Been there, done that. Guests dinged me on everything. 3* review overall and 1*-3* on everything. My house is spotless!!! And my location is what it is and clearly stated.
Some days I hate people.
2 Likes
An angel on this forum suggested I put a “magic word” in the rules, and play it back to me when they book. Works.
2 Likes
Ingenious !
Do you mind sharing the format of the sentence please?
1 Like
At the end of my rules, I write "the magic word is “pinch” ".
Then I ask the prospective guest what the magic word is.
A newbie may need a bit of coaching.
4 Likes
Wow - thank you that is a valuable tidbit.
1 Like
Sorry that this happened. Unfortunately, this is where we need to decide when we want “to be in the right” - or do we want to run a smart business.
Unless we are forced to deal with it (first calling Air to get them removed), we would simple never confront a guest at all. Honest reviews will come later …
1 Like
I have not yet put the “magic word” in. I might make it 2 words spread out…
My latest request from 5 minutes ago
“Mary, I love your place. How far away are you from downtown”?
My listing first 2 sentences:
Great space to relax with family & friends whether you are hanging out poolside or lounging in the living room with floor to ceiling windows. Enjoy the home and it’s amenities in the semi rural setting (7km from city centre).
I will now put city centre / downtown to eliminate that ambiguity.
These kind of questions is why I got dinged last spring when people started asking the dumbest questions or seemed like a frat party I took my time in responding.
Oh Lawd , I am biting my tongue here and taking a few moments to respond.
1 Like
If you can’t beat them, join them. Get a commercial license and insurance then rent it out as a venue for weddings, baptisms, etc. and charge $2000 for the day. Charge $500 cleaning fee. Guest would be responsible for catering, renting tables and chairs.
2 Likes
You know, that might not be such a silly idea… 
1 Like
@MaryJO My listing title includes the phrase “For Solo Travelers” and I’ve still gotten inquiries “So, is it only for 1 person?”
4 Likes
Hosts of flat and small studio here with more than 300 reviews and 400 bookings: I found that the lower my prices the higher the expectations and the pickier the guests.
4 Likes
As already stated, raise your prices. At least it may filter out a few bargain hunters. At least for me, they seem to complain the most. More times than not our best guests are the ones you don’t hear from.
On your house rules, I agree, most do not read them. What I learned to do was to take the two or three most important ones you want followed and put them near something your guest needs, like the code to get in. Chances are they’ll see those.
In my welcome email that I send a day before arrival I state the following:
For your planning:
Hello Trisha, your time at our cabin is approaching, The code on the lockbox has been set to 1229 the home will be set up for 8 guests and 0 pets (No more than 8 guests and 0 pets are allowed on the property during your stay, without prior approval)
This is the beginning of the message and it is followed by what we provide and things they may want to bring as well as a little about the 5 acre property. We also have a large home that accommodates 13 people, and although we get people that try to bend the rules to avoid additional pet fees or over 10 guest fees we usually catch them with our security cameras.
Raise your rates. Simple. Good luck!!
There is a couple of things here. First I completely agree with you. My most recent to the absurd is a woman who gave me a 2 (Air told me means virtually uninhabitable because advertised double bed wasnt - does she think I went out and had a small bed made, and then put the IKEA stickers on it? ) I lost super host. And recent guest stole 4 sheet towels, 2 sheets. However let me say that when someone - nearly everybody books - on their Iphone app or whatever, there is very little info displayed by Air. People have to go looking for it. The set up of the App is not conducive to reading the really important info. However, it seems to me that your guests dont want to read it…as it doesnt allow them to do what they want. Ignorance is bliss etc etc Yeah I feel like that more and more. So not alone.
There is I think really good advice by RiverRockRetreat. Double your prices. Since bushfires and now corona, I dropped my prices to get guests, and the class of people has dropped signficantly. And they left more damage. The other is limiting the number of guests. Although I can cater for 4 I am about to drop that back to 2. Too much damage with 4. eg bags taking paint of doorframes, dragged around the house on my wooden floors etc.
1 Like
Only allow booking enquires, which you can then qualify. We don’t accept a booking until the guests have confirmed they accept our house rules and have told me what they will be using our barn for, as well as jobs, any pets etc… The ones that get put off by this approach are the sort of guests we don’t want. So far it’s worked brilliantly for us.
I’ve used IB with great success and am a big fan, but in the current environment I’ve considered switching to request to book. I don’t want to lose my competitive advantage but with Airbnb so swamped that Customer Service is even worse than usual I wonder if that would make sense? I’d like to stay open, especially for cases like the fellow I have here now, but I also don’t want to encourage frivolous trips.
This is exactly what I do. I also repeat most of them in the Welcome email I send before arrival claiming if they break them they will likely be asked to leave without refund.
Also ya, raise your rates and maybe consider lowering your occupancy limit. We have a 5-acre property in the middle of wine country but only sleep 7 which I think has helped cut down on this issue (many looking to host a wedding are likely looking for something that sleeps 15+).
I’m very strict on this too (for the same reason) so I don’t get any “oh well they’re not spending the night”, but also liability.
Lastly, I actually say “we don’t allow events but would consider them, please let us know if this is what you’re looking for”. We may consider a small wedding shower or rehearsal dinner but the only inquiries I’ve gotten are for 150+ weddings, lol.
I always get acknowledgement from the guest that they have read and agree to house rules before accepting the booking. Recently added making them sign house rules on check in (obviously only possible if someone is personally checking them in) and listing names of all guests on same form with house rules.