Should I be worried about a po4no shoot?

Hello brains trust,

I have a guest booking in soon who is insistent on absolute privacy, (she phoned me at the time of booking to make sure!). She mentioned a couple of days later she’ll be booking a professional photographer to record their time at my cottage.

I do get commercial photographers coming through, and influencers with their camera gear, but it’s in my t&c that photography for commercial purposes (eg film set / product shoot for a catalogue etc), requires a separate agreement. So I’m OK with that.

BUT I did a bit of sleuthing and found her socials. They are chock-a-block of risqué photos bordering on po4no. This worries me.

IF the photographer is coming to do a po4n shoot, what do I need to worry most about? Or if she’s intending to use the cottage as her “client base” for the weekend, what do I need to watch out for?

Excuse me if I sound naive. Nothing this exciting ever happens in our part of Western Australia, so I want to be prepared!

~Anita

Ok, so you’re sorted with charging a commercial rate then, I hope.

Why?

Probably nothing. The come, they take pics and they withdraw from the listing (puns intended).

JF

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Well, if the idea of porn or risqué photos bothers you so much that you spell it “po4n”, I would suggest changing your listing to prohibit any and all commercial use!

What you should do is – since she has revealed that a photog team is coming – send her your “separate agreement” to be signed and returned before they show up.

What do you need to worry about? Maybe nothing. I’ve known some people in the business, and that’s what it is ''business", and like all good business people they 'took care of business" including locations.

Are you on site, or hosting remotely? Do you have door-cameras and such? You might consider photographing, in detail, everything inside as it sits, so you have a record of what is there and it’s condition.

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To avoid being filtered

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It worries me if the cottage gets a “reputation” from colleagues who see her work. I guess I’ll wait to see the condition she leaves it in, and if it’s “business” and they’re professional as KenH suggests, maybe it could be a lucrative direction to head in! LOL

Love this idea, thanks!

My spidey senses are tingling

Anytime guests message to get confirmation that the ‘place is private’. Or when the guest have ‘concerns’ about overeager hosts they are usually up to something…

Hopefully, you have external cameras

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@RiverRock has hosted porn shoots before, perhaps he’ll chime in before you have to make your decision.

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Follow your gut instict on this one. Decline this reservation and you’ll have peace of mind. Otherwise, you’ll be worried the entire time she’s there. Your peace of mind is more important than making a few bucks.

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As @KKC mentioned, @RiverRock has had a few at his place, and he has always seemed happy enough. I’m also sure a couple of other folks on here have done the same, with no real issues.

Make sure you’ve got a signed commercial contract, and if you’re happy enough with both the rate and the condition they leave the place in, all is good.

JF

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So send her the agreement and charge commercial rates.

Have you looked at anyone’s social these days? Watched an awards show? Porn back in the day when Playboy came (ha!) in a brown paper wrapper, was milder than the stuff out there by “every day people.”

This isn’t Facebook.

I would agree in that it’s probably a commercial shoot and that’s why the concerns. Tell her via message chat that you are sending the separate commercial agreement and adjusting her rate to reflect that.

@RiverRock is always pleased to have “heads in beds,” especially at a higher rate.

@JohnF I’m struggling to type this without many double entrendres. I need more coffee!

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Hmmm, maybe you straight up ask the guest exactly what they are up to?

Dear guest, are you planning to have a porn shoot on the property? If so I will assure your complete privacy and the rate will be (insert 4to6x regular rate here) .

If they are a commercial operation they will pay, if they are amateurs looking for a cheap location they will move on.

RR

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Wow commercial photo shoot rates sound cheap in the US

Here in the UK we charge substantially more than 5/6times an STR day rate

I am ok with $1200 a day, you do you.

RR

Hi @MRHeartland

What rate do you charge for a commercial photo shoot

Do you ask for liability insurance?

Do you have a separate contract to cover usage/number of people /damages /not moving furniture /wall fixtures etc

I agree with @RiverRock always talk to a guest to be clear about how they want to use a property before you agree a booking. A ‘couples photo shoot’ is completely different from a full scale commercial shoot.

I would never put a commercial booking through Airbnb ( spent five years heading up film and photo locations for a major London borough )

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I must be incredibly naive because I see nothing in her messages to make me think that something dodgy is going on. Mind you, with two small apartments - each with one queen bed - I get a lot of guests who are coming to stay with someone they really shouldn’t be with.

And having hosted one or two of these who have been pretty vocal in their raptures, I can understand why the potential guest asked about privacy.

However, the one thing that would concern me are the legalities of the situation regarding my license and my STR insurance. If they were paying well over the odds to shoot a porn movie then I’d turn a blind eye to concerns about insurance or licensing but wouldn’t want movies shot here at normal nightly rates.

The important thing is to ask the potential guest. Just ask her. That will be more productive than asking us.

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At the end of the day this is what most of our guests are doing on our properties but without commercial cameras. She seems to be transparent about her intentions of her stay and thats more than I can say about most guests.