OMG! I can buy this thing for like $1…look how much Groupon is charging, even at discount!
Sorry but after scrolling for quite a while it looked like the cost/roll ranged from $1-10. I can get them for about $0.50-$.75 locally with or without coupons. Maybe pricing is different for your country.
I’m a live in host so this is my house and I live here. I can think of a lot of examples of why I would want to be called before emergency, not least of which would be getting charged.
I had a Chinese guest taking pictures at 10 pm at night. When I woke up and discovered Ring footage of police at my door, the door to the Airbnb open and not guest or car in sight I freaked out. I wish my guest had called me. I had to wait up about an hour for him to return.
Other examples:
Any strange noise outside that worries the guest is probably worth checking on. I had a stray dog dumped in my yard once. What if there is an attempted break in?
Any kind of leak that might be causing damage, like the water connections under the sink leaking will damage the cabinet. Once when I was out of town my refrigerator water line started leaking and flooded my kitchen and entryway. Luckily it was cleaned up before causing major damage.
CO detectors need to be checked not just disarmed. Airbnb guests have died from CO poisoning.
A car crash outside my house that damages my property. I don’t want to be allowed to sleep through it.
Guest can’t get in the rental because they forgot the code or key. I don’t want them calling Airbnb, I want them to call me.
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I tell my guests that I am available 24/7 and I mean it. I’ve never had anyone call me at a ridiculous hour and frankly, a smoke alarm sounds like a legitimate reason to call.
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That is the difference between it being your own home that you are financially and emotionally vested in and it being a full time stand alone STR. Insurance cover is essential.
Possibly. I am in UK. I only buy from Groupon if there is a really special/discount offer. But my penny-pinching daughter is amazing at costing the price of absolutely everything down to the cost of petrol or bus fare to collect and the time to collect (time is money!) She found the cheapest option moving me to eBay so my son & I share the costs with his Airbnb. The last two bulk purchases were from eBay and definitely were much cheaper. Shipping charges are the hidden cost.
Ha. Interestingly, I don’t have insurance on my Airbnb. I have homeowner’s insurance but they haven’t asked about Airbnb and I haven’t told them. I also know they would probably cancel if they found out and or use it as an excuse to not pay out a claim if I had one. I keep thinking eventually they will offer it and I’ll add it on and I’d just rock along until then. Living dangerously in some ways I suppose.
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Wow! We are lucky in Australia we can get an annual short stay policy for $300.
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Yeah if you don’t answer they will start buzzing or ringing the neighbors…
Terri Scheer, I believe that’s who most Australian property managers use, they have a specific short stay policy. If you take it up online you get a discount, there’s also another way to get an additional discount that I am not prepared to share publicly. Please PM me if you want to know.
Never had that happen.
On a slightly tangential point re TP. I also buy in bulk, but seek out good quality TP. Quality (read thickness) is one of those subliminal things that either add or subtract to a guests’ overall opinion of the accommodation.
As an airbnb guest on occasions I’ve stayed in some really up market places, that have been let down by thin cheap loo paper.
Hear hear on avoiding the cheapo toilet paper. I rented a cottage in Key West, lovely. palm trees, plunge pool, in old town for Christmas holiday with family, paid (for me) an enormous amount of money, not bothered by that at all – until I encountered the scratchy thin institutional toilet paper. WTF, I’m paying hundreds and more hundreds per night, and they couldn’t spring for a roll of Charmin or whatever? I’m pretty easygoing but that made an usually strong “cheapskate” impression!
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One of the things I started doing is putting a new roll in for almost every guest. When you think of how people use the toilet and TP it’s not hard to picture that the TP roll has been contaminated. That doesn’t bother me, I can roll off the first few inches and increase my chances of getting clean paper. But I never know which guest is going to be that germophobe who thinks about these things. I take the used roll and use it in my part of the house.
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Ditto, I also only put new TP rolls in the bathroom. also only put new “sealed” kitchen rolls in the kitchen. It’s all about first impressions. And like you, take the halve used ones away and use them in my home.
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Oh come on!!!
What hotel (even 5 star) will put in a new roll every time a new guest comes?
What hotel charging 60 euros a night would do that?
Give me a break!
I mean, there has to be a limit somewhere.
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Hotels can’t do what KKC does - use up the extra somewhere else. We don’t put in new rolls - we rent out our vacation home and would never be able to use up the extra rolls in the few weeks we are there every year.
Here’s an idea: Fold the corners of th TP roll down into a little “v” meaning this has been inspected and cleaned.
I do get the impression that hosts who are renting a part of the property where they live can offer small and large luxuries, but this of course compensates guests for the fact that they do not have their entire own space and are indeed sharing a home with the host.
You can’t expect people who rent whole apartments in city center, who don’t live nearby, to offer these amenities. It’s a different experience. IT’s also a different investment and expense for the host.
All are good it’s just they should be listed and published as such. People who stayed in a private home and had a fresh roll of TP, tampax bathrobes and slippers in their bedroom without a kitchen or living room, should understand when they rent a whole flat in the center of Paris or Barcelona it will be different amenities.
I’m lucky I think in Europe I can’t imagine someone complaining about this, or wanting a reimbursement for a stray hair under the bed, or in the shower drain, …
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I hope none, that gives me an advantage.
Given your vigorous objections one would think that I singled you out and said this was something you should do. I was addressing and quoted GentleHart, did you miss that? I was also specifically addressing their comment on the subliminal messaging to the guest. Surely you understand subliminal messaging. Perhaps you can have fresh flowers cut from your garden or a doorman that greets guests as they approach the building. As you say, we are all different.
The message that sends me is not that it’s been inspected and cleaned, it sends the message that the edges have been touched by someone cleaning the bathroom. Possibly by the same hands that just cleaned the toilet. So now I’ve got an extra set of dirty hands touching the paper that’s going to touch my parts. No thanks. I’ll just wind off a bunch and throw it in the loo, thanks. And when it stops up the plumbing I’ll ring you at 3 am to ask where the toilet plunger is. LOL.
I don’t and didn’t say that I did. I didn’t imply it. I shared a little thing that I do that costs me absolutely nothing and might give me a small edge in getting that 98% 5 star reviews. Whether the people who rent Airbnbs can tell the difference between my place and yours isn’t my problem.
I try to provide the best experience I can for my location and home and at my price point. I don’t have a view of the sea or access to flamenco dancing down the street. I do have an untouched by previous guests roll of TP for each new guest.
Anyway, thanks for the laughs. I got a real tickle from your post.
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