Done. My apologies. None of the links were affiliate links (I wasnât trying to make any money off of this post).
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Thank you. âŚ
Just to be transparent, I have edited the title to not come off too strong/demeaning/patronizing. It was not my intention.
I told you not to take it personally!! It was just my gut reaction. I actually agree with and practice some of what you say. Itâs just that most folks come on and ask a question, or relay an experience or the way they do things in order to start a discussion. Then everyone relays their opinions and experiences and the op can hopefully make a more informed decision. Many members of this forum have answered lots and lots of questions about specific topics for years. So for someone fairly new to come on and tell everyone how to improve their listing without a question or wondering if other successful hosts agree seemed odd. But I do tend to be a bit cynical, admittedly.
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Sorry, my head was still spinning with the negative reaction that I was not expecting. I was in shock.
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Disagree. I gave a guest hundreds in refunds due to a circumstance out of my control and also which I attempted to remedy and fix and they still left me one star and a crap review. Refunds donât guarantee anything!
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Agreed. They donât guarantee anything. But Iâd argue that the average person would be happier with an unexpected refund. It wonât always be the case. However, Iâd argue that that is part of running a business.
I donât think itâs negative⌠itâs just that it sounded like you were talking down to a group of super experienced hosts. Some of us have been doing this waaaaay before there has even been an Airbnb. (I started with Air when they were a brand new start up, eight years ago. My listing number is under 40,000. They are in the millions now.) maybe if you titled it Tips for Brand New Users or something. 
Not sure.
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I have since changed the title to âHosting Tips/Suggestionâ from the original title.
They werenât. They wanted more refund. And IMHO refunding for any little thing just rewards entitled behavior and contributes toward creating the kinds of guests none of us want. Thereâs no reason to refund $10 if the power goes out or something.
Which doesnât mean you shouldnât be kind when the circumstance allows it⌠For instance, I just hosted two guests from Argentina. Their entire Big Island trip was impacted by rain and bad weather. They came a long way and it rained the whole time. They only stayed three nights with me. I am going to offer them three nights free in the low season if they want to return, just to show them I had empathy. Not because I feel I have to.
I do like your idea of writing a greeting on the mirror. I might try that. 
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Yes, that was also the idea I loved ! Most certainly because my hubby wants a larger than life mirror in the small hallway between our guest rooms 
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Itâs definitely a case by case basis. You have to judge based on the personality of the guest whether or not a small refund will be fruitful or pointless.
We have a little alarm clock that has a plastic memo board that we write our guests name on. I put the mirror idea because I figured nobody has an alarm clock with a memo board, or even knows what that would look like. 
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As I read this thread I feel like Iâm observing a hurricane of interpretations. I appreciate tips and Iâve learned much from others (and quite a bit from my blunders).
I see you joined this forum in fall 2017.
Are you looking to see if the forum thinks this is a good primer for you to share with a friend who is thinking of starting STRs? If so, you mention many valid points and some that each host will want to modify to fit their situation.
Are you seeking to give advice to others? The problem with advice is that unless it is requested, no one listens to it.
The best communication tool Iâve learned (unfortunately, I often fail to practice) is: A friend in conversation describes a problem. Listenerâs response, âDo you want my advice on this or do you just need to talk it through?â If the person says, âYes, I want to hear your thoughts on how to handle this.â The advice is solicited and will be considered of value.
As this forum has questions and concerns pop up, snippets of this would probably be valuable feedback for those situations. You may wish to save your article and share portions as needed to answer others.
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Point taken. This was my intention, but I made incorrect assumptions.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts @sirvin. It just shows how we all host differently and what works for one host, doesnât necessarily work for another, as we have different types of accommodation, hosting styles and guests.
For example, I am committed to an eco approach so wouldnât provide travel sized products. My guests prefer liquid soap to hand soap and I donât need to provide a mini fridge as I provide full kitchen access. I donât need to provide beach or pool towels as unfortunately I have neither 
I wouldnât assume anything about your profit margins as I am sure you have done your homework, as we all have and have costed what you provide to make sure you make a decent profit.
I donât necessarily agree there isnât room in the Airbnb market for budget, basic options nor that you need to have all white linens to know whether something is clean.
A couple of things I do offer my guest a personal, tailored tour of my area that goes down really well and I have a personalised welcome message using a light box. And I often make a fresh cake or bread for them to enjoy with a drink when they arrive.
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Your reply above to smtucker comes across as pedantic and specious. Most of us are able to edit mistakes in posts and determine what was meant without publicly correcting the poster.
Sorry, I didnât mean to come across like that. I was just trying to clarify.