Increasing pressure on hosts!

[konacoconutz]

Dang! I hope you reported is abusive guest to Airbnb and made a claim for the chair!

Please be firm even though you are trying to accommodate. I know it’s hard. No matter what I say in my listing they either don’t read it or expect something it’s not. You just cannot control their expectations.

I’m in a really bad place right now. I feel like my confidence is smashed and I’m in my 8th year. It really does not get easier I’m afraid.

[vales79]

Very sad
The other problem, apart from a personal disappointment for all the efforts put into it, is the pressure Airbnb put on us…
I explain this: the person who asked for the beach towel gave me 1 star, my first bad ever and my rate went down to 4.4 as I only have 13 reviews. I soon received an email from airbnb saying that if I fall under 4.0 they will suspend my account. I find this a bit too much, it’s like being at school and sent to the naughty corner.
I’m thinking not to advertise anymore on airbnb as my homes are also on homeaway. Are they not acting weird? The world is not perfect, you can’t only allow perfection on your website. And we are talking about a 4.4 rate, not1 or 2…

[EllenN]

Airbnb’s ridiculous threats to suspend accounts of hosts who have ratings under 4.0 could have negative consequences. If guests learn this, the unkind among them will use this to get the host to provide extra amenities.

[konacoconutz]

Naughty corner, We don’t even use those in classrooms anymore. It’s called the time out center or the break room. Sometimes the really disruptive kids get sent to sit outside the classroom until they get their composure back. But I digress.

A couple of years ago, I had my account go under review at a 4.5. I got calls from reps younger than my kids and probably still in middle school when I first opened, giving me suggestions about how I can “improve.” Mind you, I rent a full service apartment by the sea for under $100 a night with a BBQ, patio and beach gear and everything, plus a $2,500 nest bed in Kona Hawaii, and it’s still not good enough for some guests. But I digress again.

I’m not enjoying hosting right now, and do apologize if my downward mood gets anyone depressed!

[Astaire]

@EllenN

Airbnb’s ridiculous threats to suspend accounts of hosts who have ratings under 4.0 could have negative consequences. If guests learn this, the unkind among them will use this to get the host to provide extra amenities.

This is a very astute point.

I can think of how ebay sellers often come begging you if you’ve left them a bad review, to the point of simply letting you have an item for no charge rather than have a negative review. Sad.

[Magwitch]

I’m fortunate in that my (shared home) guests seem to remain within the standard frame of 95% great and minimal bad ones. But having co-hosted for someone with an entire property, I can see how demanding some people can be, it’s unbelievable sometimes.

I thought that Air had stepped back from their harrassment of hosts who receive less than 5 stars. I can only repeat what I said on this thread:

What does 4 star mean? I always thought very good

It makes me so mad how Airbnb chastises hosts if they get less than 5 stars. I can’t even speak coherently about it, the red mist comes down. Why bother with having a rating system if all that matters is getting 5*? Really, why bother? Just have a yes/no or thumbs up/down option. Four stars is ‘Very good’. What the hell is wrong with that?? Their attitude is stupid, ludicrous, insulting, childish, destructive, meaningless… check the thesaurus for “ridiculous”.

[Joan]

If I’m honest, I’m more concerned about whether you might be becoming depressed, particularly after this last ghastly guest; he’s clearly upset you dreadfully and damaged your usually buoyant resilience. I noticed earlier that you feel that your burnout may be becoming “unfixable”, but it is fixable, trust me. Feelings like this are a symptom of burnout, or depression, as is feeling that the situation is hopeless, that you’re useless or a burden on others. I would say/ask more but not in an open forum, and dumbo me hasn’t got the PM thingy yet. You’ve said you’re going to, at the very least, take a break from hosting. Will you do so very soon? I think some urgency is now needed to get you away from the triggers, and to regain your equilibrium.
Big hug.

[Maggieroni]

@konacoconutz

Now it has become a place where increasingly entitled and demanding guests EXPECT a hotel and all the services of one.

But at bargain Airbnb prices
I’m considering changing my listing name to
“Worse than a crappy hotel stay at your own risk”

[travellinbug]

Would it help to write a paragraph in the listing description explicitly stating that this is not a hotel, something along the lines of:

"Please note that you are renting a room/house in a residential neighbourhood not a hotel room. By staying with us you will experience a home away from home. We offer a more authentic experience than renting a hotel room however please note that we offer no room service, concierge or reception. Extra cleaning can be provided at rate of €*** per cleaning. "

[Maggieroni]

@travellinbug

Would it help to write a paragraph in the listing description explicitly stating that this is not a hotel

Air sends that message (or something akin to it) to every guest who books. Don’t think it makes any difference

[Chloe]

@Astaire

I can think of how ebay sellers often come begging you if you’ve left them a bad review, to the point of simply letting you have an item for no charge rather than have a negative review. Sad.

Been there and done that.

[Astaire]

@travellinbug

in the listing description explicitly stating that this is not a hotel

I have this in my House Rules - this is not a hotel, treat this like your home.

[msague]

Great suggestion. I just added it to my listing.

[homeshareable]

Do you say who your space is best for in your listing? You might want to add a line about independent travelers if that’s the type of guest your prefer. I also send a message to every guest when they request our space asking them why they chose us over the many other available options, so I can make sure they’re not expecting anything we don’t offer.

@vales79

I’m not their mum and again, mine is not a business.

You might not believe it, but your Airbnb IS a business. You are exchanging money for services. It’s true, you don’t offer the same services, nor do you charge the same rate, as a traditional hospitality service (such as a hotel).

I’ve found that being explicit about what is NOT included in the listing has helped me avoid requests from overly needy guests. If you’re feeling too much pressure, though, maybe it’s a good time to block off a few days on your calendar and reflect on your hosting routine. A little time off can do wonders for your mental health.

[konacoconutz]

Cheers Joan,

I’ll bounce back… but you are right, I feel pretty wretched right now. Blocking off the calendar will help. I can’t take any more right now.

in fact, I did send you a PM… look at your notifications. The little green one is a PM from me. ️

[aliseaside]

I am in that place alongside you! Just finished our season so we do have 6 months to figure out what to do, I honestly can NOT do this again next year - thinking of having someone else run the place. I am so burnt out I’m leaving in Oct and going to NZ for 3 weeks to recuperate.

[vales79]

This is a good idea! Will do that! Thanks

[Louise]

I think you should raise your rates, it sounds like your place would be heaven for me. Maybe the higher rate will send the jerks elsewhere. Some people don’t look beyind the price, they just see Hawaii, low cost and assume that Hawaii is all one small island. Is it possible to put in your pics a map of your island with distances and time between sites of interest, or a list of the same, ie Lava flow, x miles/km, y minutes from my house, airport, x miles, y minutes.
Coming from Canada, I found driving in Portugal took a lot longer than I imagined despite much shorter distances. I have lived in the UK, so knew about congestion and driving times, but there was something else that made trips longer in Portugal, high hills and mountains.

[EllenN]

@Louise

Is it possible to put in your pics a map of your island with distances and time between sits of interest, or a list of the same, ie Lava flow, x miles/km, y minutes from my house, airport, x miles, y minutes.

Putting distances doesn’t help at all. We have distances in miles and kilometers to most of the popular attractions. Still, virtually every guest who is from a more compact city expresses disappointment about how long it takes to get from place to place.

[Louise]

Then put times as well. I know LA hosts have similar issues.