Well I can’t say I prefer younger or older (although it’s true, the three guests I had who were late 50’s all gave me a 4 star review.
My biggest issue and it’s ongoing and I’m not sure how to deal with it, is guests from a particular country - And they make up probably 60% of my bookings. They are just plain dirty. After the first guest I just thought they didn’t know any better. Now, 12 or so booking from this country and I’m realising they just expect people to clean up after them. So far I’ve had: a used condom left beside the toilet, a used sanitary pad left unwrapped on the bed, hairbrushes cleaned onto the bathroom floor (what’s wrong with the bin?) pizza re-heated in the toaster, tea bags taken out of the cup and left sitting on the white table cloth, massive poos in the toilet that haven’t been flushed and skid marks that would make a rally driver proud. I’m not trying to gross everyone out, it’s just that I can’t work out how to prevent this. And all of them give me 5 star reviews and tell me when they leave how great it’s been. Because the room is separate to the rest of the house I don’t know about any of this until I go to clean the room which is after the guest has left. I’ve started rating them down on cleanliness but it would appear that their star ratings don’t show anyway. All my guests from other countries have been so clean and tidy - they wash their cups, put their hairs in the bin and then pop their rubbish into the main bins on their way out. Arrghh, it’s a shame it would be so politically incorrect to say in the listing ‘Oh and if you’re from ***** country, the cleaning fee is double!’
Mais non Billy-Bob! Ce n’est les francais qui me derangent (or however you say it). But I hear you too. I haven’t had any French guests yet, but wait, no, you’re talking about that maple leaf nation to the north. Ahh I have no experience of them either. But I do love maple syrup - diet or not.
My troubleseome guests leave strange foodstuffs behind such as sea-urchin roe and other things with labels I can’t read. And now the big difficulty as summer approaches (downunder on the other side of the planet where I live and host) I think this race may be starting to shed. How on earth do chest hairs get high up on the bathroom walls above the shower head? I assume they’re chest hairs as they’re too straight to be the other kind and Dear God, it doesn’t bare thinking about how the other type may have got all the way up there. And why is there conditioner all over the outside of the shower glass* Please tell me it is conditioner. Isn’t it? Ye gads - best not to pursue that line of thought. But it’s the hairs, too many of them - dark, long, short, prolific. Threaded into the blanket, wrapped around the base of the toilet, curled around the sink taps and steamed onto the mirror. My vacuum is choking, the sticky roller has been sacked due to under-performance and now with surgical rubber gloves, each hair must be removed by hand. I’m going to give discounts to bald people! Long live the hairless.
Is it the Britsh…UK?
Oh please do tell. My worst guests are those with more than two small children. I started being upfront and realized that is not enough. I will have to make a list now…sad.
Without wanting to incriminate myself, the clue is in the dark straight hairs - and sea urchin roe. The British are oh so very polite - plus they save me money by not using the guest soaps. Hah, just kidding - but we may as well stick to stereotypes - tell me if you agree.
Australians - so far very nice. They know what is expected of them staying in another Australian’s house - they understand my subtext (I’ve placed an ashtray in the garden for your convenience) and are mostly out at the pub.
Americans - very demanding, but very polite. Have they worked out yet that I’m not a hotel? hmmm not sure, but I do like the gratuities and the rave reviews.
Americans living abroad and visiting Oz - Absolutely delightful - the manners of the Americans combined with the adjusted expectations of someone who has lived elsewhere.
Kiwis (aka New Zealanders) - have only had one - very, very highly strung and prickly. Probably not typical.
Japanese - polite and quiet and nervous around the labrador and the children - which makes the labrador and children nervous around them.
Chinese - oh okay - just read my complaints from previous posts.
Germans - Just don’t mention the war. Or make self-deprecating jokes, or any jokes for that matter - their humour is missing in action.
Would love to hear everybody else’s observations and critiques.
Yeah okay. I’m going to buy a vacuum that sucks. I mean that genuinely sucks, not just sucks - if you get my drift.
It’s hard for me to vacuum the bathroom as my turnarounds are almost always on the same day and the shower is wet. And you’re right, I chase those bloody hairs around the tiles, the floor, and just when I smugly think I’ve got the last one I realise that my damp shoes have now attracted any that were on the carpet and allowed them to transfer themselves back to the bathroom floor. Maybe a wet/dry vac…
Yes, perhaps all races do shed the same and it’s different between men and women. I just can’t imagine staying in a hotel or someone’s house, combing my long glorious tresses until my brush resembles a tumbleweed and then pulling the bounty out to deposit on the floor! Yeah you’re right though BBM - I’m going to put on my big boy pants, march back up to the guest room and get those slippery little suckers into line.
Just had our first Chinese guests Wilberforce. My husband who was on toilet duties came back with the exact same remarks that you did. He couldn’t believe they managed to do that to a toilet in just two days. They were also completely inconsiderate and it sounded like they were trying to slam the doors until the flew right off the hinges (all at midnight of course, next to our sleeping guest). And the thumping! We are only just recovering. I won’t be taking any more. I don’t find their cultural differences work in my household.
By the way, have you read the Expedia surveys about which nationalities are the best and the worst? Chinese always come at the bottom. The US fair pretty badly but are saved by their tipping (coming in at 12), with Japanese at the top, Aussies are up there with the Brits and Other European countries such as German, Swiss etc. But it did seem like it’s pretty universal that the Chinese were considered to be the worst, and I believe the cleanliness issue was a big reason - and lack of politeness.
My all Eurpoian guests were very clean, Americans also, but they throw blankets on a floor and towels.
Koreans were very clean along with Australians.,
The only problem with cleanliness I had with Latin America. Hair everywhere that i couldnt get rid of for weeks. What amazed me is the amount of toilet paper they used. It was a roll a day for 2 people… And the garbage they never threw away.
Ah ha! You’ve clearly been doing this longer than me. I knew these forums were good for tips. No longer will I remove the towels, strip the bed then carry it all down to the laundry only to return to the room to scratch my head while I work out how best to deal with the hairy wet bathroom. Gee we blondes can be slow sometimes. Thanks for the tip Billy Bob.
I’m going to read the Expedia survey now. I hate the idea that we can paint everyone with the same brush, but I did think toilet flushing was on the basic skills test these days.
Do you think at home they don’t flush the toilet till after they use it a second time? That’s the only reason I can think of to leave giant poo.
Mexicans are very low on the Expedia survey too, Yana. I didn’t find the specifics as to why, but they were second up from the Chinese, with the Spanish being very low on the list also (and the Turkish and Greeks for what it’s worth).
My experience is the chinese don’t really quite understand what a B&B is. They really think it’s just another hotel where they can leave as much mess as they want. Airbnb can help hosts a lot by doing a nice summary to chinese (in chinese) as to how a B&B is as opposed to a hotel or motel.
In terms of courtesy, I would say that they are also the worst. I had a party just a week ago of chinese girls - 3 of the - and they were blow drying their hair past midnight close to 1 am. I mean are we truly that different that even logic goes out the window?
I had a chinese couple a few months ago. The husband continously expectorated and disturbed everyone in the building - yes it was that loud. And I truly wondered how anyone can expel something from their throat/sinus that regularly every 10 minutes or so… worse - where does he spit it all out specially when he is in bed?
Mari, yes, they are that different. have you ever been to China? 
But it’s not only Chinese culture. May be its hard to believe but in some Eastern Eurpoian countries culture is very equal to Chinese.
I never had guests from China but from other Asian countries and they were really very good guests.
My opinion it’s not only Chinese that don’t understand the whole meaning of Airbnb. Everyone want to vacation for cheap but this misunderstanding of a whole concept of Airbnb beyond my comprehension. I remember my first trips as a guest, and how I clearly understood that its someone’s house. I was not even comparing the two. For me it was a totally different type of accomodation.
And whatever I was offered I took. It was my choice, I understood that for the price I can’t expect much. All I hoped for is bug free, clean room with shower.
We’ve left so many stones unturned. What about I hate Young People, or I hate Women, or I hate Democrats - there’s so much more left to cover. 
You started it:) I don’t think anyone here is “hating” anyone.We are discussing socials trates of certain cultures.
Yes and I was trying to finish on a lighter note. I think no one everyone is in agreement that these are observations and not hatred fuelled.
Unbelievable Mari Te! My female guest also blow dried her hair at midnight every night, despite being right next to a sleeping guests room! It was clear they thought of our home no different than a hotel, myself as just the front desk staff/door boy, and my poor husband and owner (with myself) of the bed in which they slept, chair in which they were sitting and table upon which he was serving some warm crisp croissants, the breakfast waiter who didn’t even deserve a glance, even when inquiring about their comfort. We don’t expect much, but we do hope for basic courtesy from the people that enter our home.
The thing that got me about the situation was that on their arrival, because they had booked a room right near the other guest, in order afford both maximum privacy and peace especially as I knew my existing guest went to bed early, I offered the Chinese guests the option of a free upgrade to a larger nicer room with a bigger bed, sofa, on the opposite side of the home. It seemed like a no brainer, however, after asking me if the other guest was noisy, to which my answer was no, she is exceptionally quiet and goes to bed very early, the husband, without consultation to his wife’s preferences said he would take the room they booked, because he liked the desk in it. I was surprised, as usually our weekenders would typically prize a larger bed and more privacy over a large desk, but of course I wouldn’t force them to take the upgraded room, although in hindsight, I definitely would have.
The big surprise came later that night, when although having been home since 8pm from early dinners, they would start preparing for bed around 11:30, showering, endless trips back and forth from the bathroom, slamming doors every time they left or entered the bedroom, entered and left the bathroom, which seemed to go on ad infinitum with the two of them stomping on their heels as if they were totally unaware that others were sleeping, or trying to. They were talking at full volume, and as Mari Te shared, at around 12:30-1pm, blow drying hair. There was a constant heavy thud, which was so loud, on the second night, my husband went down and stood under their bedroom to work out what was going on. It was the heavy antique Spanish leather chair being lifted back and dropped onto the hardwood floor, every time he got up to do something (that chair was destroyed after the visit, and although airbnb awarded me the $200 I asked for in resolution, it was worth far more).
We were pretty taken aback, and agree that they behaved exactly as if they thought our home was a hotel with thick walls, that no consideration for other guests need be taken. I must say however, that I wouldn’t even behave that way in a hotel because as we all know, even hotel walls have limits for sound proofing.
We were pretty distressed that our other guests stay and sleep had been obviously ruined for the two nights these guests stayed. I was shocked that they were concerned that her noise shouldn’t bother them, yet gave no consideration for their noise bothering her.
Aside from the complete lack of consideration with noise, and the unfortunate damage they caused to our furniture, we found our Chinese guests exceptionally rude. The man managed to cause great offense to the other guest by loudly decrying her interest in dressage as ‘something only stupid rich people do’, followed by remarks about Mitt Romney related to it in some way, and other ignorant statements such as ‘the horse does all the work, it’s not even a sport, and the rider just sits on it’ - all of which made him appear to be lacking any manners.
I believe there was a cultural element to it, especially because the husband gave the wife no choice in anything, which I have never seen in my other guests interactions where husbands are *typically eager for their wives to be happy and comfortable. Also, if she was interacting with someone, he would cut it short. We would hear her phone buzzing constantly, and then he’d appear, grab his wife speaking gruffly in Chinese to her (they spoke fluent English having lived here for a few years), and yank her out the door. In fact, this is how the stay ended. He was sitting out in the car, buzzing her phone until after thirty seconds or so he came charging in to grab her.
Not a word of thanks, and two damaged antiques (airbnb did rule in our favor on the one we found in time, and further didn’t allow their review which they said broke their policies - I didn’t see it, but the vitriol and abuse I got from opening a resolution case over the totally wrecked chair in their room was pretty awesome to behold).
That’s funny that two of you mentioned the Chinese blow drying their hair late at night. When I was traveling around Europe for a short while, I was traveling with a girl from Hong Kong. We were staying in hostels. We realized in the very beginning of our travels that we really didn’t even like each other (met her at school), so we made no attempt to stay in the same hostel. But on one leg of the trip (both had the same flight itineraries) we did end up staying at the same hostel. I walked out to go to the bathroom very late at night and could not believe she was blow drying her hair right in the middle of a common area that was central to most of the dorm rooms. I mean, yeah I know it’s a hostel and people come and go all hours. But my goodness, try to have a little bit of consideration with the little bit of sleep you do get at a hostel. She was beyond irritating to travel with. Money was always a topic of argument. She wouldn’t take enough money out of the ATM, and then I would cover the costs at a restaurant, or the first place we stayed at together. Then I would tell her the next day how much she owed, just so it wouldn’t leave her radar. She would become soooo offended. And then she ran out money because her daddy hadn’t filled up her account. So she whined and cried about me saying I would loan her 50 Euros, but she needed to pay me back when we got back to Spain. So she never took me up on my offer but she did allow me to pay for several of her meals. All the while she was whining about that too, as if she wasn’t being fed enough. Yet she made certain to have a gelato at least once a day before she ran out of money. She was not the least bit grateful my unemployed self was doing her a favor. When we returned to Spain I had many hours to kill before my bus to the airport to leave the country. She didn’t even offer for me to stay in her apartment with my luggage. She didn’t offer to borrow money from her roommate to at least pay me back. But somehow she managed to “find” a couple of Euros in her pocket and follow me around town begging me to go eat with her. I guess she expected that I would just cover the cost of yet another meal.
So Sandy…if this one girl was any reflection of the Chinese traveler (I know it is unfair to base one person on an entire race) but I feel for you dealing with your rude, self-centered guests.
And the Mexicans I have had were disrespectful. The first group left orange clay all around the house, in the carpet, on the edge of the sofa, etc. They yanked the back of the sofa bed off of the hinges. At first I thought it was the kids, but then realized it was probably one really drunk adult who walked all through the wet yard and didn’t even think to take off his muddy shoes.
The second set of Mexicans put a hole in my bath mat towel, and let their kid put stickers all over the house. There was much more from these two groups but I just can’t remember now.
But my worst guests are the Americans with more than two small children. When they have four children and teenagers are in the group, everything is fine. When they have just two small children everything is fine. But when they have at least three small children, it is like a hurricane came through the house. The kids run at full speed as soon as they open the car door. They allow them to use household items as toys. They truly treat the place like a hotel. It’s really sickening.
Thanks for allowing me to vent
I am just wondering if someone here actually said something to a guest when they “don’t behave”.
Because I started saying things when I hear door slamming, outside shoes on my rug and so on. It’s all written in my rules which no one reads as it appears anyway.
I think when we don’t say anything we are doing them disservice. My infamous cooks would benefit if I said something and may be learned a thing or two on what not to do when you are a guest Ina someone’s house.
My husband once got really mad when around midnight there was loud talk of tipsy guests and then non stop door slamming for a few minutes. He went downstairs and nicely told them that it’s quiet time after 11. They were very apologetic and never did that again.
I rent out a house so I don’t get to see what goes on until I go in to clean after departure.
Once I did call the guest when I saw their children (from the security cameras) climbing all over the slippery waterfall. I told her it was dangerous and she went outside and told them to stop.