But the bill would be the use of last guests, right? And the guests don’t pay it do they, either way? And where do you place the open bill for guests to see? Is it just the most recent bill? I’m sorry I just don’t understand.
A couple of summers ago I received a request from a lady who wanted to attend Santa Barbara’s French festival with her two teenage children. Santa Barbara is extremely expensive in the summer. And while the room is just a room, my home has a great ocean view. She asked me if she could just bring a sleeping bag for the third person to avoid the $40 extra person charge. I told her no but that I would provide a mat and linens for the third person. However I also told her that while I thought the room was a really good deal for two people I didn’t feel like it was a great deal for three people. I discouraged her from renting it even though I knew that she would not find anything especially that weekend for even three or four times the amount she was going to pay at my home. She told me no no no this was the place she wanted to stay and it was all fine. I had a good rapport with her when she came. They stayed for two nights. She then wrote a review and complained about the value. I was so mad. Sometimes it does not matter what you do and you have to let yourself feel peace with that fact. One person came and told me that she could get something much cheaper in Bakersfield. Yeah I could buy a home much cheaper in Bakersfield. You do your best and then have to realize that people are who they are wherever they go and there’s nothing you can do about that.
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I don’t think this is fair in terms of the tea and coffee @Malagachica as it’s not in Airbnb basics, so if they don’t say they provide it, then why would you mark them down?
It’s like a guest seeing a TV as a given and marking a host down for not providing it even though there is no mention or photos of it in a listing.
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There are the airbnb basics - can’t actually remember what these are - have a look in their Help Centre, but these are suggestions.
Just do whatever works for you, your guests and your listing.
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I haven’t had a guest mention I offer bathrobes yet in a public review. But almost all of them remark on them when I am showing them around. You are right they occupy a full wash each time, so I do regret offering them sometimes.
I ask guests to leave them on the bed if they have used them, and quite often they won’t use them or will use only one of them.
I tie the sash just so I can see if they’ve been used. I might regret adding them as well. They weren’t expensive, but my hunch is the type of guest who will use the robes is the type who consumes all the snacks and extra towels, leaves makeup on the wash clothes, rearranges the furniture, and leaves detritus on every surface–then leaves a 4-star review on a one-night stay.
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Yes. Two things. First, the bill tracks monthly history over the last year. It provides a direct comparison. It also shows on peak and off peak usage. It shows as a trend how the utilities are respected. The latest one was left on the kitchen table today so that people are aware of utility use.
Nearly all of my guests are long termers. But even a four night stay can see how successful we have been with economizing. And we’re proud of it!
Ok. Makes sense. But are the guests paying for utilities?
I would be furious too! However it comes with the territory. When you run a business offering a service that you consider is good value for your location, then you’ll always get a proportion who will apply a different criteria when assessing value and yes its unfair, but I can accept it, not get too ‘angry’ hopefully and move on.
My point in the original post was that AB display star rating and getting pinged a few times starts to diminish the stars. Thereby maybe putting off future guests. Maybe a rating that demonstrates whether or not all amenities were provided and and to what level/quality would help. Not my area of expertise, but I just think “value” on its own is crude and unfair.
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No, Militaryhorsegal, my guests do not pay for utilities. They use utilities. I show them the utility bill to advise them my real costs, and how their responsible consumption has a positive affect. Like recycling, it’s not a matter that affects their stay directly. Rather, it’s their commitment to not abuse resources.
Excellent. My guess is that you do not have low quality guests. That is great.
But then aren’t we competing with hotels? I provide coffee/tea/robes/etc.
It’s in my listing, some of it.
Like @KKC says, and others, overwhelm, under-advertise.
There are some AMAZING hosts on here. They provide breakfast and all sorts of extras that I cannot compete with. People need to read, IMO, and rate value on market/rates in the area they are shopping for and associated amenities that they want or need. They shouldn’t slam a host in a review just due to not having read the listing.
Yes … I probably wouldn’t actually mark them down because, you know, I’m a Very Nice Person (aka Big Softie) and actually we are so scared of finding no decent tea that we travel with our own Red Label teabags … but I would feel like marking them down because, budget or not, I would expect to find basic food items like tea, coffee, salt pepper and oil (obviously the last three only if cooking facilities were available) and tbh I don’t remember ever staying in an Airbnb that didn’t provide them. Oh, except, as the OP says, in Spain, of course, where people just don’t drinkl coffee at home … because what are bars for?
The whole question of “value” is so subjective that I agree that it should be deleted. I think the following goes through a guest’s mind … “Hmm, Value , well it was great, I really loved the xxx and the xxxx was outstanding. But, hey, I think I’d have liked it even BETTER if it had cost twenty dollars less! OK, four stars for value then … won’t make any difference I’ve given everything else 5 stars!”
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I had a guest who had just finished grad school and was on a little celebratory trip. She gave me a rave review, loving everything. She went all to exclaim how wonderfully close my airbnb was to shops, restaurant, ocean and how I had baked blueberry muffins in the morning, etc. But then I noticed she had given me a 4 for location and another 4 for value. I questioned why she gave me 4s & she told me that she had several professors who never gave an A+ to students, saying that deep down each person could improve.
What?? My head is spinning!
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Airbnb has been clear that the only rating they use and the guests see is the overall rating. The subcategories are just for your information.
The guests can see our subcategories but we don’t get the scary “you need to improve” email if we are ranked down in location or value. I believe the sub-categories aren’t used in our search ranking either.
That is incorrect. @Militaryhorsegal is correct that guests see an average of the category ratings if they click on reviews.
Absolutly - I’ve bent over backwards to help some and have been stabbed in the back for it. You’re never going to please everyone and some guests are simply pig-ignorant.
So what do I cling to? a consistent average of 5 stars - that will do me 
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What really gets me is I feel like I’m always dinged by people who I did extra for.
-We sleep max 10 people, but one group asked if they could bring an 11th. I said yes and at no charge, but they needed to provide their own bedding. They dinged me 4/5 for value.
-A family was in town for a college graduation, asked if they could extend checkout to 3pm (instead of my typical 10am) so they could host a brunch. I said yes, at no charge, and allowed the ‘event’ at no charge (extra people), and they dinged me for location since we weren’t right near the college (which they should have known when booking?!?!).
-Another group dinged us for value after I let them drop their luggage off at noon, when our check-in isn’t until 3pm.
Lesson learned: stop being nice, haha 
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