Done hosting children and babies

They think it’ll be easy and all guests will be angels.

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There’s that but more so it’s the $3,000 you get the following year and the year after that… And any of the friends and family they send you so your hissy fit/or illthought firm and fair "teaching moment"could be a 10,000 dollar decision for this particular guest alone never mind the hundreds of families booking after them…this is a game of averages and we are in business to make money … Not taking someone’s education or lack thereof for themselves and their children personally is the best way to make money and win… There’s so much money available to us as hosts that we can buy new couches every year. Experience will teach you that people aren’t going to change because they stayed in your home for 7 nights or because you told them children eating on expensive living room furniture shows a lack of manners. Humor works when we are shocked as sugar by guest behavior… The host stories where they break apart your furniture tear down your walls and ceiling would be heartbreaking otherwise… If we don’t laugh we’ll cry… Eye on the ball friends laugh all the way to the bank that’s the way to do it!

How did you turn a host being politely assertive into a “hissy fit” or “teaching moment”?

Letting a guest know that their kids eating Cheetos on the white couch isn’t okay isn’t about caring if they have learned some lesson, it’s about expecting guests to be respectful of the property and the host.

I can assure you that there are plenty of hosts who don’t have a problem getting guests to behave themselves without sacrificing either their furnishings or their income.

Just as guests expect to arrive to a clean place with working amenities and comfortable beds, hosts are allowed to have expectations of guest behavior beyond the fact that they paid you to stay.

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I think that your business model needs a little more thought. After many years in this business, I can assure you that there are many, many guests out there who behave in a perfectly civilised manner.

Those who do not are not the ones you want returning year after year. Why try to attract repeat idiots when there are plenty of normal guests to keep your rental back to back all year round? And you’ll make more money because you’re not replacing stuff all the time.

Also, you need to know that you can easily manage guests without a hissy fit or ill-thought firmness. Experienced hosts know how to handle their guests without these, maintaining good host/guest relationships.

It’s not a power struggle.

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Those people should not be allowed in houses.

Unfortunately, there is not a couch of any color that wouldn’t be ruined by nail polish. Even if it was the exact same shade of nail polish as the couch, it would still show because of it’s shiny nature.

Damn right anyone that disrespectful shouldn’t be staying in other people’s homes. And it wasn’t just one spot, there were nail polish spots all over.

Luckily that nail polish was removable, as the cushion covers were Sunbrella fabric, which is close to indestructible, short of burning a hole in it or letting it get so dirty it will never get clean again, or stay damp so long that it mildews. You can use both acetone (which is what nail polish remover is) and bleach on Sunbrella without it affecting the color or fabric. Once I let their maid know she could use nail polish remover on it, it did come out.

Honestly, I would strongly recommend Sunbrella fabric for any host who is revamping things or having slipcovers made. It’s not just for outdoor furniture- the furniture fabric weight is fine for indoors. And it comes in hundreds of colors and patterns, too.

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Oh yeah, nail polish remover would take it off, makes sense! Bac-out has taken out everything from our couches, but we haven’t had nail polish. I kind of wonder if a white couch may be useful for stain removal in the same way that white towels are, if it was a washable slip cover type. They kind of make sense in a tropical area, but it’s not really my style.

I’ve seen the ads! Are you getting a commission? :wink: But I’ve heard the texture is better now too, it totally makes sense, especially for pets and kids.

My recommendation would be for hosts to buy used couches. If you only pay $40 for it, it’s not as stressful. One of our listings has a $10,000 custom made silk-velvet couch that has down-filled cushions. People love it and it is amazing and the only reason that’s in the airbnb is because we couldn’t get it to the 3rd floor to our own apartment because of our crazy staircase. I will be sad when someone ruins it, but I also only paid $45 or something at Salvation Army, so I will not stress.

I wish. I can’t even get the distributor I deal with to send me a current sample book :sob:

It’s just that it’s what I primarily work with and I know how it holds up to wear and tear.

Not sure what you mean about the texture- there are all kinds of choices of textures and weaves. You may be thinking of what they call marine grade, often used for outdoor cushions, umbrellas, and awnings, which is all kind of the same aside from the colors and stripes. The furniture weight comes in linen weaves, sailcloth texture, jaquards, what looks like iqat weaving, it’s quite a selection.

There are stores that sell indoor/outdoor fabric they call Sunbrella, that isn’t. And they really aren’t allowed to do that- it’s a patented name and process. Fabric that has a sllippery feel isn’t Sunbrella. I’ve had clients bring me fabric that was sold to them as such, but I can tell right away if it is or not.

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Which is why I’m not going to rate customer service folks. If they do a great job I’ll voluntarily thank them and give them kudos, but I’m not getting paid to fill out review forms for them, nor for doing my own checkout at a supermarket.

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Before I respond: is comment supposed to be ironic, sarcastic, or accurate?

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I do not consider my sofas as disposable that is for sure. I bought leather so it will last.

RR

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Me too. Too expensive. If I purchased a new sofa each year, I would stop hosting. My market is highly competitive so I have a tight off season margin so not the bottomless money earning this spending @pro seems to think

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We did too. The ones before the present ones lasted more than 12 years despite us then hosting dogs.

Hosts complaining about guest behaviour is all very well but it’s in the hosts interest to ‘guest-proof’ the rental as much as possible to cut down on expenses.

After all, a rental is treated differently, it’s not a home, and we have to be sure to adapt.

For example, several years ago there was a host here at this forum who often complained that guests had damaged her antique, lace-trimmed bedding or scratched an antique table or stolen an antique chess set. Gracious living is one thing but business sense is quite another.

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Are you speaking to your personal situation? Because the rest of that post seems to be talking about hosts in general.

It’s pretty evident that you think all the hosts you’re talking with here are property managers, or those playing rental arbitrage with scores of high end listings or something, or that all hosts are.

A new couch every year? So much money available to us? Bizarre.

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We hosted 5 families with kids and ended up with 5 pissed mattresses and beddings. No kids anymore, sorry.

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Don’t your mattresses have waterproof covers?

Those of us who are parents or grandparents are accustomed to dealing with wet bedding unfortunately. :roll_eyes:

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We hosted kids for two years, closed down during the pandemic did some upgrades, reopened in July with settings that the space isn’t appropriate for kids. No more stomping feet racing around and sticky hands banging against the heat ducts that reverberate all over our house! And no more disastrous diaper changes in the linens. It’s marvelous.

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How about spraying the sunscreen INSIDE THE HOUSE, ON THE HARDWOOD!

Some guests are so unbelievably disrespectful of the home.

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I have have a policy that clearly states if you don’t like dogs or are afraid of them please don’t make a reservation here. Your children are welcome if they have been around animals and respect their space. It is quite simple to understand and I really don’t care if Airbnb puts me on back pages, my dogs are my family and my home is mine .Respect the rules or stay away it’s that simple

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I state exactly the same, except I also include “if you have allergies to dogs or cats”.

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