Going out on a high note!

[Suzanne302]

As many of you know, due to a "final straw" struggle with CS, I snoozed my listing indefinitely a couple weeks ago, but still had a few reservations to finish out. Well, my last few guests are a wonderful reminder of why I started hosting in the first place.

The guests who just checked out were only 20 years old. They couldn't have been nicer or more respectful of my home. They were the 5-star guests we all hope for, and not only that, they were adorable and kind and pleasant and thankful for everything I provided. If not for Coronavirus, I would have hugged these two when they left!

I have two reservations left before pulling up my Airbnb welcome mat. They are both 20-something females who stayed with me last year and wanted to come back. I remember both of them and they were amazing guests so I'm happy to welcome them back.

There is just so much negativity in the CC these days I wanted to remind us that there is still GOOD out there!  (And that young guests aren't necessarily bad guests!)

[Sarah977]

@Suzanne302  Nice that you posted this and happy for you that your last guests are good ones. I've never had any complaints about my guests, they've really all been lovely- it's Airbnb itself and the horrible way they operate that makes me mad. 

The guest who left his room and bathroom so immaculate that it didn't even look like anyone had stayed in there for 4 days was a single male in his late 20s. I was expecting a bit of a mess and was gobsmacked when I saw the effort he had made.

[Ann72]

@Suzanne302  After reading this I went back and read the thread about your decision to leave.

I'm so sad and wish you weren't going!  I wish Airbnb could see how valuable hosts like you are to their brand.  A true brand ambassador for the last few years that hasn't cost them a penny.

Will you still be able to come to our meet-ups?  Maybe you want a clean break, but we'll miss you.

Be well!

[Suzanne302]

@Ann72  I'll still try to make the online meetups and I won't completely leave the CC.

I'll just have to scroll past all the nonsense that has been posted recently and seek out the posts that actually have to do with hosting. 🙂

I may even host again at some point in the future but for now I just don't want to put myself in a situation where I may have to deal with Airbnb customer service.

[Ann72]

@Suzanne302  That all sounds like a sound plan, and I'm glad we'll see you from time to time!

Any platform where a lot of opinions are expressed needs to be used judiciously and completely ignored from time to time, for the sake of sanity and peace of mind. 😊

[Huma0]

@Suzanne302 

I totally agree with your point RE younger guests. The majority of my guests have been in their 20s, some in their late teens, and most have been wonderful. Of course, some have been problematic but, now that I think about it, a greater proportion of the older guests were problematic than the younger ones. 

I've been chatting quite frequently with several younger former guests during lockdown. It's so lovely that they like to stay in touch with a middle aged frump like me! They were so appreciative though of their stay and still ask me for advice on cleaning 🙂

[Sally221]

Hold up there young lady, don't call yourself a middle aged frump! An elegant & artistic grown up woman certainly and thus a logical role model for younger women, XO

[Russell49]

When it comes to age, it's a mixed bag. My absolute best guests were 20 and extremely clean and quiet. An absolute pleasure to meet. My worst guests to this day were a whingy couple in their 50's that didn't like the flavor of their free tea and asked for extra free stuff just to leave me all 4's on the ratings while ruining our curtains and not picking up after themselves.

[Ute42]

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@Suzanne302  

To be honest, I do not regret that Your're leaving.

I didn't like at all what You wrote in the „We have entered a police state“ thread.

In that thread a comparison was made of people who were fighting for their rights, including the people who started the french revolution, Galileo Galilei and Martin Luther King. Your comment on that:

• Hahahaha! Oh my goodness!

You also stated in that thread:

• It's exhausting to go up against an established system and the time and effort it takes to do so means I've missed that many more days of a relaxing, peaceful life I could have been living. So instead, in cases like this, I adapt.

Yes, You're not a fighter, You're an adaptor. I don't want to insult You, Suzanne, I'm just using Your own words. You have adapted to the established system of airbnb, and now, as a member of their Service Team has screwed You over, You're not fighting, You're leaving, You give up.

Many hosts on airbnb don't like some of the companies policies at all, but they are not leaving, including myself. Why are they not leaving? Because they want or need the money and because they enjoy hosting. Despite all the problems, every once in a while You get to know real nice guests from all over the world.

This past weekend I hosted a group of 10 guys, one of them from Serbia, one from Turkey. They were not my generation, but they were really good to have, they invited me over for a (well, not only one) glass of serbian slibowitz. They've left the place immaculate, never seen such thing with a group of 10 men. Today, 2 days after their departure, I got their reservation for next year, 12 months out.

You've stated in said thread in this context:

• But perhaps there is another class of hosts....Those of us who are fully aware that we must protect our own assets. Those of us who are fully aware that we may not be able to depend on Airbnb for support and know they may not always "have our back." But, we also enjoy hosting. We enjoy the people we meet and the money it earns us. We use Airbnb simply for our own personal gain. Nothing more, nothing less.

And now You're throwing away what You enjoy because You had one major problem with Customer Service in 2 years. You are inconsequent and You are contradicting Yourself.

That we've lost Susan was a big loss for the community, You're departure isn't.

Have a nice trip.

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Ute42 

You've stated in said thread in this context:

• But perhaps there is another class of hosts....Those of us who are fully aware that we must protect our own assets. Those of us who are fully aware that we may not be able to depend on Airbnb for support and know they may not always "have our back." But, we also enjoy hosting. We enjoy the people we meet and the money it earns us. We use Airbnb simply for our own personal gain. Nothing more, nothing less.

ABSOLUTELY AGREE !

Airbnb is sold on personal gain. They're not doing it to be nice to guests - they're doing it to take the guests' money. Hosts are party to that and our service to guests is to take their money in exchange for that service. We do pretty **bleep** well at that. Even commented on by an Airbnb employee. "The hosts are fantastic and this thing together". Of the whole Airbnb proposition, it is us hosts making it work.  As much as I love some guests,  they can't just stay for free.

My gripe is that the agreed arrangement between Airbnb and Hosts is constantly being eroded and will end up at a point where the arrangement is totally untenable. @Suzanne302 has already reached that point for her.

Today, I've been watching the eruptions of guests receiving those ridiculous "kindness cards" emails and being commented on - on Reddit. Reading those reactions would have hosts wearing bullet proof vests, stab jackets and hiring personal bodyguards. This is what it's come to. Hosts are NOT responsible for the way Guests have been treated over Covid, and they are NOT responsible for sending out the "kindness cards" Far from it. The consensus of opinion was that we wanted an 'opt out' button and we were not provided one. Hosts are not Pawns in an Airbnb [GAME], but we are being treated as an expendable commodity.

Suzanne - You are out at the right time!

The "Kindness Cards" Fiasco. (just one example) This is what it has come to, and this is one of many posts of how potential guests see us as hosts for Airbnb:

[Suzanne302]

Oh @Ute42 what you've written says far more about what kind of person you are than it does about me.

I'm not going to dignify your comments with any further response than that.

[Ute42]

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@Suzanne302  

You know, there was a time when I really liked you. That was when you've published your post:

• How a shy and introverted person turned into a great airbnb host.

I thought that was a real nice statement and You're a real nice person.

But Your laughter about people who are fighting for their rights was not nice. Maybe You were just having a bad hair day.

Good bye, Suzanne.

[Luke279]

1. Please learn how to use English grammar, you don't need a capital letter for each new word to make a statement or point with a word, it just confuses those reading it. 

2. You've not even hosted from your profile since 2018. How on earth can you do you think you have a valid view, or experience to go at someone more experienced than yourself?  

[Ute42]

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@Luke279  

1. I am German and my mothertongue is German, so I apologise for my poor English.

2. You say that I haven't hosted since 2018, but I do have 5 guest reviews. All in all in have hosted 10 airbnb stays in the past 2 years as not every guest leaves a review.

I've been hosting for the past 17 years and my house sleeps 10. In these 17 years I have hosted 5000+ guests through all kinds of distribution channels. And I continue to host. Below see my rental calendar for the upcoming 12 months on another platform. As You can see I am booked solid. All the red dates are sold and I have a 50% downpayment in my bankaccount, wich unfortenately isn't possible on airbnb.

 What I don't understand is and I'm asking You:

• What does my hosting experience has to do with the topic „fighting for Your rights“?

[Cormac0]

@Luke279 

I am also Spartacus, being dyslexic my face lights up with the incandescent of a lighted match stick when I've reread some of the posts I’ve made, while you simple will not believe I can’t actual see the grammatical errors until days later!, one specific affliction is spontaneously leaving the letter “s” of the end of words or leaving words out entirely.

So, I have never had any problem with @ute42 writings since English is not Ute's native tongue and too paraphrase Martin Luther King

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the “errors in their grammar”, but by the content of their character.”

Ute is an asset to this community; I particularly remind of Ute’s analysis and take down of Airbnb’s nonsensical and self-serving review system.

I for one am a Ute fan.