Oh dear. Should I have sent this email to a guest?

21

That’s my take, too, Wilburforce -I’ve even gotten my kids up out of bed (if they are not asleep) so they can tend to a chore if needed. I keep spray and towels under the bathroom sink, ready to go.

And I think the email is fine. It didn’t sound hateful or even harsh. I’m sorry about that rating - I think some people look at the stars differently, or don’t understand - like the Amazon reviews that rave about a product but they gave it one star…

Here’s to moving on an an awesome arrival bringing candy or other gifts…My last guest brought us a half dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes - quite nice.

22

Us poor Mums. We put up with a lot but cleaning up after other people’s laziness just isn’t on.
I also have a 12 year old daughter and over the years she has literally screamed at my sons if she’s gone to the bathroom and the seat is wet. Like you in the middle of the night, she has sat down without looking first.

But she’s really a very effective deterrent to poor toilet hygiene. No one likes having a tween scream at them.

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23

Wow. That’s so nice and thoughtful - a guest bearing gifts.

I’m glad you don’t think the email was hateful. I was worried it was too harsh. I have just got really really really tired of continuing to ask Airbnb to create a guest guideline. I don’t really blame these guests. Face to face they were smiley and polite but they’ve no idea what’s expected of them. It really does fall to Airbnb to educate them. I think of the American hosts who’ve had Mexican guests put dirty toilet paper in the bin as that’s what you have to do in lots of places in Mexico. Some cultural guidelines would be so welcomed i’m sure by both hosts and guests. If I went to China, I’d want to be advised on what is and isn’t acceptable practice in people’s houses. I now know that Chinese guests don’t like to shake hands with strangers - they’re terrified of germs - so I no longer offer my hand in greeting. It’s the little respectful things that avoid uncomfortable situations that count.

Anyway my current guest who is French is a real sweetheart. He keeps sending me texts, updating me on his day and telling me he has no words for my kindness - And I only saw him for 10 minutes at check-in!

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24

Hi there I think your email is fine and with cultural differences I doubt they will in any way take it as rude, it probably won’t even register. I do wonder though, whether part of their review could have been ‘lost in translation’ as it were. I think that the ‘just a little bit far from the station’ could have been them saying it is ONLY a little bit far from the station ie it’s very close? That looks to me like it could have been meant like that and is just badly translated?

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25

Yes I agree the words in the review were not bad and could certainly be offset by the 45 other reviews commenting how close and convenient it is. It was the appalling star ratings that bothered me and particularly the very low rating for location. It just seemed like poor mannered pay-back for not allowing them to keep their room until they were to leave for the airport at 5pm - they seemed quite put out - even though I minded their luggage. They never responded to my email and nor did Airbnb.

I seem to be having a bad run at the moment. A couple I had last week just gave me 3 stars for value. Their flight from NZ was delayed by a day and then the next day it was delayed again by a few hours. I felt bad for them and gave them a very nice bottle of wine. However I didn’t consider refunding them as it’s lost income for me and not my fault. However I guess if you miss a night then it’s very poor value. They were so polite and nice and then a 3 star for value which brings me down the scale further. Oh well.

26

No, that is totally unfair and gutting with the stars. I got half a star for location and I thought well you bloody chose it, I can’t move my house! I think people are more and more expecting us to be like hotels when we are inviting them into our homes and lives. That is harsh of the NZ couple, they wouldn’t get any money back from a hotel so why should they from you? And hotels are huge corporations and we’re small fry so even more reason we can’t give refunds

27

WHat i cant get when people dont even ask about early check ins, late checkouts is didn’t they ever stayed in hotels? Because if they did, they would know how it works:you have to leave at a certain time and you are not able to check in before a certain time.
How is it even possible to assume that they can come any time and leave whenever they want. Do they really think that they are the only guests ever?

I just had a couple who not only showed up at 11, when my previous guest was still there packing, but even after that,the next day they stayed till 4, and would stay more if i did not ask them to leave. My next guests were coming at 6 p.m., so i left the house and came back at 3 pm, to discover them all over the house watching TV, and eating.
This is the conversation we had:

Me: o, you guys are still here???
Guests: yes, we were going to leave around 6 p.m.
Me: You were supposed to leave at 11 am, this is when checkout time is
Guests:O, really?? We did not know there is a check out time.
Me: What do you mean you did not know the check out time exists. I have next guest coming soon, and i still have to clean. Check out time is written in my rules and there s ALWAYS check out time, you did not know??, just like in a hotel.
Guests, (thinking hard): O, so we have to leave right now?!!
Me: Please, you are way overdue:)
Guests: But we did not even take a shower!!
Me: (sighing) Ok, shower, but first please, pack, put your suitcases outside the room and let me start stripping your bed and cleaning.
Guests (after few moments of thinking): Thats ok, we will just leave without shower, we will shower on a ship. Sorry about that.
Me: its ok guys, next time i would recommend to read rules before your book, its kind of important.
GUESTS:Yes, of course, sorry again, we did not realize.

Obviously, they did not do it intentionally, i ca not even get mad at them, its just the assumption of non existant check in checkout time for me its unreal.

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29

Well said and just how I feel today as I feel my last guest was disrespectful and treated me like a skivvy

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30

GOOD LORD!!! Yana, you just get the most audacious guests!! Unreal!!!
Guests are unbelievable in their cluelessness and will simply never cease to amaze.

Have you thought about what you will do for a review?

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31

GG:

I’m always dinged on location… I’m 45 minutes from the main town… yet literally right next to one of the best snorkeling spots in all of Hawaii. It’s well away from the heat, tourists, retail and (yes) crime of town… YET location?? I get dinged. Well this is the Big, Big Island and frankly no matter where you are, you’ll be far from the best attractions!

By the way, I describe in a million ways where exactly I am and where I am not, and I think they don’t read and then when they get here: “Oh boy, we didn’t think it would be so far.”

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32

Laugh out loud. One guest gave me four stars for location which bummed me out as he chose to stay here but chose to walk into town rather than take the bus at the bottom of the road that takes 15 minutes and got totally soaked. I had told him where the bus stop was and given him a timetable, however he then returned and stay a month. WTH? Location can’t have been that bad. Just as well we are all so perfect :wink:

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33

Silly tourists! You can always tell the Americans. They walk around in white tennis shoes and clog up the Piccadilly line with their oversized American luggage instead of taking the Heathrow Express like polite visitors would do. :slight_smile:

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34

Hehe, Kona I don’t know if I want to put a review. There were very nice young couple, left everything very clean even took garbage out. As I said it was not intentional and silly on their part.

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35

Could be something for the private feedback. You just wonder… have SOME people just never traveled before???Is this their first time around the block? Sheeze!!

36

Well I already told them what I think lol. I don’t know a single person who never stayed in a hotel,

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37

don’t you also feel that when you have had an ‘issue’ with a guest, whatever that may be that you’re worried about what they might then write? it feels like our hands are tied with what we dare say to them cos they could just get petty and mark us down. hotels don’t have to worry about that like we do.

38

But you are wrong… Hotels DO worry. For instance, I just stayed at a fabulous boutique hotel in Washington, DC. They fixed a reservation issue for me promptly (even though it was not their fault–it was MY fault! Cringe!!!). Then because we were so distressed at check in (again, my own damned fault) they comped breakfast for my son and me for the whole stay at $12 each per day. I gushed with appreciation and asked them what I can do for them! They asked if I would please go on Trip Advisor and write a good review, if indeed, I enjoyed my stay. All they wanted was a good review on Trip Advisor!

I am no fan of Trip Advisor but know it can make or break a small place. So I looked them up on TA and was appalled at the crap that had been written about them… by some bad guests. Ugh! None of it true (old, in need of updating, bad mattresses, bad customer service etc.) Just none of it true!

So now if you were to search for hotels in DC, and you were to read about them on TA, you would see my gushing review front and center, and the same gush on their FB page!

39

You know what’s grosser than a tub full of hair? When guests don’t realize we you can flush toilet paper and put it in the waste basket instead. When we hosted in NYC this happened a few times. We would get the guest checked in and settled then sneak off for the weekend only to come home Sunday to a basket full of poop covered paper. It happened so frequently I posted a sign in the bathroom. It was disgusting. I dry heaved a few times

40

Yes it’s a South/Central American thing. Plumbing there often can’t cope with paper!

41

At what point do you start charging a late checkout for an additional day? Most hotels will be flexible for up to an hour if they have vacancies the following night, but unless you’re in the top tier of their rewards program, it’s time to get moving or pay the late checkout fee.

11AM is requested. Noon can possibly be accommodated with a prior agreement. By 1PM, it’s a race to get things turned for new guests at 3PM.