Hi, I am Martin Fuller. I have set up Magpie Cottage as a ho...
Hi, I am Martin Fuller. I have set up Magpie Cottage as a homestay BnB in Taumarunui in the centre of the North Island of New...
Is there a better opportunity than the Festival of Hospitality to share tips for receiving international guests? Thatโs the topic of this post, with my experience of being a foreigner guest-host.
I have been host and guest for several years now, but last September, my partner and I left everything behind and started a 2 years travel that brought us from Europe to Canada, Colombia, and now Australia.
During this trip we had the chance to stay in many airbnb accommodations. As an active member of the community, I know that most hosts are doing their best to ensure their guests a wonderful stay, and for those interested, I could hint at some possible improvements for international guest experience.
1๏ธโฃ My first advice is to make a welcome book, digital or physical, it doesn't matter.
English speakers sometimes forget that the whole world does not speak English. And reading, for a foreigner, is often easier than listening/speaking. Having a welcome book in the accommodation gives the opportunity to your guest to understand it at its own pace, and even use a picture-translation tool if necessary for the physical version. A well-crafted welcome book can greatly enhance your guests' experience.
Of course, it should include Wi-Fi credentials, house rules (make them clear), waste instructions, parking information, and whatever you think useful. And some local recommendations of your own are always appreciated.
But there is more!
In my experience, when you travel abroad, there are some things that are completely unknown/ unclear for foreigners, but yet so obvious to locals that they donโt even think about explaining it in the welcome book.
2๏ธโฃ So, my second advice is to spot those things and explain them.
Here are some examples from our experience of being foreigners traveling:
Something that may sound silly: Doors are very different in Europe and in America, and you donโt lock them the same way. In Europe, we do not have this button to press for locking it, and it can be hard to figure out how to lock an American door when you encounter it for the first time. It might sound silly, but for hosts who receive a lot of foreigners Iโm sure it will be helpful! We did really appreciate that in one accommodation we rented, the guy had explained in his guidebook how to lock the doors.
The house rules should clearly indicate what is on the guest for departure considering the cleaning/ things to do. It is not always clear and we are often worried about committing mistakes without even knowing it. There are different ยซ untold ยป standard rules for the state of cleanness a guest should leave a house, even when cleaning is included. For example, in the USA, it seems to be ok not to do a single thing when you leave a house, while in Europe, leaving your dirty dishes is considered very rude even if you paid for cleaning fees. When you receive foreigners, consider they do not know anything, consider them as if they had no education, and make sure all you expect from them is clearly written down.
I strongly recommend adding a section about recycling. Recycling rules are very different in Europe, and having imagery and detailed instructions for these things would be very useful (probably even for the local guests). We stayed at a friendsโ near Toronto and put the same material as we do in France in her recycling bin, which includes many plastics, even small yogurt pots and most of the soft plastics, even the food spoiled ones. Sheโs from Europe so she quickly understood the issue and explained to us what to recycle here. But still, we keep having doubts and we often chose the main trash for some items to make sure we donโt do mistakes ๐ . In my house in France, I have put a detailed picture on the wall, near the bins, of what goes in which bin. I wished it would be displayed in the accommodations Iโm renting as I believe it is very helpful. Many municipalities have published clear image guidelines, and they are downloadable online. Iโm sure many foreign hosts would appreciate having it displayed in the accommodations.
And the last thing Iโm thinking of, still about the trash, is what to do with the returnable materials (such as metal cans and glass) when there are such rules in your country. In Canada for example, rules are different in each province and we would have loved to get a clear idea of what to do with the refundable containers to get the refund when we were staying in a place (are there collect boxes around, in which shop, or where should we bring them back, should we crush them, clean themโฆ ?).
