Community Spotlight: John5097

[Liv]

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since we've had a Community Spotlight, so hopefully you'll be happy to hear that we finally have a new one. 😊

Today you have the opportunity to get to know @John5097 a bit better! It's a great read, I hope you enjoy.

    

How long have you been hosting for and why did you first start?

I actually grew up in a bed and breakfast in Charleston, South Carolina. My mom rented 7 rooms in our house and carriage house starting when I was in the fifth grade. I enjoyed guests from all over, answering the phone, answering questions, making reservations. It really didn’t seem like work. In high school, my mom traveled for weeks and months at times, and would leave me to handle the day to day operations.This helped when I decided to host with Airbnb as I already knew the busy times of the year, what guests liked to do, and one of the most rewarding aspects is the level of trust guests still have with me.

Tell us a little about your listing.

It's a guest apartment at the end of a ranch house that was built in the 60s. The lot is what makes it magical with a nice view across the marsh. It's close to the historic district and the beaches, so guests love it. I did most of  the renovations, so it was fun for me to use some skills I picked up in construction for a project and small start up. 

  Watercolor from one of my guests at my Airbnb looking out over the marsh.

How long have you been part of the Community Center and why did you join?

Throughout the planning and renovation of my listing I did a lot of research, so it was very valuable to read other hosts and guests experiences for any given situation, such as whether or not to include a kitchen, pet policy, towels, food and on and on. So the community has become a wealth of information. I then started posting more after hosting the first year to discuss issues and challenges as a host, mostly to become more aware of the risk or issues other hosts face, and develop strategies together to avoid them.  

How was your experience on your first ever Zoom call for the Host Talk?

I was so impressed how talented everyone was! Admittedly I get nervous with any kind of presentation, like giving comments during a public meeting, but this was a really amazing opportunity to share ideas with so many hosts from all over the world. I loved it! 

What is your favourite thing about the CC and if you could make it better what one thing would you improve?

Hosts and guests are very candid, and it's a place where comments or opinions about policy aren’t removed or edited. Sometimes the executives participate or respond to some of the concerns, which is pretty cool, and I haven’t seen anywhere else. I guess we could all try and be more considerate and respectful.  

When you are not hosting, what do you like doing?

I like getting outside, riding a bike, paddleboarding, kayaking with friends, going to the beach, coffee shops, singing in the car when no one is watching, taking road trips, meeting new people, moving on in life, and taking an interest in things that catch my attention along the way.

What is the one thing you cannot live without?

I guess I can't live without the truth, although I have at times attempted to survive as long as possible avoiding it. 

Where would your dream holiday be?

Alaska, because I haven’t been there yet.

If you could have lunch with a famous person (past or present), who would it be and why? Also, what would you serve?

I enjoyed Jhumpa Lahiri’s novels and short stories, and always hoped to attend a presentation or reading with her, as she was one of my favorite authors who is actually present.

As I recall, she was born in London, moved to the US, and all of her stories weave together these whimsical offbeat characters from India, usually Calcutta, and modern contemporary characters in the US. One of her novels, The Lowlands, reminded me of the marshes and climate here in Charleston, which is often called the Low Country.

If we had lunch I would hope it would be in India, at a restaurant that has a red circle over the door, indicating it’s vegetarian, although I’m almost positive she isn’t vegetarian, and I’ve never actually been to India.

If I were cooking of course it would be one of my favorite curry recipes! Although, I’m sure she would be quite busy as she has a family and also teaching, but it would be fun to visit some city where she is participating in some kind of writing event or presentation, and why not hope to meet someone whose work I enjoyed and might actually meet someday?  

What's your food weakness?

Well, all this talk about Indian food is getting me kind of hungry. 

Do you have a fun fact?

Some of The Royal Family stayed at my mom's bed and breakfast. They happened to catch me coming in from playing basketball one afternoon, and were in dire need of tea. I escorted them into the kitchen and put a kettle of water on a restaurant grade gas stove, with over 20,000 BTU but this still wasn’t fast enough. They asked if we didn’t have an electric kettle, but somehow managed to survive a few minutes after their 3pm tea time, only had one small cup, and the crisis was averted.

 

Thank you so much John for sharing your story with us.

Please feel free to ask any questions or share any nice comments,  I'm sure he'd be really happy to hear from you 😊

Thanks, 

Liv

[John5097]

PS.. Just trying to recall an accurate snap shot of that time. As I recall Lady Di didn't join the rest of the family because she didn't want to ruin their trip with all the extra attention. I do hope William and Harry can move forward. 

[J-Renato0]

What a honor @John5097  !! Great experience to host them! I loved to read about that. Thanks for sharing it! 

[John5097]

@J-Renato0 so kind of you! There wasn't any planning to this, I just happened to follow up on the recent community meetings. I think the Community Managers are just trying to make it more casual and interactive with host and balance with something positive. I think its very unique experience for host at Airbnb. I really enjoy the diversity, and think its a good idea to make it more like seeing neighbor in person. I also wish I had more interaction with my guest, although some of my guest who are also host say the opposite! I just try to share what's been working for me! Seeing all the other host from all over really makes me want to do more traveling myself!