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I am sure this has been discussed before but I have not travelled since Aug 2019 because of Covid. I just completed an AirBnB and the apartment was okay - didn’t quite look like its pictures but was adequate But when I checked in I applied my critical eye to the cleanliness, facilities etc. I normally apply to my own place when checking after a clean prior to the next guest arriving. For example I now see very clearly, dirty or stained grout in bathroom which before when I travelled to hotels I probably didn’t notice or care so long as it was clean.
And also the type and quality of toiletries provided etc. All of those points I will sometimes reflect in my review. Is this fair?
In fact, I drive my other half nuts going around rentals, criticizing. I can see that he’s getting frustrated with me, because usually he has chosen the places were are going to stay. So it’s as if I’m having a go at him for his choices.
Which I’m not of course. It’s just that I am incredibly picky.
I don’t particularly notice the toiletries supplied (unless they are truly dreadful) but I do notice other things - such as a place that supplied about a quarter of a roll of paper towel, that’s all. Another that supplied no extra bin bags and no cleaning materials at all. I notice if there’s inadequate task lighting in the kitchen or bedside lights that are too dim to read by.
I’m a terrible travel companion. And I was just saying here the other day that I’m a terrible dining companion too because I proof the menus before deciding what to order.
So, as we often eat out when we’re on a trip, I’m a totally annoying person.
No issses with toiletries etc. and even a new box of clothes washing powder for their combined washer/drier. But I didn’t notice from the photos there are no tables or chairs so we ended up having to sit on the beds to eat our takeout food. A bit annoying but since the host didn’t say there were tables and chairs, they could argue they were not providing false information.
Interestingly no other guests made a comment on this point in their reviews which is why I didn’t notice.
Remember as a host how many times guests were critiquing YOU because they ‘didn’t notice’ something that affected their idea of what was ‘supposed to be there’? Don’t be that guest… if they show you what they are providing, DO NOT comment that something is not provided that affected your stay.
I wouldn’t have booked that place unless I was only concerned with the location.
They have zero information in their description about the apartment itself, whether it is on a noisy street, whether it is in a high rise apartment building, etc.- I would have no idea what I was renting.
No table or chairs is very weird, and what’s even weirder to me is those two beds pushed up against each other. And of course no bedside tables or lamps.
Cleanliness for sure is something I’d mark down on if it was grubby. Stained grout- depends. There is a small area in my bathroom where the grout is stained- someone obviously spilled something on it that won’t come off. There’s a couple spots on the terracotta tiles that also won’t come off. I’ve tried everything to remove those spots, but it seems to be permanent stains. At some point in off-season I’ll probably try refinishing the floor, but it’s not a priority.
As far as the quality of toiletries, unless the place was high end and expensive, as far as I’m concerned, as long as there is soap, that’s all I would care about. I travel with my own shampoo and other toiletries.
And I only provide soap in my homeshare listing, although there is a basket of partially full containers of toiletries guests have left behind. So there is usually some shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shaving gel, etc. in there, although it’s an ever revolving selection. I do provide cotton balls, q-tips, bandages, and earplugs, new toothbrushes, and some menstrual pads.
If something wasn’t offered or pictured in the first place, I would never mention it in a review. But I would send private feedback about the lack of something as basic as a table or chairs. Why would hosts want people to eat on the beds, anyway?
It did not occur to me there would be no tables and chairs and none of the reviews mentioned it also… Location was superb so I didn’t worry too much but I will mention it in a private note, not in the review itself.
Luckily I have never had a guest complain about something that was not provided. The closest I had was a comment that there was no separate shower and only a shower over the bath, the implication being, it was slightly unsafe to have to step into a bath tub to take a shower. But the photos are quite clear on this feature and I always provide a non-slip mat for a person to stand in the bath (shades of a Big Bang Theory Epside where Penny falls down in the shower because there is no non-slip mat ).
I must admit it would never occur to me to ask beforehand if there were tables and chairs - almost like asking if there is a toilet!
As far as I’m aware, this used to be the norm in most homes, at least in the US and Canada. Separate shower stalls are a fairly recent development in the history of home construction. Every home I was ever in, in the US or Canada, that was more than maybe 30 or 40 years old, had a bathtub, usually with a shower head added at some point after the place was originally built.
Bwahaha! My husband also proofs menus as soon as he picks them up. But he is also “kind” enough to bring mistakes up to the servers, who are usually clueless!
Yes, I have become “that” traveler with the overly discerning eye. I try not to be too critical, but……
My husband also proofs menus as soon as he picks them up. But he is also “kind” enough to bring mistakes up to the servers, who are usually clueless!