I like him!! Can we keep him!!!
Porqué no, why not!
Just don’t over-think it. You’ll lose credibility if you seem too defensive. Stick to the facts and be succinct.
Please wall of shame them.
Ha! The listings actually make clear to the guest if the host is available on site. If they read it, that is. Scammers look for properties where the host is remote and that might have been the case with @azreala.
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@CatskillsGrrl We don’t overtly say we will check them in or not… we purposely leave it vague. We just hired a ‘co host’ to start checking in groups so the groups at least know someone is close by.
@Astaire sometimes we scare off newbies.
@Paul_Swegle thank you. Sadly, I am a resolution center pro at this point.
@shashdineecoretreat good idea!! They are in LA so you may want to be on the look out
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I had one.
They arrived at 23:00, and our latest check-in is 22:00.
We have to get up early so we layed down the keys and let them check in themselves.
In the morning I spoke with his wife and child, he was asleep and did not get out of bed until 11:00.
In the review he complained that we did not greet them in person, because “that is what AirBnB is about”.
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I absolutely agree with you that many people don’t like surveillance, but being an Airbnb host, I think surveillance of guests is absolutely essential. I am not someone to install secret video cameras in my apartment, so I have to meet guests in person, or have a friend meet them on arrival.
I’ve had guests suggest to me that they simply collect the key at my friend’s place, and then let themselves into the flat, themselves, but I never accept that offer. I want guests to be shown around personally, and to know that they will not be without supervision when they are staying with me.
Sometimes, when I have several guests, but I am not travelling myself, I have to stay with a friend in order to make way for my Airbnb guests. In those cases, I always talk ambiguously about the time I will be back in my flat, the next morning. I always want guests to think that I could be back to check, at any time.
I know that guests might prefer no face-to-face contact with a host or manager, but sorry, this is one wish I am not willing to fulfill.
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Installing secret cameras is not only utterly unethical, it’s illegal in any decent country.
The norm is to have them installed in non-private areas, such as outside the flat to monitor entry, and make it known to potential guests that there are cameras installed. In Britain, the wording is ‘For your safety and security, we have CCTV cameras installed…blah blah’
I’ve hosted folk sometimes when I’ve been abroad (with others’ help for cleaning etc), but left the impression that I was out somewhere nearby and might be back any time.
(Btw, most such cases were self check-ins and they left fully positive reviews/ratings.)
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In my market almost all rentals are whole house rentals. If the guest booked a shared home and expected to be greeted (although their late arrival and complaint is a dick move) I can see why they would have that expectation, but I do NOT expect to see the owner when I book a whole house. What Airbnb is “all about” is up to beholder.
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This is completely wrong on the guests’ part. Your stated check-in end time was 10, and they wanted to come in later. So, they should be grateful and treat it as a plus not just the opposite.
Let’s hope you managed to point this out in your response to their review. After that, any prospective booker should see that the guest was being unreasonable.
And if someone reading that review finds fault in you despite your clarification, you’d be glad they didn’t book you!
But as to why the guest might have felt that way, maybe it depends on how you communicated this? Did you ‘sell’ the self check-in as a bonus and an exception as they were outside your check-in window?
I offer a self check-in (shared home) but try to check folk in myself as much as I can. But I project my listing as the ‘24-hour self check-in paradise’ adding ‘oh, and if I can check you in myself, I’ll do so. If you have any concerns, let me know.’
That relieves the pressure on me to be there but also makes them feel special if I receive them myself.
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I was gonna suggest to send a picture of your Asian boyfriend. Or someone Asiain in the family)
Seriously I am very concerned bc I think this discrimination RC thing is coming big time and people will abuse it however they want. Just a convenient way to get big check.
So sorry to hear that! Hope you sort it out very quickly as you always do!
Exactly. So sad and disgusting!
I did and was removed from Airbnb. I had 4 guests instant book. Which is the limit on our 2 bedroom. I called them through wats app being t was same day. To find out arrival. They informed me they would be having 4 more friends over. I didn’t want 8 people. So I canceled the reservation. They told Airbnb that I discriminated against them for being gay. Airbnb tossed me. No questions asked. Canceled future reservations and locked account. So be careful how you handle this. Don’t say to much over the phone watch every word you say they tape it and use it against you. Just say they broke my hose. If you can and take it from me if there’s under a $100 in damage cross it off as a loss and just eat it. Don’t discuss with Airbnb. There a San Francisco company as PC as they come. Racial stuff like this is always the hosts fault. Getting kicked off Airbnb ruined about 44% of my income in the short term. Think about this. Good luck.
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I mistakenly interpreted your initial remarks about the necessity of “face to face” and human contact to be about hospitality (and your concern for the guests’ comfort). I completely agree that surveilling guests is better for hosts. I also think we both agree that for the most part, guests prefer privacy.
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Thank you for your tongue-in-cheek comment. I guess it is always a trade-off between guests’ comfort (which all hosts should try to achieve) and the legitimate wish of hosts to not have their apartment trashed by guests without supervision.
Sometimes, I think that having raised children (or something similar) should be a prerequisite for becoming an Airbnb host.
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Always communicate via the the Airbnb app and make sure your guests do as well. If you have to cancel anyone, call Airbnb customer service, run it by them and explain why. To protect yourself from false claims always create an official record.
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Bumping this up because we just got an absurd inquiry.
User’s name is Brandi, I have no idea of the last name or user profile photo of course. But she inquires about our house in Silicon Valley. Her profile says she is in Oakland. That’s only 30 minutes away. Red flag #1.
User inquires under 1 guest, 1 night. Red flag #2.
User’s only question is “do you have a hot tub or pool??” Ummm… in all 4 years of hosting we have never been asked this question because it is blatantly obvious that we don’t. Red flag #3.
I suspected that the user wanted to throw a party. But the last time this happened (about 2 years ago), I wrote that as the reason and the person accused me of discrimination. So this time I decided to say nothing and decline.
Immediately Brandi responds by accusing me of racism. Hilarious because I am Asian. And also hilarious because I can’t see her user profile picture or last name so I obviously have no idea what her race is. She could be Caucasian or also Asian for all I know. She’s been harassing me on Messages ever since. I reported to Airbnb but I can’t get anyone on the phone since my call keeps getting dropped. Sigh.
Close the date/s for maintenance and she will get a not possible
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Yes, I changed our booking settings to 2 night max as well (sometimes I have it set to 1 night because we do genuinely get travelers who are just passing through). The 1 night is obviously not meant for parties or events but we do get those inquiries occasionally, despite repeatedly written on our listing NO UNAUTHORIZED PARTIES OR EVENTS.
I told her that she did not disclose a reason for travel. And she responds by saying “oh I didn’t know I had to tell you my life story.” Fabulous.
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