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My sister in law is a senior accommodation manager for one of the biggest accommodation chains in Australia and when I tell her about some of the non-helpful responses I receive on this forum she always makes the same comment: so they have no interest in learning and improving.
We have really interesting conversations about the industry. She has a degree in tourism and has worked for many very well known international accommodation companies. I really appreciate being able to ask her for advice and I always follow it as she is the true professional and I have just learnt as I have gone along. We had a conversation this week about having a minimum stay over peak times.
I love the fact that she takes an interest in what I do and that I can always turn to her for help even though I am small fry.
Think I might send her the link to this thread so she knows how much I appreciate her help.
I think there is a lot of learning on here about hosting, people and ourselves. However people donāt agree with us all the time. Thatās ok though, as long as people debate the issues rather than getting personal.
You might have missed another thread where 50% of the messages were removed by a moderator. They posts were seriously out of line and very personal. I have nothing to gain by posting my listings but to open myself up to more ridicule.
Maybe I should clarify that I am talking about the personal attack messages I have received, not the ones we have sharing information. If people donāt like what you have written so feel the need to sling personal insults it is difficult to see that these messages are in the spirit of learning and improving.
I thought it was obvious I was talking about those types of responses, but apparently I was taken the wrong way - again. Might be time for me to disappear back down the cyber space hole I used to live in.
Iām sure that all the members here are very willing to help you to learn and improve. You should also be sure to search and look back at old topics. If I remember correctly youāve only been hosting for a few years so Iām sure the forum can help.
And donāt worry,Iām sure that none of the regular members here indulge in āpersonal attack messagesā. You must have had messages from the occasional troll (read nutjob ) that we get here from time to time. Honestly, Iāve been a member here for years and have never received āpersonal attack messagesā.
All will be well.
Iām sure that youāve seen topics here where members have asked for input so that they can ālearn and improveā and we can do the same for you too.
Absolutely, and in most of my recent threads I have thanked the forum for the wonderful things I have learnt over the years and continue to do so.
I am forever re writing my documents and guests messages because someone here wrote something in a better way that I did.
Just last week I changed my guest welcome message to include: " Please treat the villa with love, respect and care" and leave her as youād hope Iād leave your home. I thought the love, respect and care were so powerful. Unfortunately I canāt remember who wrote it as I was too busy plagiarising at the time. Now all I need to do is get the guests to read it!
To Americans, a āvillaā is a large European country house with a garden. What you describe as a āvillaā would be called a townhouse in the US. As someone else said, it sounds like a term used by pushy real estate sales people selling overpriced housing.
In Australia we call a townhouse a place that is on more than one level. Usually with the living kitchen area downstairs and the bedrooms upstairs. Itās interesting how the terms all mean such different things in different countries. Some of the American housing names I read on here I have no idea what they mean.
I wouldnāt say a villa in Australia was used by pushy salesman, the housing market in Australia doesnāt need pushy salesman it sells itself. However it is a term that is now used to describe units that have been renovated, modernised and are more up-market but at the end of the day they are just units.
My places are just single level units/villas. One is a studio, the other one next door is meant to be a 2 bedroom but we were going poor reviews about the tiny second room and the whole place being too squeezy for more than 2 people, so we pulled out the beds, put some gym equipment in there and re branded it as a one bedroom for more money.
This is true in the UK too. A townhouse is usually 3 levels, sometimes 4. Sometimes they have an integral garage on the ground floor. They are normally on expensive land in a city so the architecture saves on space, and they are not always a cheap option.
Itās funny, on Airbnb I had to choose townhouse as a category because it was the closest, but not really accurate. My house is terraced, which I understand Americans call a row house. A terrace is normally Victorian or Georgian, whereas a townhouse is new. But then about a third of us in the UK live in period houses, which is not so in the new world.
