This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I guess my post will be too late by the time you read it. Sorry to hear about the medical news and sending positive thoughts.
I would be concerned with the guests being there alone. A mess wouldn’t concern me too much, if it is just stuff that they are going to pack in their suitcase anyway. What concerns me is they seem to have a hotel mentality, and hopefully they don’t damage anything by not taking care of things. Hopefully there won’t be damage underneath all that mess.
Clearly they view Airbnb as a hotel, since they knowingly brought a screaming child to someone else’s home. It seems they view the space as just something they paid for, and are not in the least embarrassed of you seeing their huge mess, listening to their child wail, etc.
I did decide that it would be even more stressful to have to rehouse them at this point. I’ve been in touch with airbnb cs and they have been great. I’ve let them know my concerns in advance.
I’ve just decided that it would be even MORE stressful to have to wait around the house this morning while these two stressed parents with two screaming kids have to pack up all their stuff and get out. I’m gonna roll the dice and leave them here.
The important thing, really, is for my husband and I to have learned be more diligent in such situations. I should have had a chat with the dad after the second stretch of screaming and let him know their behavior wasn’t appropriate for the space.
Yes, @azreala, they have spent two days shopping!!! So I’m glad you mentioned it. But the mess seems to be their personal stuff - and my toys…
OK, good people - time for me to unplug for a bit and get out into the mountains. The listing has a photo of the storm door of the little cottage and there’s a horse outside peeking into the cottage. How cool is that? It really sold the listing - I think I’ll go find a cut-out of President Obama and have my photo made - and put that in my listing. Corny, but, it will make people smile, and isn’t that what we want? ; )
Thank you so much for your support. It really meant a lot!!! I’m off the cliff now - moving on. ; )
I was more thinking of having a trustworthy friend house sit for 3 days, but I know it can be difficult to just find someone.
Everybody - what is this rehousing thing everyone is mentioning? Do you still get paid, or do you refund the nights you want them rehoused. Can you say “guest’s screaming kid is making me insane” and then they rehouse??
Hi Nancy, only just replying because I had an inspection from the Tourism Office of Andalucia (scary but ultimately OK!)
I hope that by now you are enjoying your break and not giving a thought to your Spanish family back home - I think you and your family really needed this time to yourselves …
And yes,Spanish children are the little Kings and Queens of the family, definitely. I find them demanding, but not usually too badly behaved. If the parents are older, as you say, it could be that having waited a long time for their family they are over-indulgent of their dear little whims - aaarrgh!
But really, don’t worry - you don’t have to deal with them any longer and they’ll probably give you a great review. You’re probably also right that the husband treats you as “staff” but don’t forget that the word “machismo” originated in Spain - blame his adoring Mama!
As posters above have said - mess can be sorted and they will take most of it with them. @azreala is right about the shopping - most of the mess they leave will be stores’ carrier bags! I very much doubt that they will do any damage. You should see the mess when my grandchildren leave … Barbies in the Lego box, six dice in the ludo and non in Monopoly … but it’s soon cleared up.
I’d limit the age to at the most that of your youngest child in future … if you’ve suffered the toddler tantrums once I see no reason to have to suffer them again, and it will be nicer for your kids to have ones of a similar age around.
Just had two different sets of Spanish guests this past month. I can’t remember the last time I met a Spanish person - I do recall meeting a Spanish grad student in Cambridge once, in the mid-1990s. They aren’t exactly thick on the ground on most parts of the world.
I thought they’d be cool and friendly, but they weren’t. (I guess I have just as many stereotypes stuck in my head as the next person…)
I seriously doubt a parent will honestly confirm the behavior of their children, altho to THEM, in their world, their behavior is considered acceptable. As a parent myself, I understand why parents think that the actions of THEIR snowflake will be considered adorable rather than reprehensible, but YOU are the arbiter of the interaction you have, not the parents nor the kids. Every paren thinks their kid is golden…
Too loud? Tell the parents. Too sloppy? Tell the parents. Parents oblivious to good manners and your home? Tell airbnb.
The last Spanish family I had at the island, the whole world revolved around their kid, to them he was perfect, to me he was definitely a terrorist in the making!
They called him…‘El Regalito’, (in English ‘The Gift’).
I’m a parent and I’m totally appalled by the behavior of my 3 yo son. He whines, screams, and throws tantrums and I would never subject hosts to his annoying behavior.
LOL! This too shall pass! Mine are now 21 and are actually civilized, intelligent and interesting young men of the world. But when they were three? Not so much.
Thanks again, everyone. Having you participate in my tiny crisis has given me many smiles.
BUT NOTE: as another safeguard for us all - I called airbnb to find out my options (on Wednesday I think) and they kept in touch with me by email - so I continued to update them.
Before leaving for my trip I went down to check the trash cans, etc., and found two of the toys broken. Repairable, but broken, and it had to take force in both instances. So I let airbnb know that and again expressed my concerns. They wrote back a nice email assuring me that they are aware of the situation and ‘have my back’.
Meanwhile since my husband and I operate this business with our three kids we had an interesting conversation about what to do - rehouse them or not. And it was very interesting that the argument went for ‘not’, then it got quiet, then someone brought up a point and they started to have another opinion. So then we talked about laws, and courts, and trials…
@cabinhost I still have not figured out just what ‘rehousing’ does mean - I’ve just seen it mentioned in other threads - and I never got that far with airbnb because of course at that point I was ready to throw the money back at the guest as they walked out the door…
SO - message everything through the platform, call and open a case if you are anxious about an outcome. They if something DOES go bad you are not behind the game having to defend yourselves against a guest.
NOW!!! I just got an IB for 5 guests from a mom with 4 kids and her sister with her sister’s SEVEN kids and stay in my ‘max 5 guests’ guest space…so on to another thread…I have no phone service to call airbnb so I have to figure this out.
Geez, I really meant to snooze my listing. Now I have a four night booking blocking my calendar…
O my god, people are crazy. So they are bringing 12 kids? Hope you have strict policy.
I know what I would do if I went through 2 day of screaming. I would kick them out. They can go and have their kids scream at the hotel. Even hotel would kick them out if they disturbed everyone.
You poor pet. I don’t understand why they take a child away if they are not well, its just so stressful on parents and child. You need all your supplies around you and travel can put extra demands on a little one who is poorly. If a child is unwell, it could cry a lot and some parents to keep sane block out the noise. They need to go back and get the child looked after.
Have a word to them about leaving the place spotless and you go off and relax and give yourself some space and perspective to deal with your own issues, away from someone else’s problem
