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Disregarded house rule about no fragrances, and thus I had dangerously high blood pressure while she was here. This medical problem is explained in the listing in two places, in the welcome letter in bold, and in the email I send just before guests arrive. When I suggested she check the ingredients on her wrinkle releaser spray, instead of asking about unscented options she flat denied using a product I saw, smelled, and reacted to. It’s very difficult to communicate with someone who won’t admit there’s something to talk about.
Disregarded house rule about cleaning up after oneself in the kitchen.
Per Air’s policies on stays of 28+ days, I could have charged her for May, which she canceled, and I didn’t charge her. I didn’t have to refund the balance of April, but I did, and in return got inconvenience and unreasonable demands for a refund before she’d remove her food from the room fridge, where it stayed until after 7 p.m. on checkout day. You have to actually leave in order to get a refund for leaving early. Air won’t send a refund until the guest checks out with them. The host is not in control of this.
Lacks experience at living independently. When dishes are set topside up in the dish drainer the water can’t drain out, which results in putting wet dishes away in the cupboard. The listing indicates there is no maid service during the stay; guest left all three wastebaskets in the room full to the top.
Didn’t bother to tell me when her microwave stopped working.
I would not want to stay with you after reading it. Just state the facts, leave your medical issues out of it. as written it looks like you are nit picking.
Keep it short and simple:
I cannot recommend this guest.
Disregarded house rule about no fragrances, and disregarded house rule about cleaning up after oneself in the kitchen. Better suited for a hotel.
Way, way, way, too wordy and too much information!!!
“Cannot recommend this guest. She disregarded house rules about fragrances, cleaning up after oneself in the kitchen and elsewhere, and was highly argumentative.”
If you say any more than that people just won’t read it. Remember – Reviews, especially the public part of the reviews, are for your fellow hosts – not a place to lambast a guest. Frankly, we don’t particularly care about your stress induced high blood pressure or other medical issues, except we don’t wish anyone harm.
It’s not stress induced, it’s an idiosycratic reaction to petrochemically based fragrances.
I have been successfully and happily hosting for more than five years, mostly because other guests have been mature enough to refrain from using fragrances, as spelled out in the listing.
It’s factual, but too detailed, which comes off as nit-picky. Both of the suggestions for revision get the point across while maintaining detached professionalism.
The content guidelines say something about not mentioning an ongoing Airbnb investigation. Does anyone know if the mention of refund issues falls into this category? Or is that only related to damage claims?
Is this the first time you’ve had an issue with someone breaking your no fragrance rule? I know there are a lot of folks with sensitivity issues that would love staying in a fragrance-free home! I also admit, as someone without those sensitivities, that I’d have a hard time knowing what products in my regular travel bag might present a problem. Even some of the “free & clear” products still have artificial fragrances. I’m concerned for you if the result of someone breaking a house rule is a stroke!!
No.
Too detailed, too idiosyncratic, too long. The review is for the next potential host, not a scolding for the guest who obviously doesn’t care what you think. As a fellow host if I read this I’d think you were “one kangaroo short in the top paddock.” Describing how the water drains out in the dish drainer? Really? Explaining the refund policy? NO.
I’m sympathetic, I’m very sensitive to fragrance, take blood pressure meds and am 60. I may be right where you are soon but this review is a no from me.
Are giving you good advice to make your response short and matter of fact.
Personal health and observations tend to not be taken seriously and muddy the water of what is important/valid to know. Any refunds don’t need to be mentioned because it doesn’t affect the next person’s reservation.
Good choice in the simple (and I’m sure a Thumbs Down) review. As a host I would not approve this guest based on the fragrances. Others would not care about that but would not take a guest that is messy, I think most hosts would think twice about a guest with a “cannot recommend”.
Can always gripe here except there’s usually at least one person who interprets the gripe as in indicator that the griper isn’t cut out for hosting. Not really helpful.
Even though I cut her all kinds of slack on leaving early, she still somehow thought it made sense to refuse to remove her food from the room fridge until Air issued her refund. They’re hardly going to issue a refund for early departure when she refuses to check out until she gets the refund! Said outloud, it sounds really stupid.
My mum unfortunately also gets huge headaches when someone uses (too much) fragrance. Each time we have a family-get-together (e.a. Christmas) we remind all people attending 2 to 3 times to please not use any perfume. But some sometimes still just show up all perfumed . I guess they forget and that it’s simply an automatism to spray perfume.
Your condition even sounds worse than my mum’s and I really am surprised that you are able to combine with a BnB. Most people are just unaware that this sensitivity to fragrance exists or they might even argue that “it’s all in the head” and you should just learn to cope with it. People also don’t know that almost everything is fragranced nowadays, so they may just think “no fragrance = no perfume” and not think about all their other personal products.
Even I, with my mum’s experience, would get confused by a “no fragrance rule”. I have a very low fragrance deodorant stick that I like to use. My mum is ok with this, it’s not scent free, but it’s no heavy smell and I only apply in my armpits. Would I be allowed to use this in your home, or would it provoke a physical reaction?
Is it long time exposure that affects you more, or are fragrances just the trigger? If it’s the former and should this be a recurrent problem with guests, maybe you could consider installing a ventilation system (with heat recuperation).
For arms-length social interaction, a mildly scented deodorant wouldn’t affect me.
I can’t afford to install anything, even if the condo assoc. would let me. So far, in almost six years only one other person has needed follow-up explanation about scented products. I supply laundry detergent, vinegar as fabric softener, unscented or naturally scented shampoo, etc.
I can’t work a regular job where there are other people (even if at 63 anyone would hire me). No workplace yet is prepared to ban perfumes, and of course the general public as customers will be unpredictably scented. I mostly stay home in order to avoid random scented people, so as long as the guests cooperate, Air is ideal for me.
Absolutely. Even churches that have “cry room” where you can see and hear without being the sanctuary might very well have scented moms in the cry room with you. I get my church on television.
My life has been uphill ever since!
. I guess they forget and that it’s simply an automatism to spray perfume.