Please help me with a review of this guest

1

How would you review? (My review is at the end).

I’ve recently learned through this forum that my usually review, “In my opinion, this guest would be more suitable for a hotel,” is not helpful to other hosts. I’d love to get feedback on what to write and how many stars for communication and house rules.

I don’t want my review to come off snarky or fussy nor give Airbnb an opportunity to take it down. I’ve provided my suggestion at the bottom of my complaints. I plan on posting on the 14th day.

A) I have a guest who’s son lives in my hometown and I don’t want this guest to stay here again, so I plan to block him from future books, so I definitely I plan on posting a review.

B) He has a 4.5 star rating but nothing that mentiones in the previous reviews what happened but now I know why. If you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile. Some of it was because I was trying to be considerate because he was 80 years old. But the man knows what he is doing and is a manipulator.

  1. Asks or early check-in, I tell him there is a fee. He say’s he’ll just play it by ear to see if it’s available and if not he’ll just walk to Whole Foods - it’s a 3 mile walk and he’s 80 years old. Shows up at 1 pm at my home (My check in time is 4pm) - no warning and asked if he can get in or store his bags (due to liability we don’t do store bags.) I had a class at 2 pm and had to leave soon, so I agree. (MY first mistake.)

  2. Asks if there is a place outside he can hang out. I tell him no there isn’t and nothing is mentioned that there is in the listing. (It becomes relevant later in the list of infractions.)

  3. Next day, a friend shows up with wife and dog. I explain that guests are not permitted in the suite and definitely no dogs. It’s in my listing and welcome letter. The guy friends are planning on going to walk to lunch and wife and dog are going to go shopping.

  4. I leave for errands but don’t feel well and come home early, I find guest and friend hanging out in my private backyard. I discover this because when I let out my dog he was barking very aggressively to protect his territory. (There are signs on the gate (and bungie tied) warning not to open because dogs in yard.

  5. I ask him to please leave the backyard and asked them why they were there when I told them is was not permitted. He told me he didn’t expect me home. They left but did not set up the table and chairs as they found them.

  6. On the night of checkout (a Sunday night) and I was already in bed, I get a message that the ceiling fan is not working in the kitchen. (It’s 75 degrees out, there are 2 AC units, a ceiling fan in the bedroom and a portable fan in the den). Plus many windows to open. I know he knows how to work the fan because I showed him how to operate it (and it was working). I tell him to turn on unit and pull the hanging pull and if that doesn’t work then to use the portable fan in the den. He writes back that it’s not his error. I ignore. There’s nothing I can do on a Sunday night to fix and he’s checking out tomorrow. I wonder if this is his way to get a refund. Of course when I enter the suite to clean, I turn on the fan using the knob and it turns right on. I date-stamped a video showing this.

  7. I have very little requirements for guests to do when they check out. Turn off lights, fans, AC, appliances and shut the doors. Lights and fans were on in every room and the front door was open.

  8. Finally, and I’m guessing this is just a cost of dong business, he bled all over my sheets so badly that they went through both of my mattress pads. There must have been as least 10 spots. I just don’t get it. He can’t be unaware that he bleeds on his back and legs and doesn’t alert me to giving him older sheets, towels or maybe wear PJs? I thought about saying something about this in the private comments but not sure if it’s worth it. Would you and if so, how would you diplomatically word it?

Overall, I felt that he was a manipulator when he couldn’t get his way and didn’t really care what my house rules were. I would not host him again even though is son lives in the same town.

Here’s what I’m thinking of writing.

We cannot recommend this guest. He showed up very early for check in even though I told him that I could not accommodate that early check in without a fee. He used my private backyard when he thought I was out for the day even after I told him that it was not for his use. He had friends show up with a dog to visit him even after I told him that only registered guests are allowed into the suite and that no pets were allowed in the suite ever. He woke me up on the night before checkout to complain that a ceiling fan wasn’t working. (It was.) It was a cool evening, there were two working AC and a portable fan available for him. Upon checkout, he did not follow our rules to turn off lights, fans, and to shut the front door. We would not host them again.”

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" i would not recommend this.high maintenance guest. Broke multiple house rules including bringing pets and visitors onto the property and using my private garden with his guest and dog after being asked not to. He left lights, fans and the front door open on check out’

11 Likes
3

Helsi nailed it. Short and factual. Many people manage their Airbnb activity on their phone and these long reviews are difficult to read. Alternatively instead of stating anything about a hotel, I have emphasized what a guest needs in a rental. I had a person who was extremely environmentally conscious to the point of turning off the room refrigerator to save electricity thus defrosting the little freezer all over the floor. I simply said that she would be happiest at a listing very committed to environmentally conscious practices and then blocked her.

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4

I agree that your review is too long. Helsi’s review fits the bill.

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5

Your review comes off like you are the fussy host with too many rules. I would go with Helsi’s review.

RR

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6

The shorter the better, no future guests are that interested in the reasons why the guy was a slug, just that he was; best to stay general and light-hearted.

Personally, I dread hosting older people (my age+).

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You mean hosts? Of course they would be interested in details.

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8

Was thinking of the ~response~, who everyone sees, in that case they are future guests.

9

I missed the part where the OP asked for advice about reply to review, so a bad review from guest is expected also?

10

I’m curious to see what kind of review this guest leaves for hosts.

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It’s unknown if he’s going to post a review. I’ve put it on my calendar to respond within the last hour that you can to write a review. His son lives in my town so there’s a chance he could stay again. I don’t want that to happen so I’ll review and say no he is not welcome back at the end of the review (the guest doesn’t see this.)

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So am I. He hasn’t reviewed yet.

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I didn’t mean for you, I meant what review did he leave for his previous host(s)?

1 Like
14

I check and he hasn’t left reviews. Also, I noticed that his rating was 4.5 which is kind of low considering how generous hosts are. The actually reviews written were decent.

I’m going to review him on the 14th day at the last hour.

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15

I liked your review though I would have added that he showed up three hours early.

Still, I have learned enough from this forum to go with @Helsi’s review, though I would add ‘showed up three hours early to check in.’

16

yes, these types are super annoying. they nag for early check in and then just show up anyway. I’ve had a few like this and didn’t mention it, but now I know it’s a pattern with these types, they probably do it everywhere they do, so I will write “was quite persistent about early check-in” or something similar. Asking once is ok (still annoying), but asking every day, and on the day, and turning up early is just super rude.

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17

I wonder if people like this had parents who said no, but then always gave in if they whined and pestered enough.

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18

honestly, it’s a cultural thing mostly. there’s a few cultures who do this with a far higher frequency. I try not to get upset/offended, they don’t see it as rude. I mean they should, they live here, they know that culturally this level of pushiness is not how the majority behave… but i stay polite but firm, and friendly.

19

Thanks all who responded. He ended up writing a review that was decent but complained there was no kitchen sink. It’s clearly written at least three times in the listing, in the photos and I provide paper plates, etc. It’s even written in the welcome letter AND he had the nerve to mark me down for accuracy in my listing and for check-in. (Remember he showed up 3 hours early.).

He also complained that I needed to provide more healthy treats. I provide coffee, tea (black and herbal), hot cocoa, oatmeal, applesauce and then Chex mix, cookies, peanut butter crackers, and nuts. I’m a STR that I view as not budget but more affordable than most.

OH well, I was on a streak of great guests all summer. One out of many is not too bad. I have one more month of crazy back-to-back bookings and then my slow season starts.

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20

I had a guest note that she didn’t see the beautiful antique chairs that are pictured in my listing photos clearly in a shared space. She never walked into that room that is visible from the kitchen. Her husband also suggested that we needed to paint the house. He was kind of right, lol.

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