Updated amenities list - what do you think?

[Huma0]

Hello, @Robin4 brought this to my attention in another thread.

Were you aware that the amenities list has been greatly expanded to include a lot more detail? I wasn't and I updated the amenities on my listings not very long ago.

So much stuff has been added that I can't begin to list it but, for example,  you can now specify:

- Your WiFi speed

- What kind of TV you have, including size, and what services you offer on it (Netflix, Amazon Prime etc.)

- What kind of heating you have

And here's where it gets a bit over-the-top in my opinion, but also:

- Which brands of shampoo and conditioner you supply

- What type of bedlinen, is it 100% cotton? Eygptian cotton? Silk?

- Not only what brands your fridge, stove etc. are, but whether the stove is stainless steel or not

And on and on.

What does everyone else think about it? Is it a good thing, e.g. more cover for a host if a guest complains about amenities when they were very clearly listed? Or, is this just too much detail to give? I can't put brand of shampoo as it varies and I have different sets of linens consisting of different types of cotton as well as silk and non-silk bedspreads, so I don't want to be that specific. Of course, it is optional which details you fill in.

Personally, I don't mind providing detail. What I do mind is that Airbnb keeps changing the amenities list without notification and, when it does, a lot of your previous settings disappear. Yes, I provide shampoo, and I have ticked this numerous times, but every time Airbnb makes one of these updates, the box (along with many others) becomes unchecked. You find out by accident and then have to check all that stuff again, on every listing. Yawn.

[Huma0]

@Ann72 

My guests are not allowed to know the brands of anything. It's a state secret. I decant all shampoo, shower gel etc. into bottles which I label myself. I need to do this because having lots of ugly branded stuff or different size bottles on show in the shower gives me the heeby jeebies (sic?). Also, the colour of the liquids has to coordinate with the bathroom décor. I am not joking. Even the tea bags have to go into prettily labelled glass bottles. I know. I have a problem.

But yes, this feels like some sort of test run? Look, I don't mind, as long as filling in these details doesn't become mandatory because, like you, I am not buying the same brands all of the time. 

[Michelle53]

I looked at the new details today.  I was completely unaware of them . 

Some things make sense - like specifying central air conditioning, or central heating. 

But really - brand of shampoo/conditioner  ????

Material of bed linens ???

@Ann72  yeah, I do sometimes vary the brand, depending on what Costco currently has available.

Being now super-paranoid, I unchecked "shower gel" since I provide "body wash" not "shower gel", and I'd hate to get marked down or delisted for misrepresenting the facts.

But is anyone really going to read all this stuff, except that one guest who is going to try and find fault any way they can ?

[Ann72]

@Huma0 @Michelle53  A few recent guests have been oddly specific in ways that now make sense.  One asked "What kind of coffee machine or pour over is there?"  Another: "Is kitchen stocked with spices, olive oil, essentials?"  Another mentioned things from the list in the review ("dishes, utensils, extra blankets, washer/dryer.").

So they seem to be combing through the list of amenities.  

[Huma0]

@Ann72 

Mmm, well I haven't had any of that yet. Most of my enquiries lately seem to be more preoccupied with discounts than amenities.

The only time I remember anyone asking something specific regarding what they had read on the amenities was the girl who asked me should she be worried because no smoke detector was listed. I don't know why that was. It was showing as checked in my settings, but clearly not when she viewed the listing. That was last year I think, so maybe those details haven't all been showing up for a while, not just since these recent changes.

[Michelle53]

Another thought - does anyone feel like there are security issues providing some of this information ?

Like size of TV and services provided ?    It's a shopping list for theft.

Someone may be very proud of their Ralph Lauren linens, but it's a recipe for things to get stolen.   I had a designer-label blanket,

purchased at a discount store - it lasted all of  6 weeks, along with the contents of my supplies cabinet. 

Now, I only put out enough supplies for the guest's stay, plus maybe a bit extra.

[Debra300]

@Huma0,

The changes are probably being rolled out in phases, and the propagation may take some time before all global listings are updated. 

Personally, for the shampoo brand I may enter, "Free", and for linens material, "Unstained and non-tattered".  I am not entering the brands of anything.

[Ann72]

@Debra300 I think the less detail the better.  The rather tedious drawback being, as this thing progresses, comparing one listing to another.  Hence the question I got this week - "What kind of coffee machine or pour over is there?"  Why so specific?  Why the need for a brand name?  Has she been burned by a Mr. Coffee and couldn't sleep because it wasn't a Chemex?  Jeez Louise, talk about 1st World problems.

[Debra300]

From a marketing perspective, the change to the amenities list is geared towards guests from economically developed countries who travel either domestically or to regions that have a similar standard of living and familiar brands.  I doubt that an international traveler who is staying in a Mumbai home share has any expectation regarding brand names that they're unlikely to recognize, or a local Indian traveler seeks a place with Egyptian cotton sheets.  As a side note, Huma, Ann, Mark and I had a previous conversation regarding what's typically provided for bed linens.  So, there is still opportunity for misunderstandings and unmet expectations, because there are different national and regional norms for bedding.  

@Huma0 @Michelle53 @Yadira22 @Ann72 @Mark116 @Helen427 

[Michelle53]

My objective is to have beds that are clean and comfortable.  I don't go out in search of brand labels in order to do that. 

I mostly shop at Costco. I think they offer decent quality at a reasonable price.  If someone's going to turn their nose up at that, they are most certainly not going to be comfortable booking my space 😉

[Katrina79]

@Michelle53 I get all my linens from Costco, quality is just as good or better than expensive sets from department stores. I’ve found 100% cotton sheet sets at blowout prices! I find they wash and wear well! If something does get wrecked I don’t get angry lol so it’s beneficial to my mental health as well! 

[Huma0]

I bought some very high thread count Egyptian cotton linens because I found them at great discount prices but, lovely as it is, it does not wash or wear well. I expect it to get trashed so rarely put it on the beds anyway. That was a waste of money.

I do have some designer and fancy linens, but I get them at big discounts from TK Maxx/Homesense (TJ Maxx in the US I believe). I hunt around for the stuff in there that has extra reductions. I recently got a Calvin Klein Superking Duvet cover for £20. Original RRP was £300!!! There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. It was pristine, but the packaging was damaged.

[Cathie19]

Not to mention @Huma0  that they don’t fair well if a guest has strong sharp toenails! I’ve lost a pair to the dreaded toenail tear!

[Huma0]

@Cathie19 

Oh no! I've never experienced toenail tear I don't think, but I did have a guest once leave tears in a very expensive silk quilt. When I pointed it out to her and asked how it happened, she just shrugged, said she had no idea and changed the subject. So, I no longer put bedding of that value in the guest rooms anymore.

[Cathie19]

Exactly, @Huma0 ! We owe those sheets to ourselves..... 💐

[Huma0]

@Cathie19 

Exactly. I bought the super high thread count stuff for the guest rooms, but decided in the end to keep most of it for myself!