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Six days ago, MsSuperhost booked for 2 ppl with IB. Her booking message was
My boyfriend and I are both hosts in [west coast urban area] and we are so excited to stay with you! We are staying in Juneau for a couple days after our Glacier Bay sea kayaking trip. Your location looks ideal for us and your place looks lovely! We will be arriving on a flight at 5:30 so will come over from there! Thank you!!
So I send my standard after-booking reply, asking for the name of the other person. Six days ago.
Today I was checking upcoming bookings and there was no reply. I had looked at her profile before I sent the first message and had noticed she was a SuperHost for 12 listings in her city, all within a 2 square mile area that has been gentrifying for the past 10 years.
So I just looked at the listings. Their titles are all full of Luxe-Glam-Plush-Chic-Mod. Photos of thousands of useless deco pillows, all rooms have private baths, straight out of Martha Stewart, some with rates lower than mine (and everything costs more in Alaska).
Iâm a little worried how she might review my not-quite-spartan Ikea/garage sale furnished room with shared bath in a 80 year old house with wood floors, especially after seeing comments here about entitled SuperHosts. She hasnât asked for discounts, early check-in, or anything special, but she hasnât answered that 6 day old welcome message.
I sent her a message tonight, and I hope that Iâll get an answer soonâŚ
Dear SuperHost,
As a host I know that you appreciate it when guests respond to your messages. The last message noted that I need your boyfriendâs name for my insurance.
Tbh I find your response a bit snarky. Iâm sure shes just busy and havenât seen the message especially when she has so many listings. Maybe keep it as: âhi xxx just a reminder I need your boyfriends name because its required from my insurance. Looking forward to host you â
What possible difference does it make what this personâs superhost listings look like or are written like? Or for that matter where they are in what part of which city??? Different places, different ways of presenting them!
As mentioned, the Guest is probably busy, or has gone off the grid elsewhere for a week. If she and boyfriend show up without giving his name, THEN itâs time to complain.
As a Superhost myself I resent your implications about Superhosts as guests. I work HARD for my status, and if you donât, then you donât get the badge! And you donât get an attaboy for your attitude!! You are the one acting entitled â not her and not me â you act like you are entitled to your smarmy attitude towards Superhosts and non-Alaskans.
Letâs get this straight to start with - hosts are often tied to their phones but guests arenât. (In the case of a host with 12 properties, her co-host will see to the day-to-day stuff). Hosts shouldnât expect a message back at once.
With this woman, her message is fine, the hostâs message was abrupt.
I get people who book for months ahead, I thank them and then donât hear from them until the day of check in.
Every service we use wants us to have their app. In many cases they are useless and just use up your charge with updates and alerts. She might feel the same way. Or she might just be busy. I am and I tend to look at my email (for example) every few days. This is not 1999.
Alternatively she might think âOh for goodness sake, Iâve stayed in hotels, B & Bs, country pubs, Airbnbs and plenty of other places in the last 40 years and no-one has never asked me for my companionâs name.â If she has, then giving a good first impression hasnât worked.
But your post implies (implies, I said) that youâre not really concerned about the fact that she hasnât replied but that in fact youâre nervous about hosting a SH who has properties that are nicer than yours. Iâve been a SH for years and Iâm a great guest and like @KenH, I donât like the implication that we are entitled and precious.
The guest gave a pretty good opening message, even if it had been less I would not care. If you must have the BFâs name for insurance than just do not allow access until you get it. Curious as to what insurance company requires such a thing. My STR insurance does not. I would just message on day of check in that check in instructions will be given once you have all the information needed.
Mine doesnât either and Iâve used several companies both here in the States and in the UK. I know, I know, that some hosts have the mantra âweâre not hotelsâ but Iâve never some across a hotel in any country thatâs needed that info.
Regarding the guest being a Superhost with luxury properties, I wouldnât sweat it. Itâs a bit prejudicial to think the guest will leave you a poor review just because she manages luxury listings. If you get to interact with your guests , it seems like an opportunity to share insights on hosting.
I agree your response is snarky. However, I recently booked a couple of Airbnbâs for some August travel, and itâs so easy and one of the steps during booking to add the guests names (and email addresses, which links to their Airbnb account if they have one). You would have to make a clear choice to skip this step, so Iâm not sure why so many people do, especially in this case when itâs just one additional person. For me I just start typing my husbandâs name and all his info pops up. You have double checked that they havenât already linked the other person right?
Iâve hosted plenty of SHs and as far as I can remember, theyâve all had properties that are superior to mine in some way or another.
But every listing has its own qualities. Guests may be attracted to a listing for a lot of reasons.
Iâve just thought of a great example. I have a couple who have been coming to stay in our smaller apartment for three years, or maybe itâs four. Theyâre not hosts but live in a house that is not just fantastic, itâs so fabulous that itâs been featured in design magazines.
The bathroom at home is larger than the whole apartment that they rent from me. That is not an exaggeration - in fact, their bathroom alone could be twice the size of the apartment. You could lie in the huge freestanding bath there(with a glass of wine hopefully) and look out over fabulous views of nothing but natural beauty.
Yet every year they stay with me.
It doesnât matter what people have at home or what they rent to others. The fact is that for whatever reason, theyâve chosen YOU.
Last time I visited Alaska the cell service was sparse, & roaming fees out of this world. I shut my phone off on day two.
These folks are on vacation, she wrote a lovely introduction, why you would need her partners name before they arrive? Also if they navigate 12 listings Iâm quite sure they are well versed with STR insurance requirements.
I also agree your note to them was rather curt.
Sorry but you seem to be intimidated by their listingsâŚhave you considered that your home is the experience they are looking for.
This forum is very helpful, but it also for the most part deals with negative experiences that can make one paranoid.
Visiting Alaska is a unique experience of a lifetime! Try not to read doom and gloom into their stay.
I donât have any insurance requirement that I get all guestsâ names. âBoyfriendâ is good enough for me unless Boyfriend is checking in ahead of the arrival of Registered Guest. In that case, I require Boyfriend to be a confirmed guest on the Airbnb itinerary or in the Other Platform contract, âfor our mutual protectionâ.
Me too. iâm just a person, i am not critical, judgemental or entitled and I know how difficult it is to do what we do. If anything, I cut some slack to hosts in places where other people probably wonât. Because of subjects like this now I hide the fact that I am a host when Iâm traveling. why do you have to fret about? Do what you normally do and let the guests mind their business.
Guessing the Superhosts that have responded here prove your point
Some have come across as contentious and elitist - not at all friendly and helpful. Others have provided great insight.
Perhaps your response wasnât worded the best but did get the point that some sort of response would be appreciated. Airbnb does regard communication as a prime component of the feedback.
Weâve hosted hundreds and the ones that are hosts themselves are potentially the most picky with unrealistic expectations and there are wonderful exceptions.
Best of luck to you with this guest and hope all goes well.
[quote=âArlene_Larsson, post:9, topic:33631, full:trueâ]
I agree your response is snarky. [/quote]
Well, apparently she did too, because her reply had a little sarcasm, but she gave me the name. I apologized for my tone, told her I appreciated her advice, and said that I hope that sheâll be able to give me more tips after she arrives.
You have double checked that they havenât already linked the other person right?
Yes, and heâs not linked.
Mostly I want to make sure that guests understand that they need to communicate on the platform. It makes me nervous when they donât reply to a message within a few days.
On the other hand I thought I had great communication with a guest who is a host. We had barely seen each other since she checked in for a two night stay. This morning as she was leaving, I asked her if everything was OK and if I would be getting five stars, and she said no because there was mold on the bagged loaf of bread on the breakfast shelf.
I asked why she hadnât let me know so I could fix the problem and she said that after one of her guests in LA texted her âbecause they couldnât find the pepperâ while she was on a glacier helicopter flightseeing trip, she didnât want to interrupt me while I was guiding a tour just to tell me the bread was moldy. She didnât throw it in the garbage, either â she just left it there, with the moldy part hidden against the wall. AAARGH!
Actually, itâs just a way to get the travelling partnerâs name for my records, in part because I have a lousy memory for names, but if I have it writing itâs easier to remember. Maybe I shouldnât be so anxious about that. Your idea would probably work better.
When I do the contracts on the other site, if they say âitâs me, my husband, and our adult sonsâ without providing names, I will just write the name of the guest who booked, âSpouseâ (or if they say boyfriend, âTravel companionâ), âAdult Child 1â, " Adult Child 2". I donât bother with more than that unless they go on and provide it up front. I do not request minor guest names, I just ask for a head count if they are under 18.
I want to point out also, because it happens to me- you have to switch yourself out of hosting and into traveling mode or experience mode to get the messages. I sometimes forget to switch back and forth. And if all you want to know is the other personâs name, ask in person when you greet them. I write a welcome sign, and when I donât know the companion names I just write it in at check-in with them. Youâre making it a big deal for no reason.
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