My lazy word choice solution for +1 reviews

Maybe this isn’t worth a whole new post, but humor me:

Sometimes the guest never introduces their plus one, sometimes they do but only when they first arrive and i’m not good at remembering names just from hearing them once.

I don’t want to assume “and boyfriend” or “and wife” because occasionally it’s a sister or a business partner.

So “…and companion” is my solution and I’m very happy with it.

As in: “Jane and her companion stayed with us for 3 nights. They communicated their travel plans well beforehand, were quiet and easy going guests while here, and followed the house rules. Luckilt, we were able to accommodate a late check out request, and would be happy to host them again in the future.”

For anyone who struggles with remembering unwritten names but strives for accuracy while balancing privacy, this is my current solution that i’m rather proud of.

6 Likes

I say “and friend”. It sounds like I am being discreet as they may not wish everyone to know they are an item (especially if same sex). After all they could be a FWB. In reality it is because I can’t remember their name.

1 Like

I require names of ALL Guests prior to check-in. Those that don’t comply I ask the names at check-in. Those ones I don’t always remember but I try to use the name in my first email (i.e. how did you and Xxxxx sleep in the new sleep number bed?). It’s not foolproof but I try to include the names (first name only) in the review for other Hosts…sometimes the booking Guest is great but their +1 is not and I want to distinguish for future potential Hosts. As far as title goes, I generally use whatever title is presented by the booking Guest in the same manner.

1 Like

I leave my reviews for the booking guest only, and only use that person’s name. It avoids inadvertently outing anyone.

9 Likes

Perfect solution, I agree, @Alia_Gee. I find people always give me the dog’s name, but not always the partner’s, as in “Me and my bf and our dog, Baron Mufferson”.
My solution has been the sentence fragment “Lovely guests!” as the opener.

4 Likes

And I find that I ask for the dog’s name and breed but not for the significant other. LOL.

4 Likes

Ahhh…dogs! I am a very pet friendly Host so also review the pets. I try to distinguish not just the name if there are problems but a brief description. As one huge problem Guest with two dogs (he also was a Host ironically) had a perfect Boxer/Pit Bull mix (larger brown dog of the two) and a terror little white Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix).

2 Likes

I have been very lucky to have had only good dogs here, @Militaryhorsegal. I do call them by name or breed in the review. The last was a shiba inu, and she was a sweetheart.
So all of the dogs have been good, and most of the humans…

3 Likes

All of the “bad” dogs came with “bad” owners…

We are dog friendly, and we used to allow multiple dogs. However, we found over time that we nearly always had problems with guests who brought more than one dog - digging up the garden, barking, chasing our wildlife etc etc (that’s the dogs doing that, not the guests! :slight_smile: ) - but we very rarely had problems with single dogs.

So now we only allow one dog per group of guests. Someone once told me that two dogs form a pack - with significantly more aggressive behaviour than a single dog. So I’m not really sure if the problem is with the dogs, or with the types of owners who own multiple dogs … but in any case our problems were reduced significantly once we stopped allowing multiple dogs.

3 Likes

An interesting way to do it. That wouldn’t work for me though. If I have a military family waiting for their house to become available they are going to bring all of their pets, not just one dog.

We only allow dogs. No cats, ferrets, rabbits, mice, fish, birds or reptiles (and yes, we have had such requests!).

I suppose someone may have snuck a spider or two in without us knowing :slight_smile:

1 Like

I only use the “other” guest’s name in a review if they have been added to the itinerary. Otherwise I use what they have provided: boyfriend/partner/wife/sister. I am conscious that relationships changes and someone doesn’t want their ex’s name on an old review if they have changed partners. For guests’ that bring a dog I say: Please give me your dog’s name if you would like me to include your dog in my review.

It’s interesting that a number of hosts are taking care to protect the guest’s privacy, especially in the case of any indiscreet behavior. However, the review is for the benefit of the next host. I suppose that if the stay went well and there is nothing to be warned about then it’s fine to leave them unnamed. But if there are any issues I would certainly name them. I recently saw a review that said “xx was fine but I would not host her boyfriend David again.” In this case if xx dumps David it’s good that he was named so she can tell the next host, “I’m bringing Steve, not David.” LOL.

3 Likes

I ask for first name of all guests before they arrive. We have a hand written “Welcome” white board for each room and we put the names on the whiteboard along with their in and out dates, the wifi code, and the code for the lock on the front door, and of course, our names (co-hosts).

I always suggest the guest take a picture of the white board. We make it seem as if the board is for them, however, in reality, it helps us to remember the name of all the guests.

In addition, it clarifies when they registered to leave. We had a small problem once where a guest was confused about his “out” date. He over-stayed and it helped that it was written on the board (and of course it was on his on Airbnb info) when we pointed out that he had overstayed his visit.

For the review, I we use the primary guest name and only the first initial of any other guest including children. This way privacy is maintained, but it’s clear you are referring to them by name. “Sandra and her daughter D were a delight.”

I like it and will use. Thanks. I do a little personalized welcome sign, and I would say 75% of the time, I don’t know the companion’s name.

In confirming a reservation, we always ask for the first names of their traveling companions. And sometimes it takes a second/third ask because, as you know, our eager travelers don’t always read everything. We have a little dry erase sign ($1.50 at Walmart) that we put on the nightstand that says “Welcome Sue and Jason” (or whatever their names are). Guests love this little touch and that way we can use everyone’s names as needed.