Unreasonable guest expectations - I'm exhausted!

47

No one ever reads the rules. It’s as if they’ve never seen them, no matter how many times you’ve put them in front of them. Mine are in my listing, then there is a prebooking message with the most pertinent info, then they are required to sign a form stating they read and understand the rules prior to staying, then there are signs placed at the entryway that you literally can not miss. I also have signs in the kitchen and a guide and people still do whatever they want with no respect for the rules.

I think everyone is right. Higher price seems to bring in easier customers. The less people pay, the more than expect. You can’t please some of these dealseekers.

The worst I’ve encountered is people bringing toddlers and saying it doesn’t count. Like somehow they don’t exist because they are small.

Raise price, ask questions, resend the rules soon after booking, put up signs to remind people of the most important rules… Be straightforward about the fact that there will be financial penalties, per person per night, if unannounced people are allowed to sleep on the premises.

Even though I do all this stuff, I still have these problems.

48

You have the option to remove instant booking and to approve request based on number of guests, etc. Doesnt sort everything but might save you from some issues. Also to be honest if you are not enjoying it… maybe its time to pause it and perhaps come back in future.

49

Hi, I had to take a break from hosting for this very reason. I used to rent out a private room in my home. I had a picture of my cat along with her name and stated she lived in our home but that she was trained to not go into the guest room.

People would book and then complain that they were allergic to cats.

One guest complained that my next door neighbor was smoking outside of her house and that she could smell the cigarette smoke because she had the window open. There was nothing I could do about my neighbor smoking in her own yard.

Then there was the guy who requested hypoallergenic, unscented laundry detergent and the guests who complained about the lack of decor on the walls.

I have a whole list of ridiculous complaints or requests from guests but over a 3 year period, the list is quite lengthy.

I feel your pain. It is exhausting and I can’t understand why vacation rental guests seem to expect more from us hosts than they would from a hotel.

They want Motel 6 rates but expect Accommodations equivalent to the St. Regis.

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50

This my welcome email, I make it painfully clear that they can only bring the numbers that they originally reserved for, and pets must be reported… I have had MANY guest message me shortly after receiving this stating, oh we need to bring our dog sitter backed out, when in reality they probably intend to bring the dog without paying the fee all along, but they decided they are busted with the cameras in the driveway statement. I’ve also called people shortly after checkin telling them I saw a dog on check in that wasn’t reported… OF COURSE they were just getting g ready to call and let us know they needed to bring their dog.

For your planning:
Hello Maggie, your time at our cabin is approaching, The code on the lockbox has been set to xxxx the home will be set up for 7 guests and 1 pets (No more than 7 guests and 1 pets are allowed on the property during your stay, without prior approval )

What we provide:
1 towel per guest (if you wish to wash them there is a washer and dryer on-site just bring laundry soap)
Gas grill with gas
Fresh linens on all beds
Shampoo/conditioner
Hand soap
Liquid body wash
Board games
Fully equipped kitchen
Dish soap
Dishwasher soap
Toilet paper

Things you may want to bring:
Paper towels
Coffee (we have filters at the home)

There are two ways to get down to the lake, the less steep one is hidden a bit, it is a meandering trail to the right of the fire pit, the other one is in the middle of the yard and is a pretty steep decline. Our lake lot is the dock to the right of the house at the bottom of the hill straight behind the cabin. We just had brand new stairs installed to the lake, this makes getting to the dock much smoother. I may be to cold and snowy to venture to the lake, but it is beautiful to look at from the loft in the home! Grab some coco or hot coffee and enjoy the winter view.

There are check in and check out instructions as well as a few house rules in kitchen, our numbers are there too, so please call or text if you need anything.

The home has security monitoring, the cameras are at each entrance, as well as in driveway area. We do not have cameras on while guests are at the property. They are there for when the home is not occupied. We do not live onsite, but are available via text or call and have maintenance in case of an emergency.

Have a great time! Eric and Robin

51

I am confused. Do you have cameras on when there are guests there or not?

52

We monitor checkin, once that has occurred we turn off recording and alerts, we typically check for number of guests getting out of cars, pets and where they are parked. We once had a party of 10, as that is the max we allow without additional fees, show up, our neighbors called us and told us about 9 cars just went down our private road. We popped on to the camera to count 22 young adults in the driveway we sent maintenance over and he counted 29 kids between the ages of about 18 and 25. If we were to leave the cameras recording it would drive us batty with all of the alerts, every time someone walked into the front yard it would alert. So no we do not have cameras recording while guests are there, but it is remote so I can see if I want to, but it isn’t really very interesting to watch so I don’t. But we do monitor check ins to the degree that we understand there is not a party going on.

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53

Had a guest who failed to return keys because she lost them. When I asked her to reimburse me for key cutting cost, she responded with a 1-star review. Such is life with Airbnb.

54

In the US a standard key cutting costs about $5 or less. So frankly, you should build stuff like that into your price. I’m not saying you deserve a one star review but I’m not shocked that they were mad.

3 Likes