This topic is part of the Community Center Festival of Hospitality.
The original was published in the Spanish-speaking Community Center by @Juan306 and we have translated it below.
Dear Airbnb Community, I believe I'm putting myself at risk by choosing a topic related to the pandemic, which has affected so many people around the globe and claimed so many lives. Nevertheless, I decided to proceed with it to recognize the benefits of nature, I mean, the natural environment.
During this time, I have read so many hosts grumbling about the difficult situation for accommodation hosting, in most cases due to restrictions on tourism and movement in general, especially with the stay-at-home orders. We've also lived through those moments here, and I'm not going to discuss whether or not it was the proper way of dealing with the situation. The funny thing is that despite the restrictions, my little house was always busy and inquired about.
There was a remarkable change because I believe I had welcomed guests for a month on just two occasions until that moment. In one case, a couple about to get married wanted to try living in the countryside as an option for settling down once they got married. In another case, a young foreigner came to visit a friend he had met on a previous vacation and had plans to strengthen the relationship. Other bookings were usually only for weekends or a few days. However, the lockdown in cities and work-from-home arrangements resulted in many people spending their time in the countryside. That was when I started receiving requests for one-month stays, mainly for a single guest.
I even received a three-month booking from a lovely Canadian guest: the first two months just herself and the last month with her mother. And of course, the first change I had to make was the Internet connection, which I hadn't needed until then. I was even lucky that the first guest who requested it was a Colombian from New York to look for a cottage to stay in as a resident in the area. He offered to carry out the installation himself with my permission and had to take care of everything. I had no way of travelling to the accommodation from my own home due to restrictions on movement (we were unable to leave the house that month).
I had to think about how to change the bedding, the bathroom and kitchen towels, and carry out the general cleaning of the accommodation. I decided to change the linen and towels as a courtesy and conduct monthly general cleaning. I realised that guests could stay peacefully without using a duster or a broom, so it was better for me to do it myself and prevent cleaning from becoming more difficult in the end. The luck that I had of having so many solo guests for one month, two months, and up to three months continue to intrigue me. Well, they were not always alone: one of them was with two puppies, and another one with a little boy.
All were wonderful experiences with tranquil people who sought refuge in nature. Well, I must confess that one was not the best experience, but rather the worst that I've had in my entire Airbnb hosting. In the end, it didn't get any bigger, but the worst part was a bad review and a very low rating. I managed to have it deleted after several months of complaining to Airbnb.
I've gained lots of experiences during this time. My recommendations and house rules have now become a publication that requires quite a bit of reading, but that's part of learning as a host. Even so, I'm not ashamed to share them through chat after an inquiry or when I've just received an instant booking. I have also tried, through the content, to emanate a friendly and confident tone, which, after all is what I think we all want to bring about as social beings.
To conclude, I have some images of the surroundings of the accommodation and the forest, where you can find the best company nature can offer us.
