It is natural to become frustrated but such questions, but as Kathryn Hepburn told Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen “Nature, Mr. Olner, is what we are put on this earth to rise above”.
I look at hosting as being a fantastic classroom for learning to be more open, more kind, more patient. Yes, people get confused, yes, they don’t read and if they do they don’t remember. This is a hospitality job, a customer service job. We serve, they pay.
That being said I did change the layout of my listing which has eliminated a lot of questions. Instead of paragraph style it’s bullet points, such as
2 Queen Beds
Private Bath
Breakfast
2 miles from Metro Station
.1 mile from bus stop
Free parking at my house.
Also, I put the wifi password and some ‘rules’ and other information typed on one page and in a pretty frame. I put it in their hands at check-in. Then I have a book with local restaurants, etc, and also put that in someone’s hand.
You may not have the option to do that - but make sure the information is prominent and easy to see - in frames on a kitchen counter, perhaps. I can’t tell you how often I’ve checked into an airbnb and there is nothing at all about the local places that were bragged on in the listing. Very frustrating. I hated having to ask the host, but, how am I supposed to know where the ‘local swimming hole’ is?
And remember - they could choose to stay in a hotel, or any other listing - they chose yours. As frustrating as guests are, I try to remember that it really is an honor that they are giving ME their money.
