This is a new one to me. Ive been a host for nearly two years and its been 90% great but then you get the odd guest who makes you feel rattled! Ive just had a guest who stayed two nights who was quite demanding and I tried to make sure she was happy . She left me a review but only gave me four stars for cleanliness and a private comment that said “not 100% clean more lived in”. So as its my home Ive changed my description to read that we are not a bed and breakfast and that there might be the odd cobweb. The day she left I went on holiday and didnt have time to clean the bathroom thoroughly before I left. I returned yesterday and have just found in the "girls bin " by the loo two carriers stuffed into the bin containing two stoma bags . These are used by people who have a bag to attached to their tummy for “pooh”. In my opinion these should have been put out in the dustbin and not left for me to attend to. Yes Ime quite miffed that she told me that her stay was not 100 % clean when she left for me to throw out two bags of body waste and if Ide have know would have told her. Anyone else had this happen?
She was accurate in her review, then. Why are you complaining?
There are really two issues: her review that specifically speaks to cleanliness and her leaving trash in the bin that is a hazmat. That’s awful.
As far as her review, you did your best to accommodate her, and as usual with a demanding guest, she found something to pick apart. You did your best, and she dinged you anyway. I sure hope your next guests are much more considerate!!
In this case, I would probably be tempted to send her a message via Airbnb saying you were surprised by the 4 stars, that you did your best, and that it stings to be marked down on cleanliness when she left you bags of bodily waste to deal with after checkout, and maybe she will be kinder to her next host.
It’s a lesson we all learn the hard way eventually: never review a guest before you have thoroughly inspected the way the property was left for you.
As for the other issue: people with chronic illnesses of this type are hyper-aware of how to manage soiled items (as they should be) and in my experience it’s dealt with matter of factly. Unless she chose to mention it to you for some reason, you should never have known about it.
I hosted an older couple a few weeks ago who were very nice, but left me an awful mess to clean up. She had obviously had gotten terribly ill (I’m assuming on the last morning of her stay). There were feces stains all over the place – sheets, edge of mattress, bed frame, floor, then down the stairs, into the bathroom and all over the area near the toilet. In addition there were soiled panties in the wastebasket under the sink. That day was bleach city for me… People get taken ill on vacation, I get it. I have a simple checkout checklist that asks guests to tidy up the kitchen, hang up the towels in the bathroom and TAKE OUT ALL OF THEIR TRASH.
About 1/2 hour after checkout time, I drove up to the house just as they were getting into their Über and she looked like deathly ill and could hardly walk. I went into the cottage and was shocked to see what I saw.
They were so nice during their stay, and as first time airbnb guests, I took pity on them and did not leave a scathing verbal review, but marked them 1 star on cleanliness and house rules and explained why in the private message part of the review. I looked them both up on FB and her page is full of Crohn’s Disease awareness stuff…I was lucky I had a 2 day break after their stay so I could open the windows and get the bleach smell out. That set of sheets was one I was planning to retire anyway, so I just threw them out.
I don’t care what illnesses people have, they should clean up afterwards. (If they’re THAT ill they shouldn’t be in an Airbnb) Shit on the bedframe? What the hell, that could have been wiped for a start. They could use towels or disposable protectors if they know they are a soil risk. Bedding could have at least been cold rinsed. Shame on them. Disgusting. Thumbs down!
Yes, I gave them thumbs down and one star each on cleanliness and house rules.
I don’t want my guests laundering sheets or towels, and say that in my rules. Stains are one reason, idiot guests not knowing how to wash things is another. It does say in my house manual that “in case of messes” there are cleaning supplies under every single sink.
That’s what I am saying: people with chronic issues come prepared. And certainly don’t leave “surprises” for the hosts to find.
In the case mentioned here it sounds like maybe this was an unexpected situtation and they didn’t have time or ability to clean. They probably departed to an emergency care clinic. However if something like that happened to me (horrifying and I don’t think I’d ever travel again after that) is that I would message the host as soon as I was able with information, apologies and payment for professional cleaning.
In the case of Lotus both they and the guest are at fault. It’s the responsiblity of the host to clean before a guest checks in. If other things are more important like going on holiday then don’t host a guest the day you leave. You can’t have everything. Lotus is lucky they only got dinged a star. OTOH leaving stoma bags and not informing the host seems way out of line. If they were in the proper disposal bags it’s not hazardous to leave it in a refuse bin.
I’m just sort of dumbfounded that people this seriously ill think staying in people’s homes is a good idea and/or are so inconsiderate in doing so. I understand that ill people need to travel at times but ill people need to be considerate of others.
I cleaned before she came! I didn’t go on holiday until she left!
Exactly – I don’t think they had time. They were actually late leaving, and rather than saying, “one of us has been very ill and we need some extra time to clean” they just left without alerting me there was a big problem. There was no reply to the comments in the private review. I am sure they were both embarrassed, but yes, an offer to pay for extra cleaning AND and apology would have gone a long way.
I am pretty sure they were rushing to catch their flight. Imagine getting on a plane in that condition! Yikes.
I had a glass of wine with them on the porch the night before and they both seemed fine, although she did appear to be quite frail in general. It came up in conversation that I had no guests arriving the day of their departure. They could have changed their flights and stayed an extra day until she recovered.
When this happened, I ran it by a friend who has Crohn’s and she said it’s a classic scenario. Speaking for herself, she said as long as she sticks to her quite strict diet, she can usually avoid a flareup, but she says that when she goes on vacation, it’s often very tempting to indulge in dishes she normally wouldn’t eat. Her routine gets disrupted, too, which can have a big impact.
I have a lot of compassion for people who are dealing with such things, but I don’t want to see the aftermath, that’s for sure.
One of these statements is untrue. Which is it?
The first one is correct. The second one means I went on holiday the day she left. I didn’t clean bathroom until I came back. I then found the said items in the bin.
Ah, okay. Thanks for the clarification. I see now it was the day she left that you went on holiday.
She just seems a bit picky. It is hard to keep an entire house clean if you live there too and more and more guests are expecting hotel standards, not share someone’s house with them standards.
Did you mention the hygiene issue in your review of her?
No because I had reviewed her before I went on holiday and I came back yesterday. So two weeks has passed. It’s a lesson learnt . She has reviewed a couple of other hosts and always manages a sarcastic remark. I was going to send her an email but have decided to just ignore it.
Do you use the Chrome extension (it’s called AirReview) that lets you see the reviews that a guest has left for their previous hosts? It’s a handy tool for getting a heads up on which guests are going to be a PITA. I have instant book so I can’t really use it to screen which guests I’ll accept but it’s come in handy for anticipating possible issues in advance and being prepared.
If she has health issues she’s probably just miserable every day and sharing that misery with everyone. You are wise to rise above it.
No, in the case mentioned they had Crohns discussions on their FB page. They should be aware of how to manage their condition, and the limitations of their condition. This might include not staying in strangers’ homes!
I would send the guest a message. Otherwise she’ll do it again because she thinks it has no consequences. Yuk, I don’t want to host her!
Both Lotus’ statements are true!
I see we disagree once again. Oh well.
The time flow is thus: 1) Lotus cleaned before the guest arrived, 2) The guest left 3) Lotus didn’t have time for a full clean afterwards, 4) Lotus went on holiday, 5) Lotus returned to find the colostomy bags in the bin.
I DO read all the reviews they have left in the past (and read the hosts’ reviews, too, of course), but I don’t often look for the guests on FB. This time, in the aftermath of the stay, I did.
These guests were Airbnb newbies, and it was the man who booked. His GF didn’t appear on the reservation until later.
Thanks for the tip, I’ve installed it now, it’s great!!!