How would YOU review this guest?

[Suzanne302]

I have an idea of what I'm going to say, but would love to hear what YOU would say. Backstory:

Guests were a very young couple who booked my homeshare for 2 nights. The guy booked the trip and was very communicative/friendly. The first night I'm pretty sure they never slept and I could hear conversation and music through about 5am as I woke up several times during the night due to noise. That's when they left the house (presumably they went to the beach).

My house rules/house guide tells guests there is a coffee station with other things they can use (forks/plates/cups/etc.) but explicitly states do not use my personal dishes/silverware. They took glasses off my shelf to use in the bathroom as a toothbrush holder. Then they went through my cupboards and pulled a plate and knife to cut a mango and proceeded to put it in one of my glass containers with a lid, and took it with them to the beach that evening. As I caught them doing this in the kitchen he said, "Oh, I hope you don't mind me using your knife." Yes, I should have said something then and there, but, they had already used my things (what do I say "dump out the mango you can't use my dishes?") and they were leaving the next day.

He messaged me to ask if they could cook Ramen that night. My listing EXPLICITLY says no cooking. I did tell him, no, I do not allow guests to use the stove and he was fine with that. The second night of their stay, they were quiet, no noise. Check-out time is noon. They left at 11:59am. (I know, they're fully allowed to stay up until check-out time, but...)

These guests were very friendly and I don't think any of this was done with ill-intention, I think it was simply young, ignorance. They were apparently first-time ABB users. He had no reviews and his profile was recent.

What would you say in your review of these guests?

[Suzanne302]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 @Huma0 @Ted307 

It's interesting how the comments have been geared toward what I *should* offer, instead of the fact that the guest disregarded my listing rules. I do appreciate the comments, I just would have liked to know what you would have done, if guests had disregarded your rules, as mine did.

Okay, so there's not a toothbrush holder in the bathroom, but does that make it okay for a guest to take one of my personal kitchen glasses instead of asking me? (I might add, it's also in my house guide, and noted in a sign, "If you need anything, please let me know!")

I don't allow use of personal kitchen items, so does that make it okay for a guest to rifle through my personal cabinets and shelves to get what they "need"? Or should they ask me?

[Huma0]

@Suzanne302 

Well, they should ask you. I supply my guests with a lot of stuff in the kitchen and they have pretty unlimited use of it, but it does annoy me when they go into my personal cupboards (of which there aren't many as most of them house stuff for communal use) and help themselves. That is cheeky, in my opinion.

I guess the thing is though that a lot of guests are going to act in a way that they are used to in other airbnbs (if they have experience of staying in a few). I had to explain to a guest a few months back that every airbnb is different and, just because she got something in one, doesn't mean she should expect it in another. I told her she should always check the amenities list on each listing. I don't think this had actually occurred to her before and she'd stayed in quite a lot of airbnbs.

I think that a lot of guests think that there is a 'standard' offering, e.g. if they get free shampoo at one listing, then another listing that doesn't have it is lacking and SHOULD have it. It's not always easy to manage guest expectations unfortunately, no matter how clear you are on the listing. 

[Ted307]

@Suzanne302

What @Huma0 wrote is what I would like to have said. I provide guests with a kitchen, and shampoo too. But, other hosts do not have to do the same. Guests might not realize this, is what I hope to say! When we write a review, we try to go easy on them, just as we hope they would on us! We want the renters to be confident of what we offer. A nice, home-like place, where they can relax. Some visitors have been pretty stand-offish. We got lower reviews from them.
Now, I try to make friends with our renters and our reviews have been better.

Most of our guests only stay for a weekend, they are working people from Phoenix, mostly, sometimes from as far as California. I sure would like some flush vacationers from Europe!

Chris

[Sudsrung0]

@Ted307 

Tourist are the best they come with a pocket full of money they want to have a good time enjoy their holiday then go, 

We have a list of places to go and things to do, where to eat we are surrounded by the ocean so we have many beaches, Then we have all the islands they can visit.

The most popular trip is to deserted island by speed boat and have a BBQ on the beach the guest love it,

[Ted307]

@Sudsrung0 

What a beautiful beach!

We are just 2 hours drive from Phoenix, millions of people. They come here for the weekend to get away from the heat and their suck jobs! This place has cabins over 100 years old that have been get-aways all that time. Most are just working folks like us. We never have had -- in our entire lives -- enough money to stay at a beach like the one in your photo! 🙂

Although, when Ted was in the Navy, he has some stories about Bangkok! That was shore leave on the USA paycheck . . .

[Huma0]

@Ted307 

I've also received lower ratings from guests who are stand offish. I try to be friendly to all guests and make them feel at home, but some arrive not wanting to converse or mix with me and other guests. While guests are free to interact to whatever degree they prefer, I always worry about the reviews from those ones as I can never tell if they are happy or not. Sometimes there is not much you can do about it because they arrive with a negative attitude and are never going to notice the positives.

As for flush tourists from Europe, I have noticed the opposite here. I have hosted quite a lot of US visitors lately and they spend much more money than the Europeans, especially in terms of eating out. Hence why my kitchen hasn't been used that much lately. It's unusual for long term guests to eat out all the time as it's very expensive here, whereas supermarkets are a relatively cheap. However, the recent US guests eat out pretty much every day!

[Ted307]

@Huma0 

Maybe it is the tourists who have enough money to travel that far that are the flush ones? I have seen German tourists who travel to see the Grand Canyon and are pretty free spending. Well paid vacationers -- they were younger. Other Europeans I have met in the Palm Springs desert area of California, who were staying longer term in the brutal summer off season, retired mostly, & are very frugal! They think I am a fellow German and would sometimes ask me things in the local grocery store in German. A lot of my family came here from Germany before WWII. They want to talk to someone they can relate to, but they have to do it in English! My family quickly quit speaking German, never taught it to their US born children so that they would not be discriminated against. I regret that!

The exchange rate has been pretty favorable to the dollar lately, that could be part of it. Computer work -- even the remote working digital nomads, is pretty well paid, too. We took a long vacation when Ted was working and went to France. The exchange rate then, before they went on the Euro, was 7 Franks to a Dollar. We had a very nice trip and stayed in places we would not have stayed if it were in the US. Some very nice French wine in the local grocery store was around $1.50 a bottle. It would have been $15.00 in the US at that time. The exchange rate made us the flush ones back then. 😉

[Huma0]

@Ted307 

From what I remember from travelling in France during my younger days, wine was cheaper than bottled water! I'm not sure if that is still the case as the last couple of times I've been to Paris and it was for work, so I wasn't paying the bill 🙂 

I have also found that digital nomads seem to be well paid, or I assume they are to afford their lifestyle, but they have all been American. I've had UK/European guests who were self employed, but the true 'digital nomads' have all bee from the US, so I get the feeling it's not as common for other nationalities. 

[Ted307]

@Suzanne302 

I am sorry, I did not mean to sound like I am telling you what you ought to do. Your guests should have asked you before using your stuff, of course. I have not done what your guests did as a guest in someone's home, either. But, I can sympathize with guests. And, I confess, cooking in Motel 6 with my Wok was a definite violation, and I knew it at the time and did it any way. So, I expect it from guests, is my point of view. I would rather have them cook in a kitchen, out in public, rather than than do what I have done!

[Suzanne302]

@Ted307 

Oh no worries! It was just interesting that the feedback was what I should be doing. I appreciate your comments!!

And yes, I don't think there was any ill-intended, as in, they didn't purposefully break the rules. They were full of life and had such a good time!

That's why I'm not going to punish them in a review for that. Some guests don't understand that all Airbnb's are different, which, in my opinion, is what makes them fabulous!

[Ted307]

Hi @Suzanne302 

I guess all we can do as hosts is try the best we can to please our guests, and so you might get some suggestions of how to do that, since we can not talk to your guests. I have been disappointed in some of our guests, too!

[Huma0]

@Suzanne302 

I have a big kitchen/diner (by London standards) and allow guests full use of the kitchen. I do have some dressers in the dining area which house china and glass etc. that I do not want guests to use, but the kitchen cupboards are fully stocked with more than most will ever need.

And, I host long term guests, so I would certainly expect most of them to cook a fair bit.

However, I've had a recent spate of guests who barely use the kitchen at all. First, there was the trainee chef, who stayed for two months, but was cooking at work all day so did not want to cook at home. At most, he got the occasional take away. Around the same time was a young lady who stayed for a month and never cooked at all. I never even saw her make a cup of tea or coffee. Then there is another young woman who is here for six weeks and very occasionally has a take away or a microwave meal, but only once or maximum twice a week.

This is very, very far from the norm with my guests, but I have to say it's been wonderful. It has massively reduced the amount of time I spend cleaning. No doubt my bills will have gone down a bit as well... I can definitely see the appeal in guest not using the kitchen or only being able to use it to a limited extent.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Huma0  @Suzanne302 

We are happy to share our personal kitchen with guests, if they ask ahead of time. Expensive knives and cookware included, any spices/condiments they may have forgotten are always available. When they do, it is often a fun cooking class for us, and they clean up after themselves with a thorough scrub, shine and polish. Most of the time the guests are fine with the well equipped mini kitchen we've set up for them. It is great for microwaving takeout, making beverages, toast & a no cook breakfast. 

[Huma0]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 

It's great that your guests clean up after themselves thoroughly. I have not found that generally to be the case. Of the guests that do make use of the kitchen to cook, mine have varied from those that make a really good effort to clean up after themselves to those that leave the place in an absolute state (stove covered in oil, sauce and bits of food, sink dirty and blocked, food scraps and packaging on the floor, dishes that need re-washing, pans ruined etc. etc.).

I'm quite happy with the former. At least they are trying and many do a good job of it overall, but I've yet to encounter a guest that leaves the kitchen as they found it. There will always be some cleaning up I have to do after them. Always. Which I don't mind if it's not excessive. However, it has freed up a lot of my time recently hosting guests who barely use the kitchen at all, so that is always my preference!

[Anonymous]

@Suzanne302   I can almost admire the temerity of people who try to squeeze every last drop of value and then some out of their budget micro-holiday, but it's not really the quality any host wants from their guests. 

I think I would just say that the guests were friendly but their kitchen needs exceeded the amenities offered in the listing. I think that sends the message that they'll be OK as guests when they put more thought into what they want out of their stay and search/budget accordingly.