I enjoyed your list and find there are quite a few useful tips …
I guess some hosts are just getting riled up because some lines rang a bell … like gotcha.
9 Likes
Thanks Poppy for a very interesting post, the only points I would not take on board for our listing is IB as I always want to ‘vet’ my guests as I have a whole house rental and, for a number of reasons, I also want to meet my guests and show them around - that works for us . Ignore the unpleasant comments, unfortunately all too common on this site.
4 Likes
I like that you call it my naughty list, that is cute.
Of course there were many, many wonderful hosts and Airbnbs but this post is specifically about the things I don’t like. A post about things I like would be a different post and my good list would be much, much longer!
6 Likes
Don’t worry about it. You started off on a mission and you were venting…as sooo many hosts on this forum do. You are not obliged to start back-peddling or apologizing for doing so. Everyone has their say here and not everyone agrees with the views of others – so what?! Everyone runs their Air rental as they see fit or are able. People who also travel utilizing Air rentals also have different experiences.
You happen to have a LOT of experience as a guest, far more than anyone on the forum that I know of, except possibly one.
Frankly, I don’t see a problem with you stating your own preferences as a guest of full (unshared) rentals because it is based on your experiences. I don’t understand why hosts are slamming you. It’s a chance for us to see the other or at least another, side of the coin. Whether we agree or relate to your list of “hates" list it, is your list.
At the very least, it is food for thought.
4 Likes
I’d love to see a list like this- might give everyone on the forum some good ideas for how they can potentially improve their listing !
3 Likes
Jeez, people, don’t we always talk about responding to a post in the spirit it was written? I like to think I’ve been here for a while but now I realize a few years is apparently not enough.
Sigh. Someone gave us an honest account of a lot of Airbnb stays and y’all lambast her. This is someone’s experience. Take what you want and leave the rest. If it works for you, great. If not, and something else works for you instead, well, kudos as well.
Again This is just someone’s experience. As is EVERY SINGLE GUEST’S.
I, for one, found it enlightening and encouraging.
14 Likes
Thank you so much! I feel so much better now, I was starting to worry it was just me! x
5 Likes
Thank you, I would love to see your home. I didn’t think the things I wrote were unreasonable, most of them are just small things that can easily be overlooked.
1 Like
Thank you.
I vet my instant book guests by insisting on ID and previous positive reviews. From my experience I think that once a guest gets a thumbs down they can’t instant book even if they have other positive reviews.
Hopefully some hosts that insist on the meet and greet will now realise the ideal way to do this is to say “here is the key, I’ll give you 10 minutes to settle in and I’ll come back and explain a few quirks to make sure you enjoy your stay”.
Cheers
5 Likes
I do have to say toilet photos were very useful in Cuba - I chose places where the toilets had seats, I’m not crazy about sitting on the ceramic bowl!
2 Likes
I have no idea how you experienced 3 homestays on the trot like that! The statistical chance must be one in a million!
Sorry I made it sound like they were in a row, they were just on the same trip.
Still I am shocked, wasn’t it apparent from the description or reviews that they were hovels?
We don’t have a fly problem in the UK. When travelling I have used screens/nets/curtains/sheets/citronella/skin creams etc. as available. I don’t like the idea of breathing in toxic chemicals from spray.
We are talking about South America, very different standards. I just don’t think we were a good fit.
I have lots of wonderful things to say about the Airbnbs I have stayed in but this post is about the things I don’t like.
It must have taken you a while to trawl through my nearly 500 reviews to find the sole review where the cleaner forgot to check the soap (she was mortified).
Did you also find the one where they complained that they couldn’t find the bottle opener and had to borrow one from my other unit next door? That’s one of my favourite reviews. They didn’t make mention that in a very short time there was another one left by their front door.
I know I’m not perfect and my post did not list all the dreadful Airbnbs I have stayed in, like spending $4000 for 2 weeks in New York and there wasn’t a blanket on the bed so I had to sleep in my clothes. Plus for the last 2 days there wasn’t a working toilet and the only thing the host did was tell me where the public toilets were.
I wasn’t hating on hosts but listing the general things that I don’t like.
4 Likes
Yes different standards. I remember an hotel in Tunisia I stayed in one Christmas (before the country’s tourism was plagued by terrorism, I hope I can go again soon) and I was super happy. It was clean, organised and friendly. They put a tabernacle of rare breed goat kids, chickens etc. on the front lawn as a nativity for the children. They made an enormous sugar nativity scene for the dining room, and Santa arrived on a camel. The food was fresh Tunisian barbecues, casseroles and mezes. They put up with the ornery over drinking British with grace, all in a Muslim country. Guess what, all the British could do was moan because it was slightly basic. It’s Africa! I would rather have their decency anyday.
4 Likes
I love Africa, I spent 3 months backpacking and Airbnbing, I started in South Africa and finished in Ethiopia, such gorgeous countries and people.
I learnt the most wonderful saying during my time in Africa; God gave white man the watch and black man the time.
How brilliant!
7 Likes
We are currently staying at an Airbnb in Maine and nowhere were we informed that the daily parking rate was on average $45 per night. There is in fact, no parking within 20 minutes walk that is a reasonable rate. I do not necessarily expect free parking but if it’s this much more per day you would at least expect to be told this.
So I totally feel your parking gripe.
I think milk is a bit too much to expect at an Airbnb, especially one that is meant to be a “lockbox and go” type. Milk spoils incredibly fast and is not worth restocking unless your guest absolutely needs it.
4 Likes
Yes I got caught with the parking as well and I now search the reviews to find what previous guests said, that is very expensive parking!
I don’t expect fresh milk, I leave a small carton of long life in my Airbnbs fridge, they are inexpensive if you buy them in bulk.
It seems to me that this post has now progressed to being what I hoped for, a great discussion on the points I brought up, thanks for your message.
5 Likes