Apparently there was a homicide on my block. When I left for work there were a couple of cop cars with lights flashing in front of the house. I hear they are still there, there is yellow tape up and they are investigating a homicide. My first thought: my Airbnb guest must be freaked out! Sad but that was where my mind went. Before I knew that something big happened I had texted him just to make sure the room is okay since he checked in at 1:00 am. He hasn’t responded all day. Should I contact him and mention it? I will be home in an hour, don’t know if he’ll be home. Now I am thinking, this could lead to a really bad review and zero stars for location! It’s sad but that’s where my host anxiety took me.
I’d think exactly the same thing but don’t worry about getting a bad review - none of this is your fault. Concentrate on getting good reviews in future and if this guy does leave a bad one - which he probably won’t - the good ones will outweigh it
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If they left a review about something that happened down the street, you might be able to get it removed. Also that would be so unfair. Shit happens and the world is not perfect. Only a douche would leave a review and low stars about something like that. But I grant, it is possible. Eight and a half years as an Air host and I’ve seen it all.
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I’ve had a number of mishaps in my area, including a very lonely fellow who turned on the gas in his home one street oveer and… you know the rest.
We were without heat and hot water for 36 hours.
I offered to relocate my guests immediately and advised AIr. Both of my guests declined and agreed to stay.
As fate would have it, the weather wasn’t all that cold, and I turned on electrical heaters and the oven. It was a bit cool, but not uncomfortable.
The hot water tank stayed warm for a day and a half. People just used it conservatively.
I also offered accommodation to neighbours who were evicted from their homes for 2 days. It wasn’t necessary as the Red Cross put them in hotels.
I had 2 Air guests at the time, and I was praised for my resourcefulness, but the incident per se was never mentioned.
The fellow who lit the gas? He was a blind chap who lost his wife and only means of support months earlier. Both he and his seeing eye dog survived the incident. In fact, when the dog was discovered, he peed and promptly ran back into the pile of garbage that had been his home to find his master. The fellow was charged, but spoken of gently and well taken care of.
The bottom line is that guests are surprisingly understanding and forgiving. God bless you for being concerned about them.
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Wait til he contacts you and disclose the situation. If he prefers to cancel, I would recommend letting him. It happened to a friend of mine when a guy was shot in the street in front of her house. The guest was scared, so she allowed them to cancel the remaining booking. I believe she also reimbursed them for the two nights they had already stayed.
A neighbor told me that one of the spouses set a fire and then committed suicide. Pretty upsetting. My guest responded that he is ok. So I didn’t go any further, I am sort of reluctant to contact him again, since he is the independent type of guest, and he leaves tomorrow. I don’t know if it’s appropriate to offer him money back.
Update: I told my guest what had happened and said I was so sorry that coincided with his stay. He didn’t mention it in his nice review. Thanks for the support, everyone.
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