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Interesting topic. After a year of running mh AirBnB I had a comment from a guest (not in a review but in a private mesage) saying that the place was great but had some minor suggestions to make it 10+ They were
put in a full length mirror (the party was 4 ladies in town for a dress up function)
Put in blinds. My apartment is in the city and city lights apparently leak in through the two sets of curtains making it harder to sleep. Having never spent the night in the place I have no personal experience so that was news to me. I am going to check out the price of some budget blinds for the bedrooms
It’s a great practice to spend a night or two in your own listing. That way you can see the potential issues for yourself. Things like the noise of the refrigerator compressor, a hard to operate window shade, noise from upstairs or outside, a bedframe that squeaks, poor night time lighting, a toilet that runs too long and poor water pressure are examples.
That is a good idea. Having spent enough time preparing the place for my next guests I am aware of most issues. But one that I wasn’t and a guest pointed out to me (in a private message) was my shower apparently leaked. In fact the shower is over the bath and there is a hinged glass door half-way down the length of the bath that stops water from splashing onto the floor. What was happening was the shower head had broken and was always pointing down and so with the pressure it has, splashing against the glass door and so “leaking”. This is not something I had ever noticed so once pointed out to me, was a 10 minute job to replace the shower head.
We are in a place that is totally dark at night, unless the moon is lighting things up. We have no curtains and no shades, anywhere, our house is all glass. There are no neighbors and no one can see in the house, because of the mountaintop location. We’ve had a guest mention it as a heads up for others, and qualify the review that it did not matter to them at all, as they have “normal” sleep habits. We would not cancel out an inch of the vast wilderness view by window coverings, and we consider it an important part of the wilderness lodge experience. All a matter of taste?
Taste and location and personality. Your place sounds fantastic. I was never picky about window coverings and then I had a partner who complained and I had to put some up. And then there are the people who are just nervous by nature. Like maybe they read Salem’s Lot by Stephen King and had to cover the windows ever since.
Thanks, @KKC - I agree, of course. When the moon is full, I block my face with a pillow. Folks too sensitive to Nature might wear an eye mask, or stay elsewhere, in a less wild location. One person’s treat is another’s tribulation. My photos all show huge walls of glass and massive wilderness. The folks who fall in love with the photos and don’t read the text will at least get that this is about natural cycles of day, night and seasons. Come stay!
Thanks everyone. I am definitely not interested in curtains, so doubling up doesn’t work. I will consider people’s varying opinions about shades but, as nobody seems to think it has cost them business (even if guests mention it), I will probably not get the blackout shades. It sounds like people like them, and there are perks to having them, but that their absence is also not likely to keep me from filling the rooms.
I personally would not book a room that did not have dark shades. I need a dark room to sleep, and this includes moonlight. Moonlight is great but not while I sleep. I must be a vampire or at the very least I have very thin eyelids!
Quite a few people need that. I’ve had people unplug a nightlight that’s around the corner from the bed but which would cast an indirect glow into the sleeping area. I’ve had people turn off or unplug things with glowing leds (microwave, surge protector) and I assume it’s need for darkness. I remember one host (@Xena?) relaying a story of a man buying cheap black out shades and putting them up and damaging the window frame. I stayed in a home this summer that had shades and curtains in all the bedrooms except mine. Mine had a sheer curtain only and a window facing east to greet the morning sun. Luckily I’m not someone who needs absolute darkness for sleep.
Obviously the guest should read the listing and take responsibility for choosing a listing that meets their needs, but if they don’t, the host suffers.
We opted to put in blackout rolls and have been happy to have them. We combined them with glass curtains for privacy (city environment) during the day. We love the flexibility the combination offers. Rolls don’t block out the light 100%, some light seeps in on the sides, but they do allow the rooms to be relatively dark. People who want a bit more morning light can raise the rolls according to personal taste.
Guests have mentioned them in their reviews as a positive. One couple complained because they hadn’t seen them and just slept with the glass curtains. Since then, we point out the rolls to guests when giving the house tour .
Hi @Guthend, I haven’t seen you around here for a while - hope everything’s okay.
If that’s not possible, or if it’s been a couple of years since you spent the night there, it’s also very useful to go in early in the morning (for instance when guests have left for an early flight) or in the evening (when your guests aren’t arriving until late).
You’ll see things that the daylight sun doesn’t reveal.
What’s that then? Occupational Health? Am I being dense here?
But obviously no snoring problems your end. I can’t recall when I last rolled in at 7 am, but I have slept in my rental rooms through necessity, and when empty, when Mr Joan has had a skinful… And I’m told OH = other half. Got it!
They were
and just slept with the glass curtains. Since then, we point out the rolls to guests when giving the house tour 
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