After a winter of major construction I counted 1400 butts in my yard. Which makes you wonder who’s crazier, me or them! Very good for killing weeds btw
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On the other hand a had a guy ask before booking if he could smoke on the property. Didn’t find any butts anywhere.
It still is a dirty habit Imo. This from an ex smoker btw
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There’s a new wrinkle I ran in to with a guest who was a heavy smoker. When it was raining he zipped out the back door 10-15 times a day, trailing smoke with him. It stank, but after a day or so more I had a major asthma attack. They call it third hand smoking. I moved the smoking area 20 feet from the house, rain or shine.
Individuals have habits and whatever your personal feelings are you need to your own them and enforce whatever you feel is right. You don’t want smoking on your property that is your choice. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with smoking outside our properties and find very little issue with butts/residue because we have a seated area away from the home and provide a butt can However, what I do have an issue with is beer cans, shot bottles, soda cans/bottles/water bottles. They find their way into the rooms, yard, driveway etc. let alone if they drink too much and get sick in the rooms or even the bathrooms. Smoke smell I can eliminate with ozone machine and some cleaning. Alcohol induced vomiting leaves a residue and smell that can be a challenge to remove. Some people are addicted to essential oils, perfume and the list can go on and on. I totally respect a host who do not want smokers in their homes and understand their point of view and the validity of that point of view. Personally, I can’t stand the smell of pot or pot smokers, it makes me physically ill but I would never condemn an individual on their personal choices, the habit yes but not the person and so long as they follow the rules of my house then I should have no say about the individual themselves.
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ANd thatbis why I have my number one house rule is 1. NO SMOKING ON THE ENTIRE PROPERTY. And it is in caps there, too.
Regarding smoking, I have this statement in my description
“Our home is NOT smoker friendly. We do not forbid smokers but smokers are NOT allowed to smoke anywhere within 15 feet of the doors and windows. Smokers are definitely NOT allowed to smoke on either the front or back steps. There are NO sheltered areas, other than your own vehicle, to smoke during inclement weather.”
We recently had a group of 3 men that were not generally bad guests, good communication, left the house tidy, followed the House Rules, including smoking 15 feet minimum from the house. However, they threw quite a few butts in the gutter in front of the house. We are on the Northern California coast and all butts thrown in the gutter will eventually end up in the ocean from the storm drains. I am so not OK with that. Fortunately our neighbor doesn’t keep his gutter as weed free as we do, so all the butts got caught up in the weeds (rainy season) and we were able to clean them all up and dispose of them properly.
I don’t forbid smoking so much as I do not allow SMOKERS to stay as my airways close right up and I cannot breathe at the smell on their clothes, hands, etc. As @justMandi notes, this is an issue:
Third-Hand Smoke | National Center for Health Research
I note that smokers who book anyway will be cancelled and not reimbursed.
Occasionally if someone notes that their husband will be coming and will give up smoking for the weekend, since they have been polite enough to be honest, I say that if they keep out of the house for at least one hour (for ex., smoke while you are going about your day and finish before returning to the house,) the smoke particulates will largely clear from their clothes, hair and exhalations, and that seems to work out.
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As fellow hosts, we understand because we have been there. Next time, you might want to wait to address issues after guests review has been received.
Write a review acknowledging the guests dissatisfaction let while letting reviewers (potential future guests) know you are committed to being a Great Host as the majority of your guest reviews show.
I kept a guest’s $300 security deposit (way back when) when she and her GF puked all over the carpet, the comforter, the dust ruffle, blanket and such; then put them in the washer with the puke on it and then tried to dry it. They had gone to a wedding…
I would have to agree. Business is business, and confrontation makes it personal. I would stay away from confrontation, then make an assessment after a guest leaves. Chalk this one up to experience and go on.
Butts bother me a lot less than they should. It’s when my partner pees in the backyard. Kills the mother of thyme.
Hi all! I know I’m a bit late to the party, but I promise I won’t puke on your linens! 
Since I’ve only seen one person chime in about HappilyTorn’s review, I thought I’d add my 2¢. (It’s mostly a melding of KKC’s suggestion and HT’s original draft.)
"I cannot recommend Mark as a guest. His group of 10 stayed at my cabin for his daughter’s wedding. They left my screen door with a big gash in it, my shower head cracked off, and vomit on multiple towels and a bed skirt. When I called Mark about the damages (under $100), he reacted very defensively, then became arrogant and threatening.
As a host, I certainly understand that accidents (and sickness) happen, but I can’t in good faith recommend Mark to other hosts due to the way he handled the situation."
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You have a beautiful property.
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@questions Thank you so much!! We have put in a lot of money and love into our cabin and we’ve received many thank you letters from our guests. Although recently we’ve had a spate of discouraging guests…
Thank you so much for this!! I just came back from vacation so now I’m going to have to attack this head on… Back to reality…
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Not sure where you got that from… He never asked for his wedding guests to have access to my space.
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