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I am new to AirBnB. I am using it because I felt my last roommate was taking advantage of me.
So far I have had a singleton come and asked if his girlfriend could spend the last 2 of 5 nights with him. I was fine with it and they had to pay the second person fee. He paid for 1 day, and forgot about the second day fee. I suppose to make up for it they did all the laundry after I left for work, so I didn’t complain.
Soon I have a woman and her son coming. When she booked I assumed he was between 12 and 18. I figured it would be good customer service to offer an air mattress in the living room. Turns out he is 23 and in college. I feel taken advantage of. Good thing it is only 2 nights, but that does make extra bedding and a man sleeping in the living room is different than a kid.
I changed my rules to include everyone sleeps in the designated room only.
I’m a bit confused. A 12 - 18 year old wouldn’t be sharing a bed with his mother, so you offered an airbed. So why does him being 23 make a difference?
There’s not much difference between an 18 year old and a 23 year old when doing their laundry
Why did the guy only pay for the one night? What was his excuse? My current guests called a bit ago and wanted to ask permission if an adult child and her boyfriend could spend the next two night there. I said it was okay and told them what the additional nightly fee was per guest. She said okay. I then told her to leave the amount in the bread box and to text me after they have left it there so I know to look for it there when they leave. That way they can’t claim to have “forgot” about it. If they don’t text me by the time they leave then the morning of departure I will text them early to say I did not receive a text and want to be sure they left the money.
I hope you checked for stains on the laundry they did. Many guests will do the laundry to hide stains and they don’t bother to even try to remove them. They just set the stains when it goes through the dryer, and fold it all up hoping no one will notice.
So far no one has left stains.
In the future I will change the booking on AirBnB website to avoid the confusion. They can collect the money because guests are not always so trustworthy.
Also, not a single one has left a tip. Are others finding guests that don’t tip as well?
The fact that they are renting 1 room with one bed. Now I have 2 beds to launder and the guest in the living room may stay up late or get up early. I should have directed the mother to a 2 bedroom host. Lesson learned.
@arguerrero@konacoconutz
We had a guest leave a $10 tip and one give us $100 to cook a dinner (my husband is a French chef.). And we tipped $20 to a host in Denver who went above and beyond. So it does happen. Not often but sometimes.
Now I understand why waiters and waitresses complain so much. I always tip over 15%, closer to 20. If the service is friendly more. I work for my money and so does any service provider.
Thanks for responding.
The reason waiters and waitresses complain so much is because they are a bunch of whiny spoiled brats. I waited tables for many years in many shit holes, and cooked in kitchens too. Those servers who claim to only get paid $2.13 an hour also don’t tell you that if they don’t make the federal minimum wage per hour then the restauant owner by law has to make up the difference. Many servers make an easy $15-$20 an hour.
So in essence those servers do get paid at least miniumum wage. And yes waiting tables is very hectic, stressful work. But so is cooking in kitchens where many of those cooks are only getting paid barely above minimum wage.
I’ve never worked fast food but imagine working the McDonald’s drive through or being front line cashier is very stressful. But for some reason they don’t get tipped and it is okay.
In the beginning of my ABB biz, I frequently got tips…I think it was because my price was ridiculously low. Now that I charge more, it happens very infrequently, but it’s not at all unusual for guests who stay more than one night to find some little gift while they are out and about. I’ve gotten books (one is a history book of my town! It’s awesome), driftwood (I like driftwood), little peace signs, and cheesecake Other things also, but those stick out in my mind.
ABB should have a “leave your host a tip” button when peeps write the review, like fiverr does
Yes, I was really quite surprised to read this question. I’d be mortified if a guest left me a tip, though it’s always nice if someone gives me a small gift or flowers, which happens quite often. I’m trying to process just why I find the idea so repugnant, but I guess it’s just one of those cultural differences that make life so interesting!
It doesn’t appear that you were taken advantage of. I have people all the time tell me they are bringing their son or daughter but I never assume they are children. About the guy with the girlfriend - yes, send an alteration request immediately. It’s easily done. Sometimes, people do just forget. Also, sometimes, if someone has done something unkind to us (like your prior roommate) it is easy to think everyone is doing the same thing.
Tips? It can vary widely with culture and individual. I would never expect one. I did get more tips and gifts when my price was ridiculously low.
I promise you you will have guests that seem to take advantage of you, guests that leave you an unexpected gift, guests that are neutral, etc. With time you will be able to, hopefully, balance out your response to such things. Yes, some people use a ton of towels, some use the space heater excessively, and then the next guests will be opposite.
Hang in there - it’s a bit of a roller coaster, but hang-on tight and be open to learning a lot about people and cultures - and you’ll make it to the end.
Tips is a very nice thing, but we just can’t expect it. Specially if you host in a country where tips are not usual or if you have guests from countries where tips do have a different meaning.
We do the cleaning. Our tip was the first. They were just nice people. Also our price very very low for the accommodation standard. Though cash tips are nice we much prefer satisfied guests and excellent reviews which last longer than some money.
