I’ve found that guests in the past few months have become increasingly vile, bitchy, entitled, brain dead, inconsiderate and generally unhappy. They are doing their best to kill what little faith I have left in humanity. Is anyone else noticing this?
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Nope. In fact the inverse, especially as far as domestic guests are concerned, and the few international guests so far have been excellent also.
JF
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No I haven’t noticed either. I am getting more cancellations over the last year. I’ve also had a lot a days blocked so a fraction of the number of guests y/y.
No, only been hosting here since May and other than the first guest, most have been experienced with Airbnb. None have been demanding and so far great reviews from all.
I’ve had a couple inquiries or pending due to something or another that don’t go through, but I’m thankful for these appreciative guests.
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Not at all. We’ve had only very nice guests—grateful for a comfortable place to stay. They’ve been respectful and pleasant. And they’ve left their rooms looking nearly perfect!
Not seeing that in my airbnb guests…
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I’ve been lucky so far but then again my contact with guests is just through messages since it’s a whole house rental. Might be different with home share.
I have not had any problem guests at all really, some are more messy. As far as bitchy I would not know, I barely interact with guests, just a hi and a wave when I see them. I have slowly been raising prices over the last year to the point that I tend to get booked more last minute as well.
It’s Sunday and my guests leave soon, I like Sundays:)
RR
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I rent part of my house. I’ve had about half in person contacts. I maintain that it really helps putting a face on the host and having even a short conversation with guests.
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No, I don’t find that guests today are any different at all. I’ve been doing this for a lot of years and have found that people (in 99.999% of cases) appreciate genuine hospitality and attention to detail.
Wow. That’s quite a statement. Because the other hosts who have responded here have not found the same, maybe the problem is not with the guests? I don’t mean to sound harsh there, but sometimes a host can get over-tired or disillusioned and that can affect guest behaviour. So before you completely blame the guests, look to see if your own attitude has changed. Just a suggestion…
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Thanks everyone. You’ve given me some hope! My wife and I own and manage 5 beach rental properties that have run about 90% occupancy year-round and we’ve been awarded over 200 consecutive 5-star reviews. It could be that exhaustion is causing us to see things differently, but we thought perhaps an increase in the number of guests who would otherwise stay in hotels might be contributing to the different behavior we see. Hopefully it’s just a temporary stretch of bad luck.
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I don’t think it’s your attitude, I think it’s the nature of your listings. Entire beach houses are something that attracts people in Yeehah, funfunfun vacation party mode. I think most of the responders here either have home shares or entire places, but the hosts live onsite or quite close by.
I’ve certainly read hundreds of posts on the Airbnb forum which echo your experience. Hosts who’ve been doing it for years and years, getting the worst guests they’ve ever had, since the pandemic. I think there is a different reason for many guests booking these days, therefore a different demographic.
Because many who used to have to show up for work now work remotely from wherever they might be, there are a lot of newbie guests who can live anywhere, they aren’t just vacationers. And lots of younger guests are also wanting to party after having to be in lockdown, isolate, etc.
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Thank you for the additional thoughts and context. I do believe things vary by type of place and geographic location, and that we’re seeing an increase in people using Airbnb and the other vacation rental sites for the first time. Apprehension and stress over traveling could also be playing a role. One of the things we’re trying to focus on is better anticipation of guests needs, which includes rethinking parts of our descriptions and the information we provide in advance of their stay.
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That’s a very good question. For one thing, we don’t do instant booking. Most guests provide information about themselves and why they’re traveling as part of the booking request. For those who don’t, we can reach out and ask before accepting. In any case. We also read the reviews written by other hosts. Still, it’s hard to really know whether someone is a good fit until they arrive. Do you have any advice on this?
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We have had a string of delightful guests, all of whom were easygoing. Our only demand, which I have mentioned previously, was for a space heater when it was 94 degrees. He was sweet about it and very appreciative.
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As you don’t use IB and are accustomed to asking guests questions if they are short on providing info, you could ask questions which directly pertain to them being what you would consider to be a good fit. As a random example: “There are quite a few elderly neighbors who aren’t vacationing renters, but homeowners living here full-time, whose right to peace we respect. This is why our house rules state quiet hours. Will this be something you can and will comply with?”
Also, most listings I read for entire homes, especially in classic vacation locations, are written like a real estate ad, just extolling all the virtues of the place, trying to appeal to anyone who can afford it.
To attract good fits in the first place, you have to decide who you want as guests, not just everyone, and market towards those people. I just have a homeshare listing, but it’s on the outskirts of a major Mexican tourist beach town. It’s in the quiet countryside and a 20 minute walk to town and the beach. I don’t want party animals who just booked here because it was cheaper than a place in town, who’ll be stumbling home drunk and noisy from one of the many bars in town, at 2 am, setting off all the neighborhood dogs and waking me up.
So I say in my listing that it’s suitable for guests who want a quiet tropical vacation, away from the hustle and bustle of town, who want to do art, write, read, practice yoga, etc, while also being able to partake if the beach and the town. And those are primarily the type of guests I get.
All successful marketers, for all businesses, pretty much do this in their advertising. They project a certain image and target a certain market, be it youthful fun time, families, working professionals, the athletic, the artistic, the adventurous, seniors, etc.
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I work it the other way around. I use IB and so therefore accept everyone - there’s no vetting. I don’t necessarily want guests who are a good fit with me, I can adapt to what they want.
For example, I’m right on the spot and some guests want me to socialise with them. Others don’t - they never want to see me. So I’m the one who adapts. I’m the one who has to fit with what they want.
I’m also a great believer in the house tour for establishing expectations, creating a personal experience and re-selling the rentals.
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Like so many things about hosting, there are a multitude of factors that play into getting suitable guests. I’m onsite, too, and take my cue from the guests as to whether they want interaction or prefer to be private. But I don’t use IB and market towards a certain type of guest because my town is well-known as a party town with a wild nightlife, and those aren’t the type of guests I want.
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I’m assuming you are in the US. There is an increase in … uh… asshats everywhere in this nation. Not a day goes by that you don’t read of asshats on planes ruining everyone’s flight, asshats at school board meetings, in restaurants, etc. There’s also a certain level of entitlement that comes with people who have enough disposable income to travel to a beach house. So even though many of us aren’t seeing it, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t, of course.
There’s a whole nation that wishes it had a solution though.
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