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The step stool is against the wall and unless someone plans on trying to walk through the wall - it isn’t in there path at all. The baby gate - as I explain to people is because my dog likes to go up stairs and sit by the guests door, The baby gate is to prevent that. Since he has been good now and doesn’t seem to be going upstairs anymore when guests are here - I am removing the baby gate. They are FULLY explained why it is there though.
I’m not resistant - it is just that people are seeing things that are FULLY explained to the guests or thinking that these are areas that the guests actually can use. As I said from the beginning - that only ONE person has actually addressed - is what to put in the listing so people know that this area is where I LIVE and therefore is not model perfect. I know it isn’t model perfect - nor is it going to be.
To people who dislike clutter it is jarring to see even if it is in a room they won’t be using. As you don’t mind clutter imagine another example. What if you were a guest and walked through a bathroom that had mold on the shower curtain, hair and toothpaste in the sink and the toilet wasn’t flushed? I don’t think you would be comfortable even though you wouldn’t be using that room.
As I’ve said it’s a good idea for you to address it in your listing.
@JerseyDevil I feel your pain! I too have had comments about my home being lived-in (yeah, guess what - we do live here!) and areas being cluttered. It’s annoying because, like you, the spaces they mention have no impact on guests other than visually, they don’t impede access to anything and are just a part of someone’s home. Honestly, I think you should just shrug it off and let it go. Your reviews are great, you are a superhost, everyone enjoys your space, nobody complains about cleanliness, they paid…etc, etc. It’s all good! Some people just don’t get the whole concept of staying in someone’s house and that they need to accept the reality of that. It’s their problem, not yours.
The only practical thing I can think of is to move up the photos of the walkthrough living room and edit the caption to say ‘this is my living space’ or something.
Another thing you might think about is to downplay your space. Your main photo does give the impression that it’s kind of a fancy place. Maybe replace it with a photo of the room?
For me, this is a cluttered space, but you don’t care about that.
What I do think is that it is not clear in your listing that the dining room and living room are off limits. I would assume that I had access to those two spaces since your listing doesn’t include any mention of these limitations. Perhaps if you either added this fact to your Guest Access write-up, guests wouldn’t have the expectation that your first floor has any spaces that they are welcome to share.
I think there is a discrepancy between your listing and your actual circumstances. The outdoor shots and the shots of the bedrooms your guests do use are clear and clutter-free. Thus giving the impression that is the way you live. The areas you posted as guests having to walk through are very lived in and, to some guests, cluttered. Therefore, what you are advertising and what your guests are experiencing are two different things. I’m not judging your space, just saying that if guests are expecting one thing and getting something different, it may be they are caught off guard.
Sometimes it is hard to hear criticism by guests, but after getting chaffed by it myself I forced myself sometimes to take a good long look and see if there WAS something behind what they were saying. So… It sounds to me like your guests liked and liked their stay but they did want to be honest in the feedback in private about what they saw as… well, messy.
Think about it anyway? Either word it sooooo honestly and disclose or …clean it up a bit more. ??
I want to know if you have champagne every night? That being said. This could have been my kitchens few years ago. When cleaning it one night, I decided I had too much on the counters, stuff I didn’t use that often. But limited space. So I want thru each drawer, cupboard, and pantry and removed items I wasn’t using. It actually started with the fridge, i took the magnets off, reviewed all the items I had on the door and discovered most of it was trash, or belonged elsewhere. It’s a difficult thing to do. I also had a horrid yard sale habit. New rule, an item has to go out if a new one wants in.i can think of a few things that slipped past the rule lately, and I’m going to review it all before new lower kitchen cupboards are installed.
My kitchen counter isn’t naked like some, but then the like to cook.
I think the criticisms are a bit harsh! Jersey is a superhost and obviously doing a great job. This is old-school Airbnb - you stay in someone’s HOME at a very cheap price. You need to accept that and not expect something neutral and show-home. But yes, it has to be clear and honest what is offered. As said, I think you should downplay your place a bit @JerseyDevil. You’ll still get bookings because of your reviews and your price.
I have done this four times in the past five years. Once when the kid moved home, once when her to-be-husband moved in, once when I found my brain couldn’t be calm enough in the kitchen, and finally, when I started the AirBNB. Lots of young people have pawed through the boxes of giveaways, including two young groups of AirBNB guests! Today’s guest in fact, took seven items for her first-ever kitchen in Boston.
I did a drawer clean out just last week of one drawer in the pantry whose contents seem to have had children. To be honest, I only have five drawers in the entire kitchen, so they all must function properly.
I guess it is like a job interview with a guest. The first impression is made in less than 15 seconds and it is very hard to change. Your 15 seconds is when they walk in, not when they get to the room.
Hey, i would keep all the house photos together and then have the lovely local ones together. I would remove any pictures that guests do not have access to. Unfortunately some people will start making judgements from the front door, they forget they are just renting a room and make judgements on your entire house. You can pop a nice comment like when reviewing please remember that your reviews are based on the private room and/ or bathroom only.
I think “old-school” AirBNB included hanging with the host in the living room and dining room. This is actually a different model that includes only access to a single room and a shared bathroom.
I really think the disconnect is that the listing and the actual spaces are discordant. But, it appears that @JerseyDevil feels differently, so this was more of a rant than a request for suggestions.
One of the hosts I stayed with said in her description/ messy house of a busy mom and teacher and … it was very messy. But I knew it to begin with so I knew what to expect.
I actually like the idea of being upfront like this. I did not expect her to even not have messy house
I don’t subscribe to this actually, I think it’s a bit of a myth! People’s perception of things can change very quickly and they’re more likely to remember the LAST thing you said or did or what they saw/experienced rather than their first impression. First impressions of my place are probably not so great but once they get used to it, and my extraordinary charm (lol), 99% of guests like it just fine. First impressions really don’t last very long unless your mind is extremely closed.
Your home looks beautiful–what gorgeous windows you have!
Yes there is “clutter” and those who are looking for hotel like experience would find it unacceptable. That said, it also looks clean and lived in–basically, like an actual real home.
We walk a fine line with guests between meeting their needs and meeting our own. When one is renting out a room in one’s home, that room should be completely geared towards the guest so they feel the privacy and sense of welcome as well as feeling they have their own space. This is simply courtesy to the guest. However, unless one is charging higher than average prices or granting full use of other rooms, the remainder of the house is not their’s to criticise. That is common courtesy to a host.
Is this really what happens? Sadly, obviously not. First impression sets an mental mindset in humans and it is a hard one to combat. Many say one has to set the expectation in the listing of how one’s home is and I agree with that as long as there is the added caveat of, “for those very few guests who actually read the listing.” I have found, for the majority, they do not read all of the listing and their expectations vary pretty wildly, regardless of what you write. I can’t count the number of guests who are surprised that we have pets–even though they are mentioned several times in the listing and potential guests have to awknoledge them when booking. I finally had to put pictures of them in the listing and that visual aid seems to help.
I would suggest the best thing to help you Without having to live like you are in someone else’s home is to focus more on the lovely room you are providing, how absolutely welcome they are, and how your own areas of the house are a work-in-progress. In other words, subtly tell them this is your house in which you have created an oasis room in just for them.
That’s just when they arrive, of course. In your listing, do something similar–“A short walk through my own comfortably lived-in part of the house will bring you to your very private oasis”—okay, not the best, but perhaps it conveys the idea?
I dunno but not necessarily? To me, ‘old-school’ increasingly seems to mean ‘this is my house and yes I live here and my stuff is here, including my son (oh so sorry about that) and I’m not a hotel’.
