FREEDOM - Any suggestions

Oh I can so feel a naughty step moment coming on, but I’ll refrain, for now :rofl:

JF

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I think that in this instance I can read your mind anyway. :rofl:

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Mibbes aye, mibbes naw.

:wink:

JF

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She looks really stoned in that video.

Oh good lord. I thought Airbnb was doing something about these inconsistent reviews - 5 star on all categories then 1 star over-all? Aren’t they prompting guests during the review with an, “Are you sure…?”

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That would entail the guest reading, though, wouldn’t it? :laughing:

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Oh! Duh. Well there’s that!

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Quick gut reaction, per other members, is I suspect your co-host is juggling too many stays and NOT vetting your guests appropriately, and/or NOT giving them appropriate hospitality (possibly combined with intermittent cleaning issues.
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There certainly are other platforms. So, take a breath, take a step back and consider raising prices and trying other platforms perhaps with min 2 days and max of 7-8 days or whatever seems appropriate.
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Something is off and you’ll figure it out and find a path to your liking.

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I think that video was during her Greg Allman days. For some reason I thought she wore that dress when pregnant with Elijah Blue.

Try BDC they are far more professional then the amateurs playing around on AirBnB. (The downside is that you have to more professional too)

And get a website and start doing direct bookings. Advertise on Facebook (dedicated travel groups), and other places where you can advertise).

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This. Raising rates and increasing minimum stays has made a difference in my listing. Not that we had lots of bad guests… really only two in five years.

You have to believe in your listing that it exceeds staying at a hotel - ours is a house with many amenities that you can’t find at a hotel.

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Very true. We offer a firepit, hammocks, bikes, pedal boat and kayaks; things guests would not get at a hotel. I do make them sign waivers releasing me from liability.

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Lol I’ve been banned twice from Airbnb due to lying scamming guests.

1st time was when I visited a home I co-host before they check out. They owed me $800 for the stay as 4 guests booked and 8 arrived. Knock on the door no answer call through the window no answer, so I enter, put some stuff away in the kitchen.

Proceed to the bathroom grabbing towels to wash - into the main bedroom and lo and behold there are all the ‘guests’ 8 of them (there were supposed to be 4) hiding in the closet.

I ask them for the money they owe - that they said they would pay in an email. And they just start to say they will report me for invading their private space.

They do and I get banned. Fortunately for me I have security cameras all around the outside and was able to get the recording for Airbnb.

Airbnb didn’t belive me - so I know the cab drivers that they used and got them to identify the guests on video as the ones they picked up at the property many times during the 10 days they were there.

So Airbnb now unban me and my 14 properties but can’t pay me as the guests have now removed their CC details from the site.

So I push a little ask to speak to an adult at Airbnb. Finally get through to one and he believes me and pays me out of some fund Airbnb have for times like this.

This all took 2 months of lost income bookings etc etc.

On top of this I was the official Airbnb contact here on the island.

Airbnb seem to operate OK once you speak with an adult.

But I now screen all guests (Facebook, Google, LinkedIn are your friends) anything doesn’t ring true - then I decline or cancel using the magic phrase “they make me feel uncomfortable”.

I was the first Airbnb on the island, there are now about 400 - I also started a group for Hosts on the island and it’s a great way of checking around to see if anyone else has declined guests.

Been doing vacation rentals for 22 years now and Airbnb since they opened up internationally.

Had a few issues over the years like the one above but overall it’s been good.

My tips

14 days longest stay
4 days shortest stay
Ask guests to confirm numbers
Tell them a cleaner will be in during their stay to change sheets and towels - if they don’t like that then they are not for us. As they are hiding something.
Tell guests to bring their own sextoy batteries - they keep stealing the batteries from the remotes!

I could go on but… More stories another time!

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This!!! I keep a small supply of extra batteries and they disappear. Maybe this is why!

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Me TOO! Or they are taken out of the remotes…

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Are only good for rentals that are like yours. You said “the island” so what island would that be? How big is your rental?

I ask because I just have a guest suite attached to my home. I have 5 remotes: window AC, ceiling fan, TV, Roku and Bose radio and none of the batteries have ever gone missing. I’ve been hosting since 2014, around a thousand guests. Why don’t my guests take the batteries?

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AAA or AA? Fan remotes AAA never go missing. TV remotes AA constantly replenishing.

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All mine are AAA so maybe that’s it.

Years ago I was reading here of missing batteries. So I took a silver sharpie and wrote the date I put in new batteries on the batteries. I figured maybe I would prevent some thefts or I’d be able to tell if batteries got switched out (newer for older). So all this time I thought my technique was working.

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Good question: Why do some of us have bad guests and some have great guests?

My recent experience has led me to conclude that the quality of my focus has been primarily responsible for my experience. I began in 2015. I have had 99% great guests. Until 2020 I had no real problems. In 2020 I had 4 significant problems - 2 very dishonest guests and 2 who may have been delusional. I had to call the police for one booking - it was really bad! Initially, I blamed the pandemic and Airbnb but looking back I have to admit that, because of some personal issues, I dropped the ball in 2020. My focus was not on the rentals and the guests. I don’t mean that I normally spend a lot of time focussing on the guest suite but I normally care about the details and I try to see things from my guests’ perspective. This year I recovered my focus and so far I am back to all 5 star reviews and very happy guests - even ones that started out on a rocky footing. I know my focus can’t eliminate problem guests but when I pay attention I can avoid more problem bookings and I can respond to and fix more guest stays that start to go off the rails.

I also use VRBO and I have to admit that it is a lower stress experience overall. I have considered going to all private bookings in future but not yet :smiley:

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I am relatively new at this but I charge more than the going rate in my area and since my place is pretty high-end I get people who don’t need to scam to afford to stay somewhere. You may get fewer listings but also fewer headaches. I spent more upfront to get high-quality beds, linens, etc. but it seems to be paying off. All five star reviews so far.

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