Upped the Game a Little

[Robin]

@PitonView

would never tell guests you have all that stuff. You are setting yourself up for someone to use that as an excuse to be disappointed or ask for money back

I do agree! We don’t tell them we have anything out of the normal! We mention a well stocked kitchen with what you need to prepare and serve meals.

TP, Shampoo,conditioner, body soap, trash bags, hand soap, dish and dishwasher soap, and about a half a roll of paper towels. Most condos in our area provide one roll of TP we always supply 3 rolls, we also typically provide 1 trash bag per day of stay, and enough dish soap and dishwasher soap for their stay.

I also charge $10-$20 more than some of the other properties in the area, but we have newer furniture, higher end appliances and we repaint and touch up continuously. We get a lot of repeat stays because they see value in what they we not promised but found in the home. One of our recent guests noted that they have stayed 3 times and every time they see something new, or we step up our game to welcome them in a new way! That just feels good. This guest was in town for a tournament with their daughters softball team, I added good luck at the games!! They loved it!

[muddy]

@Robin

had a private note from one guest that was shocked that we had sugar cubes in the coffee area and suggested we take them out because it is a risk with Covid,

While I agree that food left can be a turnoff for guests, that guest’s private message shows an ignorance of how Covid is spread. You can’t contract it through food- it is transferred through the respiratory system, not the alimentary tract- you have to breathe in the virus particles.

The outsides of containers could be a source of transmission if they aren’t washed down with soap or sterilized, but that is an extremely slim chance- you’d have to touch something that had virus particles on it, there would have to be enough of a viral load to make you sick, and then you’d have to put that hand up to your nose or mouth and breathe it in. Almost 100% unlikely.

[HostAirbnbVRBO]

I agree that Penzey’s is excellent, most likely better than what I am providing. The advantage to the brand I selected is that I can go to the grocery store and replenish it instantly whereas I get Penzey’s online.

Robin I don’t put this list in my listing. It is a paper document on the kitchen counter they see after they’ve checked in. If I see something that is empty or near so I can replenish instantly or edit the one page document that’s on the counter. → The idea is that when they are grocery shopping they can take this piece of paper to know what is at the house so they don’t need to duplicate purchase anything we already have.

@muddy The paper document explains why this is provided, so they have a reference when they go grocery shopping. I’m hoping that they see if for what it is, a thoughtful and considerate action to make their life easier when grocery shopping. So far our guests have been appreciative of our intentions to make their stays comfortable, enjoyable, easy. We’ll see and keen our sense for anyone who feels ‘turned off’ by this as you say you would be. Would it be better to you if it did not include the brand names? [I don’t think ‘Frontier Co-op’ is some premier pretentious name. Or is it? Actually, @PitonView I think Penzey’s is better in name and in fact, but not convenient for me to replenish instantly. But even Penzey’s is not, in my view, high brow, just really fresh and good.]

Robin, I’m with you. We dispose of everything in the refrigerator, which is why we don’t stock mustard and ketchup, though I have read that if you get the squirt bottles of ketchup that that should be OK. What do you think? I’m on the fence. I like your letter board idea! Do you possibly remember where you bought it? Is it like a chalk board or literally a letter board that you just insert the letters? I thought of the tampons but don’t know which ones to get.

[muddy]

@HostAirbnbVRBO

Would it be better to you if it did not include the brand names? [I don’t think ‘Frontier Co-op’ is some premier pretentious name. Or is it? Actually, @PitonView I think Penzey’s is better in name and in fact, but not convenient for me to replenish instantly. But even Penzey’s is not, in my view, high brow, just really fresh and good.]

It’s pretentious and pointless to include brand names, period. Who cares? If the purpose is to let them know what they wouldn’t have to buy, that there is already maple syrup provided is all they need to know. Do you really think they’re going to go, “Oh, that’s not the brand I prefer, I’ll spend another $15 on an entire bottle of “my brand” of maple syrup” ?

[Robin]

@HostAirbnbVRBO

I like your letter board idea! Do you possibly remember where you bought it? I

Got it at Hobby Lobby! 50% off when wall art is on sale, which is usually every other week. It is the boards with slats on it that you can stick plastic letters in, we leave the word Welcome and the Wi-Fi password/is on it and just change names.

[PitonView]

I still would not put this all down on a piece of paper. If anything, leave a little note that says “there is a choice of tea, coffee, spices and seasonings in the pantry. We hope you find something you like there!”.
This the scenario that just saying you have “stuff” avoids: Guest A loves your ginseng tea so much they take it all with them. You (or your housekeeper) do(es) not notice it’s gone, and Guest B, arriving after Guest A has left, reads the list and really wants the ginseng tea. They search for hours and can’t find it. Finally, they give up at 1 AM and text you to ask where you hid it. When you say “I don’t know, we must be out of it”, Guest B gets grouchy.
I just switched to these little stands for signs - they are very attractive and the bottom is a good weight: 5 by 7 clear acrylic stands for signs

[RebeccaF]

@Robin, I greatly appreciate the comma after “Welcome.” So few people know the niceties of direct address any more.

[muddy]

@HostAirbnbVRBO

Do you think that even if guests don’t leave comments on this or re-book more often, tell more people about our listing that we might well justify by ‘pride of hospitality’ ?

Isn’t pride one of the 7 deadly sins?

[NordlingHouse]

@KKC

I’ve also used starbucks keurig pods vs kirkland (costco) brand. In both cases the more expensive ones get used or taken much more often.

The Costco medium roast is better than any of $tarbuck$ overpriced overroasted pods. My guests usually appreciated the Keurig, and since my rooms were low-mid budget, having decent hot coffee in a few minutes was a real plus.

Now that I’m shutting down, I’m using the best Keurig instead of the backup (both cost $15 at garage sales) but I use a reusable pod with locally roasted coffee.

I tried offering the reusable pod to guests, but after they inserted them incorrectly (in a Keurig?) and ruined 2 of them, I reserved them for myself.

I know some folks don’t like Keurigs, but for a shared AirBnB kitchen they are perfect. Very little mess or fuss. I also had an electric kettle, pour through filter holder, thermal carafe, and filters for those wanting to make a pot of coffee, as well as a giant jar with a variety of tea bags.

French and Flemish women preferred jasmine green tea.
Folks from the upper midwest drink Earl Grey tea.
Californians drink non-dairy chai or plain green tea.
Pacific NW guests wanted quick hot coffee.
Southerners want sweet iced tea.
Italians wanted to use my Krups espresso maker, but I sent them to our artisan ice cream shop with a great barista just a 5 minute walk away.

The only time I offered anything fancy was to pick roses off the rose bush in the front yard to welcome a couple that I knew were honeymooners. Because of allergies, I avoid bringing many flowers indoors, but somehow I knew that their room door wouldn’t be open very much.

[KKC]

@Robin

shocked that we had sugar cubes in the coffee area and suggested we take them out because it is a risk with Covid

Oh the irony of saying sugar cubes are a covid risk when traveling.

@NordlingHouse

The Costco medium roast is better than any of $tarbuck$ overpriced overroasted pods.

And all of this is in the context of pod coffee being the worst, least fresh, coffee period. Anyway I was only commenting on how impressed people are with name brands. No surprise to anyone here I’m sure. I stock the room differently depending on how much the guest paid. If demand is high and I raise prices they get more and better amenities.

[Charmed59]

I appreciate all the spices, but wouldn’t use them. I don’t trust that past guests didn’t taint them.

[PitonView]

The panda bear “Eats, shoots and leaves!”

[Debthecat]

And the wombat! 202020

[PitonView]

@HostAirbnbVRBO

And we’ve added spices

Here is what I do for spices:
I bought a bunch of spice jars from Amazon and labeled and filled them. Put in a dessicant packet (we’re in the tropics). Then seal them with a band of Parafilm stretchy paraffin). That way I can tell if someone opened them and used them or not. Then I put them on a copco 3-tier Organizer so they were easy to manage.

My tea bags go in a bamboo tea box. I put in packets of Splenda, stevia, TruLemon and TruLime, too, in the tea box.

[jaquo]

@JJD

We still need volunteers to take on affect/effect, ambiguous modifiers, clichés and tautologies

I’m volunteering!

…

[rubychix]

@PitonView
Thanks for the tip on the acrylic stands- I have looked for just such a thing since I started hosting! Seems like a small thing, but I have been hand making something similar with cardboard and tape - sounds tackier than it looks - but, still😏

[muddy]

Those acrylic stands are sold at stationery stores like Office Depot, Staples, etc. I have one on the guest bathroom counter with septic/ what not to flush/ please don’t waste water instructions.

@JJD I want to be in charge of the incorrect apostrophes before an s in a pluralized word, and using the past tense where the past participle belongs.

[NordlingHouse]

It’s good to know that someone besides me appreciates the Oxford comma, but I don’t think I’m ready to take on a semicolonoscopy.

[HostAirbnbVRBO]

Wow! Thank you for your great and specific suggestions. A kindred soul [At last!]

On the bouillon, "Better than bouillon’ jars are really the best sofar as I’ve read and experienced, but need to be refrigerated and could get contaminated. If that’s not a problem for you, look there. I would love to provide that but the concern about contamination discourages me from putting those. The same concern – is it misplaced? – discourages jam, Nutella, butter, yogurt, half and half.

My rationale, which I state in the list is “Our goal is to stock shelf-stable items for which it’s not cost-effective for you to buy the small amount that you would need.” So that’s why I don’t stock some of those things.

I think based on your suggestions I will add Mac and cheese. tabasco, a can of soup, baking soda and powder, rice wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, decaf coffee, oatmeal ( I do have instant coffee – is there a brand you like?).

I am going to re-think this all a bit after your post. Hmm, Seaweed snacks? I like your treasure hunt idea for snacks.

I appreciate the concern expressed by those who say that if something gets depleted that I somehow miss I could be fueling complaints. I’ll think about that, add a disclaimer [?] in my list and think some more (I understand sometimes every good deed does unpunished). I intend to check the list against inventory and it is really simple for me to print out an updated list after a turnover.

As to the statement that who cares it is Vermont maple syrup and not New Hampshire maple syrup, they have never seen The West Wing or know about New England connoisseurs of maple syrup.

Thank you.

On @muddy’s so helpful, positive, supportive comments it’s apparent to all that you and I are ‘besties’ and your endlessly flattering comments might not add to the dialog here, period, since your personal affection for me is so on your sleeve. Your black/white comments on what is pretentious and pointless, period, is refreshing for your absolute authority, period. I so appreciate your view that because you do not care whether it is Vermont maple syrup vs New Hampshire or another that that is the ‘correct’ and only appropriate view, period. I stand enlightened by your comments, as ever.

[rbassett]

Nice job on this collection, your guests are in for a real treat. Don’t worry about the negative comments in this thread, there are far too many critics, which is why I almost never post here anymore. Keep up the good work.