This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
Hello!
So we just started hosting, and have had 3 guests so far. Two have left reviews, one being a 4 star and the other a 3. The 4 star had only really nice things to say, privately they commented that they were cold one night but had failed to see the space heaters we provided. Link to our Listing
The second person wrote a pretty long complaint about the cleanliness. Although I feel crestfallen and feel we have failed on our first impressions, and I want to try and make it right. I messaged her privately and very pleasantly asked if she could discern more and this was her reply (all very cordial by the way, I’m reading “Hug your Haters” and its amazing for handling negative reviews).
Her response:
“No worries, Kate, it happens. I’m kind of picky about cleanliness in the kitchen and bathroom, things like making sure the stove, counters, sinks etc are clean. Everything seemed sticky and/or greasy when I touched it - made me not want to cook things. Same with the television remotes and the one glass I used.
I’m new to Airbnb experiences and have only stayed in 3 here in Brattleboro, I was fortunate enough to have two other really great stays, but it could be that a lot of spaces wouldn’t necessarily be up to cleanliness standards for me. I am also a light sleeper who goes to bed early and was not here for vacation but got up and went to work every day, so I am sensitive to noise above and below. Again, not everyone would have taken issue with it, I just wanted people to know that if things like that bothered them, this wasn’t the place for them.”
So of course, we are deep-cleaning the kitchen and bathroom again and I’m going to take extra care with all of the cooking utensils and appliances, and we are also replacing the stove as its really old and outdated and its time. We have a daily checklist for cleaning during turnover, and I have a professional cleaning crew coming ever other week to do a deep clean of the space.
But I’m wondering - our apartment is very modest, we live there half the year so a lot of our personal things are on shelves. Its a 4 unit home, so we do have neighbors… but really they aren’t overly noisy people. Two units have a dog a piece, also friendly but occasionally will bark. Our upstairs neighbor has a 5 year old, so you know…it will never be silent. And it will never be like a pristine hotel, our furniture is modest and well-used although by no means dumpy. But, they are well-used and its a turn of the century Colonial house, so there will be drafts and creaks and sometimes musty smells. I’m wondering if anyone has tips on how to market this appropriately so that guests aren’t disappointed in their expectations.
I’d say she’s very picky, unless the stove was indeed dirty.
Simply disclose that you have neighbors and there is the potential for noise and also that you live there half of the year and the furniture is well loved or inherited or something and that the house was built in … so there will be drafts.
To me, looking at it, it’s clear that it’s not new.
If a place is clean the rest shouldnt matter, but once in a blue moon you get one of these picky guests. And they will find stuff to complain even if you do the deepest of the cleaning ever. They’ll say the furnace wasn’t changed or the mattress was too soft/hard.
Thanks Adrienne! The stove was definitely clean, wiping down the stove is on our checklist and I did that before her stay obviously. I didn’t wipe down the remote, I didn’t think of that and added it to my list. So the feedback is actually positive, even though its picky, and I do want to do whatever I can to make it the best possible. We do have cast iron pans, and if you have ever owned a cast iron you know that it cannot be scrubbed with soap and that they need to remain seasoned. So they are well-seasoned but they are clean.
Sorry about your early ratings being low. It seems too early to see a trend and I think the 2nd guest was somewhat bad luck.
Make sure guests are aware of the space heaters so that doesn’t happen again. I assume you are hosting remotely, so if it’s cool outside, you can message your guests on the evening of their first night and mention the heaters.
Make sure the whole place is really clean. You might already be on top of this with replacing the stove and hiring cleaners to deep clean. Additionally, I’d recommend to do your best to remove clutter and repair or replace things that are worn or broken. Since you live there part of the year, you may leave a lot of your things there, but most of those things may just be clutter to guests. Things you ignore every day like a chipped tile or hard water build-up on a faucet are turn-offs to guests. What looks clean to you or even to your hired cleaners might not be as clean as is should be. If you’re not sure, compare your listing to the standard of cleanliness of a mid-range hotel.
Thanks Brian that is some really good tips. We will be hosting remotely in the next few weeks, this is kind of our trial-run and trouble shooting period. We are going to be there next week for 5 days so I’m going to fix some of the smaller things that you mentioned, I think that could help a lot! And I’m going to pack in some more amenities too, some more nice touches or thoughtful perks that may off-set anything negative that’s more out of my control
Perhaps you can use words like homey, lived in, spacious, kid friendly, etc. I personally would update the bedding. Check out Home Goods or Marhalls. They often have nice comforter sets at great prices. Save all your receipts so you can write it off. Also purchase blinds, especially for the window that has a blanket. If you’re not hosting families, perhaps you can put the changing table and high chair in storage. This would make the apartment more spacious and clutter free. Maybe you can add a picture of the outside of the building and of additional trails. Vermont is beautiful in the fall so you might get lots of young folks that want to go hiking. Don’t let the recent reviews sadden you. It’s all a learning experience. Best wishes.
I agree. I had guests complaining about colored bed sheets or ones that had peeling. Although they were perfectly good.
I even had people complaining that beding is not color coordinated!
white is good because occasionally you will have people spill something on them.
This is a REALLY good tip. I’m a live-in host so not so far removed from your situation @Kate_Barry
It’s very easy to become “blind” to things in your own place.
I now try to look at things like a guest:
what am I touching and is it clean?
what’s the first thing I notice when I enter?
There’s loads more of course, but ask a good, honest friend to come round and criticise. It opened my eyes for sure. My windows needed cleaned! And the kettle needed a good clean. There wasn’t a useful, closed bin in the bathroom. And that little hole in the skirting board that none of us notice anymore… it glares at you and says yikes, what if a mouse comes in?
If you can’t fix major things, make sure you take care of the details. Eg. I have an ancient bathroom with ancient taps. But I polish them within an inch of their life.
Sorry you got nailed so early on by this uber-picky guest before you could collect a lot of high ratings. Bring an innocent bystander in, a friend, to really give it the sniff test. There are other threads here about odor elimination.
Unfortunately, many people confuse “not new” with “dirty.” I agree with using descriptors like “homey,” “modest,” “vintage,” “un-fancy casual apartment for a big family,” “in a well-loved Victorian apartment house with old but good bones,” etc. Make sure you activate the noise disclaimer on your Airbnb listing that guests must acknowledge when booking, without making it sound horrifying. “You will occasionally hear friendly dogs and neighbor children at play.”
You can even help guests self-select out: “If you are into pristine modern furniture and absolute quiet, this place is not for you.”
I agree with the comments above - nice space, reasonable price - just need to do a few adjustments. At your price point, you don’t need to offer much of anything more - perhaps a white noise machine for sleeping.
However, I have a few comments on the pictures/presentation of the place. I get it that redoing a lot would not be cost effective but a few inexpensive fix ups go a long way.
Retake photos paying attention to lighting - looks like it would be hard to sleep with so much direct light on the beds
Either replace bedding or simply pay better attention to the bed making - bottom blankets folded nicer, two sets of pillows each so you can prop them (shows better than flat pillows)
Toy bins neater
Window blinds - up or down - not crooked (I replaced with inexpensive shades. They are easier to dust and don’t break off like blinds do.
Kitchen - floor looks dirty. If it is a crack in the tile, retake the picture so it isn’t so noticable.
6.No need for a toilet shot - but if you do, the roll of toilet paper should have a clean edge.
Redo the pool shot during the season it would be used AND when it looks cleaner. BTW I’m assuming you have str insurance to cover use of the pool…
Love the books!
I have an older place and I emphasize “vintage” in my description, love your floors and rugs - lots of space, view of fall colors. dpfromva has some really good words for descriptions. Good luck in this adventure!
I would work more on cleaning and decluttering than trying to manage expectations. I expect clean, clean clean clean, no sticky anything, no hairs. Clean. My cabin as built in 1938 and I have not tackled cleaning out the attic, I am sure some mice have died over the years I use bad air sponge to manage odors and they really work.
Normally the advice here is not to respond to a public review and thereby call more attention to it, but since you have so few reviews and the complainer’s comment is prominent, perhaps:
“Sorry you didn’t have a great experience, Laura. We appreciate your comments and have revamped our oversight to ensure an expert cleaning prior to every guest. We want all our guests to enjoy their stay and can’t emphasize enough the need to bring any concerns to our attention immediately during your stay, so that we can take care of them. Although we have not had any other reports of insect sightings, we’ve also checked all window screens and applied a safe and effective pesticide at any possible entry points.”
You’ve gotten a ton of great advice here already so I won’t be repetitive but I will add a very specific bit.
We have cast iron too! And although I tend to spoil my guests and give them all of my best stuff, this is one place I draw the line. There are people who aren’t familiar with cast iron pans and they will scrub (!) them and soak (!!!) them overnight (!) in the sink and you will come home to a rusty mess that used to be your treasured pan. My own husband, who seasons a pan like a pro now, made this mistake early in our relationship…but only once ,)
I think it would be easier on both you and your guests if you picked up some basic skillets at Goodwill or TJ Maxx or something. You don’t have to buy a whole set, just whatever you have in iron (big skillet, little skillet?). And then hide your iron pans away so they can’t be accused of being dirty or be abused into being rusty and unseasoned.
Refreshing to see an OP welcome the advice given by other hosts rather than debate and defend. Well done!
Glad that many of the suggestions have benefited you on your latest review.
I agree with much of what others have offered and add:
I’d go a littler further with the kitchen counters -> try to remove all but what is necessary (store less-used items elsewhere). That will provide a less cluttered appearance, and also make it easier / quicker to clean the counters and surrounding items left on the counter.
If you don’t already followup w/ the guest the morning after checkin, I’d suggest add that your task list; I usually message the guests and inquire to see if all is OK and ask them to please let me know if they have any issues, questions, needs. Not only does this show that you are concerned about them, but it gives you an opportunity to correct anything that might be wrong and/or fix any misunderstandings (i.e. “there are space heaters located … “. ) before they feel encumbered to write in the review.
Thanks for the compliment! Feedback is essential to creating the best customer service possible, and I know that I’m not going to get it perfect the first time around - no one can. So we should learn from people that have already been doing it!
I de-cluttered the kitchen a ton and uploaded some new photos, but we are going back this week to try and do those small fixes and I’m going to try to minimize even more
