A personal item (photograph) disturbed my guest

[Serendipity0]

Hi guys, i'm relatively new to AirBnB. But from my understanding the concept of it is to offer your home to traverlers to provide an authentic experience in one's country. Guests know they are staying in a home as opposed to a hotel. Right?

Last night i was contacted by the guests that are currently in my apartment - supposedly she freaked out about a photograph in the living room. To explain: i have a beautiful photograph of my late mother that was taken in the apartment when she was at her happiest. Because she was catholic, i placed her little crucifix next to it -- actually it had been like this in my apartment for over 10 years. I explained exactly what I just said and the guests want me to remove the photograph from the flat because placing it in a cupboard so it's out of sight wasn't good enough for them.

I'm now asking you guys....is it not acceptable to have personal photographs of one's family members in an Air BnB apartment? I feel it was a disrespectful message -- i don't know if the issue was the crucifix...which you would even find in hotels sometimes in a Mediterrenean country...many people in Portugal are catholic...what's the big deal?!

Of course I will arrange to remove the photograph and am now worried that photos are generally not accepted...or any religious artefacts.

I'm slso worried that i'm potentially facing a negstive review...

What are your thoughts on this??

Tess

[LeighAnn1]

This seems a bit outrageous to me. I would neither remove the photo or the crucifix. Most people will see around it if they give you a negative review.

[Michael315]

Hey Serendipity,

That seems a bit OTT to me! This your home not an actual hotel/b + b.

People need to accept your surroundings/how you live, so I would keep it and stay firm.

No doubt you have a lovley home so keep it that way and guests should respect the effort alone of you allowing them into it.

Michael.

🙂

[Suzanne72]

I have a picture of La Virgen de Guadalupe that I painted myself. No one has minded it so far. Also tons of family members all over the place.  No complaints.

Suzanne

[Andrea9]

@Serendipity0

I read a discussion recently on a hosting forum about how many very personal things are okay to be in apartment rented out on (semi-)permanent basis,  like family photographs. The consensus was that if you don't live in the home, then it would be advisable to take away all such things. Although, if a host is a photographer, then having enlargements of own photographs as art on the wall are a different story.

But in view of your situation I could imagine that any artistic expression of a temple site or cemetery is bound to freak someone out...

Basically, I feel that in the case of an apartment that is the host's home and only rented out in absentia - I would not remove such an article. On the other hand, the pictures of your listing show an accommodation empty of personal items, so that as a guest I could expect a neutral environment. Hotels for that reason never have pictures on the walls with disputable themes.  Although that said, what's with the bibles, Christian, Mormon or otherwise?!! haha.

Back to your case. In view of the fact that everything looks so neutral in the listing, do realise that a crucifix can be a problem for a number of religious orientations. Although a guest demanding removal like that would really bother me, in the end I think with a neutral rental only apartment or room a religious symbol shouldn't be there. Look at it from another point of view - a devout Christian probably wouldn't want to be confronted with a Santeria symbol in an accommodation, if it wasn't visible on the listing pictures.

As a guest I'd probably get out of there pronto myself if there were any Satanic ritual objects, but then I'd call Airbnb and ask to be re-located.

Should you be made to remove anything like a crucifix or other such object ( some religious denominations would probably completely freak at a beautiful nude  painting!)  out of sight in the home that you normally actually live in, then no, I'd regard that as an invasive guest wish.

In your case I'd remove the crucifix, not the photograph.

[Danny9]

I believe in 'full disclosure'. I place as many photos of my listing as I can, and just like with my long-term rentals, I always insist that I rent AS IS. Sure, some people will like it. And the others? Well, maybe not so... 

Fortunately, there is this huge, big rental market out there for ALL of us. If you like what you see, feel free to go for it. If you don't... well, you know how to scroll down, don't you? 

Customizing the look of my listing for each and every demanding guest is simply not a part of the deal... As simple as that. 

Danny

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[City-Limits-Ranch0]

I rent out a small camper on my property. One of our previous tenants left a small stone statue of a Buddha.  It sits on a window ledge.  Then another guest lost a bead bracelet and I didn't find it until they were long gone so do not know which guest it was.  The Buddha now wears it like a sash.  Finally an amethyst bead sits on his lap.  Sometimes I put a small flower.

If this offends someone they are free to place the little statue in a closet or drawer but I expect them to put it back before they leave.

We are not Buddhist.  It is a cultural icon.

The people offended at your religious symbol are highly intolerant.  I would tell them you are happy for them to place your object in a drawer or cabinet.  I would say you are sorry they are offended.  If I was going to the location anyway I would take it with me as long as it was easy to carry (like 6 inches not 3 feet big.) 

If it was me, I might make a small display of religous icons from many different cultures in a part of my home, photograph it for the AirBnb site and put it on my listing.

Kerrin

[Caitlin15]

As a new host myself, I've been reading around the internet that the best resolution to a lot of problems is more photos. Include a photo of the picture of your mother in your listing gallery.

I'm finding that AirBnB is about different things to different people, it's so subjective. Some will say to treat it like a business and to be as neutral as possible, others will stress that they shouldn't have to hide who they are in their own home. Some guests are looking to meet new people and explore different cultures first-hand, others are only interested in a cheap alternative to a hotel room. In either case, it sounds like being as transparent and clear about expectations as possible is key, but remember that you can't please everybody.

[Sandra126]

I have seen listings with very large crucifixes on the wall. Great! It shows what guests are getting in for, host wise. Just be transparent and show lots of pictures, then nobody will book who is likely to be offended.

A place can be personal or impersonal, as long as it is accurate.

Religion causes offence to many people and is best shown in advance.

[Ricardo71]

I have more than one listing.  My personal home, a bed and breakfast where my parents also live, an aapartment in Aruba.  

My home has contemporary Latin American  paintings I have colected over the years, some of them have nudity ,some have a bit of a religius undertones  -It is called fallen angel, so you have an idea-  Guests will have to live with my fabulous art.

Same with the B&B though I went "people pleasing" in the bedrooms.... the place in Aruba is meant to be neutral as no one lives there and is is strictly a vacation rental.  So I guess people have to have a good understanding of what the yare booking.   If the place you rent is also someone elses home, I would tell the guest that I regret to hear she does not like something very dear to me, but that if iot botehrs her to feel free to put it in a drawer for the time of their stay.   😉

Cheers!

[C-C0]

That guest seriously needs to get a life and stay in a hotel next time! I would move it, though, because they might damage or hide it. People will do strange things.

[Helga0]

I believe the problem the guest had, was that the person on the picture is dead. You told her so and you put a crucifix beside it, to make it into an autel of sorts. Many people will feel seriously uncomfortable with that.
I have not many portraits on my walls, when I leave some, I don't tell the guests that one of the pictured persons is no longer alive.
I realised the problem, when I let a friend lodge his brother in my flat for a few nights, as he had done from time to time for years. Coming back after the last visit, I not only found all clocks removed and without batteries, but also one middle sized portrait missing, that had hung on the wall for years. The brother had never removed the picture before and he knew and liked the person for years. Only in the meantime, the person was no longer alive.
Some people have a problem with passing time, hence the removed batteries: that happened about twice a year and also on digital, not ticking clocks.
More people have a problem with pictures of deceased persons, they imagine the ghost coming out of the photo. Therefore she wanted you to take it out of the apartment.
Beside my bed, I have erotic abstract paintings (quite abstract) and a Madonna, gold on wood (bought for the artwork). Nobody ever turned the Madonna around even if she overlooks the main bed, but a few guests hid the abstract Nudes in a shelf.

I understand that you feel offended, I was too, but tell yourself, it's just an expression of fear. As we want our guests to feel at home and comfortable in our place, it's better not to impose frightening things. You can leave the portrait, if you don't inform the guest that your mother passed away. Put the crucifix at a little distance, maybe on the opposite side, where your mother could see it, if she was looking out of the portrait. That makes it your private symbol, as strong for you, and a secret you share with her and not the guest.

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

I am so impressed with Helga's response and suggestions.  Much much better than mine.  I had no idea that someone would be afraid of a portrait of a deceased person.  People are so interesting.  I love the idea of putting the crucifix where she can 'see' it.

[Emily440]

I started out with a really cool natural-looking but artificial skull I bought in a Shakespeare shop (“poor Yorick”) but all the guests were turning it to face the wall or hiding it in the closet so I removed it.

[Rick3013]

I just want to say that cultural decorations such as crucifixes and statues of Buddha don’t offend me. I did, however, stay at an Airbnb recently where the owners of the rental were devout Mormon‘s. Although, the rented space was in the lower section of their home, it was apparently only used for the purposes of Airbnb. On the wall as you entered the space they had installed a large, framed parchment copy of the tenants of the Church of Latter Day Saints and instead of leaving out any combination of secular DVDs found in their video library offering, they instead left out four prominently displayed LDS recruitment videos on the console directly in front of the TV. This attempt to indirectly influence the spiritual lives of their guests was an overt and intentional gesture therefore we took offense with it and filed a complaint against the host for violating AirBnB’s discrimination policies.