Business is picking up! Way up!

[Donald28]

I'm beating last years numbers since we've opened back up. I think people are tired of being cooped up in their homes and want to get out to do something fun. I hope you all are having success too! 

-Don in Lithia Springs Ga.

[Robin4]

@Donald28  @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  @Nick  @Sarah977   @Suzanne302   @Helen350

I really don't think we should be judging guests by their age, their size, their perceived health.

I had a guest, Marianne.......When she booked she told me she was regarded as Australia's leading junior swimming coach.

My reaction was....wow! I explained in the message stream where all the training facilities were in the area so she could keep in shape. She said she was coming here for the marriage of one of her swimming pupils....he said he could not possibly get married without Marianne attending! 

The day arrived, it was the middle of summer and an access van pulled up out the front and this enormous woman was helped out of the van by the driver. She was the largest woman I have ever seen in the flesh! We see bigger in medical programs on TV but this woman could not walk unaided. She had a crutch around one arm which supported one side and the driver took her other arm as she waddled up the driveway....... and I stood there in shock! This was not the booking I accepted!

We got her in on the bed, she was sweating profusely and the taxi driver left! Great, what the hell do I do now, my listing is not equipped for a person of this size. I got straight onto Airbnb support and explained the situation. They were really good about it and asked if I wanted to cancel the reservation. I said it was a bit late for that, she was here but I wanted it on file that this was not the booking I was lead to believe I was accepting should a problem occur!

I rushed up the back and increased my Sharecover public liability on the spot!

I left Marianne to it that afternoon and night and she seemed to be getting on okay. The next afternoon ( Friday) was hot, around 34c (96f) and she came out of the cottage as I was sitting under the veranda at the rear of the house. She asked if she could sit with me and talk, and I asked if she would like a cup of tea which she accepted. Ade came out and the three of us talked and she talked about all her swimming successes, and my reaction under my breath was....'For Christ sake shut up Marianne, you would empty a swimming pool, not fill one'! Both Ade and I sort of felt we were being insulted!

After a while she started to cry and she told us how her genetic condition had taken over her life and she had not been able to continue in her chosen career, her family had largely deserted her and she ended up all alone in a country town in New South Wales!

From that point on she became great company, we laughed and joked and had a lovely afternoon.

The next morning (Saturday) the day of the wedding, and the bridegroom and best man arrived to pick up Marianne. He was indeed one of Australia's best swimmers and has Olympic Gold to his name. They both looked so comical 6ft4 of him with his arm around  5ft 2 Marianne and he looked me in the eye and said....."I could never have done it without this woman"!!!!

I learned an instant lesson that day, you never judge a book by it's cover! This was the review Marianne gave and my response......

You can't simply lump guests into categories, old, fat, lazy, belligerent, overweight, we are all people and we all deserve respect. 

Cheers......Rob

[Donald28]

it's all peaches and cream until a 400lb guest sits in your swinging chair and the expensive wooden pergola falls on them or they try to go down your swimming pool slide and it collapses under their weight.  

[Helen3]

Thanks @Robin4 for your wonderful storytelling ability and for being the voice of reason.

You are correct it saddens me so much to hear hosts spout various prejudices on here; old, fat, lazy, belligerent, overweight and those that make derogatory generalisations about guests based on their colour, race or religion.

 I wonder if these hosts would used these sort of terms when describing parent, a best friend, a child, a sibling or a partner?

It's sad to see these sort of hosts on a platform that values diversity and inclusivity. 

[Suzanne302]

 @Donald28  the things that you have said in this thread...You are not someone I would want to associate myself with. Wow. What kind of person says those things and feels good about his/herself? Wow, is all I can muster right now.

[Donald28]

The truth does sting and hurt. I get it. Would you feel more comfortable if I just THOUGHT these thoughts and didn't post about them here in the hosts help forum? 

I'm sure you complained when the airlines started charging obese people for 2 seats because no one could sit next to them and because they are literally twice the weight of an average human therefore taking the same amount of fuel to carry them through the air as 2 average sized humans. That's horrible and unfair to mention and you wouldn't associate yourself with them right? I'm sure they're as broke up about it as I am. 

[Sharon1014]

@Nick  Gotta say I'm really shocked that Airbnb doesn't have privacy provisions applicable to the CC re hosts posting the pics of booked guests without the guest's express written permission.  But our privacy laws in Aussie are really strict.  Perhaps the US is not the same.  Still, if someone's pic is up on a public forum, and that person didn't give permission, there could be both personal and legal ramifications from that.  At least I would have thought so.  Perhaps you need to check whether or not it  is ok for hosts to post pics of their guests without guest permission on an Airbnb site?

[Cathie19]

I thought @Sharon1014  the same thing. With basic apps, images and names can be easily covered to protect privacy.

[Nick]

Thank you @Sharon1014 @Cathie19  for pointing this out. It was an error from our part and the picture is now removed. We do have a clause in the CC guidelines not to share any private or personal information and this would also cover guest information. The name and the personal photo are the two public-facing pieces of information that remain, much like Facebook. The real issue here is that people can see where and when an individual is staying.
With this in mind @Donald28  is there another photo you would like to use on your post? You can also blur the faces of your guest out and repost. Thanks

[Cathie19]

Great to see @Nick. Thanks for the prompt clarification and response. I know that when I’m a guest, I wouldn’t like to see myself in someone’s CC thread. As hosts, we can get our information across without breaching privacy, so I’m sure with @Donald28  being a CC member since 2017, this was an accidental breach..... Cheers!