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YWe have a whole-house rental, and our housekeeper meets all the guests and shows them around a little. But I know they are probably not paying much attention to her - tired from traveling, maybe hot and sweaty (in the Caribbean), and busy just trying to see everything all at once.
So I have one laminated page of important house rules on the refrigerator. With a small label maker, we’ve labeled the light switches (they are not intuitive at all) and the outlets (we have both 220 and 110). I have a one-page sign in an acrylic stand on how to use the main TV system, a small sign to remind them to take their passports out of the safes first thing in the day they leave, and a sign in the bathrooms explaining why there are small transistor radios there. It’s a 4000-square foot house, so there aren’t obtrusive signs “everywhere”.
I’m completely sympathetic. I think this just goes in the category of keeping things simple.
I’m just always imagining the review: “This host thought they were being cute by burying the wifi code deep in the guest guide which itself was like reading Moby Dick. After spending 10 mintues looking for it I finally found it on page 3 halfway down: It’s 3RGj79bKP88str for future reference. Other than that the stay was fine. I wouldn’t recommend this place but maybe a smartass host is your thing.”
When a guest texts and asks me for the address I really want to reply “It’s in your reservation.” But that’s more typing than the address.
OK,. My guest information is one side of A4. (Info on the reverse for longer stays who might need laundry etc.). A couple of local guidebooks which they can take or leave. It wouldn’t be too much to ask them to read it, but time and time again guests ask for the wifi code, say they don’t need any other information (Really? Someone elses house?), then do daft things with the front door like put down the latch so noone else can get in. Exasperating!
Yep. I agree. In my mind it’s exactly like the stained mattress cover discussion. A host can argue all day long that it’s perfectly fine. They can have a millions reasons why they don’t replace it. At the end of the stay a guest can take out their frustration about anything…boyfriend said they want to break up…and it gets reflected on your review. Wifi code hidden, bugs in the room, shower is too cold, whatever. I try hard to make sure they have nothing to complain about. I make mistakes all the time. Things happen that are outside of my control. The ones in my control should be guest friendly.
I didn’t write that the wifi code is “hidden,” but rather that it is buried.
it is not in any way difficult to find.
After a section on phone numbers for emergencies, location of first aid kit, and what to do in an earthquake, large letters announce WIFi code.
Guests are therefore introduced to other details to be found in the manual that will help them enjoy their visit to the area and where to find items in the suite they may be looking for.
Reviews from guests show many appreciate all that is provided in the binder. I have 98% 5-star reviews over four years of hosting.
No one has ever suggested they had difficulty locating the wifi code.
I know it’s crazy. Tonight makes 16 nights in a row, 16 different people. Next three nights are an out of town friend so I get a break on cleaning but no income. LOL.
I’m a relatively old lady and not the rebellious teenager I used to be many years ago. But If I see a sign saying ‘don’t walk on the grass’ what do I do? And signs saying ‘wet paint’ just scream to me to touch the paint and find out.
I really hope that I can be trusted to be a reasonable human being and generally good guest without signage.
Admittedly if there’s something in the rental that is incredibly idiosyncratic such as ‘kick washer seven times to make it work’ then by all means use a sign!
As a guest, I don’t mind little labels. In my own properties (a rustic cabin in our backyard and guest quarters inside our old farmhouse), we have the following gentle reminders:
–Private
–Check-out directions (on fuse box where they turn off hot water, etc.)
–Wipe up water around tub quickly since floor since isn’t completely impervious to water.
–Hold down handle on toilet for a few extra seconds.
–Hiking directions by the door.
I have a laminated page of our favorite things to do on the side of the refrigerator, and a binder with brochures etc. I am planning to move the paper with pictures of the shortcut to the ski slopes to the side of the fridge, as that is critical to keeping the walking time down and not very obvious when the path is covered in snow.
The only true labels I have are in the guest closet where the extra duvet covers & blankets are.
Since you said you only have access to the label maker for a couple of weeks, my suggestion may not help you, but I’d start out with a booklet/binder with information. Add to it as necessary - you’ll find that what seems like common sense to you is not - and if you find that guests continually still do something that is in the booklet (flushing things that shouldn’t be flushed, etc) then I’d make a sign for that. Ideally, if you meet all or most of your guests, you can make mention of these instead and remove the need for a sign at all! I agree that signs seem a little too “hotel-y” or something and I’d prefer not to use them at all.
I, sadly, do have a few signs for those that do not read the manual, and insist on doing things that may damage my property:
Please use the hood fan when cooking (the smoke alarm went off one too many times)
Please don’t try and light the LED candles (plastic does not light - or smell - well)
Please do not move the air conditioner. (I had one guest actually damage the drywall trying to move it!)
These are things that fall under “common sense” to me, but sadly not for everyone. And since they happened more than once - even after being added to the book - a sign had to be created. Voila! The smoke alarm hasn’t gone off once since.
My three "labels: on the horizontal edge of a kitchen drawer that can only be seen when the drawer is opened, I have the wifi code and password. My guests love this. On the door for access under the stair (which only goes to the crawl space – where there is nothing but pipes, dirt, and cobwebs), I have a label saying, “Please Do Not Open” (which is also explained in my house rules); on the pull-out handle of one of my bathroom vanity drawers, I have a label saying, “Bath Mats”, as so many guests just used the towels on the floor. I have a sign with the house rules, and a laminated printout of the check-out procedures.
We have a MIL suite too. I have a 3-part picture frame that hangs on the wall directly above the desk in the suite. One frame has a picture of my husband and I with a welcome message. The next frame lists our Pool Rules (guests can use our family pool Jun-Sept.) The third frame lists the property address and numbers for emergencies and the Wi-Fi code. I copied this from another AirBnB host. I think it’s practical and necessary. But we are not a vacation AirBnB. Most people come for work, family business or a weekend getaway to the area wineries, ballooning, sky-diving or other area attractions.
That’s what we do. The last guest apologized after he read the rules (only a few) and confessed to breaking one! It was no big deal so I thanked him and told him not to worry! He hasn’t left a review so I think he’s afraid we will give him a bad review!
