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Host IB’ed, telling me that they were a host too and the response to “confirm you are over 25 and have read house rules and agree to them” was “I am familiar with your request”…?
Once the reservation is confirmed I have an easter egg in my welcome message in the airbnb messaging that says to text my number with a short code to confirm they have read and agree. No reply. I re sent it 2 days later no easter egg reply.
One of the things in my welcome is “no need to let us know your arrival plans - smart lock 24/7”. Proceeded to message me about arrival time etc. At midnight of course.
Shows up and disregarding the specific instruction to ‘go to the door that has the airbnb sign’ circles the house twice trying all doors.
In room info includes ‘please do not bring towels and washcloths back into the room, leave on hooks in bathroom’. Disregards.
WTF do these ‘hosts’ think they bring to the table by (apparently) assuming that they can just wing and ignore? More importantly, how can I review this ‘host’ who is leaving tomorrow? I would like other hosts to know that this guest has no interest in anything you present to them? Fortunately my airbnb is pretty idiot proof, but I quake when I think of an absent minded or simply ignorant guest leaving a faucet on all night (for example)…
You can say whatever you have to say about cleanliness and respecting property and add:
“but[or and] this guest did not follow any of our instructions or read the welcome message: went to wrong entrance, didn’t leave wet towels in bathroom, didn’t confirm agreement and understanding to house rules. Would/would not host again.”
Just review like you would any other guest who reads nothing.
I’ve had several guests who were hosts themselves. They were all good guests, but one asked me if I allow kitchen use, which is clearly mentioned in my listing text and under amenities, and also asked whether I had a hair dryer, which I don’t and which is not listed. She asked these things after she arrived and I thought, “Didn’t she bother to read?” (She has a private room homeshare, like I do)
Sometimes I think that if guests are on vacation and have booked several places for their travels, maybe they just don’t remember what each place offered and are too lazy to go back and look at the listing info again.
But ignoring pre-arrival messages is different. I’ve never experienced that.
Hosts are just people and as such, they seem to be not any different from the general population of guests- there’s good, respectful ones and bad, disrespectful ones.
I’ve been traveling this summer and I’m currently staying in the fifth Airbnb of my trip. I have a lot of sympathy for how tricky it can be to keep up with all the details!
One host in particular had obviously received bad feedback about the check-in procedures, so she sent copious details about where to find the key, which code to use where, how to access parking… I read everything, but until I was actually standing in the lobby, scrolling through my phone, trying to remember which email had which instruction, none of it made sense.
I have been trying to be a good communicator, but to be honest, when it comes to house rules and keys and entry codes, one stay kind of blends into the next. I really appreciate short, clear, and easily located instructions.
When traveling for 2 months several years ago and staying in probably 10 Airbnb’s, I have to say it can get confusing remembering all the details for each rental. Booked lots of places well in advance and probably looked at hundreds to come up with ones that I thought were a good fit.
And, while we say people don’t read, it’s a confusing landscape compared to just staying at a hotel. I tried to know the important facts, but sometimes I missed things being in a foreign country, navigating by train and my computer.
I agree 100% with Jaquo – Don’t judge all Hosts-as-Guests based on the actions of one. We too are Great Guests. Only if we see something that obviously needs attention to we mention things in private comments not ratings or reviews.
First of all, best profile picture ever! My favorite character.
Second, I don’t have more to offer than what others have shared; I’m currently dealing with a guest that has 38 5 star reviews but has not sent a single message or response on the platform. I’ve now texted her directly. She won’t be able to check in if we aren’t communicating.
Third, I want you to share more about your easter egg. This is brilliant. Please share the procedure and details. I make a big effort to educate those new to STR. Many of the guests in our location are first time to no more than 2 trips.
My ‘easter egg’ is in the welcome message that reiterates my house rules and gives details about check in. Buried near the bottom it says “Have you read all the above, and agree to it? Then, please text us exactly this phrase: " (guest first name) for sure” to our phone number 867-5309."
Gives us confirmation they read and agree of course, but also lets us see their real phone number - sometimes guests do not have an accurate phone number in their profile.
I had a guest whose phone number didn’t work. (I was trying to contact her during her stay while she was out and about one day, can’t remember why)
Turned out she just hadn’t updated her info when she moved and changed numbers,nothing nefarious. Now I try to remember to ask guests, whenthey book, to check to make sure the phone number on their account is correct.
I have also gotten a few bookings this last season where the guest’s profile said “Phone number not available” after the booking was confirmed. So I asked for their number, and they gave it to me, no problem. They said they weren’t even aware that it wasn’t shown- that they must have marked it to not be shared as a privacy thing when they opened their accounts, but actually didn’t remember doing so.
A lot of guests don’t know what and when info is shared with hosts- for instance, they sometimes don’t know that hosts don’t have access to the verified ID they register with Airbnb. So they might think that their phone number is shown to hosts whenever they submit a request, not just after a booking is confirmed.
Many hosts use managers and are hands off. They also may not travel much themselves. Also some people are very much “do as I say, not as I do!”
You have to treat them as any other guest but should feel free to say privately that you were very disappointed that a host would be so inconsiderate……
)
Only if we see something that obviously needs attention to we mention things in private comments not ratings or reviews.