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And here are my comments (and a little venting lol)
Most guests, once they get their confirmation email, not only do not read that email, but also log out of airbnb and ignore any messages you send until, suddenly, they need to know how your key system works.
The more ‘experienced’ a guest, the less likely they are to either acknowledge your house rules etc and simply do things ‘their way’. The guests who do not flush the toilet, leave the room as if they just departed from a Days Inn, or actively ignore house rules are invariably the ones with many reviews.
Do not assume the guest verifications are valid. My entry code is their phone # info, but many times (especially the ‘more experienced’ guests do not even remember their air phone number and will somehow assume you know the phone number of the phone they walk up to your house with…
"Leave the location the way you found it’ seems to have varied meanings, especially to older guests (don’t shoot me - I am 65 and a peer lol). A pile of bedding in the middle of the bed, or pillows thrown on the floor, was not the way you found the room.
Some guests also seem a little taken aback with technology. Random pushing buttons or slamming doors and locks is their go-to fix, rather than either asking, or reading the instructions, or simply thinking lol.
Younger guests, on the other hand, seem at times as if they lack basic life skills or have never been in an adult environment before lol. And, Axe rules lol…
Some cultures seem to be ok with drenching the bathroom with water. What’s up with that lol?
Rolf… We may have had this discussion elsewhere but have you made up a guest doc with information that you send out at the time of booking? This goes a million miles toward alleviating some of these guest missteps. I do mine on a word doc and insert photos and maps and all the directions needed to get here…instructions about getting in the apartment although I always try to be here to show them in and restate the important things.
Don’t rely on them to read the online rules. Many book and never look at the site again. Lay down the law clearly in a document you send them.
Must be luck of the draw. We’ve had over sixty guests since we opened in July, and almost all have been wonderful. Our written reviews have all been lovely, although some of the star ratings have been puzzling (haven’t noticed a pattern). Communication ahead of time has generally been quite good - I use the opportunity send detailed directions to our place with an explanation of transit options where appropriate (we’re in Toronto, so there are lots). Something I do that may be a bit unusual is demonstrate the key-pad door lock, and ensure that at least one guest in a party can successfully operate it. Then it’s bags to the rooms, followed by a checklist-guided walk-through demonstrating the basics and any odd features in the rooms & bathroom. This includes ensuring that at least one guest connects to the Wifi properly, and concludes with a selection of breads for the continental breakfast. It’s a pleasant way to slip in a bit of idle chat about what the guests are hoping to do while in Toronto (which we help with if appropriate).
The word doc is a good idea. Some guests (a minority) don’t interact well prior to arriving. A PDF would be better if you can manage it (Macs feature it as a default); people need to have a compatible version of Word to handle your document - I’ve received stuff I can’t handle because I have only an ancient Mac version of Word.
Not only the Bathroom, but also the Kitchen. My shared house offers full kitchen use, and this culture soaks the entire kitchen with water when washing up. I came downstairs as they were leaving, and waded threw water all over the floors, and counter tops soaked, while plenty of kitchen towels hung dry on the rack and the stove handle. But that was nothing compared to their cooking adventures!
Though I was lucky to have guests that leave rooms and bathrooms in pristine condition I had just a couple guests who left rooms a mess.,
Yesterday I walked in to the room to find popcorn all over the floors, juice spilled all over walls, wet towels soaked on a bed. Previously this guest took keys from a secret place along with another guest key leaving him stranded for half an hour without a car outside the house in 90F heat and humidity.,
I had variety in regards to guests who are more experienced with Airbnb. I had the sweetest couple who were hosts themselves and left everything very clean, and I had someone who demanded things one after another thati didnt offer, making me say No over and ore again.
I read a bit about this yesterday. I wanted to find out why there are so many posts about drenched bathrooms, etc. with Chinese guests. I read something about how they think kitchen dish cloths can collect dust and would dirty clean dishes. So they just put them away wet. And something about how water in China is “soft” vs. water in other countries where it is “hard.” Soft water doesn’t leave stains. Will have to look up more…gotta go clean - guests texted yesterday and said they spilled red wine on the couch…Grrrr!!
I travelled in Asia and it’s common for a bathroom to have a drain in the center of the room and the cleaning method is to spray everything down. It takes getting used to but I found the bathrooms there very clean, so it apparently works. Unfortunately, our bathrooms aren’t set up for that, which explains the pools of water. I guess investing in a good mop is key if this is happening a lot.
