Is it time to evict the gargoyles?

I started renting out a whole house rental this year in rural Somerset, UK.
It is a separate building within my property, and it has it’s own private garden, which is currently occupied by a pair of small statues that face each other across the patio.
I’ve had them for years: 2 mishievous gargoyle-type creatures: mr happy - who just sits there enjoying the garden with an innocently blissful “alls-right-with-the-world” expression
on his face; and mr grumpy - who looks like he’s constantly watching his companion with an “its-alright-for-you-you-got-the-sunniest-corner-i-always-get-a-raw-deal-life-is-so-unfair” expression (lets just say that i acquired them at different times because they reminded me of someone!)

During the summer, i noticed after one booking,that mr grumpy’s face had been turned towards the wall -which made me laugh, but after my latest booking, poor mr happy got turned around this time -so maybe it’s time to find them a new home in my garden, and find something less controversial to replace them.

It reminds me of the first time i booked a holiday cottage for a weekend, many years ago - it was a very nice, but tiny, new house near Dartmoor - except that it was full of an alarming number of plastic flower decorations (of the unpleasant, unconvincing, cheap and dusty sort) - which i had an aversion to - so much that every time i found some, i moved them to the understairs cupboard; but they were everywhere - before leaving we took a photo of the cupboard full of them. I still wonder what that owner thought, and whether they took the hint!

Is there anything in your listing that caused your guests to subtly (or not so subtly!) express their dislike ?

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We have a light box that we update with their names and if it is a special occasion we add that. We had a guest that was unhappy and they turned it face down. We had another guest who removed all the letters…and we don’t know why.

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I would not replace them if you like them. My own airbnb is purposely themed to my liking with a slight eastern philosophy tilt. My dog boarding business is called K9 Karma Casa on purpose and my house is Karma Casa. I have Tibetan prayer flags in front and a small set of less traditional flags inside the Airbnb room along with a Buddha head bookend, and a hand of Buddha. If anyone stays with me who doesn’t like them I not only don’t care, I’m quite happy for them to not stay with me at all or again. I suppose this is slightly less odd than gargoylish type statuary but same principle.

I love a quirky Airbnb that doesn’t look like an IKEA display.

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I have a camping listing, so on the shelf have the reference book How to Sh** in the Woods by Kathleen Meyer. It is very good, a fun and informative little read. Twice or three times I have found it tucked far back under the bed. The other books are still in place on the shelf, and everything else is in order.

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Really? People with kids I hope.

No, but that would make some sense. It is older American couples for some reason. I’m near the border, in Canada, and the Canadians don’t seem to mind. Perhaps we are a coarser bunch.

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A more sensible bunch. My country is rife with people who have to hide the word S**t but are fine with a President who talks about…well, you know.

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Miriam, have you searched the forum if there is a post from a host asking for help in how to best word their review.

I faintly remember having read something a while ago: Heeelp, guest moved all my lovely flowers and it took me days to find them. I still haven’t been able to put them back just right.

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haha! no, that incident was about 25 years ago - long before airbnb. It was the sheer quantity of old (and rather grubby) plastic that creeped me out, in a tiny, new 1 bedroom maisonette - I’m guessing someone inherited great-aunt sally’s plastic flower collection :smile:

I’m with you there -quirky is good - i’ve never been an ikea person!

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@KKC, it would be fun to reply “And now we are back to the question of evicting gargoyles” but I am too close to the border to feel comfortable making a political comment. :wink:

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“but I am too close to the border to feel comfortable making a political comment”

I’m not!!! :rofl:

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I’m at the other border at El Paso/cuidad Juarez the largest bi-national contiguous metroplex on this planet. I rarely hesitate to make a political comment. I stuck my Beto sign out in the yard in March and didn’t take it down until I put out my xmas decor. And I’ll be putting it back out as soon as he announces his run for President 2020. Any guest who doesn’t care for it can, um, stick it. OTOH I got lots of positive comments on the sign including an artist in the LA area who has messaged me several times about him. The positive vibes I got far outweighed anything I might be afraid of.

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Do you have your own separate garden? Perhaps you can move them there.

I’ve had over 200 guests many telling me they love the chaise lounge. Then one who said I should get rid of it as it took up too much room. Unless they have mentioned it in the review I’d keep your gargoyles.

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…and we have been known to turn a forest into A toilet. Knowing how is part of the entrance exam for anything north of North Bay.

My Bernie sign is still in my living room window.

No negative vibes about it, even from guests who were here to interview for our local police force.

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A friend had a terrifying (to me) clown painting facing the toilet in her bathroom. It freaked me out and I turned it around to face the wall every single time I went in there. I couldn’t have that thing staring at me. And I shivered every time I had to touch it to turn it back. I was so glad when she moved to a house with more bathrooms and the clown was no longer preying on guests.