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If there were a light sleepers insurance on the market I will the first in the line to get it.
After years of hosting and trying to learn the cues on how to identify the problematic guests, I have learned that the majority of them are light sleepers.
I guess it has good sense because if you haven’t slept well then everything bothers you and you will have a very bad day. So now it isn’t just that barking dog, the tic-tac of the clock, the sound of the fridge, etc. Now everything else bothers you like the wifi, the A/C, the size of the bed, the lot of light, the lack of light, the stairs, the pots, I mean everything bothers you because you haven´t slept well. And it doesn´t matter how well is your place soundproofed, a little and unexpected sound will eventually filter to their sensitive ears and ruin their experience.
I’m thinking about building my own light sleepers firewall to prevent their bad reviews coming. I will probably mention something extremely prominent for them in my listings description so they can move to a different place. I know I will lose a lot of reservations but I believe I will gain better guests.
Could it be that your place is a little noisier that most? I’m just wondering what the guests’ comments about noise have been pointing out. Dogs? Traffic? Those 2 things you can’t fix. But some things you can like a clunking fridge. Just unplug it.
You should for sure have a short, nicely worded disclaimer–or whatever you want to call it. “Most of our guests don’t seem to mind or even notice, but since we live in a lively urban area there are those sounds around us that are typical of city living. For those who are extra sensitive to noise, please consider this before booking.”
Geeze, unbelievable you are getting that. I rent a separate place but I know they must be grousing to themselves about whatever is keeping them awake. I have a fridge that likes to break out into song and probably is a subject of conversation.
White noise machine is the way to go imho. I listen to an app as I’m going to sleep and I don’t even hear my guests moving around … and we’re all in a tiny space where under normal circumstances I’d hear them.
I am ridiculously paranoid about this. Our guest room is off the kitchen, down a short hallway. Noise has always been on my mind, and I’ve always gone out of my way to keep quiet in the morning.
A few months ago my sister crashed in the guest room. She pointed out that she could hear every single little thing I did in the kitchen in the morning, right down to the lid being lifted off the cat food can. I have since taken my efforts to keep quiet in the morning to ridiculous new heights. It seems to be working though, as my guests all claim they get a wonderful night’s sleep.
@florbone, @Chloe etc if noise in the guest room is an issue, go down to Bed, Bath & Beyond, or online, and buy a simple white noise machine. For $25 to $50 you can have your pick of a dozen or more machines to match your decor. Put it on a bedside table and write a simple instruction “For Our Light Sleeper Guests” on how to turn it on, etc.
Those machines may help. Or at least sound better than using your phone. I’ve tried an app when I travel and am staying at motels and it seemed no matter what sound I chose, on my phone it ended up sounding like someone frying a greasy hamburger patty.
So maybe the speaker on one of those machines is bigger and produces a better quality sound I hope
I have one of those little under the counter mini fridges that bothered the former tenant. And this was one of the very quietest minis I’ve ever had. It made barely audible clunk off/click on sounds. She ended up buying her own fridge that I guess was totally silent!
Your place is now like the one I have downstairs. It’s separate, but it’s directly below my living room and sound travels both ways. I tip toe and there’s no TV, so I haven’t had any complaints—YET. :))))
My son slept downstairs once to report what he heard. He said he heard our dog eating, her nails on the floor, and me walking. He didn’t hear the dishwasher, the phone ring or the tv.
Headphones and an app worked for me in the absence of paying for a £40 machine. Admittedly not everyone would be comfortable with headphones in their ears while trying to sleep though…
What a scream. Dog nails. But how could you not hear the TV? Unless you had it turned low. I can hear conversations. It’s muffled but it’s still audible.
Luckily I live right next door to a train track and say so in the listing. I’m sure this shoos away many a light sleeper from the beginning. I also have an air cleaner/white noise machine in each room because it’s a family complex with kids and dogs and so there will be occasional unpredictable sounds.
I invested in one of those white noise machines. Partying group houses on both sides! Of course my listing says don’t stay here if you require absolute quiet, and I refer to them more genteely as “you may hear young professionals enjoying a barbecue on the weekends”! I do not add " Introduce yourself and you may get invited to play beer pong" – guests can figure that out themselves. Special bonus the machine has a USB port so guests have stopped disassembling my clip on reading light and unplugging things that should stay plugged in.
I am clear in my listing that I live in a very loud, urban space. I live right smack int he middle of Hollywood, so if guests are looking for a quiet getaway this is NOT it.
