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We enjoyed our stay. The cabin was average, wouldn’t really say luxury. It was generally clean. It easily accommodated three 7 year old’s and 4 adults. The host was very responsive. Super simple check-in/check out. The back deck was our favorite spot, the view was very pretty and we enjoyed the fireplace. Beds were clean and comfy. The neighborhood is very nice and quiet. The location was great, we were within 20 to 30 minutes of so many activities/restaurants. There were tubing sticks provided which was so great because the tubing was super fun.
Should I say anything to this? I’m a little pissed off because we ARE a luxury cabin compare to your average cabin in the woods. How can we be “average” with hot tub, sauna, indoor AND outdoor wood burning fireplaces, HUGE master bedroom (big enough to do cartwheels in), HUGE master bathroom, chef’s kitchen, and large screen porch?
Oh and we are not trying to compare ourselves to the Ritz Carlton, and don’t charge the same kind of prices either.
I was in the cabin right before her checkout, so I know the cabin was in great shape. My boss had just hosted a client event there so it was practically showcase ready.
And I had so much communication with this guest before and during her stay, so I’m surprised she would say this about the cabin…
As I was reading through the review, I kept waiting for the guest to write, “… BUT…” and say something negative - didn’t happen. I think it’s a pretty decent review, all in all.
Unless the majority of your guests are saying similar things, I think most people (myself included) would see this for exactly what it is – a very picky guest. No need for comment, either publicly or privately, IMO.
Luxury is a relative term, like quiet, spacious, cozy, comfortable, etc. If I were a prospective guest reading that review, I would interpret it as positive, and I can look at the photos and decide if it’s luxury enough for me.
You shouldn’t bother with a public response to the review, but if you got less than 5 stars overall, you might consider asking the guest what they felt could be improved to make it a 5-star experience. Who knows, maybe there are some little things that really could be improved that the guest just didn’t want to mention.
Everyone’s definition of luxury differs. I had a look at the listing and it’s a nice place. But I wouldn’t describe it as luxury either. I don’t find any wood-lined places luxury so you’d be absolutely right to say ‘but that’s just your opinion Jaquo’. So the guests can also have their opinion too.
The review is okay. It’s not fantastic but it’s not bad either. I certainly wouldn’t respond - potential guests would judge you on it.
In the private comment they mentioned lights were too dim. Which means they didn’t know how to use the dimmer switch. We have definitely a ton of lights in the house, and many with a dimmer on the switch. I’m guessing that contributed to the lack of “luxury”. Also I know they seemed to not know how to use our hot tub, because they said it wouldn’t heat, but later on told me it was working fine. (I offered to send someone there but by the time they responded they said it had heated up and was working fine.)
It is a beautiful place and while I disagree with the general sentiment that wood-lined places can’t be lux, for me personally this place has luxury potential but doesn’t quite have the finishing touches that bring it there, such as the grounds being manicured with topiary and lots of color; the dumb fuzzy bathrobes, the high end patio furniture, etc. I would have chosen “high end” or “upscale” vs. “luxury” personally.
That said, this is just one guest’s opinion and I wouldn’t respond to the review at all. If the criticism shows up again, consider a change to either wording or add some “wow” luxury touches.
I can’t believe I even wrote that because the place is beautiful and there’s nothing there to criticize, it’s really gorgeous.
Well I guess if the guest feels that a tongue N groove place isn’t luxurious, then they shouldn’t have booked… LOL. We tout the fact we have 0 square inch of drywall, because we are in the mountains. But I agree, everyone’s definition of luxury differs.
Great ideas. We do have plush bathrobes. Although I don’t advertise that because it’s meant to be a little surprise after they get there…
Btw, our cabin is in a remote little mountain town. I would definitely not consider our cabin to be “luxury” if it were in, say, Park City Utah or NYC… or even Gatlinburg…
All this is GREAT and I think that will register with people reading the review. The comment about luxury, as other people have mentioned, is subjective.
I don’t recommend commenting as that often reflects badly on the host. Just take a deep breadth and realize you did everything you could have possibly done (and then some). Be happy for all the nice things she mentioned, and move on.
@happilytorn, once upon a time, long before Airbnb, our family and our brother-in-law’s family stayed at a beautiful cabin for a week. It was huge, easily accommodating the eight of us, on the beach, and not far from our homes. A nice summer break with the kids.
Grandma and Grandpa left their tiny, insulbrick, post-war bungalow to come see us and where we were staying. Grandma looked around – at the gleaming wood, the cathedral ceilings, the arched windows, the bear rug – and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know why you like roughing it so much.”
As so many are saying, one person’s luxury is another’s…
I don’t think it’s really a negative review. She does mention the nice deck, fireplace, and neighborhood. Plus she indicates it’s in a great location. Perhaps changing the name from luxury to heavenly or something similar. Maybe the use of the word “luxury” sets up high expectations.
Concur with all the above, vent here and move on! Since “luxury” is so subjective, maybe change it to “Spacious lofted cabin . . .”
Do you need the “near Helen” or will that be obvious to searchers? That would give you a few extra characters. Or maybe you could address the “paved” in the description.
Change Luxury to Spacious or something like that. Good review. Don’t respond publicly.
I’d be more unhappy about getting only 4 stars for a place like that! Maybe include in the house manual how to use the dimmers, or take them out and replace with regular switches that people cannot misuse.
Definitely needs near Helen. And the paved part is a big deal too since most cabins are on dirt roads here.
They also made small damages to my cabin but I’ve learned from this from to let that go. (They burned my dresser - not sure how, and broke one of the knobs. So I had to send handyman to go fix those things including refinishing the top of the dresser.)
