Get guests you can trust— every time

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Get guests you can trust— every time

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you are having a good day.

 

I wanted to let you know that we have updated the booking process to make sure you don’t have to host repeat guests if you don’t want to. Now, anytime you give a guest 3 stars or less, that guest will not be able to instantly book any of your spaces, even if you have Instant Book turned on.

 

Find out more in our Help Center.

 

What do you think about these changes? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

263 Replies 263

Hi there,

 

Yes, I realised that now. Like I said, I am still learning, so hopefully I will do it better next time. 

At the time I felt overwhelmed and didnt know what was or wasnt the right thing to do. 

I consider myself a great host and not all circunstances are the same.  Cheers!

EDITED:  to fix typo

 

@Elizabeth429   HI there......First off, its very important to make sure you spell another hosts name correctly.  My name is MOMI, not Momy.  Names are important to me and I know to many others as well.

 

Another thing, if you use the @ symbol, then the host name will drop down and you can choose.  ----------->  @ like that.  That's why your name is started out in my message with your name appearing ike this @Elizabeth429.  So if you have done that, you will see this @Momi0  - and that will ensure your post gets delivered to my INBOX.

 

Hopefully you understand this tagging a host name situation now for the CC. 🙂

 

THANK YOU for taking the time to let me know that my post helped you.  At one point or another, each and every hosts has learned something including me.  I had to learn how to approach a guests who kept breaking my rules and having them be asked to leave.  I am quite disturbed by your message that you don't feel that you can ask someone to leave YOUR HOME if they are not behaving in a mature and respectful manner.  I can assure you can!  Its YOUR HOUSE.  The next time an ABB employee says that to you and makes you feel like you are not being heard, I want you to take that employee's name down and immediately write Airbnb by clicking on your guests reservation and click on the CONTACT US button which is how you report a problem on that reservation immediately and write about THAT EMPLOYEE.  Also, you can click on the CALL BACK feature and request for Airbnb to contact you immediately.  Do not accept the answer from the first ABB employee who talks to you.  I promise you that its a great company and they do care, but there are some employees who just don't know what they are doing.

 

I want to give you some helpful tips on how best to approach this situation the next time it happens. 

 

1.  First, definitely talk to the guests calmly.  Remind them that house rules are required by both host and Airbnb to be followed.  Remind the guests that if this happens again, you will be sending Airbnb a message reporting the infraction.  I want to recommend that you also go to YOUR GUESTS ACCT and send a message to their inbox documenting this conversation and what was agreed upon.  I can't stress this enough...document document document.  Every time I have had to talk to a guests about a rule being broken MORE THEN ONCE, I send a message to their account and add Airbnb into the message like this:  (here's a latest example)

 

**************************************************************************************************************

Dear Airbnb and Guests (__insert their name here__)

 

Today, I had to speak with my guests about House Rule 4 and House Rule 9.  I pointed out to my guests that they have broken these rules more then once and reminded them that this cannot happen again.  The guests has been told that this reminder on October 4, 2017, will be my final reminder and any other further infractions of our House Rules, will result in the booking ending early, no refund issued, and contacting Airbnb immediately by phone who will support me 100%.  Our guests have apologized, say they understand and assure us of no further issues.   I am documenting this on the guests account and (sending photos of proof) of this broken house rules (food being eaten in our airbnb bedroom) so there is no misunderstanding of what was said and what was agreed upon.   We hope to have a much smoother stay between guests and host as its our goal to have a great experience for everyone.   The guest is welcome to respond to this message at anytime.  Superhost, Momi

 

*****************************************************************************************************************

 

Airbnb has had MY BACK every single time.   Your approach as a host is very important.  That's why I take photos, record videos and sometimes will have a conversation with the guests while Airbnb is on speakerphone just so Airbnb can hear how the guests is speaking to me if I am in anyway nervous about their reaction.  I have had to do this twice now and both times,  it was the perfect thing to do as Airbnb could hear the nasty vulgar comments I was enduring from a horrible guests who later was removed by the police department.  (and No, I did not tell the guests that Airbnb was on the phone, because I wanted them to be as real as possible.) Once the Airbnb manager heard how they were speaking to me, the manager immediately ordered the guests to pack their bags and vacate my home immediately.  This guest was later removed from the ABB community by the Safety and Trust team for threatening me.  All of this was witnessed by Airbnb due to my IPhone Speakerphone being on and the guests admitting it was him talking.  Sometimes it does help to have ABB call the guests for you to have them talk to the guests if they are indeed misbehaving or breaking rules, or just being inconsiderate of others around them.  That way, its documented that ABB had to call your guests.  This will help you down the road should you need to have someone be asked to leave.   Don't hesitiate to have ABB call your guests. 

 

I don't want to get side tracked from your initial issue, but its important to take note that I am a bit nervous every time I get an IB from someone who used it since they have to be a  5 Star rated reviewed guests knowing that hosts like you are giving them 5 stars when indeed they don't deserve it.  You should have been more honest.   That's MY point.  And even with IB, my guests are still NOT confirmed until I have felt they are a 5 Star guest from our message interaction.  Do I test my guests?  You bet I do and I won't apologize for it.  How they treat me in the message center is a clear indicator how they will treat me in my home.  And every time I didnt' listen to my gut over a few red flags during the booking process, it turned out to be a huge mistake for me.  So, since 2016, I have listened to my gut!!  No money is worth the stress a host can endure from hosting a terrible guests.  And remember, you said it yourself, the ABB employee kept saying "this guests is a 5 Star guests" when you called in to express your concerns about his innappropriate behavior on the message board.  Now imagine the next host who endures him and his passive agressive behavior and calls into ABB only to be told by That employee " Well we can see he has gotten another 5 Star review."  ( but this time it was FROM YOU.  Make more sense now?  

 

Since you mentioned that my post was very helpful and educational at the same time, perhaps you might want to click on the Thumbs Up Icon at the end of my earlier post to help others know its a good post to read.  If you find other helpful posts from other hosts, be sure to give them a Thumbs Up too.  🙂

 

Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. That's what we are here for.  Back in 2015, 2-3 hosts helped me and this is how I pay it forward. 

 

 

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


@Momi0 Hi I too was jaw dropped trying to figure out WHAT ?? from @Elizabeth - broke the main house rule and you gave em 5 stars. Crazy stuff - I'm with you Momi, you break the rules, I am not gonna worry about your feelings. COME ON folks - WHAT YOU PERMIT - YOU PROMOTE!!

 

I too believe we should be accurate, fair and decent in our reviews. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY - 
H O N E S T !!!!!!!!!! And this fear thing that I keep reading about from hosts is pretty wild. 

 

I hope HOSTS will really think long and hard and NOT BEND THEIR OWN HOUSE RULES - as soon as you bend them you open the door and say clearly "OH, rules, they aren't serious, and don't really count." 

Momi, I always enjoy your clear, articulate and very honest posts. Thanks for your ideas, thoughts and structure of doing business. Many times your stuff is so AWESOME!

Happy Hosting, Clara 

well coincidentally I gave a nonguest 3 stars for passively aggressively bullying me -  I prefer a separate button to allow me to choose if I don't want my listings to show up in  a past guest's future searches. 

 

Does this mean that if they give me 3 stars, I am blocked as well? 

I prefer to give a guest 5 stars if I feel they would be okay for other hosts but a separate button if I choose to utilize it to record my position or any animosity. 

 

I don't want to lower someone's star rating just because we have personal issues. 

good idea... I agree... I never give bad reviews...  my standards are not the same as everyone else's

I dont like hair anywhere, but people shed, what am I going to do, only host bald or shaved people? 

I draw the line when the sink is filled with every pot & pan in the apartment burnt, for 3 days.

anonymity prevents revenge and hostility....too much negative energy for me.

Is there a minimum number of reviews the individual has to have?

 

M

i think it should be at least 3. i had a guest with 8 great reviews that lit a fire in a decorative fireplace with NO SCREEN, I was cleaning for 3 days! it was extremely dangerous to lite that fire!

There should be a combined intelligence/survival skills test beforebooking ;-)) 

the minimum number for IB is one review, even in a group travel. 

Most of the guests with families are good but you never know.

Sara455
Level 4
Providence, RI

I don't give bad reviews. what about when hosts give no review? for that is what I do when I get a bad or unwanted guest. If someone requests a reservation and cannot 'instant book', I look at profile, if they have been a member for 2 years and have no reviews, I won't book them. Seems obvious to me.

It's not so obvious, @Sara455. If you leave an honest review, you help many other hosts. Not leaving any doesn't help because I have met at least 2 guests with very old accounts and no revies, and it was their first time actually as guests and were great.

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"

I have no problems with my bookings....   and wish to keep it that way....   no negative energy.

 

now, u all may have had some serious problem guests, set your house on fire, abnoxious enough to make neighbors complain & remaining guests check-out early...

Luckily, I only had one guest that may have fallen into that catagory....   she was so rude and showed such poor manners on the telephone...  I canceled her reservation before she arrived.

Dodie0
Level 3
Oakland, CA

This is interesting, and a good idea. I have 99.9 percent good guests, some messier than others, but very very few warrant a bad reveiw or not be welcome back. So I decided to join instant book. I do have one couple that I do not want to welcome back. And I have been afraid they may just do an instant book. I THINK since they don't leave or have reviews it will "inquire" to me first, but I have been wondering how to block them. I did not leave them a bad review, because I just didn't. But next time I will do the 3 star thing.

 

For the record, extra towels and laundry, lights and heater on, leaving dishes for me to clean. I can deal with all of that. But (and I do not practice ageism) these folks were in their 70's. Drank too much, came home late and set off the emergency alarm (its a keypad), could not for the life of them understand how to lock the door, so hence, it's broken. And basically were not considerate or communicative guests. I have hosted around 50 guests a year since airbnb began, and even before that through Craigslist. So I am teflon.

 

Anyway, do appreciatte that Airbnb is helping. Sometimes just have to keep up with their new "changes"

@Dodie0

 

May I ask why 3 stars, seems very generous. You can also block them.

David

It would be my preference to block them. I will look into it.