I am having my first guest come tonight for two days and have been anticipating this for a month. Everything is clean and I am ready for my guest. I got the towels, bed items, extra toiletries, etc and came down with the worst cold or flu of my life on Monday. It’s now Thursday and I am marginally better. I contacted the guest two days ago saying I am ill and told her she has every right to cancel since there is a risk she will get sick and I won’t be at my best. (I know I could also cancel but I need the money and I want to host!) I’m just on here to rant because I want to be friendly and inviting for my first guest, not bedridden and ailing. I gave her instructions on how to get the key but will leave the door open and have disinfected all the surfaces in my home. But damn it why do I have to be sick for this? I’ve been excited about this for a long time and I need a good review. I want to make a good impression since I am new to this.
So sorry you’re not feeling well for your first hosting experience. That sucks! But, it was nice of you to inform your guest. Many would not do that. It’s good you didn’t cancel because that can hurt your ranking with ABB. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do fine.
Poor you, but lets face it, you’ve been upfront and totally honest with your guest about being unwell. They are therefore well prepared for you not to be at your best, will hopefully offer sympathy and not have too high expectations of you. So well done and good luck tonight!
Thanks. I am sure it will be fine I just want to be polite and have the house in tip top shape. I have heard other people’s horror stories about lousy hosts and wouldnt do to someone else what I wouldnt’ want done to me. For instance I used air bnb to rent a room in Chicago last June and they didn’t mention there was not air conditioning in the room itself, just in the common areas. I suffered through two nights of sweating in my bed. At least there was a ceiling fan but I have health issues and some people would say that is a deal breaker. I am in support of full disclosure and letting people always make informed choices instead of being sneaky or creatively deceptive. That always backfires in terms of karma!
I used to host people in my home and I had mostly good experiences. Once I added a bathroom and separate entrance I got triple the bookings and my reviews are fantastic. Lots of people want privacy and don’t really need or want the company of their host. I wouldn’t worry about it since stress just exacerbates illness.
Excellent points. I wish I could add a separate entrance but there’s no way with the config of my house. I will leave her alone and trust her privacy. I agree that I like to be left alone when I travel too and don’t want chatty hosts. It’s a business transaction not a budding friendship!
I feel for you! Hang in there it can only go uphill from here. My very first guest came at the same time I had a horrible upper respiratory bug. And in the middle of a freak snowstorm that required multiple bouts of sidewalk and driveway shoveling by my sick self. During which I slipped off the curb and sprained my ankle. I wrapped the ankle in an ace bandage, took more meds and kept shoveling. We were so snowed in my guest couldn’t even get to any of her biz meetings and spent the entire time working on her computer in my Air suite. Thank goodness the power stayed on and the WiFi didn’t go out. This too shall pass.
Wow that is beyond awful to have so many things happening at once! Good for you for keeping it together. I can’t afford to have a meltdown. LOL
In Australia “pissed” means “drunk” so my immediate advice to you is to lay off the booze until after the guest has left 
Especially if it is making you sick.
Ha I’ve read some books by authors from Australia and I’ve noticed that too. It’s funny how some words mean different things in different cultures. I don’t drink much booze but I gotta tell ya this illness I have just might get me to reconsider.
Hope you are beginning to feel better by now. Some UK use of words to lighten the boredom of being a bit better but not quite…;-
Piss off: “go away/leave me alone”, with added rudeness.
Pissed: drunk, often joined with “as a parrot”. Poor parrot.
Pissed off: cross, really cross, or I was so cross, I left.