What do you wish you would have known before your first guest?

[Rebecca]

Hello hosts! 👋

I hope you’re all doing well! As you continue to create unforgettable experiences for your guests, I’d love to tap into your wisdom. What do you wish you would have known before welcoming your very first guest?

Whether it’s a little tip, a funny story, or a lesson learned, your insights can be incredibly valuable for those just starting out or looking to enhance their hosting journey.

Please share your thoughts, experiences, or any advice you have! Can't wait to hear your stories! 😊

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Rebecca 

One of the best ways to ensure your Airbnb listing is guest-ready is to spend a few nights in it yourself. This firsthand experience will help you identify and fix any issues before guests encounter them.

[Rebecca]

This is such a great idea @Patricia2526! Did you identify any issues in your listing that you needed to address? 

[Crys816]

We did this! We identified several things. The duvet was to big for the bed, the motion light outside needed adjusted, the wifi worked great, set up the tv for guest mode and added more light above the stove. I was so comfortable and enjoying myself that I stayed the rest of the day 🙂

[Andrea6232]

Buongiorno @Rebecca , 

actually nothing special as I had already prepared everything down to the smallest detail and fortunately everything went well 😁

Andrea

[Rebecca]

Hello @Andrea6232 👋

How fantastic to hear! What about if there had been any unexpected surprises? Did you have a plan A, B and C? 

[Andrea6232]

@Rebecca only plan B 😂

[Greystone0]

HI @Rebecca ,

Great question!

We've had a few 'gotcha' moments including:

- folks parking on our lawn to avoid putting their own cars in back of each other. This was a shocker and was ruining our lawn and is against our short term regulations. We now have cameras over our parking areas, which includes a view of this lawn adjacent to the driveway that was being abused. We immediately increased our messaging focusing on our parking plan and included a "do not park on lawn' statement. I am sure guests don't park on lawns at their own homes or when they visit a friend and so it was frustrating to experience this.

- guests brining more occupants than what they reserved for - again we increased our messaging about our permitted occupancy, this still happens though, despite having a house rule, lease and messaging about our occupancy. Work in progress for us.

In this case and with parking, it would be helpful for AIRBNB to provide a statement to all guests that these issues are highly relevant to the success of the short term rental process. While not the topic of this posting, I would add that I think AIRBNB could do better at helping guests understand the underlying issues and being better 'guests'. There is a lot of effort on how to be a good host but seems remiss about how to be a good guest.

Much success to all!

[Rebecca]

Interesting points @Greystone0. Thank you for sharing. Do you have any ideas of what Airbnb could do to communicate the statements to guests? What do you suggest would be the best way to do this? 

[Greystone0]

Hi @Rebecca ,

Thanks for the opportunity to comment on this.

AIRBNB suggests that a guest should treat the home like their home, but this is misleading and doesn't capture the specific issues associated with offering a short term rental. As a homeowner you may allow smoking, or loud music, or furniture to be moved around or guests to be outside at all hours, and on and on. AIRBNB needs to establish a code of ethics for guests that includes adhering to the unique settings of each property (parking rules, smoking, noise, whatever). Guest should treat the home as if they are indeed a guest in another home and to follow stated guidelines. I realize that this is captured in much of the fine print but when a guest makes a new reservation this isn't what they are reviewing. The burden of dealing with guest behaviors is put on the shoulders of hosts to get people aligned with how to act in a community with short term rental regulations. This lack of accountability at the AIRBNB level has also been partially responsible for the increase in legislation that communities and homeowners are faced with, to reign in the issues associated with poor guest behaviour.   Again, I recognize that there is much in the fine print about this but what is being done by AIRBNB at the point of the reservation or at check in that re-iterates this important information, that is where the info is lacking or missing all together.

[Carolyn284]

My very first guest had a complaint that the bathroom wasn't an en suite.  I updated my listing, and specifically mentioned that the guest bathroom was in the hall, by the bedroom and would be used exclusively by the guest.  (I live here as well).

I also stated that no guests, or overnight guests are allowed.  

My gated community HOA doesn't allow street parking, and since I only allow 1 guest at a time, I advised the guest to park on the far left side of the driveway.

I added as many amenities as I could:  carbon monoxide detector, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and the normal hair dryer, smoke alarms etc.  Also, I have a snack basket in their room filled with instant oatmeal, granola bars, chips, crackers, cookies, candy etc.  I even include a sealed face mask.  For the bathroom, I have a container that has sample sizes of soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, tiny sewing kit, pain reliever, razors and other items a guest might forget to pack.  I have kleenex in the bedroom and bathroom, and small kleenex packages for their purse.

I hope this helps.

Best of luck!

[Rebecca]

Hello @Carolyn284 👋

It sounds like you've really put a lot of thought into making your space welcoming and comfortable for your guests, especially with all those amenities!

I love the idea of the snack basket, what a nice touch! How has the feedback been since you made those updates? Have your guests been enjoying it?

[Carolyn284]

@Rebecca My guests have definitely told me they appreciate the snack and bathroom baskets.  The other updates are not usually commented on, but that's okay.  I added them to increase the appeal of my space and I've always received bookings when I've had my place listed.

[Rebecca]

That’s great to hear @Carolyn284! Sounds like the snack and bathroom baskets are a hit... who doesn’t love a thoughtful touch like that?

Do you ever switch up what you put in them, or have you found a combo that always works? 

[Carolyn284]

I do switch up the snacks.  I buy the snack size bags in bulk at the grocery store, so the crackers, cookies, chips rotate.  I will also buy bite-size candy.  I always have instant oatmeal and some kind of granola bar also that change.  When I buy in bulk, I have to watch to make sure they don't get out of date, or stale.  If they do, they become MY snacks, and I buy new for the guests.  I've also purchased fruit cups, pudding, but always things that don't need refrigeration since the basket is in their room.  I have small, bottled water in the fridge if they want.  My refrigerator has filtered water if they want to just fill up a glass.  I always ask if they drink coffee or tea and have that on hand in the kitchen.  If they do, I ask if they want me to pick up milk, creamer etc. Most of the time they will get their own.  I also have a sugar dispenser in the cabinet with the coffee and tea.    I make sure they know they can use any condiments in my refrigerator, for example, mayo, mustard, ketchup, butter, jam or jelly.  I usually have a loaf of bread they can help themselves to also.