I read this forum every day. I must be really lucky, I have had great guests. I have been involved in Airbnb since April 2016 and have had almost 60 bookings. I have had only had one difficult guest and one kinda dirty one, other wise they have been wonderful. I do have a separate apartment in my house with a keypad door knob and meet a little more the 50% of them. I don’t understand all the bitching and complaining on this site. Its a business and we should all treat it as one. In any business you take the good and the bad. Some stuff you need to just let go, we are all making money! if you cant let some stuff go then you might want to reconsider being a host. I am sorry if I may offend some of you but being a host might not be for you.
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I appreciate your comments and your upbeat attitude. Like you, I’ve had mostly great experiences with my guests. Over time I’ve learned to relax a lot more and let things go, as you mention. It’s not as easy when the guests are actually living with you in a room you may rent out. I think one of the reasons you’ve had good experiences is because your contact with the guests is minimal if at all since you have a totally separate unit. This eliminates lots of potential problems.
Yes, some of us may bitch, and for good reason. It’s cathartic. We discuss it and then move on.
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Thank you for your post to our forum @Sara.Etienne! yes, you are right - this is ‘just’ business and I can understand your sentiment that we need to ‘let it go’. But unlike a lot of businesses out there, it’s more personal for Air hosts when most of us are welcoming strangers into our homes, spare rooms, holiday places, sleep-outs etc, cleaning up (in person) and communicating prior to arrival, during stays and dealing with good and bad feedback after the event. We are not always ‘bitching’ per se, just wanting support, advice and ideas in order to keep us going in what is, mostly, a wonderful community. I agree with you in that if people are constantly negative, they should look at other options. But for most of the people in this forum, it is our version of ‘water cooler conversation’. 
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@Sara.Etienne, people on this forum have been hosting years longer than you and me and have earned a right to “bitch and complain.” Discussing issues and their solutions is what the forum is about. Others love their guests, too. If you read the forum daily, you know that OPs have dealt with some pretty trying situations. So, yes, you have been lucky and some day you may need to bitch and/or complain and, when you do, we will be here to offer advice.
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Agree. You haven’t even been at it six months, so when you’ve done it six and a half years, come back and talk to us.
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I’m very happy for you. That is wonderful to hear.
What made you come on the forum here and suggest that we should stop complaining?
This is a place to vent and problem solve. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yes, it’s a business, but not one where one doesn’t get personal with their customers or has so many customers that it’s very easy not to take it personally.
My guests stay in my home, with me and my daughter. It’s personal for me. I’ve had a lot of bookings that have gone wonderfully. Those aren’t the ones that drive me here.
The couple tonight has stayed before and they gave me a hug and a bag of treats for the doggies. Just really warm and lovely people.
And I’m grateful that this opportunity is there, because it’s helped me a lot, financially and in other ways too.
Some people just make me nuts. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not really for me to tell people whether they should host or not. They’ll figure it out on their own.
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I think you make a good point J. It does make a difference, a big difference.
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so you decided to ‘help’ reduce the ‘bitching and complaining’ by bitching and complaining about other hosts sharing their experiences?
Very odd thought process here Sara
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We have a condo on a golf course in Palm Desert that I have on Air. I have never seen any of the guests in the past 2 years because I live 75 miles away and do it all by texting and email. I have a cleaning lady who charges $100, which is charged to the tenants. The place is nice, but not “wow” inside, and I get 5s every time. I don’t think I’ve ever had any contact with them when they were there.
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I have the same and I can assure you it’s not completely problem free because it’s separate.
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Oh for sure it’s not problem free, and there are other factors unique to each property that guests can crab about. I remember browsing Palm Desert listings near ours and seeing this review by a guest who complained bitterly that there was no salad spinner in the kitchen.
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I’ve never seen it! But I’m going to now!
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Because laughing, crying, and grieving are way better when shared with people you respect and care about, that respect and care about you.
And there is a huge difference between “this is hard, help me figure it out” and “this is hard hard hard hard”.
Kudos to you for being able to just ‘let it go’ all by yourself. Personally, when I’ve had some very difficult guests in my home and didn’t know what to do, my friends here helped me sort it out and get some perspective. Of course, sometimes their perspectives conflict and that can be confusing, but it’s all in the joy of going through this journey together. I appreciate it so much when people on this forum take their time to help me out.
There is a post titled ‘tales of a happy host’ or something like that - feel free to share the good stories! But if you ever feel backed into a corner, we are here for you then, too.
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Like the OP I too have been very lucky so far. I’m a new host (20 bookings) and rent out the mother-in-law apartment in my basement. Totally agree @J_Wang - this setup eliminates lots of potential problems. I think I have the best of both worlds - the opportunity to interact with guests ( the adorable couple staying there now brought me dinner last night - they are chefs and it was yummy) but not sharing my personal space. Plus, knowing that I live above the apartment eliminates those people that might book a totally separate unit to throw a party.
Though I’ve been lucky so far I see this forum as a huge asset. I get to learn from other peoples experiences and when I do eventually have that nightmare guest I feel much more prepared to handle it…
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LOL. Preach, sister!
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I like your setup J. I get to spend 1 hour with my guests on checking-in and 3-7 days later again 1 hour checking-out, only time I have to do my song and dance. Perfect, very little time to screw up. 
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Well it’s a little different with my bed-in-the-living-room deal where I live because I’m in the house with them. It usually works out just fine because I have only one guest, so they’re up and gone most of the time and so am I. And with just one person there’s not the extra noise you’d get with a couple.
But I seem to have jinxed my long string of good luck with solo guests. The girl I’ve got now arrived yesterday and she hasn’t been off her phone yet. I left at 7:30 this morning and just returned at noon. She’s still sitting on the bed talking. Three more days of this.
It’s odd because after reading someones post here about catering to free-lancers looking for a work space I thought I’d change my listing. I squeezed in “work station”. Two minutes ago I removed those words! :))))
UPDATE! Her grumpy, terse and quiet demeanor has changed since she hung the phone up 5 minutes ago. I learned that she’s a realtor and was working out he final details of a closing, which she has done. She’s elated, chatty and talking about the cruise she’ll be embarking on from the Port of Long Beach in a couple of days. She’s now heading out to Trader Joe’s and feel the breeze in her hair! :)))))
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Aye. So you do get to see first-hand both system’s merits and shortcomings.
Addendum: Welcome Sara. Your take reminds me of the saying - “Happiness is dependent on one’s personal perspective”
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Well, it’s nice to meet you, too, Sara. Welcome to the forum.
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