So why not just say that then? Your fellow hosts aren’t mind readers 
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Because I feel that saying “best suited for a hotel” implies it.
The trouble is though that it doesn’t. It could mean as @KKC said above that the guests expected fresh towels every day. It could mean that they were constantly asking the host for concierge-like recommendations (I’ve known hosts complain about guests who are ‘too needy’ when it comes to recommendations and so on). It could mean that they liked to stay out late at night. There are so many things it could mean.
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I think that a host would also see the thumbs down and star rating.
As I said though, I use IB. So by the time I read the reviews, they are booked. So I really want to know what they did to annoy other hosts so that I can forestall any incorrect behaviour.
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I just had a young man staying here a few days ago. He had an iffy review that said he brought women back to the home and the host felt uncomfortable dealing with it when other guests mentioned it. Also the host was out of town and saw this on her video camera.
When he reserved my room he said he was coming to town to visit his girlfriend and that he might have her over. My rate is currently the same for 1 or 2 and I don’t require the names of all guests so I didn’t have a problem with the reservation. I considered myself prepared. I didn’t know if he was going to meet a Tinder date, actually have gf or what. I was expecting possible, uh, extra cleaning. He arrived staying in the room all night alone and left on time the next morning. I had another 5 star review and another $48 in my pocket by the end of the day. But a lot of people would have missed out on that booking and done so happily. Fine with me, I’m here for your sloppy seconds, lol. The detailed reviews will help me prepare in 95% of the cases, cancel in 5% of the cases. “Suited for a hotel” isn’t a review for me, it’s for the convenience of the host leaving it.
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That’s a great example. Our rentals (small apartments) have one queen bed so can sleep one couple. Sometimes I get a guest who books for one and arrives alone. If, during their stay, they have a guest who stays overnight, then that’s fine.
I can understand though that a host who has guests in their own home could object to that. And they could write in a review ‘more suited to a hotel’. It doesn’t matter to me at all.
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That totally makes sense. Some guests needs are better met at some places than others. For my place, I’m renting 3 individual room rentals in the same house so I need guests to be somewhat considerate. I could only do one Airbnb room and leave the rest of the home empty but thats lost income and the nightly rate would go up. So low price but some things are shared and that saves everyone money. Works great for “1-4 responsible adults on a budget” and thats in my listing description.
Exactly. That’s why details are needed. You can leave low stars and thumbs down and they would be fine here. I urge everyone to leave honest detailed reviews every time.
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Most of the time, I just write “great guest, very clean, great communication” etc or something equally generic yet enthusiastically positive. Sometimes its hard to say anything more. Believe it or not even though there’s 3 guest rooms and I live here, sometimes I never even meet my guests and thats the way many of them like it. They instant book and there’s one or two messages and then I never see them or hear from them again. Airbnb guests tend to be extremely polite, neat and quiet. Very few are bad guests.
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I totally agree. Other than it being obvious that the host is trying to deride the guest, I really don’t have a flipping clue what this means. I personally use hotel amenities and hospitality as a guide to what I should offer, so does it mean I want to host this guest? I’m pretty sure it doesn’t, so I’d really like to understand what it does mean to the specific host that says it.
And by “convenience,” you mean it’s a cop-out for saying what really needs to be said, if anything actually needs to be said.
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It’s so interesting to read the replies on here.
I’m kind of mixed about the ‘best suited to a hotel’ review.
On the one hand, I get it. It means they were hard work, for whatever reason. On the other hand, I agree with those that say it’s a total cop-out if no details are given.
My original intention was to discuss the kind of reviews that put guests off using Airbnb and how that might affect corporate policy. I’ve seen some truly horrible reviews from hosts that are downright nasty and personal. That is not good for business on any level.
I’ve hosted a few guests who had less than great reviews from other hosts. Usually these reviews popped up after they’d already booked with me, ie, they were travelling around Europe and staying in various locations. I remember one pair, sweet S Korean girls who had received a really mean review during their travels that criticised their lack of English. They came to me like scared little sheep. In the morning after their arrival I found a long handwritten note apologising for their lack of English. It was kind of heartbreaking. That host was a bitch, frankly. There is no need to be mean when reviewing.
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Ah Ken. I did not intend to insult you. It’s just that you are renowned on here for your direct and pithy review recommendations.
I’m intrigued, though, that you don’t ever actually leave such reviews yourself? I checked your listing and all your reviews of guests (all 168 of them) are… well, gushing is the word that comes to mind (fabulous guests! I’m sure you will enjoy hosting them as much as we did! etc).
So there are only two conclusions: either the guests for whom you wrote negative reviews did not review you so they are not visible; or all those terse damning reviews that you urge other hosts to write are based on… what? Just what you really wanted to write but didn’t?
Sorry mate but I’m calling bullshit on you.
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Just for the sake of being ethical, since you think its ok to dig into other host’s listings, do you mind posting yours so we can take a look? I’m sure you wouldn’t mind because you think its ok to do that to KenH.
I’m starting to think this is a cost saving trend I didn’t see coming. My condo has parking permits for 2 vehicles (not oversized). My condo was rented to a group of 6. Turns out there were 10 with 4 sleeping in the back of a pick up with a camper. The guests felt like since they were true to their reservation of 6 people sleeping in the unit, it was OK. My house rules now say “no camping in the parking lot”. It is crazy that needs to be a rule!!!
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This actually made me laugh out loud. I presume they showered, ate meals, etc., though. I wonder why they didn’t just bring in sleeping bags and sleep on the floor?
I had my first “camp in the truck” guest a few weeks ago. The fellow booked for one but two showed up. I said “oh, there are two of you?” And he honestly said “no my friend is sleeping in the back of his truck.” The next day in talking to the truck sleeper he explained about how he doesn’t have a house, he likes to go out every weekend snowboarding and whatever. He was also careful to explain it wasn’t because he couldn’t afford rent, he and the guy renting are both Air Force pilots.
Beginning mid January I raised my price an average of 15% a night and took off the second person fee. So it didn’t really matter to me if the guy slept in his truck or not. The next morning he did take a shower in the Airbnb room. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Like in that case it was okay but what if next it’s 4 people traveling together and two are in the room and two are camping in the driveway. What if they want to run an extension cord from my outdoor outlet and hook up to my water hose. I think as long as they disclose it and accept any extra charges I levy it’s not a problem.
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All it means to a host is “stay away”. Why? If they are rackety or in your face or very social they would be a good fit here. One man’s critique is another’s welcome. Please be specific.
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Well. Magwitch, you can call bullshit all you want; but all those 168 reviews HAVE been great guests! I dunno whether it’s the way we wrote the description, how much we charge, the look of the place, the fact that there’s only 1 bed, or what.
We’ve only declined 3 or 4 Requests since we started, two of which obviously hadn’t read the NO KIDS/NO Pets, one Spring Break student who didn’t have a clue we were not at the beach, and one who wanted to dictate to us when he would arrive and leave (hours after our set time) and more. The last is the only one we’ve had who had negative reviews (2 out of 3).
My “terse damning reviews” are based on 40 years experience as a science and technical writer picking and choosing the right words to say what you mean. You don’t need experience with bad guests, but it helps to have a superior grasp of English language.
My “gushing” positive reviews are based on our experiences as hosts. We’ve never had anyone steal anything, break anything (well, one coffee cup), stain anything, or leave any messes or weird objects. Never had anyone have a fight, or invite people over without asking first (can Mom come visit for the day?). No wild sex parties. Once, a night light went missing for a couple months but eventually came home after a protracted stay in a ‘seldom opened camera bag’.
Are we “lucky”? Or just good, thoughtful hosts with a well written and photographed listing?
–Ken
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@Mexican there is no digging required, @KenH posts his listing on here.
It is therefore perfectly ethical for hosts such as @Magwitch on here to look at and comment on it.
It is not up to you or any other host on this forum to tell another host whether or not they should share their listing on here. Some such as @KenH and @KKC are quite happy to share theirs.
Some of us, including yourself, are not.
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