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!
I’ve had political discussions with almost all my guests. I don’t bring it up, they do, and Trump really seemed to be a subject everyone was fired up about. Only had one right winger guest, but he was an Atlantic Canadian, so he was just a friendly misguided type who didn’t take offense that I was obviously at odds with his politics.
Redneck Canadians are different from redneck Americans, for the most part. For instance, they usually aren’t bible thumpers or gun nuts and they’re as 420 friendly as any liberal hippie.
I can’t imagine not talking about these topics. LOL. Asking me not to talk about these things would be like asking me not to eat or breathe. Luckily I had a career where I was paid to talk about them.
It is only with guests where I’m the subject of a strict gag order. TBH, she’s right as you never really know the back story with the majority of guests.
But even worse than some US folks about First Nations people. I expect after finding all those graves (and there will be many more to come in both our countries) things will have to change.
When in HR I received a call. Female said, “are you white?” Response, “help me understand what’s going on”. Her, “are you white, native or black?” Me,”I’m a glorious mutt but I have blue eyes & blonde hair. My beautiful cousin is Lumbee Indian. I adore her. Another beautiful cousin is dark skinned. Please tell me what is happening…”
She was Native American & bullied. I truly don’t understand the cruelty of some people.
Btw I attended a HBCU for my BSN. This cracker kinda stood out in the soup. It was good for me.
I would love to know more about what you learned from Air. Until this is settled, I am staying closed as a home host. Both of us are over 70, both vaccinated but not without concerns about allowing a “Typhoid Mary” into our house. An absent host does not have the risks we do. There should not be labels or penalties for doing what we can around protecting ourselves in our home from this latest plague. There should be different rules for absent hosts and homeshare hosts.
Absolutely agreed. The non vaccinated might take a turn at staying home for a year, and let the vaccinated get out and about. I guess that the unvaccinated might huff about their rights being infringed upon, but as a vaccinated person I am masked in public because I cannot trust people whose health, safety habits I do not know. This is not a minor bug. My house is my safe space, and regardless of the rules of a commercial platform, I do not need to have an unsafe situation for me or my husband, in my home. Money cannot buy my good health, so until this settles out I really have no choice but to continue to hold my home as a clean and safe place.
I think this particular case boiled down to a third party issue, but was complicated by the wishy-washy lines defining AIRBNB COVID restrictions. COVID does not come under a “nondiscrimination policy” no matter how how you look at it.
If you have AIRBNB in your home, you have every right to expect people will be vaccinated and it isn’t your or my fault if a country is not providing protection for their citizens. A person from Guadalajara complained to AirBnB that I was discriminating when I asked her to please be vaccinated before coming here about two months ago. I got a “warning” letter from AirBNB. I was furious and sent several angry emails to them. Very stressful to think that someone can be thought of as discriminating during a global pandemic. AirBNB needs to clarify…but I admit that it’s very difficult to do when the global situation (and domestic!) can change on a weekly or daily basis.
AIRBNB said they were looking at the policies of WHO and the CDC. I was looking at different countries rate of COVID and US Gov’t travel advisories.
Cautious - it’s been a year. 99% of the people dying from Covid are unvaccinated. I’m sorry but you can’t put lipstick on the ‘I think caution is warranted’ pig and expect it to cover for what it is - a preference for conspiracy theories over science.
And then they want the vaccinated to pick up their 1.5 million medical bill when they get hospitalized. No thanks.
On the subject of family interaction with guests, Christine, I have a chatty - but P.C. and people-loving partner who loves hosting. His irrepressible personality can be off-putting to our majority Millenial and Gen Z busy professionals. He just doesn’t read subtle “not interested” or “gotta run” cues. (hand on the doorknob, texting and waving to Uber driver out front - subtle )
And he’s loud, which has caused some deer-in-headlights responses from our many non-American guests
He’s gotten much better, and is a little less huffy when I gently release the poor guest from his clutches. What had the greatest effect was a recent review from a couple from Japan which included: “the husband is VERY friendly!” Fortunately, he read the “tone it down, man!” subtext in the 5-star review…
He cheerfully turns the room, helps folks with luggage, does the maintenance and even all the laundry, and our rating has stayed at 4.98 the duration.
I worked on the Alaska pipeline with a good ole boy from Georgia nicknamed “Motormouth”. I asked the foreman why, and he said “If’s he not talking or eating, he’s chewin’ on that “Redman” (chewing tobacco).” I said “What about when he sleeps?” and was told that “his lips flap when he snores”!
That was the same guy that nailed me: “Kid, if talk was music, you’d be a brass band!”
It can be similar here too. I did find that post COVID I was pretty chatty myself -starved for guest interaction. My daughter is living with us this year and she is quite critical of how I handle Airbnb. We’ve been hosts since 2012 with high ratings, but she doesn’t seem to think we have a clue, lol.
No I only screen for the known pandemic that killed my mother and a friend that has an easy solution to prevent. (Note - I am severely allergic to many things be closely monitored during the vaccination process. )
This thread was not meant to spark an emotional debate about whether to ask about vaccination status, whether people should get a shot, or to diminish anyone’s loss. ( I’m going to a celebration of life for my own family member this month who died from COVID. ) My interest was in how people have experienced and handled family member interaction with guests that they might not have found helpful. I probably should have used another example of an awkward interaction with a guest and a family member.
I have a hard time understanding why Americans in general are so loud. In the Mexican tourist town I live in, so many of the US tourists walk down the street talking in these loud booming voices, even though they are walking right next to each other.
I had to ask to be moved to another table in a nice restaurant here because the 2 American couples at the next table seemed to think everyone in the restaurant needed to be privy to their conversation.
)
