When I review a guest who has been a good guest, I always say that they would be welcome back. If I do not want them back, I just give them a bland review and do not put “they would be welcome back”. If we all did this, we would instantly know that the guest was not a good guest. What do you all think?
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Too cryptic for me. I want the straight goods.
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Good idea but we need people to be polite but frank. What bothers one host - they might be overly needy or have left undone dishes or smoked inside, might not bother another host enough to consider them persona non gratia. Some hosts are very forgiving of newbies while others won’t take them at all. Honesty and the Golden Rule is the best policy I have learned.
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The crazy guest I had trying to stay recently, had some bad reviews and also a couple of ‘would be welcome back’ reviews. She should be off the platform! Better to be descriptive and honest rather than use code. As a doctor would say she really was code brown and totally Dagenham.
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Honesty please. As @JamJerrupSunset says, what bothers some hosts doesn’t bother others.
If a host says that the guests were late arriving, didn’t take out the garbage and left a few dirty dishes, that would stop me from hosting them. If, on the other hand, they were noisy, then there’s no way I’d want them here.
So it doesn’t matter to me whether a host would be happy to see them back or not. Ideally, I want the facts.
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Having seen hosts complain about things that make me think that the host is OCD and not well suited for hosting, but a really bad guests should be outed in a calm, professional way.
Alrenatively, just state the guest would be better served by a hotel and give 2 or 3 star review…but do wait until 13days and 22 hours after they leave to post.
As I’ve said before though I don’t like the idea of the ‘hotel’ comment. If people are slobs in Airbnb they are slobs in hotels too and some poor minimum wage housekeeper has to clean up after them.
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I think I used the “Better off in a hotel” comment when the guests gave me 3 for Cleanliness and complained of “bugs” which are the flies that come in in summer when they leave the screen doors open and this is Australia and I live next to a dairy farm. Presumably hotels pump their air systems with insecticide to ensure a bug free environment.
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I wish. I have ‘fond’ memories of a hotel in Daytona. This was some years ago and I can’t remember its name but I remember that we referred to it as The Golden Cockroach.
You know those strips of paper that are stretched over the loo that read ‘sanitised for your protection’? There were at least four cockroaches on that little strip of paper.
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Adds new meaning to “Roach Motel”: “You provide roach motels?”. “No, we are one.”
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Almost all the guests are late arriving, so I stopped complaining about this. I never expect guests to take out the garbage or do the dishes, in fact, I am mad at them if they do. So this clearly shows that we all have different views of the world, which is perfectly fine.
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I totally do that, and I wasn’t even trying to make a code. I’m polite but honest about most guests, and I write the review for the guest to read as well as future hosts. If I would welcome them back without hesitation, I mean it!
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I do just the same, SunsetView
i use various host code - like you if wonderful people - i put welcome back anytime 5* stars
if ok i put nice guests - if follow me around talking at me but otherwize tidy helpful etc
if a bit rubbish - i put blut info - guests stayed 2-4th june (eg) i would say better suited to hotel or commercial airbnb -
if terrible - call airbnb… dont write any review
If the guests are great I think it’s worth reiterating 5 stars or recommended. I can see problems with the hotel comment for bad guests, however I do use it. At least the hotel is not someone’s home, and at least the cleaner etc who has to put up with the guest is not alone! The hotel staff probably have a laugh and spit in their coffee. (Ever read Ecstasy by Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting?)
No, please! I and all your fellow hosts want to know. Really, we have to work together.
I have never understood this.
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Yup. Since my last recent complaint about late check-in I’ve learned to let go. Most of my guests make the 5hr drive here after leaving their work on Friday afternoon so that’s just the way it is going to go. I live on property so it’s not that big of a deal but I’m in the country and it’s really dark out here so sometime it’s hard for people to find my place so arriving when it’s still daylight is better for them.
Re: dishes and garbage - I would rather guest gather all the dishes in the kitchen on the counter and if they want they can dump the garbage into one receptacle in the house but I’m perfectly fine doing it myself so I can check it off my list and make sure it is done to my exacting standards.
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JJS: you mean you say this as a reply when both reviews have been posted? Or do you have a way of being privy to the rating before both reviews are published?
I think it is unfair to guests who might accidentally be stigmitized by this.
Stigmatized? How do you mean?
People get judged on their behaviour but that’s hardly stigmatizing them? Or am I missing your point @colleague ?
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