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After reading the thread in which a guest complained about a small shower and suggested the addition of a large tub would be nice, I started thinking about comments guests have made that tell me they have no idea of the: cost of providing a rental, and most rental property owners depend on the revenue to pay the mortgage, utilities, taxes, etc., plus the guests have watched too many DIY shows.
Let’s share:
An Airbnb host stayed in my 650 sq ft (198 sq meter) condo having a 10x10 ft (3x3meter) bedroom. Her suggestions: 1. Ceiling fan to large for room. Remove it. 2. Furniture too large for room & unnecessary storage for guests staying for a week or less so I should replace it. 3. I should move the bed to not be directly under the heat/air conditioning vent.
Fan: in the heat of summer the fan is needed. It is the size recommended for that size room. The option exisits to not turn it on.
Furniture: Many of my guests stay a month or more. They need the storage space. I cannot have “short term” furniture & “long term” furniture and swap it for each guest stay.
Heat/cold blowing on bed: it is a 10x10 room with a closet, window & door. It is not physically possible to place the bed so no part is under the HVAC vent.
Although in the private comments…every morning (5 night stay) there were cockroaches all over the kitchen which my partner was not happy about!!!..
mmm…not one mention when I checked on them on the 3rd day plus I go in straight after they leave to do my 4 hour clean, did the cockroaches know I was coming because they obviously jumped in their bags and left with them…
2.Instead of doing the lovely wine and fruit platter guests would much prefer free Wi-Fi…its very clear in my listing I don’t have Wi-Fi so why book?
A guest suggested adding a (private) bathroom to our 70 sq meter, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, rental apartment.
Note for people who have no idea: When you put 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living area, a kitchen and a laundry in a 70 sq meter (753 sq feet) apartment, this means these spaces are already quite small and there usually isn’t ANY space to put in an extra bathroom .
I’m still reeling from the guests who suggested that we should have a dishwasher. I know that doesn’t sound too strange but imagine an apartment that’s under 450 square feet. Now imagine how tiny its kitchen is. It’s a miracle in itself that there’s room for a full size fridge and a full size cooker. (Both of which most guests - and definitely those from the US - expect.)
It wasn’t in a review but I had a guest who suggested a clock in the room. There is a Bose clock radio next to the bed. He also suggested a more powerful exhaust fan for the bathroom. The bathroom has a 2 year old builder’s grade fan and a window in the arid desert where mold and humidity are rarely issues. Spending $100+ for a better fan is the only guest suggestion I’ve not followed.
I did once have a “place would be better with a dishwasher” suggestion. This was when I was renting a full apartment by the beach in Hawaii for $89 a night.
I’ve been using my rental revenue to pay the bills for and gradual updates on a condo built in 1995. In my intro in the guest book, I explain the condo is a work in progress as I can afford to make updates.
All of the 20+ year old appliances were clean, in good shape, and worked. A few years ago, a guest told me the appliances were just too old and that new stainless steel appliances were needed.
It is so easy for someone paying $80 a night for a beach area condo to suggest that I spend >$2,000.
