threads here and discussions about kitchen rules, you are in a the right place:)
I think every single host started with allowing use of kitchen. And then 98% changed that rule to no kitchen at all or very light use.
I allow kitchen use but very limited. I do not allow non vegeterian cooking, or anything that takes more than 20 minutes to prepare. But i started doing it only after i decided to do longer terms guest

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22

Hi @Maggy!

You’re not washing their sheets every day, are you? You only need to change them when the check-out, or, every 5-7 days if they are long-term.

Does anyone on this forum wash the sheets every day?

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Chloe - I’m really surprised you thought it appropriate to act as the ‘grammar police’ on somebody’s post. We are a forum of hosts from around the world and many may not have English as a first language.

I write for a living, but would never dream of telling others how to construct sentences, or telling them off for their punctuation or spelling.

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24

I use dcmooney`s method too. I let people fill in then about two weeks in advance I review free days and block remaining free days off for myself. I have a working schedule that I tend to know the days weeks ahead that I will completely be tied up and block those off as well, even though I know it probably restricts my availability.
I am using the smart pricing myself. You set a minimum and then you set how often you want to book. A couple weeks before July 4th weekend that was still open I got an email from Airbnb to try a price that was 160% of my minimum, so I tried it and got that the day weekend booked in a week’s time.
I jokingly tell guests I let my cat do the heavy lifting for the social interaction. She and I greet them (usually she trots right out to their car when they pull up). I show them their room, bathroom and kitchen and then leave them to themselves. If they want to chat a little that’s fine, put I don’t put myself out. Someone on the forum suggested offering a glass of water or coffee/tea and I started doing that, which is a great idea to welcome and very quick. But I don’t feel the need to “entertain” @ the price I charge and if you continue at your price you shouldn’t either, nor restrict your normal activities. As to a guest’s noise if they are under 30, I slam their bedroom door to show them how NOT to close the door, lol.
Finally, even if just a one night, I ask them later in the evening, usually via Airbnb message, if all is good or if they need anything.

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25

Sorry Helsi, you are off base. We hosts help each other with all things including punctuation! I welcome all help in the four languages I speak avec anglais aussi which is my native language. Who cares if you write just don’t criticize lol! You go @Chloe

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26

I thought Chloe was very helpful in her response to Ty and only mentioned the punctuation as an aside because it was problematic in reading.

It was obvious that English is not a secondary language for Ty because he is totally comfortable with the use of contractions, expressing thoughts in sequence, etc. He was just showing a lazy way of communicating by eliminating punctuation.

It is a common and acceptable practice for communicating with friends and family but if he is trying to get a message across and requesting assistance from fellow hosts, he needs to show some respect and consideration for the intended recipients who are struggling to read his post.

I don’t think Chloe was in error of informing him. It obviously had no affect on him anyway, so no harm, no foul.

I don’t correct posters as a rule but if prompted


The other day a guy posted a screenful of solid text, no breaks at all. It was extremely difficult to read and aggravating as well. My eyes would skip down a couple of lines or stay on the same line to be read several times over. It made me dizzy and I finally gave up
but not before sending the guy a one liner which said: Paragraphs are your friend.

I slept better for it.

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27

Hi @Karen,

Is your cat a social cat? Not all cats are social. And do you showcase her in your listing?

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28

Helsi, the rest of her post was very kind and helpful.

And like others have pointed out also, true, if trying to make a point or ask a question with a long uninterrupted treatise, with zero capitalization or stoppages or in paragraphs, it is indeed a bear to read (and thus people to help).

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29

Perhaps a cultural issue then? In the UK it’s considered poor internet etiquette to point out grammar/spelling errors on a forum.

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30

@Helsi
Yes, I do think it’s both cultural and also a function of forums like this but if you think about it you did exactly what you said not to do! We are all human and learn the rules along the way, I know you meant well so I give you a big ny American Italian Irish French Spanish hug, ok so I’m a mutt!

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31

I hear ya! And I’m chuckling thinking back on the summers I worked at resort areas (Catalina Island) and various California state parks. What you are feeling are the “August Uglies”, even though it’s not yet August, but that’s when it gets the worst. You get short-tempered and just plain burnt out. And the only thing keeping you going is reminding yourself that September will be just around the corner and all those a-hole “tourons” will head home! :))))

Just make sure to set aside some you time to take a walk, swim, whatever. And also make sure you’re getting enough sleep. You’ll make it!

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32

I saw the paragraphs comment and laughed. I’m a senior-level professional writer with 30 plus years of experience and sometimes my posts here are littered with typos and things so I beg for forgiveness. But I don’t feel bad enough to go back and fix everything. Sometimes my iPad has a mind of its own as we’ll. WELL! That should be WELL. Dang autocorrect. :sunglasses:

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33

No Helsi you are right i think it is rude especially as Chloe accused me of not using full stops and capital letters to construct proper sentences which in fact i did and i dont see how reading my post is harder than lots of other posts.

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34

L’esprit est perdu! DĂ©solĂ©e

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35

Oh-oh, Houston we have a problem.

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36

I agree with you Helsi. There are plenty of posters on this board who are so unfamiliar with English grammar, word usage and punctuation that it is difficult to understand what they are trying to say. I don’t know why Chloe chose to call you out. My view is that if it’s not easy to read a post I skip to the next one.

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37

@Ty_Dun, please let me take this opportunity to apologize. I must have been in need of coffee and therefore a little cranky when I made my reply.

@Helsi, I blame it all on my mother. She was a stickler for proper use of grammar and punctuation. Clearly, it’s rubbed off on me. Regardless, I’d probably do well to keep my pet peeves to myself. @Ty_Dun could have been writing in that particular manner as a means to underscore his/her frustration with hosting, similar to the use of all caps to “shout” in online communication. Indeed, it’s not my place to correct.

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38

Hi, no, I was sheets after every guest but lately a lot of my bookings are 1-2 night stays which suits me as most of those guests are out all day and I just see them on check in and check out but is still a pain to wash and iron sheets. Feel like that’s all I do some days

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39

Do you iron the entire sheet? Yes, it is time consuming. Here’s what I do -

I use a long extension cord with my iron

I put the fitted sheet on the bed and iron our the ‘big chunks’. I give it a sweep with the lint brush.

I iron the top 1/3 of the top sheet using an ironing board, I think put the sheet on the bed and give it a once over with a lint brush, iron out the big wrinkles but only briefly.

I iron the pillow cases nicely.

Try to not spend to much time on it. I think as long as the top of the top sheet looks nice, and the pillowcases, it’s good. Unless you are at a very high price point, then, I would hire someone to do it.

I wish I’d never started with the ironing. I surely don’t iron our sheets!!! Many people don’t.

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40

Yes, I have a photo of her up close and personal in the listing. She is very social. I have instant book and if they instant book and tell me they have allergies or they ask can I keep the cat away from them, I answer them immediately that if they had a problem with the cat they should have inquired first. And I ask them to cancel. Usually they are first time users and I tell them they can ASK Airbnb for a reprieve from the service fees. Often they will just tell me they will bring their allergy medicine ~ after all there is a door on the room and they CAN shut the door, too. Many guests leave warm reviews about Miss Sophie lol and they steal off with her to their room. And if a guest is NOT so warm about cats (which is fine), sometimes Sophie seems to work extra hard, i.e. “you WILL like me!!”

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