GLUTEN free Breakfast - NEVER AGAIN

[Momi0]

Dear Fellow hosts and Travelers,

How hard is it to show GRATEFULNESS???????

This past month in September, which isn't over yet, I hosted a total of 21 guests so far from 5 different countries, (Italy, England, New Zealand, Germany, Australia,) and 4 States in USA and was so busy beyond belief pleasing everyone with all that I do.  Yes, I am the host who provides an outstanding sit down breakfast table service, with fresh daily grinded 100% Hawaiian EXPENSIVE coffee beans and Hawaiian tea.  My beautiful breakfasts are clearly written out in my menu section, photos displayed in my gallery, with examples of what I make for both Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian guests.

But what makes this month so challenging and disappointing, is that 3 separate bookings showed up letting me know that they are GLUTEN FREE.  My listing does not say I provide a GLUTEN FREE breakfasts.  However, I was expected to be creative with buying NEW GROCERIES at my expense, and making a completly different breakfast for the spouse who wanted GLUTEN FREE breakfast but insisted I still make his wife the "Momi Traditional Hawaiian" breakfast that previous guests had written about in their 5 Star reviews.

Well, imagine my shock and dismay, when I go out of my way and my expense to please EVERY SINGLE PERSON who can't eat anything I normally make bc of their strict gluten free breakfast not offer to compensate me in any way for this stuff.  And doesn't bother to write in their reviews how I had gone above and beyond to make an extra trip to the store to buy "expensive" gluten free items nor acknowledge that I made 2 different breakfasts every morning for 8 mornings for this one particular couple.  

I write this because this wasn't just ONE guests.....this was 3 separate bookings in September.  I was very stressed out accommodating everyone with getting breakfast served on time at 8:00am, to ensure one spouse got my yummy traditional Hawaiian French Toast, and making a separate Gluten Free Breakfast demanding that I hurry up as they had a bus to catch!!!  WHO DOES THAT!!?!?

I am already going above and beyond with guests driving them for free to beaches, hikes, shopping centers, out to dinners, making outstanding breakfast complete with Main course, hawaiian fruit and sausage to enjoy and now I am expected to spend even more money and time on thier dietary needs?  Well, I decided to inform my recent guests  at the time of their booking that I thought they should bring Gluten free products to my home so I could make a delicious breakfast for them, and was willing to drive this couple from ENGLAND to the store to pick it up since they weren't renting a car....did they do that ...NO!!!!  But they made sure to have me drive them every day / night to pick up more wine and tequila for their 5-6 nightly hours hours of drinking.  One night consuming 3 bottles of wine and 100 ML of Tequila all in the presence of my minor child.  Disgusting.

Fortunately, as a Superhost I would still like to continue being the only host in my town that actually makes a wonderful breakfast w/ Hawaiian products which are not cheap, and put smiles on my guests faces when they sit down to see what's waiting for them.   I spend $20 on food feeding a couple, sometimes more since the coffee is so expensive. 

What I won't do anymore is provide a Gluten Free Breakfast, especially after several guests decided it wasn't worth mentioning how hard I worked to create a delicious breakfast EVERY morning on my dime making a Gluten Free Breakfast.  I am so disappointed.  Including my latest review from an Italian couple.  While I do appreciate they wrote in Italian that I was an attentive host, they wrote MORE about my simple House rules of not wanting sand in my home, and NOTHING about the "extra" breakfasts I made each morning for their needs. smh   (at least everyone said in person the Gluten Free Breakfasts were yummy).

Thanks for letting me vent....and please take comfort knowing this, IF you do decide to check in at our home, as 3 other Superhosts have, it will be the best Hawaiian French Toast with Hawaiian sausage you will have ever had!  haha  Or maybe you would like to enjoy my Vegetarian Yoghurt Fruit salad made with 5 Hawaiian fruits...my guests today actually asked me how did I make it because she loved it so much!!  Hope she writes about that. 

I'm hosting my first ABB manager in October, and thankfully, he and his gf have no dietary concerns.  * Whew 😉

p.s.  Did I mention that NONE of these "gluten free guests" even left me me a gift?  Not even one ounce of tequila was left in the 175 ML bottle.  (but I did lick the last drop)  LOL

[Dawn33]

Your home and state sound like heaven on Earth. If I ever make it that way, I will bring the tequila.

I admire your love which goes into all of your meals, @Momi0!

[Momi0]

@Dawn33  I was looking through this thread today because someone else wrote me today, and noticed you had posted this to me, but i never got it sent to my email.  I am so excited that I looked at the older posts in this thread about breakfasts.  You cracked me up and I hope you get this message!!!  We would have a blast making the Mango Margaritas and drinking them under my swaying palm trees.  Do you have Instagram?  I tried to send you a PRIVATE message today from the CC but for some reason, the feature is no longer showing up since last week.  Very odd.  And I checked to make sure I was signed in too, but still wont' let me do it when I cllick on your beautiful face....it only lets me look at your Airbnb profile.  odd.   Please come visit me soon.....so I can make you the same Hawaiian Banana French Toast that I made for my most awesome recent guests from Airbnb San Franciso Headquarters.....what this manager and his girlfriend wrote in private feedback to me absolutely made me cry.....out of pure emotion for how grateful he was to me for all that I did during this stay.  He even invited me to stay with him on my next trip to SF as well as  private tour around Airbnb office....I simply can't wait!!!  OH YEAHHHHHHH 🙂

oh yeah....he said he regretted not booking more then his 3 nights with me so he couldve  taste all of my yummy Hawaiian breakfasts.  LOL  he wanted all the gluten I had around....LOL

[Zandra0]

LOL @ licking the last drop of tequila.

You know I've never given a gift as a guest! I just realised just now, how very remiss of me.

I rarely get gifts from guests either these days!

[Andrea9]

@Momi0

I feel your frustration and hurt too getting what in Dutch they'd call  'Stank voor dank' - the rhyming expression for giving a stink for thanks.

The amount of entitlement some people have keeps amazing me, or is it simply disrespect for another's efforts.... 

Makes me think of one visit I had - a kind of distant acquaintance who officially booked with me, but because knowing her as fellow artist instead of her being simply a stranger as guest, it was normal that I  gave her breakfast and dinner. Well..... allergy alert... non-gluten, non-dairy, and non-meat vegetarian. But she loved, loved, loved fish and certain kinds of fruit and veggies that were more expensive than the norm.

Though I let her chip in, I somehow ended up paying most and those 3 days blew a huge hole into 2-weeks food budget. She then stayed with a good friend of mine, who was much, much smarter! - my friend simply did the vegetarian thing and served up meals with veggies she already had in house with potatoes or rice. So your banana version is kind of like that.

I don't offer breakfast due to the many nice cafes in my neighborhood, because of my work schedule, and because my apartment is too small to offer separate guest dining. But if I was pondering it, all those allergy requirements or dietary requests would totally blow it out of the water for me. I understand the frustration of how difficult it is to stick to a diet on holiday, but it seems sometimes like many people carry their requirements around like a shining badge!

Anyway I love gluten too, and bananas for that matter  😄

"Dear guest, a special-needs breakfast beyond bananas and within pricing bounds could be pre-ordered on occasion."  🙂

Momi, is there any way you can charge a small amount for rides into town when free-loading guests need to be driven around?

I mean, the gall of some people - false entitlement, rudeness, expecting champagne on a beer budget...

Don't loose the faith, but keep that 'No' sign handy for just in case, haha!

[Momi0]

@Zandra0  Really?  I have stayed at 2 homes and made sure to find out what the hosts really likes from Hawaii and brought both hosts a gift.  The hosts even wrote about my gift in his review about me.  How much he loved it!  I also get a gift from 90% of my guests.....and my favorites are the ones who read in my listing how much we love wine. Of course, we always open it and share it while they are here, but most guests insist that I only open it with my husband on a nice quiet night when no guests are around.  LOL

[Roz4]

@Momi0 your prices are so incredibly good I'd certainly buy you a nice gift! I'd want to give more back!

[Dawn33]

This is WHY I don't serve s meal.

They can be gluten-free, vegetarian, exclusive bacon eaters or eat only cotton balls! All I care about is that they enjoy my home and mind my house rules.

[Lizzie]

Aw I am sorry to hear this @Momi0. At times like this, I think you should remember all the many guests who have absolutely loved your breakfast. 🙂

*I have to admit this discussion is making me very hungry!

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

What awesome service you provide!  I saved your listing for the next time we visit Oahu.  We fly to Maui (for our HONEYMOON!) in less than a month and can't wait to feel all that Aloha Spirit!

[Momi0]

@Cynthia-and-Chris1  I was wondering how was your honeymoon!?  I truly hope you were well taken care of and felt the Aloha Spirit daily.

Please know that I would love to host you two the next time you decide to visit our island...the island that is home to the famous "Momi Marvelous Mango Margaritas"....lol. 

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

Hi Momi! Our honeymoon was AMAZING! We did a lot of laying around the pools and beach, drank a lot of mai tai's and feasted like kings on Maui Gold pineapples! It was everything we could have asked for. 🙂 

We still want to visit Oahu next, so I will be in touch for sure! Those margaritas are calling me name! 

[Sandra126]

In a complete aside here, I once had accommodation set in an almond grove and it even had the word Almond in its name, yet someone booked who had anaphylactic shock allergy to almonds. There were almonds and traces of almond everywhere. ''Can you be sure to remove all almonds before we arrive?''

Errm, no.

[Mariann4]

@Sandra126 Maybe not the most polite response, but: 😄 😄 😄

As to subject: I state in my description that I provide a simple breakfast upon request. I also state what's simple: eggs, bacon, bread, cheese, ham, jam, milk and juice. They have to cook it themselves. I had a celiac staying, and she asked very politely if I could arrange some bread free of gluten for her, or give her a word so she could save some of her bread from earlier. I arranged and she mentioned it in the review.

But from reading these posts made by more experienced hosts I have now added that they have to ask for the breakfast in their booking so that I know they have read my listing. I actually doubt it will work... But I try 🙂

[Sheri16]

HAHAHHA please remove the almonds! oh man.

[Jiw0 · Accepted solution]

Hi Momi, I loved reading this, and all the nice things you do!

With things like these I force myself to think of the LARGE MAJORITY (likely, I'm guessing) of guests who are super thrilled about the experience you provide.   Think of each and every one of them, not the occasional sour-mouth. 🙂

It's easy to get jaded by focussing too much on the people who don't show appreciation instead of all the ones that do.  They're the more important ones.

On a side note, I'm also noticing that there's very little relationship between how much a guest pays and how demaning they are. It's very easy to think guests who booked for cheaper should therefore be more grateful.  (either because they asked for it or because you lowered short-term pricing to get more guests.)  That's not how it works and I try to give the very same top experience to everyone no matter how much they paid;  not everyone has the same budget, but once booked they truly do become my guests and will go out of my way whenever needed to make sure they have a great stay.   (My wife has a harder time with this, but I completely separate money from everything else. 😉 )