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I need some advice about how to better handle older people who frequent my in-law space. They tend to have much higher expectations than I advertise, are more sensitive to light and noise, and need a lot of hand holding in general.
So my question is this: How can I make my space better to accommodate these older folks? I’m not hating on them, they are my guests and they get just as annoyed as I do when things aren’t smooth and seamless with their stay. I genuinely want to provide a better experience, I just can’t seem to get ahead of what they need.
Please, define “older,” because I’m 61 but behave as if I’m 42. Much to the chagrin of my adult children.
Please, specifics. What have the complaints been, what have you fixed?
The “oldies” I’ve hosted were in their 80s and were a nightmare. Drinking, partying, asking for cash discounts… One couple in their 70s complained the bed was too soft, so I took off the topper and they proceeded to get in my way and critique the bed-making. sigh
You’re catching some flak over the “older” bit, but I know what you mean. I suspect it’s less about age and more about when they joined Airbnb…people who joined when it was true “home sharing” get it. People who were swayed to try it as an alternative to hotels - “it’s like a boutique hotel in someone’s home!” - have expectations that are problematic.
Start at the beginning. When they reserve, include an overview of what they should expect/not expect while at your home, and how it may differ from a hotel.
Include all the things you find standard in a hotel. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t mark “TV” or “Room darkening curtains”. You’ll avoid complaints by having these things.
A way to control their own climate. Even though I have whole house heat/AC, I give guests window AC and space heaters so they can tweak their settings.
My grumpy older foks complained that there wasn’t a drip coffee maker (Keurig & French press. Do I really need to offer 3 ways to make coffee?) and no cable TV (never promised. Read one of the hundred books or play a board game!).
Catching flak about the older bit is simply because we have no idea what the OP is referring to. If he is 22, then anyone over 30 is an ‘older guest’. If he is 35, then anyone older than that is an ‘older guest’. And so on and so on and so on…
My son has always thought that dinosaurs were roaming the earth when I was a kid.
If this has happened more than once, then I imagine that it’s something that has affected all age groups. It could be that the ‘older guests’ are the ones who say anything about it.
I’m finding it hard to understand how older guests could possibly be more sensitive to light and noise. If there is a problem with these, then it will affect all guests. (Both are easily sorted with blackout blinds and a white noise machine).
We’ll need to know more about your accommodation please
My rentals are in a 55 and older active adult community, so I get mostly older guests, and I find they are a joy. They are thrilled with the area, which caters to their age group. They find more activities to their liking and are busier than they are at home. So they start in a good mood.
The pictures of the rentals are current, so what they walk into looks just like the pictures. I have a ton of competition, and many of those hosts are less than current on decor or modern appliances. So finding Smart TVs and fast internet make them very happy.
Our cleaners are good, but we have the advantage of living here, so we can make sure nothing was missed. We can check that the golf carts are clean and fueled up. We can ensure there is an extra propane tank filled and at the ready in case they run out when grilling. And occasionally, when they forget to put back a rug after mopping, we can catch that.
If something does go wrong our very handy partner is around the corner. He can be there in seconds to fix the problem before they can stew on it. I am his backup. There is never a case where their concerns take more than 15 minutes to be addressed.
We have extra capacity washer and dryers at each home, so they can wash their own linens, which is a big plus. We don’t get calls for more towels. And usually the sheets laundry is at least started, if not completed by the time I get there at checkout. We leave cleaning supplies accessible, and often the house is spotless before the cleaning crew gets there.
And occasionally, when our guests are younger folks visiting their grandparents, that’s when we run into trouble.
Another thing I love about ‘older guests’ - and I’m talking about people my age or older (not that you know how old I am, ha) - is that they are far more environmentally aware than younger guests. They turn the AC off when they go out, they don’t have endless showers, they often arrive in fuel-efficient vehicles etc.
Also, they are usually (I don’t want to generalise of course!) far more conscientious about recycling.
It’s funny really that they seem to care far more about the planet than younger guests do, especially when you consider that they won’t be using it for as long.
About the coffee—you may need to add drip coffee maker. Due to waste some people won’t use a Keurig. People like me have never used a French press . People like the familiar, meaning they have a pot of coffee at home so would prefer it. You can purchase a cheap (less than $15 US and it will do the job)
Again people like the familiar. I have Netflix, Amazon, Pluto (free), & IMB (free) at home. I have basic cable & Netflix for my rental because cable TV is familiar and easy for the guest.
An interesting observation to make on the day that thousands of young people demonstrated across the world about climate change! Seeing as we’re all making generalisations here () I will bet that these “older” guests, let’s say 65+, are not so much environmentally conscious but more driven by the way they were brought up not to waste anything. So it’s instinct to turn off things that aren’t being used and to save energy/water/fuel etc.
@NE10 I agree with those saying we need more information!
I’ve had guests in their '60s, mostly couples, who didn’t quite “get” Airbnb and thought it should be like a traditional B&B with a kettle and a tray of tea and coffee sachets in the room, a tablecloth, a view of the sea (or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon), a reception desk etc etc.
But I’ve also had young guests who proclaimed to be easygoing backpackers who were nitpicky in the extreme.
I can’t generalize at all about guests’ ages. We’ve had guests of all ages who “get” and “don’t get” the Airbnb concept. Guests of all ages who are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or meat-eaters. All ages who are dedicated to or seemingly unaware of earth-friendliness.
Just as I can’t generalize at all about which ages are polite, which are brusque, which are neat, which are messy, who will leave a note in our guest book and who won’t, etc.
Honestly, the results are all across the board.
Our best approach, working well so far, is to be welcoming to all and to provide a variety of amenities to suit just about anyone.
For example, our restaurant recommendations cover all types of diets. In addition to restaurants, there’s a local grocery near us with a wonderful assortment of prepared foods, which would suit anyone. All our toilets are comfort height. Our showers have shelves to prevent people from bending to the floor for toiletries. We enforce quiet hours (from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.). All our cleaning products and the personal care products we provide are earth-friendly. We show every guest where the recycling container is in our kitchen. We provide a selection of beverages (sugared and sugar-free sodas, still and sparkling water, organic juice, various broths, milk, caffeinated and caffeine-free tea, and coffee). Our breakfasts work for veg/non-veg diets as well as sugar-free and gluten-free.
I think being welcoming, a bit imaginative, and a good listener works well. Of course it helps that the guests are right here in the house with us.
Definitely. I’ve posted this before but one of my favourite ever guests was an 80 year old former hippy with a wicked sense of humour. She loved my ramshackle house and we had some great times together. Conversely, several times I’ve encountered 20 year-olds at 9pm on a Saturday in their pyjamas, brushing their teeth while I’m getting ready to go out and party!
Wow! I step away to do some work and there is a flood here.
I’m not calling out older guests. There are good guests and bad guests on all levels of the age spectrum, so please don’t misunderstand me here. A guest my age (35) gave me the worst review I’ve ever gotten. There are also older guests who gave 2 stars for “the room not cooling down fast enough”. I’m a young guy and there are things I think I’m not getting in terms of how to properly host the elderly, so these are general questions about how to better serve them. If I want ed to rant about all of the antics of the elderly, I would have done that.
Old people 65+ are far more likely to subtract stars if things aren’t perfect. I believe this is because unlike millennials and younger who grew up with rating systems, they don’t understand how much Airbnb penalizes hosts for being “honest”. So I have a real interest in making sure I get things right from the get go and keep my ratings high. I actually had a super nice 70 year old couple stay at my place and I was shocked when they gave a 1 star on check-in. They did have a hard time with the keypad, but after walking them through it, they were fine. When I asked them why, they said they thought it was private and didn’t know that it would hurt me.
I have fixed and improved lots of stuff. Including the addition of blackout curtains, magnifying mirrors in the bathrooms, extra lights, improved heating and cooling systems, adding amenities, etc. etc… Older guests do tend to complain more about light, noise, and environmental conditions. I can’t figure out why, so I gave that as a general example. As @jaquo aptly pointed out, this could be due to the fact that these things are always a problem and only older people complain about it. But I do think that it’s more than that and there are trends. You can see this in what different ages compliment on. For example. I leave water bottles out for guests. Younger people compliment on this point frequently whereas older people don’t. Same thing goes for the printer, high end appliances, and internet speed. Older people are more likely to compliment on the overall styling of the space, my hospitality, bed comfort, coffee, and outdoor landscaping. My point here is again, not to call out old people but to understand what others are doing with their space that older people like. It really is a question of taste, and there are generational differences.
Gotta get back to work But I will look back through all of this in a bit. Until then, please understand that I am asking for advice on what other hosts are doing with older people, NOT calling old people out as cranks.
Did someone delete a post because I don’t see that in the posts above yours. You could probably predict that he would get flak though, so it’s all the same.
Given your other posts here which are unfailingly hospitable rather than hostile, I was confident this was your concern. But I did want to know what you considered older because what I’d advise for my cohort (I’m 61) isn’t the same as what I’d advise for over 80 or the 40-somthings.
For old people (my definition is the standard 65 and up) I’d make sure there is plenty of light including night lights. I can’t see nearly as well in the dark as you probably can. Despite having the best outdoor lights on the street an old guest complained that he needed better outdoor lighting simply because the porch light wasn’t on. So young people walk up with their phone flashlight on, old people complain. Another fellow traveled with his own night light and then forgot it plugged into the bathroom. This was despite me having a night light plugged in the hallway outside the bathroom door that he could have moved. So better too many than too few, they can always be unplugged by those who need absolute dark to sleep.
Also be careful of things like rugs on anything easy to trip over. We fall more often and easily and I swear when I stub my toes now they hurt more than they used to.
Well, you know I’m going to pipe up here because I’m one of the older (oldest?) members here - and in fact to my knowledge we’ve never hosted anyone older than ourselves!
I also don’t like age stereotypes, but I understand that @NE10 is genuinely trying to make his older guests comfortable so I’m trying to think what things my demographic would appreciate and what would annoy them.
I think probably the main difference is as @Allison_H says that it’s more about being used to Airbnb and its quirks rather than age. I know exactly what I’m looking for when I book as a guest and I read the listing in detail and message the host if I have any queries. Therefore I know what I’m getting (or not getting!) and would only make any complaints if what I found was substantially different from what was offered. NE10 is spot on about the things I as an oldie am looking for - good decorative style, hospitality, outdoor space, but I also want fast wifi - and I don’t at all understand the obsession with bottled water (just drink wine ffs!)
There are always going to be some grumpy guests of any age who nothing will please, but I’m convinced that what most guests want is the feeling that the host really cares about their comfort and enjoyment. This goes a long way towards overlooking the odd hair on the sofa or non-working light bulb. The OP sounds very much as though he is a host who does care so this Oldie would be very likely to give him a 5* review!
You aren’t helping your case by continuing to jab at “Old People”! As a professional Technical Writer, I was inventing and using rating systems long before you were born. I’m more than twice your age and most of the things you’re generalizing about Old People are just crap.
The things you are generalizing about Old People also apply to smartaleck Millenials, entitled teens, Barely Mature 30s and any other age bracket you want to diss. Those are GUEST issues, not AGE issues!
Almost no guests from teens to 90s understands the star system – unless you actually take the time to explain it to them, why it’s important etc!!! I had a couple of 19s here the other night and they didn’t understand about Stars until I explained it to them and told them we try to provide a 5-star experience and hoped they would have five stars worth of stay with us.
Same thing with lighting/dark rooms, noise heat and cool etc. etc. These are issues that have NOTHING to do with age and everything to do with personal comfort. When I was your age I wanted a pitch dark bedroom. Now I want light enough to make out furniture if I have to get up in the night.
Just ramming more Stuff into your place isn’t as important as making your guests feel at home. You also need to educate your guests as to what they can expect and show them how thing work. Don’t just let them in and walk away (or worse never even speak to them).
We had a couple 30-somethings here last month who were couldn’t be bothered to read and follow my illustrated instructions on using the two TV controllers and cost me an hour or reprogramming things! Even though I explained this in person, in words of one syllable! NOT because they were 30-somethings, but because they were Guests who couldn’t be bothered to read and follow simple instructions.
I would say to take each individual time that you got (valid) negative feedback and work on those specific things as they come up to the best of your ability. Noise complaint? Add a $19.99 ambient noise machine. Is the keypad confusing? Can you add instructions to your check-in guide? Etc.
) I will bet that these “older” guests, let’s say 65+, are not so much environmentally conscious but more driven by the way they were brought up not to waste anything. So it’s instinct to turn off things that aren’t being used and to save energy/water/fuel etc.