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!
Naughty!
I think @CatskillsGrrl has the best solution to this situation.
It’s funny, I must have had about 800 guests over the years and honestly I don’t recall one that didn’t wash their dishes. I don’t even mention it to them during the house tour. Wish I knew what the magic is so I could share, but I have no idea.
I once had to call a guest and ask him not to use a propane hand torch while on my wooden deck. Not only did he stop doing that - thankfully - but he wanted to book again a few months later, but we mutually decided I didn’t sleep bough people to meet his needs on that trip.
Whats wrong with that? These are normally trigger operated and the flame will extinguish if you let go of it.
The same thing that’s wrong with cooking on high heat with oil in a kitchette?
Just like insurance, I don’t know much about the situation. You can’t pose all of your statements as questions or eventually it just looks like you’re trying to make a statement without having all the facts.
@gypsy Yep been to Port Vila. Long story short, I worked for 2 years on Kwajalein as a Technical Writer, and belonged to the Kwajalein Pipes & Drums Band there. We did all sorts of international ‘favors’, performing around the Pacific. We were in Port Vila performing for the investiture of a new Australian High Commissioner, who was of Scottish descent.
And yet you still felt the need to jump in and comment all snarky like. Yawn. Sorry. Not interested.
Hi Ken,
I sailed in there from Fiji. 500 miles open water on a 48’ French yacht. Beautiful country. We went to Tanna also, climbed a live volcano<><>Unforgettable!
Cheers,
Julia
Thanks everyone! Problem solved!
We gently reminded our guest that she somehow forgot to clean dishes (that morning) during our evening chit-chat and she apologised.
Today: all dishes are clean!
Thanks for bringing up the subject. The most difficult in hosting is handling situations , not bed changing or cleaning.
Good communication and not be afraid to speak out ( nicely) is a skill that not everyone has. But to acquire one can make lives as hosts much easier and it’s only fair to a guest.
Many people overlook things innocently and all they need is a nice host to point out to them nicely
I’ve done homestay for years with young people as guests. These sort of things pop up all the time. I usually ask them how their day was and then say in a friendly manner something along the lines of “There’s something I want to mention. I’m not sure if I showed you where the dishwashing stuff is but it’s really important that dishes are washed after using them and then benches wiped down otherwise we’ll get ants coming in. So if you could please ensure you do that I’d be grateful.” Usually works. Non confrontational and informative. (You can leave put the ants! ) If they whine I then point out to the listing rules nicely. Only if not done later THEN I step up by removing dishes etc.
Stop offering cooking privileges and instead offer bagels and coffee in the morning. We have learned that offering kitchen privileges with a room (different than renting an entire apartment, where cooking is almost always part of the offering) attracts low-budge guests who hang out more than normal and just don’t get it.
This is a very blanket statement! So much depends on what kind of listing you have, how you promote it and how you manage it. I REALLY hate this notion that people on a budget are always bad guests. A better phrase is “cheapskate”. That encompasses everybody, including all those rich entitled arseholes who penny-pinch and then complain that they don’t get the Hilton.
I have a “low-budget” place and so it attracts “low-budget” guests. 99% of them are great. I allow kitchen access and it works fine. Mostly they don’t use it much but it gives me the edge over competition in my area and everyone appreciates being able to at least heat up something in the microwave, make a bit of pasta or whatever. Sometimes they even offer me something and we have a chat. You know, old-school airbnb. There are still some of us around.
Good one. I’ve almost considered getting the magnetic childproof locks on my cabinets. I did it in the bathroom and it works wonderfully. Its very inexpensive and not at all difficult to use. The first thing most guests do when they go in the bathroom is try and snoop in the cabinets, just like I would.
x2. The kitchen is off-limits now. So many problems with it.
Johnny Carson, the famous American TV talk-show host, would do this: Before a house party, he would carefully fill his private medicine cabinet with small glass marbles.
The guest would need to embarrassingly explain why Carson’s medicine cabinet was opened, causing the falling marbles to make a loud sound for all party guests to hear.
Push a couple hundred marbles in your medicine cabinet and close the door, when the snoop opens the door the come bouncing out LOUDLY…
RR
I would be blunt but nice about it. - Discuss it with her. In your house, everyone cleans up after himself, like washing the dishes used. Don’t make a big deal out of it - just let her know the rules of the house. Normally, people who don’t do household chores don’t realize the mess they are leaving for the next person.
Agree. I had once a couple from Dubai.
You could tell how wife picks up and does everything for the husband.
He ate alone often, then just left his plate on a table without brining it even to sink.
She was good though almost immediately clean after him. I can only imagine look on his face if I told him.to wash his plate.
That’s a different culture. Indian women do everything and are expected to do so since birth. Don’t meddle with other cultures. We have enough with our own.
Now if an American or a European does not help out when servants are not available, I would politely ask for their participation. If that does not work, no problem, I would blacklist them but not guests or other cultures.