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Is it a separate unit or she ia using your kitchen in your house?
I only wanted to suggest you to bann her from the kitchen if its in your house.
But besides that none od the things she suggests besides knives you have to do.
Knives I would sharpen because its kind of nessesity to be able do cook.
The rest is up to you .
I did catered to my guests but only after several complains or suggestions. . Single suggestions about home improvements I ignored .
I would not replace blankets with duvets. I had several complains from my guests about small garbage can… I replaced It with bigger .
One of .my biggest waste of money was pool heater. 2800$. Pool heater is needed in South Florida only 4 month a year. I installed it only after couple people suggested and I hoped I can generate bigger revenue with it. I had people make Jacuzzi out of my pool and 100s of dollars in electric bills. 1 year later after buying it I turned it off forever.
With that said…why you never say ANYTHING to her ? Yes we are in hospitality business but it doesn’t mean we can never say anything to our guests if they do something wrong.
Why you never addressed her cleanliness issue?. Once I stayed in one hotel in Isla Mujeres and they let us use microwave in a lobby. One mornin g I made eggs there and was late for my tour and left a plate and a fork in a sink.
Next morning receptionist told me very nicely to wash dishes and not leave them in a sink .
She said : imagine if we had to wash dishes after all 35 guests every day . That was first and last time I left dirty dishes in a sink.
I have said things to her…especially about the hair dyeing.
I have responded to her suggestions with the reasons I won’t do as she suggests.
She is getting better about cleaning up after herself (or maybe it’s just that her recent stays have been shorter so she hasn’t had as much time to leave a mess).
I’m not sure why you think I haven’t talked to her about things. My original post stated in the very first paragraph that
I was curious about what other hosts would do though, to please this guest. Looks like some of you say you would go a lot further.
I leave her five stars in communication and house rules, mark her down sometimes on cleanliness, depending on how bad it is. It’s getting better—she leaves less mess now than she did her first few stays.
I keep on hosting her because 1. Money and 2. Hope that the agency who pays for her and books for her will send me other business.
It sounds to me like you have hit your limit on catering to this guest, given her suggestions, careless behavior, and burden on your cleaner. However, it’s not just about her…you want to keep the business of the agency that arranged her travel.
Rather than trying to manage her needs, is it possible to ask the agency to book her elsewhere?
p.s. Sharp knives are a treat to cook with. Dull knives are frustrating and more likely to cause injury. The best way to sharpen them is with a set of stones, but there’s a learning curve to getting the angle right.
All taken together, no, I don’t think it’s reasonable. However, over the years I’ve implemented most of the suggestions I was given. Shower bench, magnifying mirror, night lights, window AC, get rid of carpet and drapes, more lights outside, queen bed instead of double, replace space heater that rattled with one that won’t, coffee maker, duvet covers instead of comforters are all improvements made as a result of reading here or guest suggestions. A few guest suggestions not implemented: 1. move refrigerator to another part of the room away from the bed because the compressor makes noise. I’m considering options. 2. Replace bathroom exhaust fan with good quality one instead of builders grade. This won’t happen until the current one quits working. 3. A clock with a bigger display.
This is over a 5 year period, not a 5 month period and not from one person. I find your guest tedious but it’s all about the money.
I suspect I’d try to upgrade the guest rather than the room.
That’s the thing. I don’t cook. I’ve never enjoyed it…frankly, I’d rather have a root canal than cook dinner for folks. My ADD makes cooking a real trial. So I know nothing about knives and their requirements…and am not particularly interested in learning. There are lots of things I enjoy doing and learning about but cooking is definitely not one of them.
Seriously, probably 90% of my guests, despite all three of my AirBnBs being separate houses with fully equipped kitchens, don’t cook anything more complicated than eggs for breakfast, and the occasional pasta dish.
The few guests I’ve had that really cook have all been people in the area for work…and they have, without exception, left the kitchen a mess and ruined dish towels and utensils. One of them managed (not this gal) to set a dish towel and a pot holder on fire.
I think, if I knew then what I know about hosting now, I’d have small guest houses with one bedroom, one bath, a living room, and a kitchenette just equipped for fixing a simple breakfast or dinner, but not a kitchen that would invite anyone to play Iron Chef!
As a host, I really enjoy accommodating people. Nothing makes me happier than a specific request or unusual question that I can provide or answer. I will, at times, spend hours putting together customized lists and itenaries for people. I have a regular guest who needs brighter light bulbs because of low-vision, has a favorite type of tea and prefers certain types of books and I get a ton of enjoyment out of setting up the apartment for her before her stays. When people tell me what they want, it makes my job easier and lets me do the fun part of hospitality (as opposed to cleaning toilets).
That being said, there are people who are just demanding or disrespectful and it is the opposite of fun to do it for them and so I don’t. I get the feeling that this guest falls into this second category and I wouldn’t cater to her. Her loss. But that’s how everything works. Flys and honey, etc.
But I completely understand the need for bookings and what you said about wanting her agency to book others at your place and that totally makes sense. It’s always about balancing priorities. I just hope her assignment is up soon so you don’t have to deal with her because, as I said, once you have to make a post about a guest, that’s a good sign you’re done with them.
Yes, I’ve implemented a good many guest’s suggestions. I’ve only done AirBnB for a year, but I’ve implemented every suggestion made by more than one guest. So far, she’s the only one to suggest the things she’s come up with. Folks here have convinced me to sharpen the knives.
I’ve also made upgrades the guests have not mentioned, such as an on demand gas water heater, more full length mirrors (at least one per house though eventually I hope to have one in each bedroom) and a gas grill for the house that has a patio.
Started out with no double beds or carpet, and with shower bench, magnifying mirror, night lights, coffee makers, and space heaters that don’t rattle. I added more towel hooks and rails in the bathrooms and window a/c units.
I’ve bought blackout drapes but haven’t installed them yet because we have the 2 inch horizontal blinds. Why did your guests want you to get rid of the drapes? Carpet, I understand, but why drapes? I was going to add blackout drapes because the houses are in town and the streetlights can interfere with good sleep…plus I sometime get workers who are day sleepers.
I totally understand! I love that guests in my suite only make coffee and warm up leftovers. (Other than one group that tried to make pasta with the electric kettle…some people are special.)
At any rate, from your original post, it sounds like your high-end, well equipped kitchen is a big selling point. So this is more about your marketing message than your personal dislike for meal prep.
So simply, if you want to support the marketing message of “high end, fully equipped kitchen” you should have sharp knives. If you don’t, then change the marketing message and make clear that the kitchen is for beverage and light snack prep.
As someone who does like to cook, and has many “foodie” friends, I’ll tell you sharp knives are important! If I picked your place for the high-end kitchen, even if I were only slicing a tomato for a sandwich, I’d be frustrated that I had to mash/saw a dull blade when it’s easily done with a sharp one. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference to someone who likes to cook.
The more you can align the perception created online with what they actually find in your home, the happier your guests will be. Sharp knives are an easy way to do this if you want to deliver on your promise of high end, fully equipped kitchen.
I’ve considered remodeling to add a lounge space and or an expanded kitchenette space and or even a daybed or futon. But I’ve decided from looking at the competition that I couldn’t gain enough on the nightly rate to justify it. If I ever stop STR and try to do something like get long term but temporary medical professionals in here I would probably have to do it but until then…no.
So true! Our 2-bed apts have fully-equipped kitchens that get rave reviews. We have a full set of fancy knives on a magnetic strip on the wall that is featured in the photos. I’ve had more than one guest remark that they booked our place because they could see that we have great knives.
It seems like someone implied that expensive knives might get stolen but I really don’t have that feeling as, we don’t generally get people who take stuff, but also, I don’t think people will steal knives for the same reasons they didn’t bring their own - hard to travel with!
Since I allow pets I didn’t want dog hair clinging to the drapes and I don’t want to launder them after every pet stay. I also noticed after someone was here with a cat that there was a pull on my fairly new drapes. No doubt the cat was exploring and pulled on it. Putting in shutters will give me about 3 more inches in two locations in the room. When a room is basically 10x11, 6 more inches makes a noticeable difference. Getting rid of the drapes will allow furniture to be pushed against the wall. I may even remove a desk and install a wall mounted drop down table to increase efficiency even more. But am also considering moving the refrigerator to another location. It’s amazing what getting rid of drapes in a small room can do.
This is all so true. I’ve put together a custom running route for a guest who wanted to know the best route to jog 13 miles. I’ve come up with suggestions for things to do for families that had children of different ages and interests and wanted to know what was available that the whole family might like. I don’t mind at all doing special things for guests…I even get the the guest I’m asking about bananas before her arrival because she likes to have bananas for breakfast. It is all about the expectations and appreciation though.
Unfortunately, yes. So I will do as everyone suggests and sharpen the knives. Not being a cook myself, it was not obvious to me that this was important.
Ah! Okay. Totally different situation for me. I’ve got big rooms, and big windows that let in a lot of light, and let in a lot of heat and cold, and no pets in my AirBnBs. They make sense in my places, but don’t in yours.
I had a guest spill coffee on the drape/wall/carpet/back of the refrigerator and not tell me. He cleaned up the obvious part of the spill but I didn’t find the rest until later due to being behind the headboard and fridge. So, stain was set and I bought a new set of drapes. Now a pull and a guy who had a dog in there for 3 weeks and it took me hours to get all the dog hairs cleaned off everything.
Book her and raise her cleaning fee due to how dirty she is. I’ve learned a lovely Southern expression when someone gives me unwanted or unnecessary advice: “Bless your heart. Thank you, I’ll consider it!”
In NYC, we don’t say things like that, so it’s painful for this New Yorker to not push back, but I’m learning!
Definitely sharpen the knives and have a chat with your moaning cleaning lady.
I’m sorry, someone else here referred to her as a moaning cleaning lady. She’s not. She’s a very bright, hard working, cheerful young woman (yes, one of those millennials some older folks like to complain about).
I have severe arthritis, two artificial knees, a bad back and, at the moment, a torn rotator cuff. Surgery for the rotator cuff is coming up in 5 days.
I absolutely could not do AirBnB without her or someone like her. She’s a treasure, and I think she’s entitled to complain about guests who are out of bounds with how dirty and messy they leave the house—even though she earns more when guests are messy because it takes longer to clean up. I clean alongside of her most of the time, doing whatever I’m able to do, and I do my share of complaining too.
I’d love to upcharge the cleaning fee but I feel I’d be risking potential future bookings from the agency. It’s not worth it over a few extra dollars in cleaning fees—not to mention I question whether they would pay it.
Yes, I’m from the south, so I’m familiar with it in all it’s shades and permutations of meanings. An older person I know gave the best advice I’ve heard on being and staying married that’s similar to that. He said to learn to say “You may be right, dear.”
I hope your upcoming surgery goes well. There’s nothing like the stress of your health to add to the stress of the hard work that is hosting.
I don’t have a cleaning lady, but I do moan when some of my guests have left. Especially the ones who eat in the bedroom, leaving a half sandwich in the wastebasket for days in direct contradiction of my house rules. I’m in Florida. Bugs are an issue and I have to pay my pest control company to come out in between treatments. I’ve added that to the HR now - food in bedroom will cost you $80 for pest control treatment.
Surgery for the rotator cuff is coming up in 5 days. 