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Curious if hosts make a habit of taking inventory after each guest? After my last guest I was putting away the dishes and decided to count the flatware, and low and behold a butter knife was missing! Ugh, Feistaware is not cheap but since I had not counted before, this was my 6th booking I am stuck with the loss. I will be counting from here on out. Who takes a butterknife? I do not think it was the guest I was cleaning after, PCH hikers (backpackers) who I figured would have a pocket knife and not want to carry around my butterknife! What other things should I worry about getting stolen?
No, I don’t. I only rent out a guestroom with an ensuite bathroom attached to my house. It’s the cost of doing business and if you think you are going to make a claim for every glass, bottle of shampoo or butter knife that goes missing you aren’t going to last long with Airbnb.
A host who doesn’t post here anymore had some great advice once about this. Only stock your place with industrial strength stuff. Meaning… skip the good crystal and fiesta ware. You are going to lose it. Guests are just not as careful with your stuff as they could be. I stopped buying expensive wine openers. They could not stop disappearing.
I keep a reserve inventory of various items. If i’m out and notice wine glasses or other supplies at some great price I will just purchase them. Have them ready when needed.
Yes, at the end of each cleaning we run through a cleaning checklist to ensure everything made it back into the suite after doing dishes/laundry.
I try to count towels because there’s occasionally a rogue one left on the back of a door that I don’t notice until I’m folding the freshly laundered ones. I haven’t had any towel thieves.
We have 8 of each bowl/plate/mug/glass/wine glass, so I notice when one is missing and replace it right away from the few extras I keep on hand. I don’t count the silverware, but it’s inexpensive enough that I’ll just buy a new set when things get sparse.
I wouldn’t charge a guest for a broken glass or lost spoon, but if a number of things came up missing I’d either address it or leave a bad review.
Well if I knew it became missing I would have checked the trash for one thing, which I did but as I said it likely was an different guest. I would not make a claim over it or confront a guest over it.
If I had taken inventory after each guest and I knew it became missing I would have checked the trash for one thing, which I did but as I said it likely was an different guest. I would not make a claim over it or confront a guest over it.
New stuff is fine, expensive Fiesta ware may not have been the best choice. If I were you I’d have an inventory or at least photographs of all the rooms and the insides of the cupboards but doing an inventory of a space that size is not going to be worth your time.
My friends have an oceanfront STR home here in Hawaii. I helped them manage it because I live nearby. When they first outfitted it, they insisted on expensive stoneware because “Corelle looks cheesy.” Well after ten years and several sets of stoneware (one or two chips and it’s done) they are now outfitted with the fanciest Corelle you ever saw!
Nope. I rent my whole house, filled with objects I love. My cleaner notices if some stuff is missing or moved, but a checklist would be impossible. Guests also have access to my garage in order to bring their garbage and recycling to the rollaway bins. A comparison the warehouse scene in Citizen Kane would not be inappropriate.
Also, I don’t think anyone would steal a single butter knife. It must have been misplaced or accidentally picked up with something.
I offer vintage mid-century dinnerware. Not super expensive mind you, but it is vintage. Occasionally it is chipped, but I usually have many place settings. I did put away my collection of Fire King Jadite. The market value was just too pricey to take a chance.
The other day I put out a new-to-me Redwing set for summer. It was $34 - probably not more expensive than a Corelle set and it is far more charming. I think it is an important element in the whole vintage mountain cottage experience.
Oh I totally agree!!! You also have access to lots of thrift stores and flea markets and the like there, whereas we really don’t here. One vintage Hawaiian plate might be $34 or more.
She’s at the beach and doesn’t need vintage charm, just something that can stand up to heavy use, outdoor eating and hand washing (no dishwasher).
Did the new stuff for my first one and found the lack of care and burnt non stick frypans too distressing. Next two are completely furnished from yard sales and Facebook. If stuff walks it doesn’t matter because I haven’t invested anything in it. People really don’t care and the lack of respect astounds me. Having to put in your house rules - don’t leave wet towels on the timber furniture, comes down to “ don’t know” or “don’t care”.
It may just be my market and the kind of guests I have attracted since 2010, but my advice to hosts in the Catskills has been to make the space feel like someone really lives there and cares. Spaces that are perceived as simply an income property are usually treated as such.
That’s perfect. Also the older stuff fits your rental perfectly. If I put 1940’s and 50s stuff in my guest room it would probably not be seen as a plus. I did have my 1970s clock radio in there and it got a snarky/funny comment. I took it out and put my 1990s Bose instead. LOL.
There’s no way I’d have time to do an inventory with every turnover. (2 x 1 bedroom apartments).
And over the years, I can’t think of anything that’s gone missing. Or if it has, I haven’t noticed it. I thought I’d lost a salad bowl once - but found it weeks later in a strange place. Another time a beach towel went missing but that was probably packed accidentally during a rushed check out.
There have been a couple of breakages (a glass, a vase) but guests have always let me know. Remember I’m talking about years here.
Any losses are the cost of doing business.
By the way, we too have some lovely mid-century china. (Tres cheap on Ebay). @CatskillsGrrl - yours is lovely!
