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Just to add my 2 cents here . After working in the Hospitality trade for many years here are some truths !
There will always be predatory Guests that deliberately look for Absentee Hosts
or Lazy Hosts that do not have anyone reliable to manage their property and guests when they are not physically present .
So as a Host, you either need to be there in person for the meet and greet , or have someone other then a cleaning person do it ! (sorry Tonia) but its not ok to have the cleaning staff greet a guest , its more of an insult . At least call them something other then a cleaning person if they are meeting and greeting guests .
Follow up 24 hours after arrival with a checking in message using the Airbnb platform message , never ever go off platform and then complain to airbnb about doing so ! If there are issues of any sort , you should have a person who can resolve it Immediately . If you use a cleaner , have them text you photos after every cleaning job they do to ensure they are doing the right job or have someone check the quality . 3.Be proactive with all guests . Make sure you know in advance Check in times , donât wait til a day before to let the guest tell you when or not get a reply , have it all settled during the booking processing . In addition to the following up message you send to your guest , also ask if they need anything else . This way you have a documented conversation that airbnb can check if the guest makes complaints .
Make sure your listing on Airbnb is up to date with any changes you have made to the property and that your house rules are fully written out and make sure you get the guest to acknowledge that they have fully read them all and understood all house rules , again do this during the reservation period .
Donât be afraid to decline a guest even if you really need the money ! Sometimes you set yourself up to be a target if a predatory guest can sense you as a host are needy or neglectful .
6.Donât be afraid to have a backbone and protect your home and property ! If a guest is acting up or you suspect that they are pushing for a free stay , its better to tell them that you are willing to have them Re-Homed by Airbnb . In Most other Community Groups, Hosts that have told this to guests have had no further issues from the guests !! Also , you can Open a Ticket with Airbnb even while the guest is still staying with you . You just tell the CX you think that there possibly could be some unfair issues coming from this guest and you would like to document it with them .
Its Big Brother Time , so almost everyone has a cell phone with a Camera , so that if there is real issues from A Misleading Host or Guest , it can be documented . Its easy to prove something with a picture Unlike trying to Prove something Smelled . You canât photo a smell unless its a pile of crap !
Thanks for your 2 cents @designconsortium2003 . There is some valuable information in there which I will be sure to take on should this rediculous situation ever arise again. I have been doing this gig for around 5-7 years now and have never had this problem before, ever. We have never done the meet and greet. My cleaner did not do the meet and greet either, however, she did try to rectify the situation with the guest and went over to see her with her excessively long list of issues which she rejected all of.
Unfortunately, as this has never happened to me before and I was away, I actually didnât know how we should have handled it. You would think that offering assistance should have been enough. I wouldnât have expected the cleaner (stand in go to person) to know either and believe she did all she could do (offered âdeep cleanâ as the guest put it), wine voucher, use of her personal wifi etc.
We advise our guests where the key is and it is self entry and exit. Rules are all up to date on the air website, and all rules are put out there in the booking process and their acceptance of the booking is the acceptance of the rules and conditions. Simple fact is, she took me for a ride. My gripe is now not with her as she has now received her money, but with airbnb for the completely disgusting way they have handled this situation.
If I have the time, I will still endeavour to take this further, although they are not answering my emails anymore as the âcase is closed and no further correspondence entered into ⌠blah blah blahâ. I have video footage that I need to put together to show the extreme rediculousness of the claims but suspect that this will go no where.
At the very least, hopefully from this forum the host will now be better prepared for when it happens to them, as I am now.
@cabinhost I donât know how to obtain the information regarding when where how etc as they are not answering me. I canât escalate to higher up the ladder if they dont answer. What more can I do???
I donât know why it would be an insult to the guest to be greeted by the cleaning staff. Isnât the point of the meet and greet to show the guest the listing? If so, why canât anyone who knows the listing and can answer questions be the greeter?
As to your view that hosts should always meet the guests, that is what I do and Iâve been criticized for it. Many guests feel that it is inconvenient to have to let the host know when they are arriving. They prefer self check in.
I had a thought - I should rename the title of topic to AIRBNB - JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER. Only difference is that in a real court of law, I would have been given the opportunity to present evidence. At at the very least, this would have lead to a stale mate or win for me.
It depends on the cleaner and the listing. I see the meet and greet as more of a sales opportunity. Some guests, of course, donât want to talk - this is especially the case if theyâve had a long journey. But others are full of questions and if a cleaner can answer those, fine. Iâm not certain that all cleaners could do so as well as the host.
By pointing out the best features of the property, the greeter is a) helping the guest and b) putting ideas into the guestsâ minds that theyâll remember for reviews and recommendations. For example âIsnât the view wonderful? Youâll see wild birds, boats going by ⌠etc. etcâ. Or âThis is such a quiet and safe neighbourhoodâ.
Our rental is old. The kitchen is original and itâs possible that some guests see it as âdatedâ. So I point out that itâs original and therefore unusual and quaint. Itâs a feature rather than just an old, dated kitchen.
The only option I think is Twitter. I have heard quite a few people say once they got their attention on Twitter, a more competent person took over. You could make a post saying that you were scammed by a guest for a free stay, and Air is not allowing you to present any evidence. They are not giving you any answers. Why was she allowed to stay for 3 days, etc. But be ready with all your evidence. Others have mentioned Facebook too. Not sure if Twitter or Facebook gets more attention. Try both if you can.
I think itâs clear that saying that it is an insult to the guest to be greeted by the cleaning staff is racist and/or classist. Thatâs what I was trying to call out.
I donât try to âsellâ my listing as I hate the feeling of someone trying to sell me on something. I either like the product or I donât. When people try to change my view I feel condescended to. I greet all my guests because I want to be able to answer any questions they have and show them how to use everything in the house. Also, as I am a hospitable person I like to offer them something to eat and drink. Most of our guests are foreigners who are unfamiliar with anything in an American household. We have had countless Asian guests who donât understand what a driveway, so they need our assistance even at their arrival.
Saying that it is an insult to be greeted by a specific group of people is saying that those people are lesser than the people who âshouldâ be doing the greeting.
That is exactly what I was saying. I was saying that it is bigoted to say that it is insulting to be greeted by people of a different ethnicity than the hosts or a different level of education. My point was that everyone is equal and there is no group of people that it is insulting to be greeted by.
No, I am assuming that the person who said that it is insulting to be greeted by a cleaner is assuming both of those things. Thatâs why I said that it is not insulting. I donât care about the ethnicity and/or education level of the person who greets me and I think itâs wrong to do so. The only requirement to be a competent greeter is familiarity with the property.
I can see a few possibilities
a) complacency from your part because youâve been doing for so long:
Wasnât clean
No internet
Bad sheets/towels
A belief that âcalling the cleanerâ is acceptable trade of for an unclean apartment
A new guest on Airbnb will need extra, not less attention and help (unfortunately)
Customer Satisfaction = Customer Expectations vs Perceived Service Quality. Have a read of this. Have noticed the same phenomenon that most reviews are actually polite, not actual feedback. Maybe this was the first honest in a while.
@stephencirving. In response to a) - definately not. b) i donât feedback as long as its true and fair c) bit hard when airbnb are not entering into discussions with you.
BTW: latest review is a far cry from the bad one received from the bad guest.
âThe house was very stylish. The instructions were clear and accurate which allowed us to settle in straight away. It is only two houses away from the beach. The house was clean and contained a number of board games, movies, and magazines for us to enjoy. I would definitely stay here again. â
@cabinhost - I tried posting on airbnb company fb page as you suggested. Have you noticed that the only way you can comment is to comment on an advertisement or someone elses comment because they vet all direct posts. I have posted twice and neither posts have been put up. There is no way to message them on there either. So that leaves twitter, which I donât have, nor really want just for this as clearly this was never going to end favorably. They seem to have the system all stitched up so regardless of whether you are a guest complaining or a host, it works in their favor. There are certainly a lot of disgruntled people out there. Its really opened my eyes.
