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Although I can see it’s inconvenient, I think it’s a bit presumptuous to assume that most kitchens should be equipped with a microwave. It may be a basic kitchen accessory in the US, but certainly not in Europe, Asia and probably only half the places I’ve stayed in Australia.
Face cloths - same thing. I’ve stayed in 5 star hotels in Europe that don’t provide face towels.
Breakfast- an issue when they’ve said it’s included and I believe that should be pointed out.
Keys - again I would consider this an issue. I would point it out but wouldn’t ping her on stars for it.
I’m assuming from your post that you’re from the US - often my most difficult guests - friendly and polite however they do seem to expect that what’s usual at home in the US should be usual everywhere else. I don’t travel to the US and expect a kettle and tea bags in every place because it’s not an American thing but where I’m from it’s as essential as perhaps a microwave is for you.
I’ve just gave a recent lovely host a 4 star rating as it said fully equipped kitchen and there was 1 scratched frypan, no pans for the oven or saucepans to boil things in and nowhere to hang clothes. It was her first less than 5 star review and I felt bad about it, but the reality was I was there for a business trip and having no hangers or place for clothes was annoying. If I’d wanted to eat out I would have stayed in a hotel - I use ‘entire-space’ Airbnb locations so that I can cook a healthy meal.
Wilbur, I believe s/he is from the USA and rented a place in the USA. Presumptuous seems like a pretty harsh word. I have to agree. I don’t consider a dishwasher or microwave a “given” as it happens but the OP did.
I recently gave my first ever 3 star review. Here were my reasons why:
Toilet paper ran out 3 times and took 24-48 hours to be replaced on each occasion (live in host situation so unnacceptable)
On several occasions the family had dinner and then went out, leaving plates on the table with food on them and a mess in the kitchen
Excessive clutter through the house, piles of washing everywhere on every surface etc
Massive bag of recycling in the kitchen that attracted A LOT of flies … I also saw maggots all over the bin but that was outside in the garden
During a three week stay no chsnging the sheets / fresh towels until after I asked at the end of week 2
No cleanjng completed in the room until I asked after week 2
Limited cleaning done in the bathroom despite it being used by 3 paying guests and a family of four.
The host was lovely but I just couldn’t forgive the above so 3 stars. For me the things you mention are irritating and inconvenient; I would probably rate 3.5 but since I can’t …it’s 3 stars.
I totally agree with you. And I suspect that the problem is caused by the thousands of articles on the internet that urge everyone to Airbnb their spare room and ‘get rich’.
So we get hosts who have no experience of the hospitality industry and no desire to learn.
I don’t have a microwave and I provide one key per apartment. I don’t specifically note “no microwave” nor “one key per apartment” so I’m kind of surprised that you found this to be unusual. It seems odd to me, as most of my guests do travel together and come and go at the same time. The few times that someone has asked for an extra key it’s been no problem to drop it off. Every once in a while someone will ask if I have a microwave (once they’ve checked in) and I’ll say “nope, no microwave” and that’s that…for me it’s not anything other than a lousy electrical system and no good place in kitchen to put the microwave. If a guest was really upset by not having a microwave I’d go out to walmart and get one, it wouldn’t put me out that much.
Out of all of the things that you note, the breakfast issue would bother me the most and that would make me knock it down a star.
yes, you’re right. Too harsh - I was really just meaning to presume, or be presumptive - but that’s an old-fashioned meaning now. Sorry MissKris816 if you were offended.
We eat a lot of fresh food over in Europe … microwaves, toblerones and cable TV are reserved for the 420 tokers.
1 key is stingy for 4 guests…but possibly an oversight.
Breakfast served at midday is a honeymooner’s delight… but would piss me off if i’d paid for it.
Yes, I’m American and the AirBnB house I stayed in was also in the US. When I travel to other parts of the world, I bring my own face towels because it’s not standard practice to supply those in most other countries. The difference is that face towels are a standard in America. A 5 star hotel in Europe might not provide face towels, but a 3 star hotel in the United States does, again, because that’s the standard here.
Regarding the microwave - I understand wanting to stay in an AirBnB because you want to cook a healthy meal, but even healthy meals need to be reheated if there are leftovers. I don’t ever intend to cook every night while I’m on vacation but that’s just me.
Ew. Did this particular host have positive reviews? Were the listing pics deceiving?
I bet those 3 weeks felt like forever.[quote=“Zandra, post:53, topic:8822, full:true”]
I recently gave my first ever 3 star review. Here were my reasons why:
Toilet paper ran out 3 times and took 24-48 hours to be replaced on each occasion (live in host situation so unnacceptable)
On several occasions the family had dinner and then went out, leaving plates on the table with food on them and a mess in the kitchen
Excessive clutter through the house, piles of washing everywhere on every surface etc
Massive bag of recycling in the kitchen that attracted A LOT of flies … I also saw maggots all over the bin but that was outside in the garden
During a three week stay no chsnging the sheets / fresh towels until after I asked at the end of week 2
No cleanjng completed in the room until I asked after week 2
Limited cleaning done in the bathroom despite it being used by 3 paying guests and a family of four.
The host was lovely but I just couldn’t forgive the above so 3 stars. For me the things you mention are irritating and inconvenient; I would probably rate 3.5 but since I can’t …it’s 3 stars.
[/quote]
@MissKris816 the host had all 5 star reviews in all points. I actually think these issues arise because I (and the other 2 guests) were long term. When I checked in everything was pristine and had I left 3 days later I would have had a very different experience. I think the host confused friendliness with being a friend and let standards slide massively.
So you suspect this is how they live, they only clean up for a guest? Gross. For years people have told me how “clean” my house is. I never really believed it because I knew I hadn’t mopped or scrubbed the toilet in weeks. My house is “tidy.” Now that I airbnb it’s much “cleaner” but I’m really only particular about the guest room and ensuite. If they come into the commons they should expect dust and dog hair. Via the magic of the internet I’ve now seen pictures of how people really live and understand why people think my house is clean despite all the dogs.
In this case I felt like they had left themselves no private space in which to be untidy. It was a three bedroom house and every single room was let. This meant mother, father and two children downstairs on sofa beds. If I came home late (say 11.30pm) I’d have to walk past their kids asleep on the sofa.
There was just stuff everywhere; it felt so cluttered and difficult to relax because it was so clear they were displaced.
Weirdly I have a similar set up in my flat and I’d say the experience at my place is largely the opposite; I keep it tidy and I clean the guest areas every 2-3 days. And I’ve never allowed the toilet paper to run out!! There is ALWAYS a spare roll. I would also never dream of cooking a meal and then going out with the plates still on the table and the dirty pans on every surface in the kitchen. The place wasn’t exactly dirty (no ingrained dirt) just hugely untidy on a day to day basis. Someone’s toothpaste spittle sat on the mirror for about 2 weeks. In my place I check for that daily.
It was cheap so I put up with it; I wouldn’t stay again though and along with my 3 stars they got a thumbs down.
My review said: x and his wife are friendly hosts with a relaxed attitude to hosting. I would have preferred more formality as at times it felt very cluttered.
Absolutely nothing. In just the same way as there’s absolutely nothing to stop them taping up a window, breaking it and entering the apartment that way. And neither of those issues are of concern to me because the rental is only steps away from my own home and I can see everything that is going on there - plus, we have nothing in the apartment that would justify a thief duplicating a key or breaking in. There’s no heirloom family silver or priceless art. In this neighbourhhod there are far richer pickings. No self-respecting thief would bother with our place.
As I said above, we have a maximum of two guests and they appreciate being able to leave the key in a secure spot when they are going out. Many of our guests go paddleboarding, kayaking or jet-skiing from the dock and I can assure you that there are no convenient pockets in which to house a key when you are wearing nothing but a bikini.
Also, if one guest is here for a conference and has brought a partner, then she can go to the conference and if he decides to go off to the beach, she knows where they key is when she gets back - no matter what time it is.
In addition to this being of value to guests, it also means that our handyman can go into the apartment when needed without having to distract me from my work.
Basic cable is local channels in my area, I think the problem here is assumptions. OP assumed there would be a microwave, cable with many channels, facecloths and a more substantial breakfast. There is a list of kitchen amenities that I filled out for my listing, I checked microwave, I didn’t check breakfast, is there a tick box to differentiate what type of breakfast is offered?
It’s important when buying anything that you check details, waterfront doesnt always mean the lake/ocean is a few steps away, there could be a 12 foot high fence, or a 25 foot high sand dune blocking access/view, I’ve seen both.
The OP should have asked more about the place, read the listing.
This is a very old post, I raised the topic because I have a similar question. Maybe it would be better to separate it into a separate topic, it’s confusing this way, I guess…
Yes, Inna and others, PLEASE don’t answer to a really old thread. I can break it up, but obviously, it’s easier on everyone if you don’t do this. Thanks.
