This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I am on vacation and I am staying at an Airbnb. The host is a superhost with over 50 mostly positive reviews. He is great at replying to messages, he replies immediately.
When it came to check in, he contacted us to pick us up from the airport against a fee even though we had already agreed to meet him close to the apartment. We tell him to meet as planned.
When he greeted us in person he was friendly but gave us a vibe of being a bit kocky. Boasting that he has 5 properties and that the apartment that we booked is his most “luxurious”. This put me off a bit because I knew the apartment is not luxury! Luxury wasn’t what I was looking for when I booked. Before he left he asked what our plans were for our day trip and again he offered to give us a lift (against a fee) even though we had planned to use the bus. Felt like being at Mc Donalds with all the upselling!
Anyway to cut a long story short, we settle in, the apartment is overall great for us, great value not luxury as he described it but nonetheless fits the description.
We look for the towels but there are none except two old wet towels hanging on the clothes line in balcony. We contact the host asking if there where any towels as the ones on the balcony are wet. He tells us to look in the wardrobe as he thinks there might be extra. We find one microfiber beach towel. We tell him there is just this one beach towel. He apologizes, tells us he is sorry but since it was raining unexpectedly the towels didn’t dry. We knew it was going to rain 3 days ahead. He also reports that this is how he presents towels to his guests as it offers a “home fealing”. I am quoting his very words. He offers us no solution but to use this one beach towel and wait for the other towels on the balcony to dry.
I ask myself how is this guy a super host??? He has a flat screen tv with cable but he only has 2 towels in his apartment, no extras apparently. He washes the towels puts them on the clothes line hoping they will dry out by the time the next guest checkes in? Not even a dryer or a plan b in case of stains??
If it were I, I would ding him for value. I would expect clean dry towels, not one, but at least two or three per person. Seems cheap and tacky to expect guests to use wet towels and then say his place is luxurious. Maybe he’s high on bleach fumes.
Bob had good communication and was always quick to respond. We enjoyed points X, Y and Z in the house. However, there needs to be a better system in place for providing adequate towels for guests.We were also a little uncomfortable with the way he pushed us to use his transport service, when we were planning to find our own way around. Overall, it was a fine airbnb, which could be great if Bob improved these issues.
I don’t think you need to get into his personality, boasting or whether or not the place is really luxurious.
As a potential guest, the towels and pushy selling are the things I’d want to know about.
We enjoyed points X, Y and Z in the house, but we were given wet towels with no alternative offered. He also pushed us to use his transport service. Overall, Bob had good communication and was always quick to respond. it was a fine airbnb, which could be great if Bob improved these issues.
[/quote]
I agree with @GardenGnome in that the bloke’s personality has nothing to do with anything. Neither is the fact that he’s a superhost. Regarding the towel thing, I guess it depends to some extent on how much the rental was costing.
Don’t get me wrong, the fact that the towels were still drying isn’t what any guest would expect to see whatever the cost and unless it was a stay of only one night, I’d certainly want more than two towels (for two people?) Did you ask for more and did he provide them?
Where was this located? I only ask because we’re missing a lot of context here. Different cities, states, and countries all have different levels of expectations and cultural norms. Were towels advertised as coming with the booking? If yes, I think it’s fair to mention in the review. “Clean towels were not available as advertised”.
Regarding the trips, is this located in a hard-to-reach area? Maybe he’s used to shuttling guests around because public transportation is minimal, the apartment is up a big hill, or any other number of reasons. It might have just been his way of being nice, thinking it was a service you might want.
At the end of the day, what would cause you to stay or not to stay at this place? Keep the review factual and to the point.
I would review as suggested and give him 3 stars, hoping that it would cause him to lose his Superhost status so he might learn a lesson or 2. If he can’t learn to offer even towels, he shouldn’t be a Superhost.
So, if he greeted you in person, I’m assuming he doesn’t live a million miles away? In which case, his response to the “no dry towels” situation should be “I’m so sorry, I’ll be round with a set of clean, dry towels straight away/within a couple of hours.” Even if he has to go out and buy some new ones.
You booked his most luxurious listing, this does not mean anything until you see the rest.
Maybe this guy is telling the truth, and the rest of his listings are even less luxurious.
Well, you avoid telling us where it is and how much you pay.
I bet you booked a cheap place, expecting a 5-star service because he is a superhost.
But you get what you pay for.
Maybe all other guest see the value for money they get, and rate him accordingly.
oh boy, i agree he should have plenty of towels. Go buy your own towels and dinge him in review. And avoid him. He seems to be the talkative type and wasting your time.
I’m going to say the guy is a super host by luck. He is managing multiple properties and apparently doing a marginal job of it but has been lucky that things haven’t gone wrong very often because he clearly isn’t experienced at properly handling issues that arise.
The towels are definitely worth mentioning in the review. The “kocky vibe” is irrelevant.
I know this isn’t a popular opinion here but it really isn’t hard to get and keep superhost status. I won’t say it means nothing but it doesn’t mean much.
The only thing it says to me as a guest is that they probably won’t cancel on me. That’s good enough reason to go w/ a SH for some types of bookings.
Destination wedding in a place with scarce options? SH.
Weekend trip to nearby city with tons of hotel options? Let’s roll the dice!
SH is no guarantee they aren’t neurotic, disorganized, overbearing, flighty, or any other undesirable human trait.
that’s why i book entire places or places with separate entrance and only from hosts who have lots of good reviews. i like hosts like me who don’t want to interact with the guests.
me who don’t want to interact with the guests.