Hi everyone!
While booking for a stay, guests often loo...
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Hi everyone!
While booking for a stay, guests often look into the listing location — whether it's surrounded by scenic b...
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On a recent extended trip to Ireland, Scotland, the US, and Mexico that stretched over a five month period my partner and I stayed at 22 Airbnb locations and in approximately the same number of hotels. Our stays ranged from one night to one month and we had a variety of different experiences. Among them were a renovated farm house on 28 acres with sheep at our bedroom window, a stay in a Casino in Nevada, a coverted shed on a farm with horses, cows, and chickens (even fresh eggs were provided), a mobile home, a 12th floor luxury apartment in the middle of a city, and a home with pet chickens in the middle of LA. We stayed in private rooms in people’s homes as well as fully equipped houses. Our views included ponds, hillsides, cities, lochs, and the ocean. For the most part our hosts were very hospitable and did all they could to make our stay as pleasant as possible. Some accommodations were absolutely pristine and beautiful and some were - well, we would rather not go there.
Here are some things that we learned that we would like to pass along to our hosts. Kitchen equipment is important. Basics like a coffee maker, toaster, and can opener should go unmentioned but somehow they were forgotten in some of the nicest accommodations. If guests want to cook it is nice to have sharp knives, a garlic press, a cheese grater, and a colander. Ever try to drain hot pasta using only your fingertips? Even if you don’t have a washer/dryer, an iron and ironing board will keep your guests happy.
If your water is not good for drinking by all means provide bottled water and a dispenser. Kleenex, extra toilet paper, paper towels, and zip lock bags are all essentials. And extra light bulbs in case they burn out (and they do burn out). In many places we stayed we could tell that the hosts never consulted a “pre-flight checklist.” It made us feel as if nobody cared. We liked meeting our hosts but we also enjoyed our stays just as much when even though we didn’t meet it was evident that the host had taken the time to make sure everything was in place, then left us a code to get into the room.
Dishes and silverware. Just like Goldilocks - not too much and not too little. If you only provide two spoons, forks and knives, what do you do after dinner when you want dessert and everything is dirty? And if you want the dishes washed, you need to provide the tools to do that - particularly extra dish towels.
If you don’t have adequate electrical outlets then please leave a power strip or two so that things like computers can be charged. If pets have been in the space, please let us know in your profile so that we can choose if we want to follow them into our bed. More than one set of towels per person is also necessary.
And here is a biggy - the instruction book. It should include not only the best restaurants to visit, but also how to find the nearest pharmacy and the name of a doctor and a dentist in case of emergency. But more importantly it should include the how tos. Not only where you put the trash, where do we find the extra trash bags, but how do things work. Especially considering that travelers these days cross international borders and appliances don’t work the same way in a strange country - how do the washer/dryer, stove, hot water heater, coffee maker, microwave, wood stove, oven, dvd player, tv, and locks work? Including this information in your packet is so helpful. And a map of the area helps as well.
There are some food basics that are nice to have in the kitchen. As we traveled for some time on a motorcycle, we could not carry these basics with us. Salt, pepper, sugar, a small amount of flour and oil. Even a few spices and other condiments like mustard, mayo, ketchup and vinegar are useful. If you are a bachelor who has only made microwave popcorn and ramen noodles in the kitchen, don’t leave a packet of the stuff out as a welcome gift. Tea bags and coffee are essential as well. And, of course, we loved the stays where they left us cookies and candy and even a beer!
Every Airbnb host should stay in at least three Airbnb homes prior to hosting so that they can see for themselves what hosts include and what they fail to think about.
Our award for the best equipped in terms of food goes to Tim and Holly in Tucson who stocked the kitchen with canned goods and the refrigerator with absolutely everything you could possible need. We didn’t actually believe all this stuff was for us - pasta and sauce, soups of all kinds, milk, cheese, popcorn, the list went on and on.
Best selection of dvds award goes to Molly and Arthur in Baja. Best use of small space award goes to Sherry and Barry in Mancos. Best towels award goes to Aunt Bea in Buena Vista.
Our award for the best private room goes to Monica in San Diego. She even provided make up remover pads. The room was spacious, the bath delicious, the coffee fragrant, and the private entrance welcome. Although we never met Rani in LA, we loved the room and the chickens. Not only did Rani give us the names of the chickens but she explained to us their behavior so that we knew what to expect. Well behaved chickens in a very clean chicken house were fun to be associated with. Another close contender for best private room was Jan in Tiburon - the snacks were to die for.
Best complete house/apartment award and best award overall goes to Gordon and Maureen in Argyll, Scotland. We arrived after a motorcycle accident, surgery, and other losses. They were gracious and loving. Their studio overlooked a beautiful loch with many stone circles nearby. Maureen stocked the fridge with butter, cheese, bread, milk, and all the basics that we might need, including pleasant conversation and a healing presence. We were truly sorry to say good-by.
So there you have it, hosts. Thank you one and all for your hospitality and kindness, your comfy beds, and all the other amenities you provided for two travelers who set out to see the world and ended up back at home in Mexico, for the best place of all to be is always home. And the best you can do as a host is make your guests feel as if they are already there.
Just wanted to say thank you for your article, becasue I learnt how to be a better host. And Wow, what a journey! Rgds Pete (Australia)
An interesting read thank you for sharing, but impractical, do you know that most Hotel make no money on food sales and with the prices that Airbnb is attaining for me, I could not afford to facilitate your requirements which where specific to you since you were on an extended vacation and cooking at your rental was a financial imperative perhaps.
of all the guest I've hosted only two cooked meals, so in my case I would be throwing out most of the condiment you described, with regards to the Garlic press most chefs use the side of a sharp knife to achieve the same result.
My very first guest where scalpers that noticed my price was ridiculously low and used everything available, if fact they damage a coffee pot beyond repair and hid it in the back of a press out of sight leaving at six o'clock in the morning to avoid any repercussions.
I would like to echo some of the comments made, by saying that leaving consumables more than requirement will and have been be taken by guests.
I personally think you want to much and I would certainly give it to you, if I could get Euros 100 a night for two people rather than the Euros 26 a night I'm currently getting for a two-bedroom 55m2 apartment with a fully equipped kitchen that does NOT include a toaster, dishwasher, garlic press, mixer, expresso machine, microwave, bread maker or whatever takes you fancy.
I have pots and a pan, sharp knifes a chopping board and cooking utensils a kettle and two expresso coffee pots, a Delph teapot, sugar bowl, and a milk jug knifes, fork, table and soup spoons, chop sticks, tea cups dinner and side plates and soup bowls and that about covers it.
I have to agree with you. I try to stock my apartment with everything I need when I'm using the space, and I also provide coffee, tea, and condiments. But if guests want to cook, it's my expectation they go to the grocery store and get what they need. Otherwise let me know in advance and I'll shop for them for a fee. I had to sound mean, but there are guests who want a fully stocked kitchen for a bargain price.
I think there has to be a balance between renting a nice place at a fair price, and travelers who feel it is the job of the host to provide for their every needs. I rent when I'm away and I can't even fathom asking a host for all the things some Airbnb users demand. One recent guest even complained that I don't provide tissues - and then was forced to apologize when I immediately uploaded photos of each bedroom and the large box of tissues sitting on the night stand next to each bed. Another complained my freezer was dirty and gave me a 4 out of 5 rating for cleanliness. What's in the freezer? Ice cubes, and two packages of food I leave for when I'm having a work day with my assistant there.
So tip from a seasoned host - don't sweat the small stuff, and be appreciative that you have received a nice alternative to staying at an impersonal (and higher priced) hotel.
Thank you SO much!! This is only my second month as an Airbnb host, and your article helped me immensely!! I am so grateful that I accidentally found it.
Good tips, but considering that many AirBnb properties offer lower prices than local hotels (which, by the way, do not offer any of these services for free), I believe that guests should not expect extras from hosts, especially when they book a low budget accommodation. There is also another problem, that there are many guests, who do not appreciate the extras at all, and think that they can take away small supplies with them. So new hosts, before offering any additional service, should carefully weigh the pros and cons, especially the financial part of the issue and how to prevent guests from taking too much advantage of the host's hospitality.