I understand where you are coming from. The guests in question (who left the review) had no difficulties with the language, and while I believe I in this instance may have not also told them about the 17th floor in person upon their arrival (which normally I do) I don’t feel it is misleading as I a) have written it across my description multiple times and b) it is the view from the house, just not the level that my apartment is at. It isn’t quite comparable with taking ‘a Greyhound to the coast’ but simply a matter of getting off the lift a few floors further up. Zero effort required. As my town does not have many high-rises that are accessible I do feel this is a unique feature my place has to offer and I don’t want to not mention it just because it isn’t literally on the doorstep, you know?
You sound like you have very good command of English, and and Cabinhost addressed, anyone struggling with the language should certainly get help with a translator or friend that speaks better English rather than making assumptions. I too have spent years in non English speaking countries and traveling the world, and have never had to blame anyone for anything like this.
Hotels have photos of local attractions all the time. They post views that you won’t necessarily get from your room, do you pitch a fit? They also have a picture perhaps of a pool you may need to walk a little to get to or catch a few floors down to visit, they may have a health spa, but not tell you that it’s very expensive, and you only find that out when you arrive at the health spa. They have pictures of a nice empty exercise room that may be packed to the rafters when you arrive. Do you complain saying you saw a picture on the website so expected to get it? It’s just a silly argument. People need to read, ask questions. Julie obviously did nothing wrong.
I have this issue all the time, but with people not reading my house rules, or very basic information that absolutely should have been read before coming to my home, such as getting my address (messaging me on their way for my address, when this has been sent to them on an itinerary). I have had people that didn’t realize the Marina was a few steps around the corner from my home, despite a map on airbnb showing them this, and my area being named after it. I only found out in the reviews that they didn’t think we were walking distance to anywhere, and had been going uptown instead. People are unbelievable. You have to tell some people everything, like little children. Others come totally prepared.
Personally, I love it when airbnb’s put in some pictures of the local area, especially if nearby a beach or waterway. All they need to do is say how far (blocks or miles) or in the case of Julie’s amazing view, a short elevator ride, so we have an idea how long it takes to get to it from the home/room. Perfect. Much better than not having a clue.
The fact that they did not ‘understand’ a clearly written description, in any language, is not the fault of the writer. I am sure that if I went to a country where (my native language) English is not a primary language, I would have many instances where something clearly written in the hosts’ language is missed or misinterpreted by me - but I would also realize that the burden of reading a description is on the reader, and if a translation proves incorrect, then we all laugh, not get angry and leave a bad review.
It might be cultural to ‘hold in’ your questions, but it is not logical nor helpful…
Sandy, I do believe we are not talking about the same thing here. If there is a pool on your roof, by all means, advertise it. If there is a gym, a bar, even a platform made for scenic views, you should show it. But the way I was reading the post it is just a roof top. In literally all high raised buildings I ever lived you were not even allowed to enter the roof. So what are we talking about here? A place were you sneak up and enjoy the view between rattling air con units and humming antennas or a sort of a roof garden, created for enjoyment? This is a huge difference.
I think I have to clarify:
I live in a 19 storey building; I live on one of the lower floors but if you take the lift to the 17th or 18th floor you have an incredible view across the whole city. My city is famous for being pink, as it is referred to as the ‘Pink City’, so having this view is pretty spectacular. Hence, in the listing, I point out that if you go to the top floors (not literally the rooftop as that obviously is dangerous!) you can see the view. I should have expressed myself more clearly.
You were clear Julie, and it sounds like an amazing view. Absolutely worth mentioning. It would really be a pity not to include it just because of the few that don’t read. Just as I now direct every single guest down to our local Marina around the corner as part of the arrival spiel despite being all over the listing because of those that don’t bother to read, it appears that you will need to do the same thing, just to make sure people understand - or in your case more than likely in the messages of those wanting to book. Some people really do break your heart don’t they? We try our very best, but there is a sort of laziness where people really can’t be bothered to read. They just want to look at a few pictures and hit ‘buy now’.
Julie, I think your question was - am I silly to have this upset me.
Absolutely not. I once had a private feedback that said "it’d be nice if the shower and toilet were all in one room on the same floor as the bedroom (guests have a toilet in the basement outside the bedroom and have to shower upstairs). Well, yeah, duh, and it would be quite snazzy to have $15,000 in my bank account to make it happen! We loved the guests and had a great time, they paid very little for what they got, so them mentioned the bathroom did really sting!
But this is the thing - I think most of us are ‘hosts at heart’ - meaning, we have an innate (insane?) desire to open our home to other travelers. So when they complain, it feels personal. We’ve worked hard to provide a good product at the right price, and it feels like rejection of that hard work and more importantly, heart.
So it’s not silly, it’s natural, but we all have to toughen up a bit. To us it’s a little bit of our heart but to others it’s just a place to stay.
I didn’t look at the listing, but do try to be more clear - one airbnb I stayed in showed photos that did confuse me, too, having to do with a roof-top patio - from the room there’s a tiny ‘alley’ of rooftop, but the real space was up a few flights. I didn’t care, because I was actually there to work, but if I had anticipated enjoying that space I might have been.
Happy Hosting, Julie!!
I’ve been dinged in reviews for being remote, and 45 minutes to town, which is all over my listing in I don’t know how many ways. It’s completely unfair to do that to a host, when these particulars are CLEARLY explained. I think if it is a selling point, you should leave it in but make sure that photo is like one of the last ones and that you also say, "walk a few flights up to see this view . (View not available from the flat.) Or something along those lines.