I spend some days in Mumbai, then on to Goa, Bangalore, Mangalore, then south to Kerala and then to the most interesting spot in Kanyakumari (sp?) at the Cape. It was a great adventure and I did it like I usually do when I travel: just a small bag, no group. Looking back it was pretty crazy. I took taxis and local buses, train too. The buses!!! omg :o Crazier than in Mexico.
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That seems to be pretty typical of what most of my foreign guests do. They usually start in Bombay, then make a beeline for one of Goa, Bangalore, or Kerala. They must all be following the same “Things to do when in India” guide book, but I don’t know what it is.
Ethan is a clueless 20 year old. I cannot believe he had the audacity to tell you in private feedback that the guide has too much information. This is what I meant by my ealier comment of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”
He says you should highlight important stuff so people bother to read it. Yet the important part about the gate is in capital letters on the front page! - Sent once in email, and again handed to him in person.
I think some people just need to stick to staying in hostels…Airbnb is just too complex for them…sigh.
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Hi @cabinhost,
To be fair, it wasn’t in CAPITAL LETTERS in the version he received. But it is now. 
I’ve also now placed the exact same text in two places in the (really not very long at all) guest guide. The version he saw had it only in one place, but that one place was on the front page. I’m wondering if I should perhaps print it in fluorescent orange as well.
And about the length, seriously, it’s just a few pages. These people are supposed to be university students. Ethan said he’s doing cancer biology (I think) - don’t you have to read books for that?
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All too common. He wants the Cliff notes for the airbnb guest guide!
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OK…so maybe it wasn’t in all caps for his version. He still should have skimmed the material unless the entire guide only appeared to be restaurant and shopping recommendations. And I’m certain you didn’t have the gate information mingled in between where to eat for lunch, and where to eat for dinner.
Is your wifi password in the guest guide? Mine is in my “house notes” material. If I had the wifi info separate, then half my guests would probably not even read the important house notes material.
Lol.
I think Cliff notes would have been too burdensome for this guy. Maybe a few flash cards would get his attention? - ha!
The first page is my address, followed by directions to get to my place, followed immediately by the comment about the gate being closed between midnight and 5 am. Followed by contact information (that’s on page 2). Possible to miss, granted, though not by an attentive reader. And I don’t have any recommendations for eating places in there.
Yes, the wifi information is in the guest guide.Though most of the time they still ask me for it, of course.
Or if he could just see a video instead of reading anything.
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It is my husband’s cell phone we use for Airbnb. No, he doesn’t put it on silent when we are asleep. He wakes up to take care of Airbnb messages. You said that you get too many other calls. I’ve heard that you can program your phone numbers to that certain callers will bypass silent mode and ring audibly.
Although your guest is entirely in the wrong for not reading the guest book; for guests who will be entering the house while we are asleep we physically demonstrate how to enter the house. It never ceases to amaze us how differently basic features of a house work in different cultures.
I would just provide a breezy, “thank you for your review and feedback, I’m so glad you enjoyed your stay!”
Otherwise, I would go with Cabinhos’ suggestion.
Yikes. I would not enjoy that.
It’s possible to enter individual numbers into a whitelist, yes. But that’s quite a burden for guests who will be staying for 1-4 days. Also, most of them don’t even have Indian phones.
The entry hall area is nowhere near where we sleep. It’s basically a public area. It’s not an issue if people walk through there at any time of the day or night. And most of the time it’s deserted, anyway.
I think you misunderstood two of my points. I was saying that you can whitelist Airbnb on your cell phone if you choose.
For guests who are entering the house when we are asleep; before they leave we unlock and open the front door with them watching so we are sure that they know which lock, which way to turn the key, etc. If you wish, you could walk your guests to the front gate, close it and knock on it or ring the bell so that guests have a visual understanding of how to gain access between midnight and 5:00 A.M.
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Hi @EllenN,
Oh. You mean whitelist the Airbnb app? Or something else? If not, does Airbnb have a specific number I can whitelist? And, the really important question - do I really want to be woken up by a review request at 5 am?
Yes, I already do the front door thing. Though actually I have them open the front door themselves. While I’m not found Airbnb (thus far) particularly remunerative, it is provided the opportunity for a fascinating study of human nature. Never have I seen so many people get simple things wrong,
And yes, I plan to do the front gate thing as well. Though again, I’ll have them do it.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Yes, I mean whitelist the Airbnb app. It sounds like you prefer not to be waken so it’s a moot point, but from what I hear you cannot only accept specific types of communication from Airbnb. We rarely are reminded to leave a review in the middle of the night because we almost without exception write the review on the day the client leaves before we go to bed.
Yes, it is a source of amusement how guests cannot figure out how things work when they are different from the guests’ culture.
I’m going to go against the general opinion that your guest was an idiot. I actually think he has been thoughtful in his private feedback, plus he gave you a very nice review. We all know that guests often don’t read everything. Ethan makes a valid point when he suggests that the most important instructions are more clearly highlighted. Additionally, if your first language is not English (I’m assuming that your rules and house manual are in English, faheem), it is increasingly likely that you will not read or even understand a lengthy document. To be locked out of your accommodation late at night when you’re in a new country is not a nice experience! OK, you can say it’s his fault that he didn’t read the instructions carefully enough but people can forget things and presumably he didn’t take a copy of everything with him on his night out. So yes, it is a good idea to re-iterate the procedure for coming home late when you do the house tour.
I remember looking at your listing, faheem, and I think I understand what he meant by a magical treehouse. It’s definitely a compliment!
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The problem with highlighting the “most important” points in the house guide is that different people have different ideas of what is important. If certain sections are highlighted; many people view those sections as the only ones they need to read. Therefore, another guest could have another issue and complain that the instructions for his/her issue weren’t highlighted. The host then highlights that section. Eventually the whole house guide is highlighted. Also, according to Faheem the gate instructions were sent to the guest by email in addition to being in the house guide. To my view this is a way of highlighting.
Hi @EllenN,
No, I sent the entire guest guide by email to him. A couple of times, actually. Once when he initially booked (back in May) and then just before he arrived, as mentioned in my initial draft response at the beginning of the thread. I think the original version may not have had the gate instructions in it. I added it when another young American guest back in early June reported difficulty getting in - at 5 am. However, he found a different solution from Ethan; he climbed over the compound wall to get in. I didn’t think that was possible, and I wonder how often that has happened since that wall was built.
When I politely suggested to him that this was a very bad idea, and dangerous, he said, “I was drunk. I’m always very careful when I’m drunk.” LOL.
Anyway, that little episode didn’t make its way into his review.
Airbnb hosting is certainly an education.
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Hi @Magwitch,
I don’t think he’s an idiot, but I also wasn’t too thrilled at getting 3 stars for communication for something that wasn’t my fault.
Yes, of course.
Agreed.
This is true but it was after 1 am if I remember correctly? If ever I’ve been staying somewhere and have known that I was going to be back after about 10.30, I’d check that access was OK at that time.
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