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Damn, I’ve been busy the past few days and missed this thread. My opinion would’ve been to call Air and explain situation as soon as possible, a good agent will cancel penalty free as long as you’re not a repeat offender for similar situations. I can NOT believe the agent told you to leave a review for that guest that didn’t stay (nor can you… it wasn’t a completed reservation.) I hate that office… but anyways. For everyone saying to tell agent “uncomfortable” is the reason… eh it may work it may not. The policy is in place technically only for instant book reservations and ONLY “supposed” to happen no more than three times per year but that policy is bent to hell each day by some agents. I pulled a SH status the other day because she very obviously was discriminating against race and single males from booking her place and she was “scared” for 1/2 her reservations. (If that’s ever the case folks please turn off IB, it saves everyone a damn headache)
Overall I’m glad the reservation got cancelled for you and with no penalties at that.
No, I wasn’t aware of that. It looks like this corresponds to the “Report user” link. But to activate that, you need to actually give a reason. I don’t have one currently, for the guest in question. I guess if he sends me an abusive message I’ll have a reason to block him.
I do yoga. An instructor comes to my place, three times a week. I don’t personally get everything out of it that people say you should get. Inner calmness and all that jazz. But I think it’s a good way to stay healthy and lessen the probability of certain kinds of injuries and illnesses. Also, a surprisingly high proportion of my guests do yoga, at least recently. Some of them come to India to do yoga. I bought a yoga mat on Amazon India that I’ve lent out a few times. And they seem to like doing it on the rooftop terrace.
Thank you, that’s very kind.
I feel I’m reasonably good at dodging bullets. But the Airbnb system does keep up the pressure on having to make a decision. And it’s also easy to overreact. See trouble behind every bush, so to speak. It’s rarely possible to see trouble coming. This specific guest was unusually explicit - he might as well have as put a large red neon sign labelled TROUBLE over his head. Unfortunately, most people are not so obliging.
I rent a separate independent unit but have considered renting out a room in my own apartment on occasion.
Are you saying that as a woman alone renting a shared space in my apartment I am required to accept single male guests, or else be accused of discrimination and lose my superhost status?
What @lililou1 said. For all we know, the so-called race element was not the element in play – it could have been the person was local, or not obviously employed, no bio, strange and demanding reservation request, or some other red flag that would crop up in a color-blind request to stay.
Female hosts HAVE to have latitude to accept guests within their comfort zone, especially if they offer a room in their house or a unit attached to their own property.
It’s nice to hear from you too. Like I said, I’ve not been so active here recently. Are the old guard (or should I say, the usual suspects) like Kona, Cabinhost, maggeroni, malagachica, jaquo still around? This site seems to have a lot of flux/turnover.
These problem guests sure take up a lot of time, don’t they? It doesn’t seem worth it, sometimes.
This thing still always makes me frown. Do we as a gay couple have the LATITUDE to accept guests within our comfort zone? In that case can we refuse everyone that we suspect to come from a culture / religion that doesn’t accept homosexuality?
What is the difference? I just read it like 10 times, but I don’t see the difference.
I don’t see why people shouldn’t have the freedom to pick and choose who they invite into their homes. I realise there are anti-discrimination laws, at least in the United States, but do they really apply here?
Just a friendly reminder to everyone reading that both parties can leave a review even if it isn’t a completed reservation if the stay has started or it’s within 24 hours of check in. In Faheem’s case, no. But not in every case.
Thank you for your kind thoughts. I had some lovely support at the time from regulars here.
We are now looking forward to receiving the new trainee Housekeeper and Under Butler at the beginning of June. Norwegian Forest kittens, born almost three weeks ago.
With a choice of colours, we decided black was a little risky, given the local careless farmers might mistake them for black panthers when fully grown.
Yes, there has been some turnover, and some for the best really. I sat back for a while after being sent an abusive PM from a moderator, but this was dealt with by two others very concisely and professionally.
You’ll hear some familiar voices, including K9, now KCC, Malagachica, Helsi, Jaquo and others.
And it’s good to have found plenty of new voices too. Life’s rich pageant and all that.
You know that’s not how Airbnb works @faheem and I am glad that I list through a platform that positively reinforces that we shouldn’t discriminate based on race, religion, sexuality.
How sad to see hosts here openly state they should be able to discriminate.
“Our shared commitment to these principles enables every member of our community to feel welcome on the Airbnb platform no matter who they are, where they come from, how they worship, or whom they love”.
Maybe that’s a controversial opinion to have, but I don’t think it’s about discrimination. I think people have the right to do what they want in the privacy of their own homes, and that includes choosing who to invite into it. And it’s weird that Airbnb thinks it should be able to rule otherwise. It’s not their places. I think they forget that they don’t actually own anything. But it’s touching that a huge multinational corporation is so concerned about human rights. Really. Now all they need to do is treat hosts the same as guests.
Pretending that taking strangers money and letting them sleep in your house is inviting people into your home is just as disingenuous as Airbnb’s pretending they care about social justice. You may invite or disinvite whomever you want into your home if you don’t make it a business transaction.
They own the platform which created the whole business. Leave the platform, hang a shingle outside your door that has the Indian equivalent of “zimmer frei” on it and see how it goes. At least no one will be telling you who to accept as a guest.
It’s merely my opinion. There probably is some peer reviewed research somewhere that would support my contention, but since I’m not an academic any longer I don’t have access to most of the pertinent databases. Besides, I have no interest in arguing about it. But when people openly defend discriminating, I find the urge to disagree compelling.
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