Should children under 2 Free? I think Not!

[Monica4]

I have hosted families for over three years. Children are the most work because they.....well...they are children. I just recently found out that my listing shows that children under 2 are free. My goodness....the spilled juice on the floors, the fingerprints on my glass doors, extra laundry, diapers in the garbage......all OK "if" I get paid for the extra work but it seems that Airbnb has decided that I should do this work for free? Sadly, the only way that I can stop this free promotion is to change my settings to "unsuitable" for children under 2 and now my listing will not show up when a family is looking to stay somewhere with small children.

Oh well, I had better go and check the other two platforms that I use.

[Jiw0]

> but what if you want to be as reasonably priced as possible?

Then I'd just welcome kids. 😉

We even had a baby born while guests were at our place.  So they checked in without kid, but left with one.   That didn't result in any kind of challenge at all, and we were able to provide a bay cot too.  (It felt like an honor, frankly. 😉 )

And our last guests at a place mentioned late on that they would bring their infant son after all, so including their two other kids and parents that was seven souls in our place with a 6 person maximum:  not a problem, and the kid was cute and seemed to really appreciate some toddler toys we prepared.

AirBnB is making it clear in their communications that everyone should feel welcome; everyone belongs.   I bitch a lot on these forums about resulting policies (InstantBook in particular) but the part of welcoming absolutely everyone is something I fully subscribe to. 😉

Maybe some pictures, just because. 😉

The beautiful baby boy, born at our place (well, in a hospital but then checked in a day or two later) : 

Or when damage occurs, it tends to not be children but guests who had a little too much to drink. 🙂

But then we just fix it the next day, and the guests just paid the cost.   (Wasn't particuarly expensive, about $30)

By and large, families with small kids make great guests.   I actually think it's where AirBnB really shines compared to hotels..  An actual house with a kitchen and space for everyone is so much better than getting two or three hotel rooms.. 

And families with older kids are just fine too. 🙂

[Sandra126]

@Jiw0, it is lovely that you have a nice family friendly place, many places are. Some places are not, and they may also be unsafe. Water in the garden, steep stairs etc. Or they are packed to the rafters with breakables and/or dangers. In short, a grownup's delight. I usually recommend places where children can run free, and tell potential guests how difficult supervision will be at my place and give them choice, they usually get a sitter and come on their own, or book elsewhere. Some places are - some not. Good that you are!

I adore older children because they can see magic, they are perfect guests for my place as they notice more than any adult. My place is like I Spy. Older children respect this, tiny ones wreck it or hurt themselves in the process. Very small babies - not a big issue. I have hosted 5 year olds and it has proven to be too young, broken things every time and one attempt at eating something from the garden which was definitely not on the list of edibles.

But some houses have lawn, simple interiors, solid stuff and little danger. Brilliant for families. I don't want to have to empty the house before guests arrive.

It has been said that to prepare for hosting you should put away precious things, I say the opposite. Make it as precious as you can! Go overboard, give them your very best! Lay it on!

But be careful about who you have to stay. Horses welcome. 🙂

[Linda108]

Thanks, @Jiw0.  Your post makes me smile!

[Robin4]

@Sandra126 You do have a thing about horses don't you Sandra!!!!

I will next expect you to post that you have airconditioned 'Stables' out the back for that odd guest that may have a horse float attached to the car.

I guess my stories relate around possums, your relate around horses!!!!

Cheers.....Rob

[Monica4]

@Sandra126 I I would sure love it if some other platform could be set up for hosts wishing to accommodate riders and their horses, especially if they live right next to some wonderful trail! I live in Quebec but trail ride in Vermont and NY State....camping with my horse. It would be a real treat to get a nice comfortable bed instead, and have my horse in a nice safe box stall. Who knows.....I see some new horse camping campgrounds that have sprung up recently, so why not accommodation type sites like Airbnb for us? Perhaps the platform could be called Bed&Stall.

[Sandra126]

@Monica4, that is a nice idea as some riders like to take a holiday with their horses, to attend clinics, shows, ride in different areas or whatever. I now have a very small garden which would not fit a horse but I had a spare paddock in the past in a different state. No need for a stall really, just the space to let the horse run.

[Andrea9]

@Jiw0

Not all kids are such little, well-behaved angels, and the parents not as supervising as they could be when their precious little ones cause messes and get themselves in trouble. That's why some of us don't want to even have to deal with this for a higher price.

If you have a property that you use only for rental purposes with no personal furniture etc. like a hotel it's different. Many of us however still go with the original 'share your home' idea. Completely different ball game.

[Lisa293]

@Monica4 

It gets even better:

http://www.airhostsforum.com/t/airbnb-is-allowing-unlimited-kids-under-2-for-free/9318

[Debbie18]

What this does not recognise is that a nearly two year old is a very different challenge from a two month old. My place is tiny and is not at all suitable for a two year old. But I have accepted non-walking babies and that is my criterion for accepting - if they are walking, it is not suitable.

But AirBnB have to accept that there is a lot of extra work involved in hosting extra children. Unless they are prepared to accept that sheets and beds will not be provided and that there will be an additional cleaning fee - a big one.

I am beginning to think that the company is losing the plot a bit and treating our homes as its own.  They need to remember that, without us hosts, they are nothing but a website.

Debbie

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Has this feature, of adding children, been rolled out to only part of the Airbnb platform?  I cannot see it in my listing

[Maria-Lurdes0]

It's rolled out on the east coast, as I just had my first inquiry for a family in which the request showed "5 adults, 2 children, 1 infant".  The automatic calculations only take the adults and children as guests, so in my case, the booking inquiry was short by $20 per night.  I sent a special offer to the guest with the corrected price, and said "system didn't calculate the amount correctly".

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Wait, so it's in PART of the US and not all of the US? This has to be a test because I cannot make a booking anywhere in the US, including NJ, for a booking with kids or to even identify if the guests are children or not.  

[Monica4]

@Maria-Lurdes0 Good idea! I will do that as well. Since I don't have Instant Book I can alway refuse the non-payment for an infant.

[Jiw0]

This might be a good topic for a question to the AirBnB owners for the upcoming event.

"Why is it a good idea to try out policy changes in the system without at least notifying hosts?"    On what planet does that result in a professional experience for customers of the platform?

[Linda108]

@Jiw0  I wish you were coming to the Open.  I would love to meet you.  Your responses are on spot and clearly articulated.  Thank you