I Am Constantly Having Problems With Foreign Visiting Guests

[Alan1009]

I am constantly having problems with guests from foreign countries. I won't say which country or which language to keep this neutral.

They seem to have a culture of ignoring rules and policies or don't have the English language skills to read them and understand them.

They often stay in the room 24/7 without leaving and frequently ignore policies and rules and often meander around in the middle of the night.

I will probably get a bad review from this and others and possibly get delisted.

99% of my guests are great and I never have a problem , but this one particular language group seems to give the most problems.

Can I refuse people from foreign countries without penalty?

[Rebecca · Accepted solution]

Hi @Alan1009 👋

To answer your question directly: no, you can't refuse or treat guests differently based on their country of origin or the language they speak. This falls under Airbnb's Nondiscrimination Policy and you can read the full policy here: Nondiscrimination Policy.

If you're dealing with repeated rule-breaking that's affecting your listing, it might also be worth contacting Airbnb Support directly, they'll be able to advise on options specific to your case. 

[Alan1009]

Thanks for that info @Rebecca , and as it turns out this foreign person, after breaking a laundry list of polices, told me they are checking out early today and requesting a refund for remaining days that I can no longer get booked.
This is what is typical for those who have different cultures/languages which don't , can't , or won't read the policies before booking. If I get a bad review after confronting them about policies I will just turn my listing off. 
I had just started listing again after removing the listing a year ago. 

[Helen3]

I think it's a shame you are generalising about guests from a particular country .

@Alan1009 

I have been hosting for eleven years and have never found it to be true that all guests from one country behave in the same way. 

It seems you are cutting your nose off to spite your face to turn off your listing if you get a bad review .

1. if a guest is regularly  breaking your house rules then you can ask Airbnb to cancel the bookings 

2. as you know if a guest wants to cut short their booking any cancellation will be processed under the cancellation policy you chose so the guest won't necessarily be entitled to a refund 

3. Your comment that this behaviour is typical of guests from other cultures /who speak other languages is simply not true. I've had nearly 500 guests from countries ranging from India to China and Spain to South America - all have been lovely . Do you remind guests to read the house rules before booking - these are translated so there shouldn't be any confusion 

4. Vetting guests is key . For example do you ask guests why they are visiting your location and make it clear in your listing it's not suitable for guests who aren't out studying /working /visiting the area.

[Alan1009]

You can hate and judge all you want and put the blame on the person with the policies that are broken. That is your choice. And I don't appreciate you putting words in my mouth. I did not say "other languages" or "other cultures" I said  "one particular language group" .  Gee, you read about as well as this last guest did!  Perhaps you are allowing your emotions to override your ability to cognitively comprehend what I have written in the OP. The facts of my experiences stand on their own and yes I asked all guests to read the rules/polices when I send the key code for the lock and welcome them. 
And you did not list the country/language of this last guest. You left that one out. It is a group that has monumental historical death and destruction and violation of human rights associated with it worldwide.  

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Alan1009 

No, sorry, but you can’t refuse bookings based on a guest’s race, nationality, or country of origin simply because you’ve had repeated issues with some guests from that group. Doing so would be considered discriminatory and goes against Airbnb’s policies.

Instead, try addressing the specific behavior rather than the guest’s background. If you’ve noticed recurring issues, it may help to put up clear and simple house rules or laundry instructions in both English and the primary languages spoken by your guests. For example, if guests are misusing the washing machine, a simple step-by-step laundry guide with illustrations can make a big difference.

In our own listings, we frequently host guests from Korea, the United States, China, and Japan. Because of that, we’ve translated important house information and instructions into English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese to help avoid misunderstandings. We’ve found that guests are much more likely to follow the rules when they can read them in their own language.

Clear communication often prevents problems before they happen. I hope this helps!

[Alan1009]

Thanks for that Patricia but what falls under the "clear communication" for you seems to be a lot of extra added work for each person that stays. Is it really the responsibility of the host country to translate for visitors? You can believe that if you want, I won't.
And i think a distinction needs to be made between "nice" foreign people with cultural differences and those that come here expecting to make America change to suit their culture and do what they want with no respect for our culture, laws, or business rules with the latter falling into the types I get most of the time.

My grandfather once told me that ignorance of the law is no excuse. Likewise, policies and rules not read or translated by guests is also no excuse.
My review for this last guest is going to address "specific behavior" and it will be quite lengthy. With that , I agree with you.

[Helen3]

As I've mentioned in my earlier post you don't need to translate anything if you don't want as the listing is translated into the guests home language for many countries .

@Patricia2526 lovely to see you going the extra mile mile for your guests. 

[Alan1009]

I didn't understand the part that said "if you don't want as the listing is translated into". 

[Helen3]

What part of my comment don't you understand @Alan1009 ? 

[Alan1009]

The part I put in quotes, the grammar doesn't make sense.

[Patricia2526]

What I meant was having your instructional signage translated into the languages your guests commonly speak. @Helen3