What if I don't have internet for my guests?

Talking…on a phone?
Ugh. Who does that anymore? :laughing:

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to the OP: post NO WI_FI in the title. people don’t read.
@PitonView, I apologise if my comment offended you. It was in no way meant to offend anyone. I was simply trying to outline that the amenities should be clearly described, because if I want to chose knowing the exact conditions. If I were to chose your place, even if you say the internet was so and so I’d watch your movies, but no cable (that’s overrated).
But I’d be mad if there would be no mention of the quality of the internet in the listing. I stayed in NYC and rural places in the US where the room was far away from the modem and I couldn’t watch anything. Luckily I carry my kindle with me. But I do like to have internet. even to get online and see the route where i’m going the next day, things to do, rest recommendations etc.
I’m also a software engineer, so i can’t think of life without internet.

our very own Ken.

Joking aside, texting has been such a blessing to older folks who are hard of hearing.

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Oh, people still do that. But nowadays they keep their phone at arms length, have it on speaker and yell to it, so everyone can listen to their unimportant conversation.

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Nice solution. In talking with guests, we often hear how one member of their party was up checking the stock market (leads to great conversations). Seems in this day and age, Internet connections are quite important, in more ways than entertainment, if only checking in for your upcoming flight. To not offer it limits your rental’s appeal. Remember, not everyone staying with you will be strictly “on vacation.” When I travel, it is usually business-related or my partner wants to conduct business. I suggest offering Internet in some fashion, either free or with a usage charge, as has been suggested.

LOL.
My favorites are the ones that dictate their text message (loudly, in public).

It’s all the annoyance of hearing their phone call without any of the natural pacing of a conversation. :woman_facepalming::roll_eyes:

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Or, if @Bunny is on the premises or next door or otherwise nearby (or uses a local cohost), there is always the strange communication method that I always used with my neighbour’s internet-free guests … actual face-to-face conversations!

Shock, horror … :wink:

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Squirrel…A coworker last week referred to having a party line. I asked if he knew what that originally meant. He was horrified at the lack of privacy with sharing a phone line with 6 families. (I remember great grandma sitting on the gossip bench, hand over mouthpiece listening to the neighbors!!!). This youngster horrified at the lack of privacy incessantly uses his cell phone on speaker—yep I can tell privacy is important.

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There’s a great story from Fort Lauderdale from way back in the early days of telephones. (I don’t know when that was - the 1910s? 1920s?).

Anyway, a local Native American character decided to take a bath - something he did on only a few occasions in his lifetime - and did so in the river. One of the ladies in a riverfront home saw him in his glory as she was speaking on the telephone to a friend and party lines being what they were, before long there was a whole bunch of ladies standing on the riverbank watching the naked ablutions… :slight_smile:

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well, you’d laugh. My Pixel 2 is defective in the sense that if I talk on the phone I can’t be heard unless I press the speaker button. Without pressing that I can hear the person I’m talking too but they cant hear me. So, yes I am one of those people who always presses the speaker button but I am also using headphones. problem solved. And I never speak in public or public transportations, like some people do. Even at work I either close the door to my office or I find a spot in an empty conference room. Or I’d say I’ll call you back.

BUNNY: When I was working for a large company, the owner would purposely host team-building retreats in remote resorts that did not have televisions and Internet WiFi. The company director wanted his executive staff to socialize more amongst themselves throughout the three-day retreat, rather than watching TV or surfing the Internet.

Your lack of Internet might be a “selling point” for families, whose kids are addicted to playing online games or watching streaming videos.

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Ken, I think this difference in opinion may be a generational divide, as well as dependent on what field people work in. Seeing how many folks NEED internet would make me think that I would miss out on a lot of potential guests without this new basic necessity. It was a headache for me at first, but I finally have it all dialed in for my guests, and they are happy.
That said, If it’s not going to be available, definitely let people know very clearly, so they will have nothing to complain about. If it’s a choice, it can be dealt with.

Easy to do by not giving them the password until they pay. To do it through Airbnb use the Resolution Center under Extra Services.

I agree with @Lisa_Alishio. I didn’t have it in my separate home when I started on Airbnb. Eventually I added it. Even better than being able to offer it as an amenity is the fact that I was able to install cameras and a smart lock!! Get it if you can!

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Silly to you sounds like heaven to me!

Although I hate to generalise and stereotype guests, in my experience this can be the case. (But definitely not always).

My own family is a good example. When himself and I travel, if we’re going to need to work when we’re away, we travel with two laptops, an iPad, a Kindle and four phones. If we’re not going to be working we leave the laptops at home.

If guests are travelling on business then yes, chances are that they’ll be using a device that needs wifi. But the OP says that the rental is in a rural location so maybe business guests are rare.

Move down a generation from us, (people in their forties and thereabouts) and they don’t seem to travel with laptops - the phone and possibly an iPad tends to be enough. The same with people in their twenties - it’s rare for them to bring a laptop or even iPad with them.

We oldies (I can’t believe I just described myself that way) are more likely to travel with laptops and therefore more likely to need wifi and if the wifi isn’t great I use the personal hotspot on my phone to connect the laptop.

But you never know what you’re going to get. Just thinking about the last year or so we’ve had guests from Airbnb in their eighties (laptops and iPads essential to keep in touch with their family) to eighteen year olds (phones only) and every age in between.

Even if I’m not traveling on business I need wifi to stay on top of my Airbnb and dog boarding business. Most clients contact me via phone but sometimes email. If I’m out of touch for 2-3 days I’m almost certain to miss out on some business. I’m going to NZ next year for a month and then traveling from there to AUS and maybe some islands in the S. Pacific and not only am I going to be not making money while gone, I know I’m going to be out of touch much of time and will miss out on a lot of business communication. I’ve resigned myself to taking the financial hit but some people don’t feel they can afford to do so.

I see hosts in my city dinged for no wifi even if it is written all over the listing. Granted these are budget listings in an urban setting (also where it is easy to get wifi in a coffee shop).

If I were in this situation, I would cap the bandwidth to email speed, like hotels do, and charge more for high-speed internet.

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Are they dinged or is it merely mentioned? I see reviews that say things like “this listing has no wi-fi but I knew that when I booked.” I don’t consider that a ding I consider that guests trying to point out to future guests what the limits of that listing are.

I’m not offended if someone says “this airbnb is kind of far from downtown,” because it is. Now if they also give me 4 stars for location even though they chose this location it’s irritating.

That’s why we travel with two phones - we both have a personal phone and a work phone. On my work phone I have the Airbnb app, apps I need for other work and email to certain email addresses.

Overkill - we’re like a travelling Apple store :slight_smile:

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