Introduction

[Jehovanis0]

Greetings to the community. 

I'm Jehovanis. I live in Ghana, where I have a couple of apartments (not the owner) that I manage. I'm joining the community for the sense of belonging it provides and also for tge exchange of knowledge. 

Thank you for receiving me. 

[Rebecca]

Hi @Jehovanis0 👋

Good to have you here on the Community Center. You're definitely in the right place for support, hosting hints and tips as well as some great Q&A's. Great to hear that you've got some apartments already - what’s been the trickiest part of looking after those places so far, and how did you tackle it?

If you head to the top of the page you'll see the 🔍 search bar - if you type a question in there, you'll get loads of results. You can also ask your own questions if you have something particular, or even ask for feedback on your listing!

[Jehovanis0]

Thank you, @Rebecca, for the warm welcome to the community. I truly appreciate it.

Beyond the challenge of increasing bookings during low seasons, one of the trickiest aspects for me is managing guest expectations. I naturally tend to go above and beyond, sometimes offering more attention and support than required. Unfortunately, this can occasionally be taken advantage of, with some guests continuing to make increasing demands.

For example, I recently hosted a guest for 10 nights. I checked in with her every couple of days and even provided extra detergent for her personal laundry. Despite this, she later left a public review highlighting concerns that she had already shared with me privately. Concerns I had acknowledged and promised to improve on.

I’m working on finding the right balance between being attentive and setting clear boundaries, so I can continue to provide great service while also managing expectations more effectively.

[Rebecca]

I'm sorry to read that @Jehovanis0., but it's great that you learnt something from this experience and can continue to grow in your hosting journey. 

What changes are you thinking of making to your house rules or pre-arrival message so guests know where the line is? 

There was another topic here about this very recently: How do you make yourself available for guest support? by @Marcos760.

Some of our experienced hosts @Cathy1312 @Charles2088 @Andy4419 @Anita1540 @Aquino3 @Chris24883 and @Kitty-and-Creek0 have shared their experience there about setting boundaries with guests. 😍