Am I Doing Something Dumb?

21

Guy who booked for 2am arrival is asking about refund. I just told him to let me know if he ran into an issue because I haven’t received payment, and I sent an email to ABNB explaining the situation, so it’s not any fault of his.

I can understand why people who don’t live in this area have trouble understanding the proximity issue. I am moving closer to civilization because this place has only families with newly constructed homes. We finally got a Wal-mart. There are people on horseback. I am completely serious.

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22

Don’t give a refund, have the guest cancel. It’s out of your hands at this point,

Now I’m even more worried for you, hearing about how isolated you are.

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23

You can change your settings so that you get to review each booking before accepting (ie., turn off instant book). You can also add settings that mean you won’t get same day reservation requests. I would suggest snoozing your listing for a second while you browse the Airbnb site and figure out how to activate the settings that work for you.

Please remove the bit about being a single mum and please PLEASE remove the info about your teens. There are some weirdos about.

You mentioned above about hoping your personal details aren’t released… you should know that anybody who books automatically gets your address, including these 2 men. This is why it’s so important to only use instant book if you are completely comfortable.

Best thing to do now is call Airbnb and make sure you get these 2 bookings cancelled.

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24

We had a local guy stay for a week one time. I could see by the reviews he was making the rounds in the area staying at different places. He was fine. Turns out he was recently divorced and had no place to stay. But I’m a guy so I wasn’t worried for my safety. As a single mom with teen age daughters, you can’t be too careful. I agree with others. You should remove that type of info from your listing and cancel those reservations.

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25

I hope everyone who is advising you about your description of yourself realizes that you have one profile that works as a host and a guest. It sounds like your profile was describing you as a guest. If you were booking a room with your girls you certainly would want to explain who you are and why you are traveling with two girls. I live alone and have hosted men in my home without any problem, they weren’t local though.

The best thing you can do is ask questions like why are they in the area? I agree with others that you have too much going on here for someone brand new. You want to have to clean your entire house for $40 a night? No.You’ll get local people who, even if they aren’t creeps, will spend all day doing laundry and using the pool. And having multiple guests in multiple rooms? I think that is also a no for a new user. I also agree with taking the information about rides off unless you want to do it through Uber or Lyft.

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26

As both a host and a former landlord, please forgive my directness.

You’re gorgeous! You have athleticteens! …And, you’re vulnerable. That’s a deadly recipe when dealing with strangers coming into your home. When prospective guests are looking to get in at 2:00 AM, something stinks to high heaven.

Much as some hosts aim for transparency, there is such a thing as too much information. It’s resolving what’s appropriate and what isn’t that takes time to work out.

We all go through a steep learning curve on Airbnb. And we are still learning.

And again, speaking very plainly, while most guests are really good people, there are also predators.

What you will learn soon enough is that bookings are like streetcars. There’s always going to be another one. So don’t fret!

I urge you to go off Instant Booking until you’ve had a chance to set boundaries and determine what your ideal guest looks like. That’s what we’re here for - to help.

Why not call Air and tell the truth? That you are not comfortable?

Cheers, from somebody who’s been there!

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28

One more setting you can change is the check-in window. Don’t have it be “anytime after 3 PM”. Have a reasonable late limit so you don’t have people arriving at 2 AM, 10 PM might be a start if you feel you want to be flexible. If someone needs to arrive later for some reason they will ask. If you feel comfortable with the person you can always bend your rules on a case by case basis if you feel it’s necessary.

For $40 per night, I’m not sure I’d allow access to the heated pool and spa.

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29

Oh sweet Jesus, do not ever describe yourself as a single mom with 2 teenage girls when you’re a host… Way too much information and I think you’re already seeing the results of that. I’d delete the listing and start over in awhile although previous viewers will recognize the pics of the property.

Keep men’s shoes or boots near the front door, etc. and don’t let any guest ever assume they know anything about your relationship status. Use “we” even when you just mean, “I,” etc. Good luck!

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30

I agree. I have stayed in Airbnb accommodation when we’ve had to evacuate for hurricanes or when there’s been disruptive maintenance work being performed on our building. Not weird at all.

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31

To be completely honest, I would not host under those conditions.

Hosting is hard work physically. Hosts need to be very tough mentally and be brave and resourceful. It doesn’t sound right to me that someone with medical issues can be an effective and successful host - and make money.

Personally, I would not subject teenage daughters to the situation either.

Hosting is a very tough job especially for the inexperienced. Sorry.

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32

An update: (wasn’t able to respond last night due to being a new user) After reading second guy’s reviews, I accepted his reservation. His proximity reason is legitimate. His 5 year relationship ended, but he has been in her son’s life since he was 3, and he can’t imagine leaving an 8 year old without a dad. He grew up with a single mother, and he doesn’t want to put another kid through that. He is really nice and quiet so far. He is considerate with coming and going, careful to not make noise with the door. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t be able to tell if he was here or not. I’m honestly paranoid that my girls are being too loud, even though it’s at 50% of the normal decibal level.

As for the rides, that was an offer for medical situations only. Maybe I wasn’t clear in my listing. I’ll check. The reason I’m offering that is because, as a single mom with major medical issues, I have to find a ride to and from any type of surgical procedure. I just returned from Austin where I spent a week in the hospital (kids in the adjoining suite) because I couldn’t get the pain stabilized and still be at a safe point to drive. My kidneys would seize every time I got to a functional level, so in with the pain meds. Had I had a driver, I would have been able to be sedated and get to a non-$8 million per night establishment. Anyway, I have an idea for a busines that I wanted to get feedback on from people who found themselves in similar situations.

Single people don’t have access to the same resources that non-singles do. I can provide links to articles, so if anyone is interested, just ask. In my mind it’s like safe houses for single patients who are from out of town. I’m working on getting the requirements together because I don’t know how mych longer I can work, and I because I am a patient, I hve access to amazing doctors and caregivers (one of my best friends is a humanitarian doctor…DWOB), and I know what patients need. The transportatipn was only to/ from a medical facility. Think anout the elderly couple…wife can’t drive in the city, and hubby has ALS and they are here from Fargo to visit the 30th doctor with the hope of achieving some progress (er…relenting), but she is terrified of navigating a plane, a rental car, and directions, daughter has to work to support her own family, and husband is lucid maybe 50-60% of the day. If I can be that feather of light for people, I want to be. Couple this with the fact that medical expenses have drained them, and they are barely getting by, so $200 per night isn’t feasible. I’m a humanitarian first, and this little old lady could spend her nights alone in some hotel, or she could spend them at her husband’s bedside, but have a place ro come to relax and feel safe. I’m not promoting here, I’m just explaining my original reason for doing this. If anyone is interested, I would love to brainstorm about how AirBnB or whichever service can be a valid solution, and a way to help people first, while still making money without inflicting cruel fees on sick people.

I feel safe with this gentleman here, but we will sleep behind a locked door (my girls are in my room on their comfy pads) just in case.

You are correct…I didn’t account for the weirdo factor. I hosted au pairs, so I certainly understand the constant updates to the policies. I just thought of it as legitimately helping people while making enough to feed my kids AND continue chemo. I should have done research here, but I honestly had no idea it would happen so fast with the location of my home.

Thank you all so much for your feedback. I’m exhausted after a long stressful work day having to go over my boss’s head only to find out that he isn’t bright, or he’s just an outright liar. Meanwhile he piled on 7 CE classes that he wanted completed today so I just finished. I will certainly read through all responses carefully and take notes, and then I will revise my listing. I sincerely appreciate all the willingness to impart knowledge and wisdom to this silly newbie. Thank you.

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33

Here’s the problem you’re going to encounter. How you see your listing is not the same as how guests will see your listing. I don’t mean to be blunt, but you are not a “feather of light for people”. You are offering a clean, quiet, safe place to stay. Nothing more. Trust me, that’s enough.

When you are a new host, you have to keep it simple. By offering rides, you are are not only starting an accommodation business, you are starting a taxi service. It’s a grey area, but some insurance companies may take the view that you are using your car for commercial purposes, since you are using the rides as an incentive for people to book your listing, as well as an add-on service. They may decide not to help you if you get into an accident. Don’t take the risk.

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34

@aphost - you aren’t silly. You came on this forum for help - that’s a very wise move.

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35

I think this is a great idea, I just don’t think Airbnb is the platform to do it on. Maybe if they add a “for Medical” to their lineup of categories.

I had a woman here who has cancer. She booked with a long message, warm and enthusiatic, about her needs, love of dogs, purpose of trip, etc. One of her needs was short walks, no steps. I explained that there was only the one 4 inch step from the porch to the room entry. I wrote back warmly but was filled with trepidation about the stay. She stayed two nights and needed a number of extras while here. She came bearing gifts, she bought pizza to share. She was as sweet as can be and sent me a xmas card. She stayed again a second time for two nights on her return trip. However, I don’t really want to do that kind of hosting. I prefer a self sufficient guest who doesn’t need to come into my part of the house due to my in home dog boarding business. A place like yours would be perfect for her.

Two days ago I had a request from a Honduran man who was interested in booking my place because it’s close to the hospital where his wife is going to have a medical procedure in July. He also has a 7 year old daughter and I don’t allow children. My July calendar isn’t even open yet but he messaged me because my airbnb is the closest one to the hospital. I told him there was no kitchen or laundry and that I would be gone for a least a week in July. I said I thought the room was too small for 3 people for a month. But I didn’t turn him down. He decided after getting my feedback that a larger place would be best.

There is definitely a demand for what you are willing to offer including transportation. Such a thing might already exist but if it doesn’t, good luck on your new endeavor.

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36

I applaud your empathy toward humanity, especially those who may be medically needy, but don’t forget you yourself are needy in these ways. I would hate for you to Have guests who take advantage and or knock you down because they misunderstood what you were offering and expected transport all over the place. What if you got a few cracks for what you do offer? Your generous ride to medical services? What if you couldn’t do it one day and Airbnb refunded the guest because you had to reneg on a promised amenity? These are all the things you need to think about because they are all more than possible.

If you still want to offer it, I would simply tell each guest in person on a case by case or casual basis when they check in. Just a by the way, I can give you a lift to the hospital for that.

Don’t promise it in the listing or it may come back to bite you. IMHO.

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37

I think that’s a lovely idea but I agree that Airbnb isn’t the best place to offer these services. Could you leave your details with the hospital? Ask nurses to spread the word next time you’re in?

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38

Again, please be careful with medical bookings.

I had a prospective guest try to book in for a week. He was having treatments at the local hospital. I turned him down.

At the time, my home was crawling with doctors. I am a First Responder. While it’s debatable, morally I felt charged with responsibility for this prospective guest as a potential casualty. The doctors might feel that way, too. That’s a lot of responsibility for a $20 a night room.

My home insurance company put any future thoughts about this kind of thing to rest. Recuperating patients aren’t allowed.

You have a lot of love in your heart. It shows. All I’m asking is that you protect YOURSELF.

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39

Thank you all for your feedback. I never even considered the liability issue or issues with insurance. Very good points. I will certainly send Air a message and inquire about separate profiles for hosts v. guests. Technically speaking, that’s a very minor update.

As far as medical housing, at least in Texas, any assistance is income based. They take gross income and don’t account for net minus legit expenses like $21k in OOP medical. I called everyone I knew, all agencies, everything. We have Ronald McDonald House for children and their families, but we need a RMH for adults. All the feedback makes me realize that hosting patients in my home isn’t a good idea. Maybe that’s my calling in life: adult short-term housing for patients and their infirm caregivers.

I will definitely take all the advice offered here and update my listing and profile.

Thank you all again! I can’t wait to read through more topics to learn more. :flushed::grimacing:

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40

Do you have any knowledge of running a business, and in particular a not for profit? I think you have the makings for a whole new hosting platform, at least starting small just for your particular area.

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41

Actually I do. I owned my own consulting business for a while until I got sick. If I did something like that, I would probably try the 501c3 route first and have donors such as hospitals. I’m not sure I could run a reasonable facility and still meet the need of most people who would need the service. One of my docs (he actually delivered my twins) owns a hospital…outright. Must be nice, right? The more I think about it, I undertand the income limit, but I don’t think it’s fair to subsidize those who can’t pay with money from those who can. A non-profit is an entirely different beast, so it would be a learning curve. Luckily, I have some contacts who can at least get me started. It would actually be a great opportunity for hospitals to bring in patients from other places. There’s probably a decent amount of red tape to cut through, but at least my mouse wheel is spinning.

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