A host who travels lists their Airbnb hates - now modified to be called "My Pet Peeves"

@Yana. Your nine year experience and the changes you have seen changes my perspective. Maybe it’s more the case that Air got to big to maintain a quality product? Again, sorry for your recent experiences, those stays sound like hell

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It was not he’ll but my stupid decision. I should have look for hotel firsr

I agree with most of these. If i greet people who stay here I try to keep it really quick. If they seem to want to visit, great. Otherwise i just let them in and run.
Another thing i like as a guest is maps of the area that i can keep. So whenever i see free maps of my town at tourist info centers i grab a couple of them for the room.
I also leave a couple local beers in the fridge.
The lack of instructions / manuals is a big issue for today’s modern appliances.
cliff

There’s nothing nicer than finding some alcohol in the fridge. I leave all my guests a bottle of prosecco (they do pay a lot), it is really appreciated. Plus I read on here once that it is really hard for someone to leave a bad review if you give them alcohol!

I have had hosts leave maps and I used to use them, but they aren’t for me, I prefer to download google maps and save them for offline use on my phone.

Although I do leave my guests lots of take away menus and general info from the tourist office, pretty much anything that I think they might need. Just yesterday someone was handing out $10 discounts for Menulog, I asked if I could take a stack to put in my Airbnbs.

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I am a home share host and this is about the tour part. For me the tour is essential so that while I explain the hot water etc I am on high alert screening the guest for all kinds of problems like arrogance, entitlement, aggression, sexual interest in me, danger of any kind, hygiene levels. If they pay attention to the tour and also ask some questions I know they will be great guests who care about me and the shared space and not just themselves. The ones who don’t listen have then alerted me to brace myself for trouble ahead, it never fails.

What I do find really annoying is that I have to include basic ‘teenage parenting’ in the tour like: “Please be quiet at night, please turn off the light when you go out, please don’t leave a mess in the bathroom (and I go through each specific item guests mess up, like poop stains, flushing properly, lots of hairs i bathtub, water everywhere, hanging up the bathmat neatly.” It’s just incredible that these things have to be mentioned, but if I don’t then all these things happen, every time, guaranteed. They even happen a lot despite my pleading. The tour could be cut down to a third if I could leave out the ‘parenting’. And yes, I have all instructions for absolutely everything printed out but people don’t read. I can’t win, and I’m pretty fed up after yet another guest splashing hair dye all over the place, poop stains, banging doors at 4am, etc etc.

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Do most of your guests have prior reviews or do they tend to be apparent first time guests?

I have a strict instant book setting that they must have previous recommendations, but most people rent an entire place, so hosts haven’t always lived with the guest. I often wonder if it’s me somehow, that guests don’t feel obliged to respect me or my place. I think most people can behave respectfully when they know they have to.

I never really know what to do about problems during their stay. Do I mention all the annoyances and risk sounding like a parent again and maybe get a bad review as revenge for being ‘unwelcoming’? Or do I just suffer in silence and then slam them with lower star ratings for hygiene and house rules?

It seems to me that if more hosts would leave honest reviews it would help. People always post here about not mentioning problems in reviews. Ruined towels, a mess on the floor…these are just star deductions. And everyone worries about the retaliatory review or is the picky review going to make them look bad. But if the reviews said “this guest made unwelcome remarks about my looks,” or “this guest left a mess and blue dye on my linens,” maybe we could sort through some of the folks who should be at a hotel, not in someone’s home. The idea that we should be held hostage in our own homes by a review process is infuriating.

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I have hair dye banned in my house rules after my grout got turned pink!

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Wow! I have just read this extra long discussion not sure how I missed it earlier.

Thanks Poppy for sharing your pet peeves, it gives insight to how guests can view hosts/accommodation and how their peeves are based on their expectations, personal likes and dislikes and life experience.

I can agree with some of your peeves as they irritate me too, however you wouldn’t stay at my apartment Poppy despite the fact we have a 100% 5 star rating, fantastic location to all amenities our city offers, amazing views from our balcony and at a reasonable price.
Because:
We don’t Instant book - tried but guests don’t read listings and had to decline too many
We don’t offer self check in due to building regulations so you would have to meet my husband.
We only leave TimTams which guests love
We have basic cooking items but never butter only margarine
We leave the seat of the toilet up as I hate to lift one up when entering a bathroom
We use shower wash as we consider the part used bars of soap are a waste and I care for the environment.
There is no space to put a wash bag but plenty of shelf space for individual items.
No flyspray due to allergies.

But that is ok, as Airbnb caters for all types of people and the guests that chose our place and we have accepted have all been a great fit (only one exception in 2 years).

Thank you for being upfront and honest.
We are about to go overseas for a month and mainly using Airbnb so it will be interesting to see how we compare the places we stay at with our expectations.

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Flap always down when guests arrive, flap always up when I arrive to do the turnover!

You got to be kidding …right? Please say you are only kidding mentioning the avoidance of poo splatters …

(I go through each specific item guests mess up, like poop stains, flushing properly, lots of hairs i bathtub, water everywhere, hanging up the bathmat neatly.)

And here I am thinking I am living in the land of micro management, namely Costa Rica
and all I say about the bathroom …well, guest here is the bathroom.

Ok, in my rooms in San Jose I had also explain that the hot water is on the left, the cold on the right and start with the hot or it will never get hot …oh …on second thought I would also frecuently mention that TP should go in the bin.

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I share the bathroom with my guests and I don’t leave mess like this even when I live alone, it’s just gross. I find it irritating that I have to ask for and explain basic courtesy and cleanliness from my guests. Recently I’ve had two guests who somehow managed to get poo stains on the toilet seat/ring you sit on, eeek.

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You’re Australian

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Aren’t we all…?

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Ha, now wouldn’t that be a scary thought :grinning:

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@Magwitch - here’s a dispenser with labels:

Comes in white, chrome, and satin silver.

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or as she mentions, actually take into town to some unknown location!! sheesh

I have this one. A guest hit it with elbow and knocked it off the wall with out $30 worth of product, as well as breaking the container.
I ordered another, as it’s been a good one, and don’t keep it topped off any more, just in case.

I have that one as well. I screwed it on the wall though, after reading a bunch of reviews about them falling off the wall using just the adhesives.