Where are all my laid back hosts at?

[Christina355]

Where are all my laid back hosts at? I need to find my people! 

I host a campsite on my small farm, so it's definitely not your average listing and I get that, but I know there have to be other hosts out there that are laid back and go with the hosting flow. 

I want to hear from hosts that just have fun with it and if you have a crazy story or had something happen that would make the more strict hosts cringe... I need to hear the stories 🙂 

I know I'm not alone.. don't let me down, community! 

[Christina355]

@Willow3 That's what mom's are for! (see what I did there?) lol

[David2389]

I always thought it was "Never use a preposition to end a sentence with.......". Hah

[Fred13]

@Christina355 I was born with a 'complicated mind', analyze everything and try to predict the future. if anything strictly for fun. Regardless, I try to keep things as simple as possible in my hosting place (and style), with a nothing-is-a-problem approach, and remove anything that is a candidate for problems; with guests, Airbnb or  government. So count me in, in your 'camp' (no punt intended).

@Willow, you tend to see things philosophically, which I have always admired. You seem have the good fortune of an uncluttered mind. 😉

[Willow3]

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@Fred13 wrote:

- You seem have the good fortune of an uncluttered mind. 😉

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@Fred13 you have no idea! I truly cannot understand when others explain what is going on in their minds. I can multitask like the Mother I am, but I don’t get bogged down with a lot of feelings. Probably a small blessing of my traumatic childhood - I learned to disassociate.  And I don’t form easy attachments, so seeing my guests as paying customers is easy, even when I really enjoy them. 

[Christina355]

Heck yeah! I love the idea of not seeing everything as a problem. I think that's really what I'm trying to get at- we're inviting strangers to stay with us so might as well enjoy the ride and not look for things to complain about. You don't want someone to take all 100 creamer packs that you set on the counter? don't leave 100 creamer packs out. Lol 

I mean Zacharias made an interesting comment about a weed resort and I think that could be a great idea if it ever becomes legal in Florida... I'd be booked up with all the stressed out hosts hahaha 

[Willow3]

Maybe that’s my secret... I DO live in Washington. Seriously though, who could be stressed living here. (My private deck off my bedroom. Ignore the railings - I’m on my contractor’s schedule to come redo the decks... just gotta wait my turn.)

Took this just now... who needs weed when the water is so near?

[Christina355]

@Willow3 How beautiful! That looks like such a relaxing space. It's pretty hard to be stressed in FL too! especially on a hobby farm 🙂 We have the full spectrum from country to beach. 

[Ellen33]

I get you....i dont post a lot here but i do come and read. 

I am a person, both in my professional life as a social worker and host and also in general, that is rather straight forward and tries to solve things myself rather then ask advice on the forum. 

Thats how i am. Written sentences can be misunderstood and i dont want to judge people but sometimes i feel that some hosts dont understand that they are actually are running a small business and should try to be on top of things.

As to hosting....we are rather laid back. Most of the time we have great moments together with our guests. Sometimes it feels that we have friends over....sometimes more neutral....sometimes it is very cool. But we always stay ourselves. 

Laidback , caring and giving...so far we were lucky with our guests.

And the minor issues....they make funny stories

[Christina355]

@Ellen33 It's totally a business, you have to pay taxes and everything so definitely agree that hosting should be treated as such. I love that you are able to just be yourself with guests and look at the little things as funny stories. Makes it so much more fun! And I definitely understand about not posting I obviously learned that lesson today lol 

[Terrica0]

I’m in Portland and could really make a killing with the weed resort idea. But I’m sober now and the idea of breathing in weed smoke at my home day and night isn’t very appealing😂

[Terrica0]

I definitely think there’s a place for you here and I think your contribution to this community would make it more interesting. I also think there’s a ton of potential guests, especially young ones, who would be into your laid-back approach. I think this could really work to your benefit eventually. Not everybody wants to stay in an ultra-modern home with all the conveniences. Here in Portland someone is renting out a little short bus on their property that is super cute and rustic and I’m guessing that type of a rental is in seriously high demand, probably earning more money than a condo-rental with shiny appliances. It’s legitimate for you to want to connect with other like-minded people and I think when you find them you’re going to start hearing some of the more intriguing stories on this forum. It’s also legitimate to be an uptight homeowner who’s annoyed at the things guests do in their homes (as I tend to be sometimes), but it’s more interesting and enlightening for me to hear from all types of hosts with differing situations, not just the one kind. Also, I don’t get to Florida, but I’d be stoked to check out your campsite and farm if I did. 

[Christina355]

@Terrica0 you're a gem of a human! So far I've hosted older people, families, a group of 12 hippie kids and some others and it's so fun. My place is obviously not for everyone so I think people specifically seek it out for the experience. I agree with everything you said. Its ok to be on either end of the hosting spectrum ☺ you're more than welcome to camp out with us if you ever find yourself in Florida! I gotta check out your profile and see you listing! I've always wanted to visit Portland 

[Rebecca181]

@Christina355 Sadly, the new Bot / Algorithm driven environment has made it so a 'laid-back' host will likely be 'toast' under the new rating requirements starting in July. Unless your laid-back property has laid-back guests who will always give you five stars, every time, you will likely begin to receive warnings and threats saying you may be de-listed (warnings generated by the Bot, which Airbnb Customer Service Reps say they have no control over at this point). So, if some of us are expressing a bit of concern about this (even alarm, given our businesses and livlihoods are threatened) and we seem uptight, you might take that into account. 

[Christina355]

@Rebecca181 I actually do have 100% 5 star reviews and should be a superhost at the next assessment. I'm not sure what laid back means to everyone else, but I maintain my listing and give my guests a farm experience that they seem to love. I just go with the flow and don't let the little things bug me. 

[Rebecca181]

@Christina355 Oh, I understand better what you mean with your OP.  If that's your definition of being a laid back host, than I would count myself among them. I adore my guests, and some of my happiest moments are hanging out with them around one of the fire-pits, sharing stories, wine, music, and good food. I absolutely love hosting. Just don't love some of Airbnb's policies. Glad that you are also enjoying hosting as well!