Bad experience as guest - Greedy hosts?

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Cabin,

Yes, we are both superhosts. We expected a female host, and to share her bathroom with her. I’ve stayed in situations like this in the past, and it was great.

The fact is, neither my daughter nor I expected males in the house, so we didn’t bring robes or anything. It would have been necessary for me to get completely dressed every time I had to go to the bathroom at night. I have a small bladder, so this would have been annoying to say the least. Hence, full disclosure is important in order to make the right sorts of decisions when booking.

The reviews were very short but good. “Great place, thanks for the hospitality.” “Comfortable bed”. etc. I posted links to issues with Airbnb reviews in my response to Yana. Feel free to read them.

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Hang on, you are all over the place. One minute you are superhosts, and next big fans using Airbnb all over for years (probably to great advantage both unique experience wise and cost wise), and now after an experience that you felt didn’t live up to your expectations because you expected to be the only guests in the home (even though as an experienced guest you should have known you could very easily verify if there were other listings at the property to find out yourself), and because you expected a female host (despite the fact that many properties on Airbnb are now administrated by other people, not something I like or agree with, but it just is) you are claiming they are demon spawn. Regarding your link on the review system, you’re a little late to the party. I personally posted similar links months ago. We actually agree the review system isn’t perfect for Airbnb, but fails the hosts in a more profound way, as we can’t adequately rate guests the way guests can rate us, leaving us vulnerable to inviting the kinds of people we might not like in our home that we could easily figure out if we had a rating system on the things that hosts value the way that guests do. Guests may be uncomfortable writing truths that sound harsh, but it is proven to be easier psychologically to click on a rating to show your pleasure or displeasure about a service. As hosts, we get none of that. I believe guests are more than comfortable making use of the rating system to review their feelings regarding their stay. It is true they rate more highly than on other services such as Yelp and trip advisor which are less personalized due to the reasons in the article and a few others, but there are huge differences in the ratings different Airbnb’s get that can quite easily steer you towards the better Airbnb’s. There is also a lot of nuance you can pick up between what are clearly genuinely happy guests. If you don’t believe me, I can post some of my reviews so you can see if you really believe someone went to all the trouble to make up their ecstatic experiences at my home. As a guest, you can simply leave when faced with a bad situation (as you proved, and your host was even kind enough to refund you!), but as hosts we are doomed to put up with people we find unpleasant, demanding, filthy, noisy, and any thing else that comes with hosting - and it can be anything you could imagine and couldn’t. Unless they break the law it’s next to impossible to get a stranger out of our home once we have let them in.

But this is all beyond the point. The point is that you now admit there are reviews. You read them. Clearly not everybody ran screaming from this ‘minority run, cockroach infested, people jammed to the rafters, hell hole’. Some even wrote reviews that must have sounded good enough to you that you felt it must be up to par as far as a place to stay. The fact that you now feel as if your expectations were not met I believe can mostly be explained by making assumptions about the property without checking (in regards to whether there are other rooms in the home and the female host), and not reading the reviews well enough to ascertain if everything was as it seemed. If the ratings were good, it would indicate that others felt the property matched its value. The value rating is an important rating, because people will naturally mark down there if they arrived and found that for the money they paid the accommodations were far worse than expected. The rating for accuracy should also have been pretty low given your description of the home. So there’s two possibilities. Either there are low ratings for these and you stayed anyway not paying proper attention to these important statistics, or other guests didn’t have the same experience of the accommodations you did. Trying to claim that guests would be too afraid to rate the value and accuracy down given the situation you describe is impossible to believe I’m afraid. When people’s experience is that far away from what they hoped then they have no problem saying so in the ratings. If this wasn’t true, we wouldn’t have listings with such different ratings, and we all know that we do.

Your story changes a lot. First you’re both superhosts, then you’re big fans that use it a lot. I’m not sure what to believe, but I don’t believe that while your experience in this home may have been disappointing (and it truly does sound like a vile place the way you describe it), that you had no control over your own experience, and that Airbnb owes you somehow. It appears that you take no responsibility for yourselves in your decision making here, and your angry blame laying sounds like a tantrum throwing infant.

Personally I don’t stay in Airbnb’s when I travel. I prefer to have professionals take care of my accommodations, and I am happy to pay the extra. I don’t want to deal with some person that could turn out to be well, it could be…you, apparently. But the ridiculousness of you and other hosts here claiming that those of us with large homes shouldn’t host more than one set of guests at a time is laughable. My home is constantly mistaken for a bnb (being large and historic, with huge rooms, some with ensuites, and lots of space - people even get lost), and many people have long loved bnb’s. I don’t consider my home a bnb, but the idea that there is something wrong with it now is so absurd.

Most disgusting is the racial insult. ‘Chicretreat’, who often comes here to tell other hosts how stupid they are (although what she considers chic I consider something altogether different), should be ashamed of herself making such a leap as to assume this was a ‘minority run’ home. And how race even comes into it I don’t even know, but I do know that you didn’t correct her about the racial slur, but rather thanked her for her understanding. Goodness me, as if minority groups can’t run an Airbnb as well or better than a non minority group. This is quite possibly the worst statement I’ve ever read here.

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Oh my gosh, Sandy. I didn’t read that as meaning minority races. I read that as a minority of hosts bringing down the whole system. I hope it wasn’t meant as a racial slur. That would be terrible indeed. But, that’s certainly not what I was agreeing to! And, for whatever it’s worth, the host in this case was not a minority (in terms of her race) although I don’t think this has anything to do with anything!

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So, even though I’ve only been on this site for a couple of days, I’m saying good bye. When people twist your words, make decisions about your intentions, and call you names - well, this is not what I call support. Peace to all of you.

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"**> It’s hosts like these who are bringing down the wrath of the regulation on the industry. That is beyond unacceptable. There is an ugly trend of minority owners who are packing in as many people as they can to maximize profits."

Please do share your evidence of this ‘ugly trend’ of ‘minorities’ that are bringing the wrath of regulation. Such strong and loaded words here. Ugly, wrath. All because of these minority owners. And nowhere in Mami’s post did she even mention anyone’s race. You just leapt to that idea due to your own preconceived notions.

We have lots of discussions on here regarding different races and ages of guests that we find more difficult to host, but this is truly the first time I have read a post that I feel is genuinely teeming with hate speech.

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I don’t believe you noticed the racial element to the post Mami. I’m also sorry you didn’t hear what you hoped in regard to expecting Airbnb to pay for your hotel. Unfortunately support doesn’t always mean hearing what we want to hear, although it hopefully helps us learn some things. I hope you gained more information about how to navigate Airbnb, and if not decided whether or not the risk is too great to use it as a site to rely on for your travels. I actually agree with you in that it isn’t safe enough for the most part to rely on, and I certainly wouldn’t plan an OS trip where you felt you’d have trouble getting around and finding alternate last minute accommodations on Airbnb, especially when large sums might be exchanged for longer stays, and the possibility of no refund. I hope you might understand why when these are actual real things that are occurring around the world, that your case might not seem as alarming as you feel it is, at least to myself, or at least as far as you not having any control over how you ended up there. In the very least this was a tough learning experience for you. It is true, not everything is as nice as it looks in pictures - although some places are even better. We are happy that pretty much all of our guests say that about our home, although that might just be a sad indictment on our pics!

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GoodbyeSandy, I meant “minority” in this sense, as definined in the dictionary:

mi·nor·i·ty
məˈnôrədē/
noun
1.
the smaller number or part, especially a number that is less than half the whole number.

In no way did I mean minorities as in “race of a person.” The race of a person is not relevant to my point at all. I was referring to the small number of owners on Airbnb who are packing in guests to maximize profits. There are many cities who are cracking down on Airbnb rentals because of this trend. For example, Anaheim has given a moratorium on holiday rentals because too many owners have converted 2-3 bedroom single family homes into 5-6 bedroom homes with no living room. What happens is there are too many cars parked on the streets and too much noise for the neighborhood. Fortunately, most owners are responsible and not doing this but “a small number” are exploiting the business model.

Just so you know, I’m half Mexican so it’s actually laughable that you are accusing me of hate speech against minorities. Maybe your sensitivities need to be kept in check in a bit. Just sayin’…

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I think you are very insulting to say I tell owners on this forum “how stupid they are.” Where and when have I ever done that? Give me one example. Judging from your posts, I think you are the HATER in this forum. Wow! Wow.

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Rather than wave a dictionary in my direction, you really need to check your grammar Chicretreat, because that is certainly not what you said. You actually did say ‘an ugly trend of minority owners’, not ‘an ugly trend of a minority of owners’, which is completely different. You are aware that there are at least five different ways to use the word minority?

In regards to your remark ‘maybe your sensitivities need to be kept in check a bit, just sayin’, I would offer that for someone who is half Mexican that is a very strange statement to make after your inability to communicate what you meant to say resulted in an inappropriate statement that was derogatory to minority groups. Why would I need to alter my reaction? It was appropriate to what I read, and anyone else that denigrates minorities so blatantly would get a similar reaction. It is you who made a mistake.

This is what you are referring to I imagine: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-anaheim-short-term-rentals-20151111-story.html

It doesn’t seem like the OP was staying in one of these homes owned by large rental companies that are going around snatching up neighborhood homes and turning them into Airbnb’s. It’s quite a leap for you to get to that place. She dealt directly with the owner via messaging, and the manager of the property lived onsite. It’s possible the owner owned a few of these homes where they have quite a few guests staying in a home but I don’t believe for an instant that these are expensive accommodations by any stretch of the imagination. Rather I think the location was probably pretty good, and pricing for that location (where anything else in the area is ultra pricy) was pretty cheap comparatively, and some guests are happy to put up with this low budget style of accomodation. That’s not to say it was ‘cheap’, but I believe it was cheap for the area, otherwise people wouldn’t be staying! It’s pretty clear the OP isn’t sending us a link to the place so we can judge for ourselves.

As far as the problems with these companies that own lots of Airbnb’s, and run them like big dorms or hostels, it sounds revolting. Especially around places like Disneyland. I can’t even imagine anything worse in my life. It is indeed a pity for residents, and it brings down the tone of Airbnb in general. To blame the hosts that are taking advantage of the system is pretty silly though. There’s always going to be those. Airbnb should put rules in place so that these kinds of hosts can’t exist. Airbnb has the power to do something such as make people prove who owns the buildings that the Airbnb’s are in so that those that use other people’s homes that they don’t own cant sublet, and so It would immediately show up the companies that are snatching up hundreds of homes and apartments. They have the ability to put a stop to it. It will be the death of Airbnb…maybe. Or, it will just become something altogether different from what it is now as these places become more the norm. Whatever is going on, Airbnb has much more control than anyone else, so rather than place your ire towards the people and companies that have always been into making a quick buck however they can, you should direct it to the platform that is allowing them to operate this way.

As far as your HATER remark, I honestly feel like I am dealing with a 14 yo YouTube commenter when I see things like that. I could dig about and find insulting posts of yours, but I think you speak for yourself here enough.

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To be honest, I was on my iPhone and mistakingly missed the word “of” between “minority” and “owners.” Honest mistake. I think you have attacked me on this forum though by stating that I tell people “they are stupid.” That is offensive and irresponsible. Again, I ask that you provide an instance of me being disrespectful towards an owner. You are slandering me without anything to back it up with.

33

But can you answer one last question: What exactly the host was dishonest about? Only the frase " we hangout with our guests on a backyard " prompted youto believe that she herself would be in a house.
The first week of my being a host I had to leave to NYC , and my husband was taking care of guests. I was not there either, and every guest that came in seeing that it was obviously not a woman, just were asking if its the right house.
I think it is a responsibility of a guest to ask questions or better read reviews and get the whole picture. I just was going to rent a room and then read that then owner practiced music all night. I immediately moved on to another listing. Or a 5 year old woke everyone up at 6 am: next. Or it smells like cats. Or…
I think your sad experience with this stay was a result of limited communication and poor homework.
The host provided you with a place to sleep, shower for low cost.,the rest is totally up to her on how she desided to run her business. Minus the roaches.
I actually know someone who rents out a hammock in her living room, and some people love it.
6 people or 12 people this is up to a guest to find out if a guest cares.one of my friends stays in otels for the reason that he travels alone and needs company.
I would refund you too, whether I agree or not. I don’t want someone who is unhappy with my house staying with me.,

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Actually, to clarify, I just stated my opinion about your behavior here, and sure, I can easily back it up and will. It is you who used names like HATER in all caps, and other silly phrases such as ‘just sayin’ (as if that makes a rude remark less so).

Here’s a link to a kind post you made on a thread. Telling a host they might not be fit for hosting just because they find parts of the job annoying was condescending. The best of us find parts of the greatest jobs irritating, and to try to make out I am unfit because of it was straight up rude. Aside from that you failed to grasp that there was more than just one kind of ‘business model’ on Airbnb, and mine is clearly completely different to yours.

I would set-up a self-check in so this doesn’t continue to bother you. Get a code lock and be done with it. Honestly, late check-ins are part of this business model so if you find yourself annoyed at it, renting out your home might not be the business for you.

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Peace be with you. I don’t have any desire to fight on this forum. I only intended to help. I agree to disagree on what you see as “telling people they are stupid.” White flag.

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One last note on Mami’s experience is I find it confounding that knowing she was sharing a bathroom with ANY stranger, and not checking if there was robes and having the bladder issues she claimed (and the apparent modesty concerns), she wouldn’t bring a robe. I find the remark ‘I had to get completely dressed every time I went to the bathroom’ so over the top. Of course there are all kinds of guests that might come to stay in someone’s Airbnb and this is of course the problem we face as hosts that people can find absolutely anything to make a huge thing out of, but this one I find hard to swallow.

If the guest went to stay with a stranger (female or otherwise) Is she saying that she couldn’t bear to be seen in her pj’s or nightgown by male guests, but was happy to be seen by a random strange woman who had written that 'we (implying it was more than just her in the home) often hang out with guests in the yard? It’s so hard for me to imagine someone being this freaked out by something so, well, normal. Pyjamas for the most part aren’t so different to clothes to most people, just something to be worn at bedtime. I’m pretty sure most males have seen women in night wear.

Why would she take a risk without checking that the host didn’t have a husband in the very least? It’s such a huge assumption that ONLY the female would be there, especially after the message saying ‘we hang out’. Although I can believe there exists someone freaked out by being seen by a male in pj’s, it seems odd to me that someone like that wouldn’t do a bit more checking in messages, or bring their own gown. I mean, if your nightwear is so revealing, perhaps a random female might not need to see it either? I admit I am struggling with the concept. It sounds like an excuse is what I am saying - like most other things Mami says here.

Chicretreat, great, no one likes to argue. Can I suggest you start with losing the attitude that your style of ‘business model’ is better than anyone else’s, and stop telling any other hosts whether the business is right for them or not? Only a person can decide this for themselves. You certainly can’t, and definitely not from reading a few posts over the Internet. Cheers.

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I have never asserted my business model is better than anyone else’s. Ever. There are lots of styles and lots can be gathered and learned from everyone here. If that was ever communicated, it was not my intention. I have a learned a lot from this forum. I mostly talk about design related issues as that is my specialty.

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Normally I don’t comment in this forum; in fact, I wasn’t even signed up until today, preferring to just read the posts over the past 6 months or so. But the unpleasantness of this thread made me sign up so I could say something. Mami, a new user to the forum, was basically chased off from ever using it again. All because she was attacked by Goodbye Sandy, who seemed to be out to get her from the get go. We should keep this forum free from nasty comments that clearly are meant to attack people’s character. It’s not helpful.

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Tahoerental, you could be anyone, even Mami herself. Mami ran off, because she was trying to get a forum of intelligent people to support her in saying that Airbnb should be forced to pay for her expensive LA hotel due to her booking an Airbnb that turned out to not be right for her. It’s pretty clear that there’s quite a few holes in her story, and that she isn’t taking any responsibility for herself as far as asking more questions if certain things were so important to her, or looking into the reviews further (or finding somewhere with a better quality of reviews). However the main issue with what she brings up is this: if Airbnb pays for expensive hotels all over the world every time a guest complains they don’t like the Airbnb they arrived at or it wasn’t what they expected (remember you can claim anything on a forum too), everyone will start booking places that look dodgy once that gets out! Book somewhere that looks like it could be below par, complain, and bingo! Nice hotel of your choice reimbursed instead. It is truly ridiculous.

The onus is on the guest to do adequate research if they have specific concerns (such as not wanting to see a male in an Airbnb). Mami refused to answer my and other hosts in this thread questions regarding things that didn’t add up, and that’s why she ‘ran off’. Please read the thread properly and get your facts straight. This is by far not the first time we have had guests complaining of having a catastrophic stay, but to me they really just sound like nightmare guests. We’re all entitled to our opinions, and not to just believe a narrative we are fed.

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Hi Mami

I completely agree with your point of view. I think it’s important that guests and hosts know who they are staying with and who they are hosting. As guests and hosts we base our decisions on many things and the people play a big part of that.

I had a young man come and stay, brand new to Airbnb so no reviews but the worrying aspect was that his profile photo was of a young woman and his name was not indicative of gender. As some of my children are still young, and my husband often travels, I am less comfortable with them being home around a solo male traveller than a solo female traveller - fair or not, it’s the way I feel. I wouldn’t reject that guest, but it did make me wonder why present yourself as female when you’re not? So the question applies in your case as well: Why did the host present the listing as having a female host when that wasn’t correct? And why would they insinuate that it’s one or two rooms, when they’re running the equivalent of a boarding house? I think it’s not entirely greed although there would certainly be an awareness that the truth could result in fewer bookings, but also an immaturity in understanding how the Airbnb and sharing community at large is very much based on trust.

Sometimes I am away when our guests are due to arrive or for part of their stay, but l always email the guest ahead of time and let them know that it will be my husband or one of my sons who will be letting them in and showing them around and that if they are uncomfortable with this, then they have every right to cancel (no one ever has and I believe it’s because I’ve been honest about it). They have their own entrance and can lock their room so it’s never an issue, but if I would imagine that if they were sharing a common space, it well could be.

I have no interest in presenting the accommodation as anything other than what it is. Otherwise, guests will feel disappointed or ripped off from the moment they arrive.

I understand that AirBnb cannot cover the additional costs associated with having a cancelled booking (hotel room etc) however I absolutely believe that they must insist that hosts who have been flagged for misleading information in their listings have to rectify it immediately and have their listing suspended until it is done.

I have flagged this to Airbnb a couple of times.

Having said that, my male guest still has a photo of a young woman and my most recent guest whose name was New User still hasn’t added her name, despite drawing Airbnb’s attention to both these things.

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Hi Wilbur, nice to see you back again. You’re from Down Under if I remember correctly. :slight_smile: I agree. I’m not a fan of goofy profile pics but I actually don’t think too much about them. One guy had a profile pic cartoon of a guy with a big battling ram, and it said “King of the Defrag” It looked like a violent video game! No other descriptions, no other reviews. Not a lot of communication. I took them anyway. When they got here they were super nice. Both from Chile. Worked at Amazon in Seattle so were very techhie. Which explains the “defrag.” You just never do know about the profile pic, and even though I agree it ought to be a photo of your face, I don’t turn them down because of a bad profile pic. Some people with great pix have been rotten guests. :slight_smile:

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I did read the whole thread which is why I felt the need to comment.