This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
Yesterday I received my HANDS DOWN dumbest, most outrageous request from a guest. They are booking 1 night and were flying out early the next morning. In their message they politely asked if they could leave their car parked at my house for 10 days while they were out of town.
LOL! I was floored. I know the airport charges $7/day at long term parking but wow. They didn’t even offer a fee (not that I would have considered it). I politely decline, telling them it would not be fair to other paying guests. What I wanted to say is…
Really? That’s it? That doesn’t seem crazy or outrageous at all. But what do I know.
I’m pretty sure there have been more outrageous stories posted here over the years. They usually involve male guests who want to have some sort of inappropriate relationship with their female hosts. Or there’s the stories of squatters who lived for months at their host’s home for free.
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for joining so you could share that story with us.
I don’t think it’s dumb at all. I would be flattered and suggest a daily charge of $10 to be settled in advance. Could turn into a little side earner.
Here is my dumbest request:
We have a minimum 2 night stay. Lady contacts me to inquire if she could stay Saturday to Sunday (so only one night), estimated check in at around 9am and estimated check out 6pm. In fairness, she did offer to pay for a late check out (not mentioning the early check in). Now here comes the kicker, she stated that in our max 2 people booking, she plans to hold a training event for her company. HAHAHA. All that hassle for a one night booking (circa $100). Oh and she asked me about access to printers and stuff like that. Insane. I politely declined.
Offering me $700 a week so he could set up accommodation for blueberry pickers, crowd the bedrooms, so HE could charge $200 a week a head. Kept at it as he could not understand my blunt refusal!
I’m spoiled so it’s not a very good story but my dumbest request ever was from a guest who wanted to check in between 7-8 am that morning and sleep for a few hours and then check out. I was willing to see if I could accomodate him. No guest was in the room that morning and I didn’t yet have a booking for that night but my check in time is 3pm. But he asked if he could pay half price (back then it would have been $20) because he would only be here “half a day.” Nevermind that he couldn’t understand that he can’t sleep 8 hours in the room and me have time to clean the room for the next possible guest. He also didn’t understand that yes, just like he was making a same day request, other guests also make same day requests.
He also wanted to pay cash when he got here so he didn’t have to pay the fee and said so on the platform.
He was arguing with me and really seemed to think he was doing me some kind of favor.
So my last message to him was “no, I can’t do that and I’ve reported you to Airbnb for violation of their payment policy.”
The first guests in my Cottage were first time AirBnB guests from Guatemala and spoke no English with a huge dialect that was hard to understand even though my property manager speaks fluent Spanish. It was a 10 day stay over Christmas and New Years. Second day he called screaming that no one made the beds, swept up or did the dishes yet. It was like 2 pm. We explain as best we could that we were not a hotel and there was no maid service. It only got worse. Worst review we ever got and it was the first review for this house on AirBnB.
My farm in Door County WI was built in 1861 and still has a 2 seater outhouse that’s more than functional lol… I was asked this one also since I state we are rural. I was stunned.
Our dumest was just a week or so back, when the guest asked if we had some place to bathe – tub or shower. I told them there was a shower, but if they wanted to bathe the ocean wasn’t very far away…
I’m guessing that you don’t have any extra parking? I know that parking is at a real premium in a lot of places.
I think some hosts have a lot of parking / extra parking and so wouldn’t be put out about it but don’t understand that it’s different in some places. It’s a POV thing, as usual.
We have 4 parking spots and there is no legal overnight street parking in our neighborhood. We only have one car but we also have 3 guest units so, to me, it would also be an absurd request because they would be taking up a parking space that my paying guests wouldn’t have access to. Because I offer “free parking on premises” in my listing, I would be in a sh*tty position for those 10 days if even 1 guest in each unit brought a car.
As you can see, a lot of hosts don’t understand why having someone’s car parked in your guest parking for 10 days would be a problem. My guess is that this guest with his dumb request, also didn’t understand the issue. He probably comes from somewhere with lots of parking. But, yeah, I also think it’s dumb
Because you must still have a parking spot for your other guests? This wouldn’t be true in a lot of places.
I completely see why having someone’s car parked at your house for 10 days could be a problem.
What I don’t see is how someone’s polite request before they have even arrived and seen the parking situation for themselves (at least that’s how I read it) is an all caps “hands down/dumb/most outrageous” request. With a “can anyone top that” to boot.
I’m thinking the OP has been even luckier than I have in getting the best guests ever if this is the most outraged (even finding someplace on the internet to vent) he’s had to be so far.
Now, if I’ve misunderstood and the guest arrives and then asks if he can just leave his car in the guest parking spot, as if he is going to be the only guest for the next 10 days, then yes, it’s a dumb request. If it looks like my front parking area and I only have one guest room then it’s a totally reasonable request. So perhaps the OP will be so kind as to return and clarify.
They are booking for one night and have asked to use a parking space, which is an advertised amenity, for 10 nights. There’s nothing polite about that. It is outrageous.
Would it be better if they asked to stow luggage or use the yard or maybe the pool or the washing machine for 10 days after their stay?
I can’t! I have had guests that want to check-in at 6:30am or checkout at 8:00pm, guests who asked if they could pay for one person but bring four people and guests that tell me their toddler is exceptional even though I don’t allow kids, but none of these things could top a guest wanting to continue to use an amenity for 10 days after their 1-night stay.
I would drink the water in Seatlle. You guys have never been close to being on any of the bad water lists, OTOH,
I would not drink the water in your city. It is consistently on the bad lists.
Flint, MI thought it was okay to drink the water also, until it wasn’t…and it was really too late.
I am also asked if the water is safe to drink. I tell my guests the truth. I don’t drink it without it being filtered. The water in my city is gross too. Either of our cities could be the next Flint, but it’s not as if they’re going to tell us first
( that’s what I wanted to answer)
