Review dilemma as a guest.....

[Kia272]

So, I recently stayed at an AirBnB in Wyoming with three friends. We actually stayed twice, on either end of a backpacking trip. The first stay was two nights and the second stay one night. The host was kind of into automated messaging, which is fine, but it was obvious they were automated. 

There were several small issues during both stays. First, not enough toilet paper. We were 4 people staying for two days, and we were left one and a (barely) half rolls of toilet paper. There were no supplies in the place, because we looked. We would simply have grabbed an extra roll if there was one in the house, and not mentioned it. We did end up buying some, and brought it with us when we returned (because we had it). For the second stay there was one roll and barely a quarter roll in the bathroom. We were 4 females, so definitely would require more than a mixed group of males and females. 

There were a couple of small things that could have been improved, that would not have cost much to fix. First, there was a rusty old medicine cabinet attached to the wall in the bathroom. It served no purpose- there was nothing in it, and it was definitely an eyesore. It could have been removed completely and that would not have affected the bathroom function at all. The shower curtain bar was rusty. That's a cheap fix. The shower curtain liner was moldy, but that's a cleaning issue. Overall, the place was very clean, so I wouldn't have dinged her stars for that, but might have mentioned it in private feedback. 

One hook in the bathroom to hang a wet towel. We were 4??? Also, microfiber bedding but hey- I can't dictate what bedding other hosts should use- it's just a pet peeve of mine. But with no A/C, cotton would certainly be cooler on the skin. 

There was no A/C, which I was aware of when we booked. There were two tiny tabletop oscillating fans, that didn't do much to move air. No ceiling fans at all. The place was really hot and stuffy when we arrived, which could have been remedied by the host stopping in and opening some windows before we got there, but that didn't happen. Yes- there was a local co-host right in the area. 

My biggest problem is that the host asked repeatedly- in messages and her house manual, "Please leave us a 5 star review." Not, "please leave us an honest review, ", or "please let us know how we can improve." 

At this point, I haven't left a review. The overall experience was not 5 star. Something as small and inexpensive to fix, like enough toilet paper, definitely left a sour taste. As a host, I know I have definite ideas about what good hospitality entails, and I do realize that my standards may not necessarily align with those of other hosts, so I'm taking into account that I may just be too opinionated, and perhaps I'm not justified in my assessment of the situation. I had decided to not leave any review at all, but now I'm soliciting opinions. I don't know if I even want to make the effort to let her know via private feedback what a turn-off being asked for a 5 star review is. 

I don't feel that these things are something that other guests need to be "warned" about, so I'm not feeling particularly guilty about not leaving reviews. 

Thoughts from other hosts? 

Kia

[Kelly149]

@Kia272  Looks like half your beef is with the host and the other half is with abb. 

the thing is the review system as an aspirational useful tool…. That train left the station a long time ago. Reviews are meaningless. Guest reviews. Host reviews. All meaningless. Write it. Don’t write it. Either way is fine. You booked, you paid, you stayed, you left. Everything else is artificial extras. 

[Ella59]

I agree, toilet paper is a basic requirement. And I’d I were looking to book a place I’d appreciate knowing to bring TP in advance. 
I hope you change your mind and leave your honest review, including your discomfort at being continually solicited to leave a 5 star review. 

[Annie1372]

@Ella59 

Fully agree with all of your comments

[Helen56]

Yes, please leave a review, 5 stars if you wish.  But please also alert future guests that they need to  bring extra loo paper - it has happened to me twice that my first shopping trip, after 5 minutes in the flat, was to buy loo paper.  I could have just put a couple of rolls in my suitcase.

[Ann72]

In my opinion @Kia272 this host doesn't care about guests, only herself, her rating, and her income.  I don't think she should be in the hospitality business.  I would leave a review that's not chapter-and-verse but would just use my favorite word in situations like this:  disappointed.  Because that's the truth - you were disappointed. 

If I were you I might not hesitate to leave 4 stars, because all-in-all, that's the right number for this place.  It's not your hosting standards that you're applying here - it's your expectations as a guest.  I've stayed at two places that at first appeared to be less than 5 stars, but at the end of the stay, I realized they'd provided everything I needed, so they both got 5 stars.  That didn't happen here.  I agree with @Ella59 that future guests will want to know about the toilet paper.  That can be stated factually, not critically.

I agree with you that I probably wouldn't offer private feedback but I would say something if she asks why the 4 stars.

PS:  Don't cleaners know you can throw a shower curtain liner in the washing machine with a tablespoon of bleach and some detergent and get it to look like new?

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Ann72 @Kia272 

Shower curtain liners are definitely washable, and really cheap to replace

[Kia272]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 Indeed, they are. Such an easy fix as well. I keep an eye on mine every time I clean. It's so easy to throw them in the wash. 

[Kia272]

@Ann72 Thank you! You are the first to make me realize that I am allowed to have expectations as a guest! 

And again, the toilet paper is such a cheap and easy fix. It's a freakin' dollar if somebody steals a roll. So what? A good rating is worth way more than that. 

Anyway, I'm still on the fence. I hate to affect a host's livelihood. It was a basic accommodation, and it lived up to most of its promises. I have until Saturday to ponder.

I'd so rather let her know in private feedback, but that may be interpreted as obnoxious. Oh well. First world problem...

Cheers,

Kia

[Stephanie365]

My input:

There were several small issues during both stays. First, not enough toilet paper. We were 4 people staying for two days, and we were left one and a (barely) half rolls of toilet paper. There were no supplies in the place, because we looked. We would simply have grabbed an extra roll if there was one in the house, and not mentioned it. We did end up buying some, and brought it with us when we returned (because we had it). For the second stay there was one roll and barely a quarter roll in the bathroom. We were 4 females, so definitely would require more than a mixed group of males and females. 


Depending upon who they primarily cater to, some hosts provide enough TP to get you started when you first arrive, but after that leave it to guests to provide the rest. This may also be because of theft. While you may not have an issue with extra supplies disappearing, it may be a problem for others.  I did learn early on not to leave too much "extra". For example, I had one guest wipe me out of my entire supply of teabags. Like 30-40 of them. No way an overnight guest will drink that much tea.

But this TP limitation should be disclosed in the listing.  "We provide one roll of TP to get you started."

There were a couple of small things that could have been improved, that would not have cost much to fix. First, there was a rusty old medicine cabinet attached to the wall in the bathroom. It served no purpose- there was nothing in it, and it was definitely an eyesore. It could have been removed completely and that would not have affected the bathroom function at all.

That depends upon any drywall repairs that may be needed after removing the cabinet. Some of those "old metal" medicine cabinets are actually attached directly to the studs with no drywall behind them.  The host might not be in a position to handle dry wall repairs. That being said, they could at least paint it to look nicer.  But this really shouldn't be something that affects your stay.

The shower curtain bar was rusty. That's a cheap fix. The shower curtain liner was moldy, but that's a cleaning issue. Overall, the place was very clean, so I wouldn't have dinged her stars for that, but might have mentioned it in private feedback. 

Yes, these are things that normally are best mentioned in private feedback. But if there are an excessive number of these things, then it should be mentioned in the review even if you choose not to dock stars as seems to be the case here.

One hook in the bathroom to hang a wet towel. We were 4???

Were there any towel bars you could have hung the towels back on? If not, then yeah, 1 hook isn't really enough.

Also, microfiber bedding but hey- I can't dictate what bedding other hosts should use- it's just a pet peeve of mine. But with no A/C, cotton would certainly be cooler on the skin. 

Yes, this is personal preference and it is impossible as a host to anticipate everyone's preferences.

There was no A/C, which I was aware of when we booked. There were two tiny tabletop oscillating fans, that didn't do much to move air. No ceiling fans at all. The place was really hot and stuffy when we arrived, which could have been remedied by the host stopping in and opening some windows before we got there, but that didn't happen. Yes- there was a local co-host right in the area. 

While there was a local co-host, if they were at work during the day, this may not have been possible.  I know many places are dealing with excessive heat well above what they normally deal with. Living in an area with very high humidity and high temps (heat indexes often over 100 degrees in summer), leaving windows and curtains closed during the day keeps it cooler. Not less stuffy, but cooler.

My biggest problem is that the host asked repeatedly- in messages and her house manual, "Please leave us a 5 star review." Not, "please leave us an honest review, ", or "please let us know how we can improve." 

I personally don't like hosts who "beg" for 5* reviews. I am of the opinion that if a guest wants to leave a review, they will. I'm not going to badger them. AirBNB does that enough for me.  I actually had a guest mark me down because I "harassed" them for a review. Except it wasn't me; it was AirBNB. <face palm>

At this point, I haven't left a review. The overall experience was not 5 star. Something as small and inexpensive to fix, like enough toilet paper, definitely left a sour taste. As a host, I know I have definite ideas about what good hospitality entails, and I do realize that my standards may not necessarily align with those of other hosts, so I'm taking into account that I may just be too opinionated, and perhaps I'm not justified in my assessment of the situation. I had decided to not leave any review at all, but now I'm soliciting opinions. I don't know if I even want to make the effort to let her know via private feedback what a turn-off being asked for a 5 star review is. 

I don't feel that these things are something that other guests need to be "warned" about, so I'm not feeling particularly guilty about not leaving reviews. 

Thoughts from other hosts? 

Kia


Well, there are two sides to this.
You could choose not to leave a review and simply send her a private message outlining your issues with your stay. Also take this time to mention your annoyance at being hounded for a 5* review. She may listen or she may blow you off and change nothing especially since your conversation would be private. 

Or, you could leave a 4* review because honestly that is what it sounds like you experienced. Maybe not the begging for the reviews but something along the lines of, "Overall the home is clean and the host communicated well but there are some older, worn out items that are cosmetically unsightly and should be updated. The supplies the host provides are somewhat limited. Minor issues that would not deter me from staying again, though". And in the private feedback, mention the rusty shower curtain. Mention the medicine cabinet should be painted or removed. Mention more towel hooks would be helpful and mention that they could be a bit more generous with TP when it's more than 2 people staying.

As for the automated messages, I use this tool because it ensures that I don't accidentally forget to send information to my guests. There was more than a time or two where I *almost* forgot. As I live in a quirky old farm house with certain limitations, I want to make sure to convey these quirks/limitations to my guests. By automating them, I know I'm not forgetting something important. I do follow up with personal communication, but my booking messages, check in messages and check out messages are all automated.  I never, ever ask a guest to leave a review, though.

[Helen744]

@Kia 272 I am not sure what level your host is at but during the early days of hosting it was guests alerts which helped us improve .In private messages point out about the rusty fixtures and say they are a cheap fix and also ask her to consider adding cotton bedding as she goes along . Ding her for cleanliness and give her five stars overall , as an encouragement award kind of . Its better that you tell her if she is only starting out . in the review say that some updates are needed but otherwise a pleasant stay ,if it was H

[Basha0]

There was an article about what the ratings mean to hosts and all the stress etc. i reprinted it and put it in the hard copy manual; a few pages in so not too obvious. It is helpful for any guests that are curious about what this crazy ratings are really all about. 

[Richard531]

@Kia272  I think you should simply not leave a review if leaving a 5-star doesn't feel right.  Overall, it sounds like everything went more or less as expected.  However, you were put-off by a couple minor things.  But by foregoing the review, you're being kind to not to slap the host's business for it.  If you wanted to take the highest road possible, you could (and should) send them a message telling them your intention to not review them and let them know all the things they could do better.  I'm sure they would take it to heart.  

We ask/remind folks about the importance of a 5-star review in our Welcome Guide, in their check-in message (as a way to encourage them to ask us for help if anything isn't 5-star-worthy), and finally when they check-out.  So I guess by that count, we "ask" 3 times too.  

When we get 4-star reviews and we follow up with the guest on it, there are 2 responses.  The guest is a TERRIBLE person, or they just "didn't know" that a 4-star review meant the stay was horrible. 

The "didn't know" reviews will often get taken down by the guest once they are re-educated as to what a 4-star review really means. 

The "TERRIBLE" people are the ones that "don't leave 5 star reviews, period" or say things like "everything was perfect, but your internet was slow even though you mentioned several times it was going to be slow" or "there's only one bathroom" when the listing specs say there's one bathroom or "the water in the pool is too warm" and they paid for pool heating.  

[Mark116]

@Kia272 @Ann72 What kind of shower curtain liners are you guys using?  Whenever I put them in the washer they come out looking like a truck drove over them.  Sure, they're clean, but they are all crinkled up and absolutely look worse than they did before washing. 

We spray and sponge down the shower curtain liner with bleach cleaner after every guest, but we try to keep them in rotation for as long as possible because they can't go into recycling.  

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Richard531 @Kia272 @Ann72 

This is worth discussion. We use clear plastic shower curtain liners and clean them manually. We've used the washer on hand-wash cycle and it works so-so, especially if we remove promptly, shake and hang to dry. We have well water with minerals in it so we have to clean more than city water people do, hard water residue is an ongoing challenge on everything it touches; more so, when there is standing water such as a toilet. I've found that using cloth shower curtains is a hassle, they need to be dried in the sun to prevent mold. The plastic shower curtains are an eventual throwaway item, I don't like it either. More input, please, from others with their ideas and experience!

[Huma0]

@Richard531 @Kitty-and-Creek0 

I am not a huge fan of the shower curtains. Some are machine washable and do come clean in the machine, whilst others need a lot of laborious scrubbing to look decent again.

The thing is that a glass shower screen (or over bath screen if you have a bath/shower combo set up) not only looks better but is easier to clean and more hygienic.

Sure, it requires work to keep clean, but then so does a shower curtain. I feel like there is more chance keeping the screen looking clean than the curtain with the orange marks at the bottom or, even worse, mould and mildew.

Even in London, where we have very hard water that causes a lot of limescale buildup, it's not that difficult to keep a glass shower screen looking pristine. Squeegees, distilled white wine vinegar, microfibre cloths designed for glass and shower shine sprays (you can get eco-friendly versions) are all your friends! You don't need to use all of these per se. They are just the various methods that make this task easier.