How do you deal with it when you really DON'T like these guests

I have to say, in over 150 guests, I’ve only ‘disliked’ intensely three. Two I turned away (breaking house rules before they got out of the car). The third I ignored and they left the property less than nice.
This couple booked for this weekend beginning Thursday at my Little Mountain Cabin…a quirky, secluded little cabin on the farm where I live, surrounded by mountains…People book to get away, to refresh, put away the techy stuff, hike and relax.
Says she is a host, and her and hubby are in the area for a concert and are from Illinois. Had a bit of trouble getting them to respond when I sent their final directions. No problem, finally did.

Now this week I’ve been booked for the last 6 days straight (thanks Airbnb for messing with my blocked days, or was it my fault??) and so admit I’m tired. 3 revolving door days (in/out same day) and I do all the work…Not complaining. just fact. So maybe I’m a bit touchy???
They arrive on time, 4 pm, and they are mid fifties…a tad rough around the edges, but I usually like folks like that. He gets out and looks around, no words, she gets out (she’s driving) . So I introduce myself, with a hand shake. He responds with a nod…so I have to say " and you are?" Oh yeah, I’m Dave. She was friendly, but had a smoker’s voice. I didn’t smell anything so hopefully…The property is a total no smoking anywhere.
We walk over to the cabin…they admire the view. They then tell me they have groceries in the car and we need to get this done quick…Hairs go up on back of neck…Must be tired. As we go up to the porch, he says to wife, laughing “looks like a storage building”…ok…I don’t turn around until the door. Keeping my tongue and not getting a ‘good feeling’ now…He’s very loud. Oh well. Week is almost over and I can rest afterwards…
I explain a couple of quirky things and we go inside. He starts fidgeting. She tells me they had to check out of the other place at 11 and have been in the car since then and are exhausted. They had stayed about 20 mn from my place so…?? Then she tells me they went hiking at the nearby State Park that my guests frequent. Great! How did you hike while in the car since 11?

So I go to the guest info folder where the house rules are repeated from the listing (as well as other useful info) and she sits down on the couch and tells hubby (as I am trying to go over these) that he will have to handle that as she is too tired to think or listen. He is wandering around as I’m trying to explain the workings of certain things…He sits in a chair, gets up, sits again, gets up. My warning buzzer is going off. She looks up at the loft sleeping arrangement and says "oh, a loft. that could be a problem’. I said well it’s clearly in the listing with several pictures. She laughed and said she had been a host for 5 years and few people read the listing and she DIDN’T EITHER. Huh? Then he says ‘how do I get the WiFi to work?’ I said there is no WiFi…and I said that was in the listing also. He tells her that this is going to be a ‘REAL PROBLEM’ because he has to work while here on his laptop. …And he continues to ‘tour’ the 240 sq. ft. space. Pacing actually. She asked about the coffee maker (and I provide a good supply of coffee). She actually got up and came to the kitchen, I showed her the Keurig and the coffee supply (cream and sugar also) and she huffed and said ‘don’t you have a real coffee maker?’ and sat down again and said those machines are responsible for filling up the landfills with those used cups… I did ask her if she used plastic bags…I couldn’t help it…She didn’t answer so likely their review isn’t going to be nice, lol.
They said they were going to cook. (I always ask so I don’t bore a guest with details if they are not going to cook)…I can barely get him to look at me or listen. SO I gave it up. Showed him the hiking maps and they said dismissively that ‘they already had their tomorrow planned for hiking as they were going waterfall hunting’…Ok…so I didn’t bother to tell them that all the falls were dry due to our severe drought…Wished them well and I went to my house.
Never had guests so loud outside as they were fooling with the grill (had told me they were making spaghetti) … normally you cannot hear ANYTHING from the cabin to my house and vice versa…It’s quite a distance…and I noticed they had a big cooler,so why the remark about their groceries and needing to ‘get on with this’?
I left my porch and went inside as I didn’t want to hear any comments. The body language indicated they were having some sort of issues. But I didn’t hear from them either…
Ditto on this morning. Perhaps after their many comments I should have addressed their issues and suggested they find other accomadations? Or did I do right to just leave and get over it… Love to know how another host would handle this…

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If guests are tired I normally let them settle in and ask them to give me a yell when they want me to come back and go over key amenities that will help them enjoy their stay that might be a little quirky to use such as my gas oven or sliding back doors.

It sounds like the guests weren’t a good fit for your place. And probably got on your nerves more because you were over tired. If you know you had blocked out 6 days, then call Airbnb and ask them to cancel the guests. I have had to do this about six times in the last year.

Personally, when they raised concerns about the wifi and sleeping platform I would have asked them if they would like to cancel and I would have recorded our conversation about them not reading the listing and therefore not realising their was wifi or a sleeping platform.

I have my listing set to block out a day between guests unless it’s a weekend. I find it really helps.

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Most certainly they were not a good fit. Had she read the listing that would have been clear to her. And since she said she was a host with ‘tons of experience with people who didn’t read the listing’ one would have thought THAT was something she would be sure and do when a guest herself.
As I am not comfortable with guests who are obviously unhappy with the property, I thought about asking them if they’d rather cancel but reconsidered because they did indicate they (or HER actually, he couldn’t sit or stand still) were tired. And this man’s constant movement and inability to pay attention gave me pause as to why he was so active if they were so tired.
Have no idea how I would record any conversation when I couldn’t have predicted what the conversation would be.
I’ve had three instances this year where bookings were allowed although I was fairly certain I had blocked them. I block Mon, Tues, Wed every week to give me time to get farm and other work done. However, perhaps I forgot to hit ‘save’ or something. I had no proof I had blocked them at that time.
I did call Airbnb and they said they’d contact IP to see what the problem was. I then took cell pics of Oct, Nov, Dec bookings/blockings so I know for certain if something happens it was NOT my error…I cannot be sure on the prior three situations.

I think I would have done as @Helsi said—offered to go over the info later, after they contacted me.

You know, the way they acted could be due to a lot of things. Maybe they’d had a lengthy argument just before arriving. Maybe they’re incredibly introverted. Maybe they’re social misfits.

Yes, it’s a drag that they didn’t read the listing. Hosts should know better. But then many people don’t read it, and many of them are still great guests.

I’d give them their space. Make sure they know you’re available.

And hope for the best.

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Perhaps she has a hearing issue, so he’s got used to shouting at her??

I have, on occasion when I’m tired, found it difficult to be pleasant to guests who simply irritate me for whatever reason.

They are the ones I can’t now recall!

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I guess I didn’t explain well enough…My property is not a self check in. I meet and greet everyone and then spend just a few minutes going over things so they are comfortable and I am comfortable. It’s a bit unusual of a property so is necessary. And because I live here, I need to make sure that they understand the important issues. Like no smoking, drugs, farm gate and firepit rules, areas of accessibility, etc. And go over the written house rules/guidelines that are in the welcome folder that need to be read just in case they actually did not read the listing where they are. Doesn’t take more than 10 mn unless THEY want to chat.
They were getting along fine, their attitude was directed at me or the property…Didn’t matter to me which. And hardly introverted. Loud, a bit rude, as in the comment about the cabin looking like a storage shed, and the coffee maker being ‘environmentally insensitive’. I’m not used to guests negatively commenting and criticizing things in front of me (had a few do so in writing and that’s fine)…so perhaps social misfits is a good read.
I doubt they want any interaction from me and that’s fine. I do not interact with my guests unless they want to, and most do. If they do, I keep it light and informal. And yes, many people do not read all of the listing, but they generally have the basic information.
I probably should have kindly asked them if they would prefer to cancel and find something else. I doubt they would have taken me up on it . It will be interesting to see how this progresses. And it always intrigues me when people like this book a property that is so far out of what I read as their wheelhouse. I no longer take any responsibility for them doing so as I have provided enough photos and text to explicitly show exactly what to expect.
Interested to know what other hosts with similar guest experiences dealt with it. I can’t help it if they don’t read what is provided, and then find themselves ‘surprised’.

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My rentals are self checkin and about half my Airbnb stays were self checkin, but for those that weren’t the host basically handed over keys and pointed out the information booklet and how to contact them if needed. I admit, I would be put off if after a long day of traveling the host thought I needed a 10 minute hands on tutorial on an apartment or house. Is there a way you could make checkin briefer, and save grand tours for those guests that are in a friendly, chatty mood?

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There’s no rule that says that a host has to like guests. This is a business transaction, that’s all.

It does seem though that the host was determined to find fault with these people from the moment they arrived.

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@Charmed59 – Since you can’t stand “a 10 minute hands on tutorial”, do not come stay at my listing. You will get the welcome walk around and explanation, and if you do not do things with the AC, TV and Hot Water --as explained to you in words of one syllable – I will tell you to leave as soon as I discover this, and you will get a 1 star review.

Unless you are bleeding out, there is NO reason not to politely take in what your host wants you to know about their listing. Such a briefing could save your life in some circumstances (if you’re a sleepwalker do not come here, the pool is 6 ft from the cabana door).

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Ken makes an excellent point. I am not a good fit for a place that requires a 10 minute walk thru. Though I haven’t run across any problems with host meeting me at check in, from reading this board I am under the impression that at some rentals the host really wants to walk their guests through the whole property pointing out amenities, safety suggestions, and ensuring their guests know the rules in case they didn’t read the listing.

So what in the listing do I look for to make sure I don’t inadvertently book one of those places? I only book “entire place” listings, as I certainly could see there being more of a social experience booking in a shared space. I could stick to self checkin places, but again, I haven’t run across that kind of host yet. They see me, they figure I can read if I run into something unfamiliar. Perhaps the walk thru is more common in the US?

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Good question as I also don’t want to spend 10 minutes or even 1 or 2 on a tour. Number one thing is to choose a place with self check in. I believe if you filter for work you’ll get only self check in. Also look for remote hosts. Lots of hosts plainly state that you are unlikely to see them or they live xx distance away. A place with a separate entrance, separate guest house, separate floor would be a maybe. If the listing doesn’t make it clear, just ask the host directly before booking. Places with limited check in times should also be avoided.

Yes those hosts are here. But I’ve found that when looking at listings most good hosts are clear about if that’s required or not. It’s just another pain in the … hurdle to jump over. Something else to read. If a listing is too long (like you click on rules and it goes on and on) that’s not a good sign.

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Fixing to go on a long trip with multiple ABB stays and I WISH more hosts WOULD meet in person and show me how to do/use things. Foreign countries and often appliances and such are mystifying to me. Last time around I never could figure the washer and even a visit by the “host” didn’t work because of course they turned out to be a flunky for a big listing company.

I don’t do self check-in and strongly prefer to not stay in them, either.

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I book places that have a remote host and if someone mentions living at the property then I skip it. I am social 24/7 for my job and it is it against my hermit nature, so I don’t want to have to be that way on vacation too. I wouldn’t be rude to a host if they happened to be there but I also make sure to read the listing to make sure, as best I can, that all expectations are known - on both sides.

I am planning a trip right now and find myself avoiding the city - too loud and like my normal weekday - and skipping suites in houses. I look for stand alone structures and enough pictures to be certain that I am not in someone’s back yard. Even though they are renting the space and seemingly happy with the arrangement, I feel like I’m trespassing when the host is right there.

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Back to the OP: I’d leave it and be professional and business-like for the rest of the stay. If they are not happy, that is on them for admittedly not reading the listing.

I recently had a guest that didn’t review us, but sent me 6 separate suggestions in messages for how to improve my listing, including telling me that we should tell people there isn’t a door on the third bedroom. Well - “helpful lady” - there has always been a picture, as well as a detailed description, in the listing. So, thanks but no thanks - ha!

If she didn’t read to discover that there was a loft, etc, then shame on her. Being a host? Doubly so!

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An idea for the OP: When you review them, I’d mention that you were sorry to hear that they didn’t read your listing and were unaware of the lack of Wifi—and anything else they would have known if they’d read it.

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I agree with @KenH and @Carl_P. There is no excuse for being rude. You’re staying in someone’s home / property. If you can’t be arsed being polite, book a damned hotel or some anonymous rental home.

I am a live-in host (yes, we still exist) so it is really important for me to meet guests. We are sharing a space so there is NO WAY you get to come here and not meet me and be shown around.

@Carl_P has a really good point also. Those of us who host guests from all around the world, you can never assume that someone knows how to operate the shower, the door-lock, anything! I too have been stumped in other countries where there are no instructions or really inadequate instructions.

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Obviously you record the conversation on Airbnb once you have had it @shadowmnt

I would consider doing a video and sending to guests and let them know to contact you with any questions. They did not want to be checked in it seems.

RR

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Does ‘revolving door days’ refer to same day turnovers? If so, I think that any host who finds that tiring should really take a good look at the way they work and the systems they use. Three same day turnovers in 6 days shouldn’t tire a host out - three same day turnovers in a day shouldn’t make a host bad tempered. (Not that I’d want more than one of those in a week in an ideal world). Hosting needs a lot of great time management practices :slight_smile:

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Not as much if you’re willing to forgo some profitability. Having a 2-day advance notice, 2-day minimum stay, and 1-day preparation time won’t make me the most money, but it is the only way I could host without hiring out the landscaping, cleaning, repairs, etc.

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