Millennials

[Inna22]

Now that Millennials are 22-40 years old, they make up the bulk of my guests and I am yet to master how adjust my hosting style to their needs.

Messaging style

You cannot just answer the question asked, no matter how simple. It cannot be “where do I park?” Answer “in the garage, instructions are in the welcome message, please look through”. That would be rude. I first must start by appreciating them, followed by appreciating them reaching out. I then must apologize for not making it clear enough that parking is in the garage. If it did not make sense to them, it must have been a very poor architectural decision or I did not do enough to make it clear. I also need to explain how I will make things better in the future so others do not have to go through the same ordeal. I should technically also offer to park the car for them but this is just a gesture and they would of course say no and I must remember how generous they were in doing that.

Reuse and recycle

They would take the time to rip out the plastic window from an envelope to properly recycle it but they would throw a towel in the trash after a smudge of makeup gets on it. It would not even cross their mind that I may try to salvage it.

Communication

It is all about them. If something is not how they expect it or to their liking, they will read every word of what I wrote, advocate for themselves and demand what they feel is right. Otherwise, it is my job to make sure they have what they need. They need a door code and it is my job to make sure they have it. They will not read a message I sent them, particularly if it is more than one paragraph.  If I did not make sure they got it, it is on me to be available when they do decide they are ready for it- by phone, in person or whatever other way is convenient for them

Technology

I now rarely have to deal with guests who cannot log on to Wi-Fi, cannot figure out the TV or automated door lock. Plunge the toilet? No can do. Manual labor. Hard no.

I hope I did not offend any millennials here with this post. If I did, please get in line behind my millennial guests for your apology. You can use the garage to park while you wait. If you need to use the bathroom, plunger is behind the toilet and please put all used towels on the floor even if you think they are trash.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

Wow I am glad I don't live/host  in America. European guests don't seem to exhibit these traits at all.

[Debra300]

@Mike-And-Jane0,

Maybe Europeans don't exhibit the traits that @Inna22 described while they have stayed with you, but they surely have them when they land in St. Lucia.  In 2019, the English cricket team toured the Caribbean to play test, ODIs and T20s.  My guesthouse is five minutes walk from the stadium, and stayed full.  These are some of the types of situations that I encountered (I added the snarky remarks).  All of these guests were Boomers, like me.

Offers to arrange transportation

Sorry, I haven't responded to your five messages, but I wanted to wait until the last minute to see if you could still arrange for a driver to pick us up at the airport later today, because I don't think you have anything else to do, and they shouldn't be busy picking up all of the others who've come to see the matches.

Directions to the guesthouse

I am on the road in a taxi that I got at the airport (because I didn't respond to any of your messages).  We're lost, and the driver isn't familiar with where we are.   No, I didn't download the directions from the Google maps link that you sent so I could have them for my own safety, and ensure that I am being taken to the correct location.  I also am not reading the written directions from Airbnb.  Just tell us how to get there from wherever we are, but we don't know where. (Driver, "The credit on my phone is finishing.  Can you please call me back and stay on the line to guide me until I reach you?").

Or....

Oh, we passed a few direction signs, but weren't sure which way to go (yeah, the ones with the fingers pointing the direction).  Instead of turning around back to where the signs are, and calling you, we've driven to the other side of the stadium/heading back to Rodney Bay/going to Gros Islet, etc.

Direction sign

Or....

We don't see the signs, and can't find the guesthouse.  (After several minutes trying to determine their location) Oh, we didn't come according to the written directions on Airbnb or Google Maps.  The driver that we don't know took us on the back roads.

Or....

The hill is too steep for our taxi driver's vehicle to make it to the guesthouse.  I know you recommended a vehicle with all-wheel drive or 4x4, but I just didn't think it would be necessary.  Can you stop what you are doing right now, and come get us?

Arrival time

(Three hours after their scheduled check-in).  Hey, we're outside of the guesthouse, but can't seem to get in.  I am using the driver's phone, because I didn't want to spend the £2/2€ to call on mine to let you know that we stopped at a bar/restaurant to get something to eat, and then had a few drinks.  I know you don't have a front desk, but I just thought that you'd wait around all night for me, and not take care of your own affairs.  

Electricity

I will need to charge my XX, do I need to bring a transformer?  Yes, I know that St. Lucia is a British Territory, but wasn't sure which voltage is used there.  I didn't see the picture of the UK with USB ports and US style electrical outlets, or read about them in the description.

Outlets

Garbage

Yes, I think it's appropriate to throw away a large take-away food containers in the shared rubbish bin without first rinsing and either folding or ripping them into smaller pieces so there will be space for others to dispose of their trash also.  Plus, I think it's a good idea to put liquids and open food items in the unlined outdoor bin so the owners have to clean it out to avoid attracting vermin.

[Inna22]

@Debra300 this is truly hilarious (for me to read now when I don’t have to deal with this people myself). I am going to get some popcorn and reread for another good laugh! 

[J-Renato0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

Agree... It is not my experience as well. I have been hosting millennials from many countries. In general they are self-sufficient and easy to deal with.

I am not a millennial... I am somewhat old !

[Ann72]

@Inna22  LOL thank you for the laugh!  Spot on.

[Sarah977]

Thanks for the laugh. Although I realize it isn't funny when you have to deal with this over and over.

I saw this attitude first hand with my youngest daughter, who was 37 at the time, and her guy and baby came to visit in Feb. They had booked a place in town for the first week of their holiday, then were going to stay at my place for a week, then back to the first place for the last week.(This was due to the place in town not being available the second week, it was easier for them to be in town with no car, and more than a week in the same house is a strain on both her and me). 

I had picked them up at the airport and driven them to where they were staying. My daughter had this strict schedule with the baby, where she had to be put down for a nap at a certain time, etc. So when we got to the place, it was time for the baby's nap. But instead of phoning the property manager when we were 5 or 10 minutes from arriving, she waited until we were standing at the gate to call. He said he'd be there in a few minutes with the keys. 

Within 3 minutes my daughter was getting irritated that he wasn't there yet, and called him again after 5 minutes had passed, saying how they HAD to get in and why wasn't he there yet. 

Her boyfriend is a few years older than her, and when she did that, he said, very low key and quietly, "You know, C., you can't control everything". (Which gave me an inner "Yes!"- I can't say things like that to her or she blows up)

@Inna22

[Inna22]

@Sarah977 That’s a great story!

[Susan1404]

@Inna22- I totally hear everything you are saying.  I've had some millenials since I re-opened my STR this fall and one couple in particular sort of left me with my mouth hanging open.  I don't have fancy technology - my cabin sits off the beaten path and uses plain old-fashioned keys.  They also have to meet me and be shown the private drive to the cabin.  This seemed to come off as offensive to this couple and they were not too personable.  They only stayed a few nights, which is what they had booked, and never even left a review.  After I showed them a few things about the cabin, their parting words to me were that I really needed to at least add a keypad because it was so much trouble keeping up with keys.    My question is - who the heck raises and teaches these younger people in this manner? 

[Helen350]

TOTALLY with you @Susan1404 ! - Hope you  marked them well down on Communication! 😉

[Susan1404]

Helen, sorry it will not let me tag you.  I didn't knock them down on anything because to their credit, they left the cabin very neat and tidy.   I did state I would not rent to them again, however.  The attitude was just too much for me to have them back ever again.

[Lisa723]

@Inna22 this is very funny, but not my experience at all. The millennials we get are consistently very self-sufficient and appreciative. TBH, our most demanding, high-maintenance, and helpless guests have been groups of women my own age or older.

[Alexandra316]

@Lisa723 THIS. My most helpless guests ever were two fifty-something ladies from New York. Literally everything baffled them. 

Checkin: Guests: "Your instructions say to park beside your garage, but I don't see a garage! Where is it?"

Me: Ït says to park beside the house. You're right... I don't have a garage."

They get parked. They're struggling with the smart lock. I intervene. 

Guest: "The instructions say that I should use my credit card number as my check in code... it doesn't work??"

Me: "It's the last 4 digits of your phone number. We don't have access to your CC info."

And so it went the entire 3-day stay. 

After departure, they emailed to say they had lost their iPad Pro somewhere, and did I have it? 

[Mark116]

@Inna22  Funny.  We have had a string of poor guests, ranging in age from 20s to 40s, so maybe it is a millennial thing.  I k now others say that older guests, in 70s? they find the worst, but we've only had 1 or 2 instances where older guests could not seem to 'get' things.

I do sometimes wonder how some of these people make it in real life, if  you actually cannot process the information in a 2 paragraph note, which happened repeatedly in the fall/summer, how do  you function at a job?  If you lack all common sense, such as ya know, parking the car in the garage which is already made clear in the listing, how do you function out in the world?

[Roy-And-Patti0]

put in clocks with hands a rotery phone and make them write a check