Hesitant to leave a negative review about a guest.

Jennifer3441
Level 2
Long Branch, NJ

Hesitant to leave a negative review about a guest.

A guest stayed in a single-bed room with his GF. This morning I heard loud banging coming from the room, and she was shouting "STOP! You're hurting me. I'm going to call the police." I went up to the hallway and opened/closed the linen closet right next to them so they could hear I was there, and they quieted down. After he came downstairs for breakfast, I tapped on her door and asked if she was OK - she opened the door and said she was fine (was on her phone.) She gathered her things and rushed out to her car really quick and waited outside for him to finish his breakfast.
He also took an air conditioner out of the hallway and set it up in their room, then asked if it was OK after it was running. I told him that our old house from 1907 only has 100 amps of power, and the AC could blow a fuse if other things are running, but it was OK just to knock back the humidity. He said he put the fan back into the window instead. But it sounded like they were moving furniture.
I glanced in the room before they left but haven't inspected it thoroughly yet. I'm also waiting to make sure he returns my beach passes.

My question is, how do I let other hosts know that this is not someone I would want back in my home? Am I being overly sensitive? Would you be OK with any of this behavior? I'm new at this, so I don't want to be unreasonable.

Thanks for your input.

8 Replies 8

@Jennifer3441  He sounds like both a bad guest and a bad boyfriend. But fortunately you only have to review him as the former, so you can leave out the details about whatever disturbing stuff seemed to be happening behind that closed door. 

 

I can't tell from your post whether they checked out or just left for the day, but of course you'll only know what to say in the review after you've checked everything. It can be enough to simply say that the person's behavior was inappropriate for a shared home and you wouldn't host again. If there are other issues like damage or unreturned items, you can add that too. Just stick to the facts and avoid expressing any assumptions or judgments on the person's character.

Gwen386
Level 10
Lusby, MD

Reading your post made me think of, “hear something, do/say something.”  TBH, I would have called the police. I immediately thought of Gabby Petito. This guy is not someone I would want in my home. 

 

The review could just state that guest didn’t follow house rules. When you complete your review, a menu pops up asking if you would host this guest again; and you can respond NO. The guest does not see this response. 

Jennifer3441
Level 2
Long Branch, NJ

Oddly enough, I've since spoken to him, and he said "she does that." He apologized for that, and for letting my dogs out of the yard, and for taking things out of other rooms into his room.
He only has one other review 5 stars. But I certainly won't invite him back.

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Jennifer3441  I would stick to the facts and not get into any speculation about the guests relationship.  You can say something along the lines of the guest was not a good fit for your shared space and did not respect rules and boundaries of the listing.  

Jennifer3441
Level 2
Long Branch, NJ

There was no permanent damage done - just some purple stuff splattered on the sheets and had to put things back that he had appropriated into his room from other places in the house (bathroom trash bin, standing AC unit, dishes.) He did leave some kind of rotting meat in the garbage - gross. But again, no permanent damage. And there were no other guests in the house at the time, so really it was just the distress to us that the shouting caused. I left a 4 rating and acknowledged his efforts to rectify.
He had written a nice review for me, but he asked Airbnb to delete it after I posted my review, which they did. So much for encouraging honest reviews. So I had them also delete mine. Guess other hosts are on their own if he books with them. Disappointing. But I'll move forward and forget about it. Every other guest we've had has been fantastic.

@Jennifer3441 Why did you have your own review deleted?  

Because I didn't want him to reply to my review as I have seen other hosts complain about.

 

@Jennifer3441  If he posted a reply, it would only appear on his profile - not yours.