TIP to make hosting easier

Ok. I was tired of meeting the guests because they never show up on time and sometimes they come in really late and sometimes I’m working and anyways I’m tired of meeting guests and figured they probably dont want to meet me anyway!So… I had a walk thru sheet they could read BUT nobody ever reads it and I would STILL get text messages! People are inherently lazy. So…I had a series of signs made, about a dozen posted throughout the room People ALWAYS have trouble locking the slider door from the inside so there is a little sign by the door telling them EXACTLY how to close the slider. I have posted directions by the flatscreen,4 signs in the kitchen etc…whatever I left out I send a text message. Now they NEVER bother me and I never get a text message like “what is the WIFI code?”(it was in the manual, they are too lazy to look so it posted on the wall by the entry door where they cant miss it.) This makes my life easier and I dont have to engage in conversation(if I meet them sometimes I get stuck for half an hr w them talking)saves me time. I will still send a friendly text message asking them if everything is ok etc and one the night before they leave thanking them. The posted signs will eliminate questions from the guest.

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Your post, as a host who actually cares about his guests, makes me really sad that you want so little to do with your guests other than taking their money. Please post your listing address so I can be sure never to book with you.

Reminds me of the lyrics to a song by Five Man Electric Band:

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?

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I recently put a sign in the bathroom asking guests not to be pigs, not to put white towels on the floor and stuff like that. I have it on the counter but think I should put it on the wall facing the toilet, everyone reads on the toilet!

Lol

RR

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House rules printed on the loo roll, everyone will read them.

diamond54 it sounds like you need a co-host

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I feel that your response is very disrespectful. This is this host’s hosting experience. We all have different types of places we make available. My space is great affordable place to stay for folks visiting Boston. I have found that my guests prefer less contact and less signs. So I provide details as needed in messages, have a master manual with sections tabbed off and a big ass sign for the wi fi. Every host has a different experience and I feel that you were way to judgmental in this host.

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Sorry Lynn, although I agree with what you’re saying in many walks of life, when someone posts on an open forum, they are going to have replies from people who don’t agree with them.

Everyone has different hosting styles and for many, including me, the thought of signs just makes me think that I’d never want to stay in a place. To others, having signs around the place is the answer to their hosting prayers.

I hope that the many people who read this forum, potential hosts and new hosts, get a good balanced view :slight_smile:

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Need to be careful it doesn’t take away from the feel of the house or seem like a kindergarten class room. Utility may crush the overall experienced of the place.

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I DO care about my guests,I have hosted 300 people in 4 years and have all 5 star reviews.I used to meet most of the guests but their plans always change so I just made everything easier for the guest to check in whenever they want, posting little helpful signs everywhere they appreciate.

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Agree what works for one host may or may not work for another. As I’ve posted before, I am the laminated sign queen, and none of my guests have been put off by it, based on the ratings. Ken, there’s beer in the fridge and high quality snacks, if that offsets for you!!

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I too have little signs here and there. I have one for the Wifi, another telling them to help themselves to cookies, teas, coffee and a bulletin board with things to do in the area, local restaurants and take out menus.

lols, KEN can say what he likes, Lynn gets put in her place…

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I don’t like signs everywhere and so I assume my guests don’t either.

I place small business card sized pieces of paper in a visible location in every room that has the WiFi info. These are basically disposable.

Other than that, I have only one sign on the locked door between the laundry room and the storage room that says “Storage. No guest access.”

I’m the same way as the OP, Ken. I work full time. I clean my own rental house. I live nearby. I don’t have time and energy for chatty people. I also host people in a bd in the house I live in and I cringe if they want to chat at night when I arrive, more than 5 min. Usually when I get home I am drained and I still have stuff to do like cook, laundry, go to the gym etc. The last think I have energy for is entertain guests.

If I have ladies guests over the weekend I ask them if they want to have breakfast with me. It’s not like I am a savage but there is only so much time and energy I have.

I personally don’t like signs at all. All this info that some people have signs for I send in a bullet point message before guests arrive. check in code, wifi info, directions, no shoes, quiet times, parking info, check out procedure etc… I also have a laminated folder on the coffee table, with same and more info (restaurant recommendation, nearest hospital, pharmacy, stores, bus schedule etc). It worked for me.

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I hate being confused as a guest and appreciate helpful signs written in a friendly tone.

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Oops, didn’t mean to - just pointing out that we’re all different :slight_smile:

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Nothing wrong at all with finding the systems that work for us as hosts. Sometimes a little preventive action goes a long way, and honestly, as a guest, I really appreciate a bit of guidance and reminders here and there… After all, it’s about filling in that gap between what I expect as a guest who’s used to going to hotels, and what the host is expecting of me.

I just worked with Jasper Ribbers from Get Paid From Your Pad on a brilliant article on filling the communication gaps, which is pretty much the same thing: finding the system that works for you. It’s on the Smartbnb blog.

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We have a website with instructions, printed manuals, a housekeeper that is there almost every day, and I still put up a few signs.
IMO, signs that are helpful to the guests’ experience are appreciated. For instance, the wall switches are not placed in logical locations relative to the lights/fans, so we’ve labeled the switches. We have a surround-sound system with the TV, and we have directions on how to use it in a clear plastic stand next to the sofa.
What I suspect people object to are directives - “Strip the bed before you leave” “take out the garbage daily”, etc.
I’m happy to hear this hosting style works for you and your guests.

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@diamond54, I agree that when something is consistently missed, it needs a sign.
I stayed as a guest in a home that had multiple guest rooms, and there were signs in many languages on everything - about how to recycle properly, how the shower worked, this is where the mugs are, etc. I don’t think anyone minded. I certainly didn’t. I like knowing what is expected, and not having to keep referring to a manual. There’s too much of that in my day job already :slight_smile:
My listing is different than that one, and so I keep signs to a minimum, but I did just add one about turning off a certain light that never got turned off. Two groups of guests since, and both turned off the light!
It doesn’t take much to make us happy, does it? I can see why you posted: Something worked!

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I have been hosting for four years. I used to meet all of the guests personally however I found that for quite a few of them they were not on time for their check-in and we’re always running late for whatever reason. I am very busy I have a full-time job, a disabled husband and a 93-year-old mom. I don’t have time to sit around and wait. I had the walk-through list that I asked people to read but very few people did. I tell people I give guests their privacy, if they want me to socialize with them just text. Most people dont. I recently after 4 years put up the signs because I wanted to make it easier for the guest to self check-in and not feel pressured to give me a fixed time to meet me.I put little signs up just because people dont read the walk thru sheet. I havent had ANY problems since the signs went up;the guest is less stressed to have to meet me at a certain time and I have more free time and I am still getting all 5 star good reviews, thats all that matters ok?

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I have little 2" x 1 1/2" thin wood signs with dogtag loop chains strategically hung to explain things like how to open old fashioned drapes and the hall cabinet without damaging the 1954 latch. There is a paper note in the bedroom explaining how to use a bed duvet. These are generally all ignored. I do check-in and I think they don’t mind and neither do I.

They get this statement in the welcome note: “There are some small notes for your information inside the trailer, please be curious regarding them as they will help you to avoid damaging it”

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