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Hi, Just arrived at this forum as I was looking for answers on why guests do what they do!
I have a small basement flat in Greece - my description states 4 times that it’s basement, sofa beds a little unconfortable unless for small children and 20 minutes walk to the centre … yet the last 3 guests have given me 4 stars for
Uncomfortable sofa beds (15yr old 6ft son)
out of the centre
basement flat with no air nor sunlight (we had a heatwave and there’s A/C available - they left in the morning as the sun was rising and arrived back when the sun was setting!!!)
It drives me mad … are people that dim?
I try so hard for just 21 euro a night (I even made the last guests cake for their journey home). I know it’s only 4 stars BUT I quite like the $100 I get off my next booking. Is it so difficult to just give the stars?
Rant over lol
I think after a few years of hosting you begin to sniff out problematic guests after the first email exchange with them. It’s not so much what they ask, but how they ask for it. Or even some cases don’t even ask! There is a huge difference in attitude between someone who says “we read that your check in time is after 16:00, but our plane lands at 12:00. Would it be possible to check in a bit earlier, or if that is not possible can you suggest a place where we could leave our luggage.” For this kind of polite request, we’ll definitely try to let them check earlier if possible, or offer to store their luggage.
But when someone writes “I will be arriving at 9AM, I hope you don’t mind”…(happened to me a couple of times!) then the answer is “I’m sorry, but we have guests leaving the same day so we won’t be able to accommodate you before check in time, which is 16:00.” Because yes, I mind! And because someone who feels so entitled as to not even ask if they can check in earlier, is going to be difficult. And it’s true that with that kind of guest you had better put barriers in place right from the start.
I had someone like that book a few days ago for November: she wanted, or rather - demanded! - to check in at 2 in the morning, and wanted to check out late! I told her politely that the person who does the check ins cannot be expected to cross town in the middle of the night, and that the option I offer in those cases is to send a trusted taxi driver to pick her up at the airport with the keys. This is something which doesn’t cost them a cent more than they would pay if they took a taxi on their own. The woman in question grudgingly accepts it and then asks for late check out, and says that she’s stayed at other places dozens of times and the hosts were “more generous”!!! That riled me so much I suggested that maybe my apartment was not a good match for her and that we definitely could not let her stay after the official check out time, so that if she wanted to cancel I would waive the cancellation fees.
So she canceled, adding that she absolutely looooved my apartment and would try to book it another time. I didn’t even bother replying (although I was tempted to say no thanks), and felt sooooo relieved that she wouldn’t be coming.
Basically, you have to keep your ears and your eyes open when you discuss with future or potential guests. Usually they show their stripes very early on, and sometimes when you catch it early on, you can avoid the unpleasant ones altogether. I’ve developed a few techniques to get rid of unwanted future guests when their enquiries send alarm signals!
I think that’s what they say too "accommodating ", and I know what they mean. Anyway , for me it’s no bother at all early checking or late checkouts if it doesn’t interfere with anything. But for some hosts it’s a different setup.
Just been downstairs and found the last guests had scratched numbers onto the table yop! What is wrong with people? Oh well you live and you learn. I think the Greek prime minister will stop airbnb soon so I’d better enjoy it while I can.
I understand a great many comments made here. We try to be accommodate within reason but I work mornings. 7-11. Our checkout is noon, check in at 3. I flip everything myself.
I had a woman instabook last night for tomorrow and TOLD me she would be arriving at 1pm and oh by the way we are coming in town for a wedding and I know the booking is for two people plus a pet but we want to use your house as basecamp and have 4 other adults and two kids come by to get ready.
Lordy thank you for decline without penalty on instantbook.
The think what irritated me the most was the why are you declining this? This guest is coming over 900 miles and the trip is days away. And your point is? I am not letting them come all this way to ignore my house rules.
Now, had this been a do you mind if we check in early without the extra requests I would most likely try to help them out or meet in the middle somewhere but nobody gets in before I am completely done cleaning. No One.
In addition we have a no kids rule and always have. We let one person bring a infant and it was our first low review. Never again.
Review writing has not been possible once a cancellation is made (at least very very recently) so I’m not sure how this could have happened in the past.
Does your listing title say that (‘Basement pad with hard beds 20min from town’)? And your main picture?
Yes - it says and this is copied and pasted from the ad:
Basement Apartment (sunlight in afternoon hours)
1 bedroom - 1 living room/kitchen (open plan) and bathroom with shower.
Cheap and cheerful in a residential block 20 mins WALK from centre.
5mins by car
Suitable for a 2 adults and 2 small children (sofa beds)
Basement apartment with lots of light in the afternoon hours.
Then…
2 large sofa beds - probably more suitable for small children to sleep on rather than adults (which may be uncomfortable) then
Basement apartment in a residential block (Other apartments owned by Greek families).
15- 20 minute walk to town centre with numerous tavernas and bars. then
PLEASE NOTE - the apartment is just outside the town - 20 mins walk into the centre.
I thought I’d got it covered lol
Maybe something in the House Rules section should help, since that has a bit more ‘legal’ validity. I mean in the sense of, they have formally agreed to what you have on there.
@asimenia -
I’m a little confused on the bed arrangement from your post. Is there one bed that sleeps two in the bedroom and two sofa beds in the living room? Or does the bedroom have a sofabed and the living room have a sofabed? If so, which sofabed is most suitable for children? Both?
These sentences are just bits from the actual ad. The place is a two room apartment with 2 sofa beds in the living room which were bought together and are exactly the same … therefore they are equally uncomfortable! The bedroom consists of a normal double bed.
This kind of crap really chaps my hide. My last three-star review (last year) was from someone who complained about our cookware and that she was not very comfortable using it as it was “scratched.” I ordered new pots and pans and (for good measure) a set of 15 cooking utensils to be delivered the second day of her five-day reservation. Everything else was perfect. Three stars.
And she left a greasy cookie sheet on the stove. Argh.
I am a guest right now. We made a same-day reservation for an 8pm arrival (we are a repeat guest so the host was very accommodating). As we were driving to our location, a semi (truck) had caught fire and caught the entire hillside on fire. With all the emergency responders, the entire freeway was collapsed down to two lanes (southbound 5 fwy just before the Grapevine, for those of you familiar with California.). It took 2 hours to go 3 miles. We ended up arriving at 10pm. Our host was extremely gracious, just shrugged and said, “traffic happens.” We were very grateful she didn’t turn us away. Another host-learning-experience for us.
