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Guests complaint about being cold at night, message at 1:25 am and again text at 1:35 am.
They have left quite early and I just got the message.
I was up and wait until 1 am just in case. Who knows they would ask the heather to be turn on at such time.
The apartment is at lower level and have no temperature control.
How do you handle this?
I suggest you handle this by turning up the volume on your phone so you can get texts from your guests. You are marked on communication and value; being unresponsive will hurt you in star ratings.
Is it possible to have a space heater in your guest space? (They make wall mounted ceramic ones that reduce the risk of fire)
I’ve found it easier to set the whole house to a temp I’m comfortable with and let guests manage the space heater and window AC units to fine tune things to their liking.
Personally, I think it’s kind of nuts to expect 24 hour service from hosts for non-emergencies. Still, it’s uncomfortable to sleep in a room that’s too hot or cold, so anything you can do to put the control in their hands means they’re less likely to call on you.
Agree with Allison, as a guest I would want to be able to control temp, but a host should not be expected to respond to non-emergencies at 1:30 am.
We expect “normal” people to turn off when they don’t use it.
Do you have any sign above the heather to remind them?
I don’t have a sign, but also haven’t seen it left on. I’m afraid the sort that’s dense enough to leave the heater on is also the sort that wouldn’t read signs.
Any advice on how to respond to this should it came up on guests review in profession way?
I didn’t mention that guest registered for 5 adults. She didn’t mention about the 21 month old baby which my listing doesn’t allow 2 years and under, but I let it slide and did not bother to charge the baby.
I wouldn’t borrow trouble by worrying about a response now. It’s just as likely they won’t say anything in their review (or not even leave a review!) and you’ll have spent time on a response for nothing.
If they leave negative feedback you feel needs a response, bring it back here and we’ll help you craft something.
In the meantime, decide how you’d like this handled in the future. It’s not unreasonable for guests to want to adjust temperatures to make their room easier to sleep in, so it will probably come up again. Do you want to have them contact you? In which case you need to make changes to be sure you hear 1:30am text messages. Do you want to give them means of adjusting temps themselves? (Give them access to a heater/air conditioning or thermostat control)
After reading about wall mount ceramic heather, which I am interested in, I decided to use our portable oil heather and put them in guest’s closet
Aesthetic wise might not be the best. But don’t really want to spend something that I already have. I will wait and see.
Personally I am still hesitant to have my phone on after 1 am, but if that is what I have to do then I have to right.
Thanks for the input and certainly will ask opinion shoud the guest leave review. I just she won’t.
1am is sleep time! The heating should not be on unless it’s exceptionally cold. Buy some bedspreads or blankets so they are warm in bed. Night time room temperature should be about 18 degrees C, perhaps a couple of degrees less. Get a thermometer. If you buy an electric heater make sure it has a timer/thermostat to avoid wasting loads on electricity. Make sure there is no damp in the room, use a dehumidifier. Damp can feel cold.
The temperature downstair is 23C (73F). The guest’s family is from India and covered with heavy blanket when I greated them. But the guest registered on airbnb said she doesn’t like heather on.
I have extra blankets and I see they didn’t use any.
Daytime heating temperature should be 21 degrees C. After midnight should be lower, 18 degrees C or slightly less. You are under NO OBLIGATION to heat the space to above 21 degrees. 23 degrees is very hot for night time. That would stop most people from sleeping unless they were from a very hot climate without air-conditioning. The guests really need to put on more clothes and blankets, or pay an extra heating charge. Obviously over heating rooms is very bad for the environment.
By the way, you can’t be available on your phone 24 hours a day. You need to sleep. Tell guests emergencies only after 11pm. The guests’ problem was they weren’t in bed! They were too busy keeping you awake and worried!
This is a possible downside to “letting things slide.” Now you have unhappy guests who are dishonest to book. I agree that you shouldn’t worry about how to respond yet, perhaps they won’t review or will leave you a good review.
You have described the listing as an apartment at lower level and/or as being downstairs. It also accommodates at least 5 people plus a toddler? It sounds like a separate, self contained unit. In that case it’s not unreasonable for guests to expect to be able to have some control over their temperature. Having a reasonable room temperature should be covered by the cost you are charging the guest. Within reason this temperature should be determined by the guest, not the host.
Keep in mind that the guest gets to leave a review and especially when you are just starting a bad review can take a long time to recover from. Airbnb is raising the standards they expect hosts to maintain as well. So you have to find a balance between dictating to the guest what temperature they will get in the rental and their comfort.
The listing stated as such.
How would you handle situation like this?
Stated what as such?
Sorry, I am multitaksing. I thought you asked about the listing on lower level.
Yep but there has to be some sanity and objectivity in the equation. Most modern central heating systems in advanced countries are thermostatically controlled and on a timer. As I say a usual temperature of 21 degrees in the day and 18 at night, and this is what would be included in the fee. If guests want a hot yoga temperature shouldn’t that be an extra charge? The cost rises disproportionately with every degree higher on the thermostat.
I understand environmental controls are less strict re energy use in the US and prices are a lot lower, so I guess this affects attitudes.
I’m still confused. You are stating that it’s a listed as being on the lower level? Is it separate and self contained or is it part of your home with shared spaces?
If you are talking about my attitude, no it doesn’t. Water is expensive here and yet I don’t try to ration the guest use of water.
What affects my attitude is that I believe if I offer a guest accommodation, it should accomodate the guest. Especially if it’s a separate space. Your philosophy seems to be that because it’s your house the guest should accommodate you and if they can’t or won’t abide by the standards you impose they should stay somewhere else. We have different philosophies about this. You offered your perspective and I offered mine. The OP can weigh the perspectives and see what best fits her listing.