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

[Richard531]

@Kitty-and-Creek0  +1 to what @Huma0 said. 

The way to go is with glass and it's not even close.  It's way more expensive!  But it opens up the bathroom significantly and it only needs to look great when your guest initially arrives.  I also feel that since the water spots are so prevalent once the guest vacates, it really ensures that our crew go into the shower enclosure and clean that glass along with the surround/floor.  It's a win-win.  

The only part that sucks is the $1,500+ you need to shell out for most custom glass enclosures.  If you have a prefab 5' tub however, you can get away with $500 models that your next door handyman might be able to manage.  But I don't think those look as nice as the custom/door variety. 

2 of our of our listings (Glen Oak and Morningside) have this cool mullioned glass enclosure.  We did this because we used entire stone slabs for the shower/tub surround (not as interesting as tile).  The mullions created dimension and were only a smidge more expensive than the regular glass.  

OK, I think you get it, I love shower glass!  

[Huma0]

@Richard531 

That sounds quite pricey, but then I have never used custom glass. Here, most people just install an off-the-shelf glass enclosure with tray, or 'wet room' glass screens. While there are many high end versions that can run into the £thousands, there is so much choice here that you can get very nice ones for a few hundred pounds and the over tub screens are usually much cheaper than that. Of course, it's not as cheap as a shower curtain!

A clueless guest managed to yank a glass panel out of one of my shower enclosures, only, in the process, she broke the fixings at the bottom so I couldn't put it back in. While I was trying to someone in to fix it (pinning down decent tradespeople here is a nightmare), I had to use a curtain and it drove me crazy. It really brought down the whole look of the bathroom. I was delighted to see it go!

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Richard531 

Of course. We have a floor to ceiling wall to wall plate glass enclosed tiled shower, with multiple shower heads, one for taller and one for shorter, designed for showering together. 

We cannot care about the cost. This is a multimillion dollar home designed and built by a Taliesen Fellow, so only the best is the only appropriate choice. Yes, when we bought this Art Piece to live in, we understood that we serve the home, not the other way, at all. And it is a maintenance hog. Being in the wilderness on an extreme weather mountaintop means constant upkeep. 

For guests we are going for safety, with no glass in the tub or shower area, no glass bathroom tumblers either. Tempered plate glass is lovely but very heavy. Chances that someone could get hurt falling against them, or that the doors could go off track are not usual, but the possibility exists. I've done both in our bathroom, so it could happen.  The guest wing has huge windows to the view in all 4 directions, so a glass enclosure in the bathroom won't be necessary. We built the guest wing explicitly for our guests, and no one has complained yet about there not being enough glass. 

Love this discussion!

[Ann72]

Hi @Mark116 - I use this one at my cabin https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B078ZX7K41/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1

Just as @Kitty-and-Creek0 notes, wash it on the delicate or hand cycle with just a tablespoon max of bleach.  It comes out fine.

[Kia272]

@Mark116 I'm probably using the least expensive, well-reviewed fabric one I could find on Amazon. It's polyester, I believe. 

I actually don't use bleach in the wash because I'm on a septic system. I do wash them regularly, and if I see any of the orange creeping in along the bottom edge, I leave it soaking in the sink with a good dose of white vinegar (acidic, so it will kill stuff) and maybe a small amount of bleach. 

I then wash in hot water and let it air dry. It has done remarkably well. 

[Laura2592]

@Kia272 I just don't leave reviews in this situation. 

I wait until after the review period passes and send an email saying what I enjoyed about my stay and what I felt could be improved. Remote hosts may not know what their local co-host are doing in their space. Believe me, I am in the middle of dealing with a huge issue in my remote vacation home and I had no idea how my fellow condo owners were acting!

I really dislike the "ghost host" where I only get automated messages and you feel as though you are staying in some place owned by AI instead of a real human. As the only things you mentioned are mere annoyances and not truly deal breakers for your enjoyment or safety, I would just send a nice follow up email and move on. 

[Kia272]

@Laura2592 That's actually my plan.