When I first started airbnb, I looked at the top listings and most had the same terms about laundry… so I copy/pasted and then it just became a “thing”. Now with having it this way, we don’t charge cleaning fees and a 1 nighter (at the going rate for the city) just doesn’t seem worth it to offer those services for free. I have plenty of 1 night guests so if we let every single one do a load or two of laundry our water bill would be through the roof. Which is why guests staying less than the 4 nights are welcome to use W&D/SOAP etc but at a cost.
Don’t get me wrong - we’ve had some great guests that were first timers and it’s my fault for grouping them all together.
How do I educate first timers? Face to face. I find a five minute chat that starts with “We noticed that this is your first time…” Goes a loooong way in helping them understand what they’ve got themselves into. This includes telling them about reviews and the less-than-helpful Star ratings.
Face-to-face is what “sells” AirBnb. A happy host talking to happy guests as they arrive.
I spent nearly 40 years as a professional writer and could write a lucid, glowing explanation of who and what we are. But the guests won’t read it!
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