Any suggestions for writing up a review for a not terrible, but disrespectful guest(s)?

[Heather619]

Hi Airbnb family!

We're still new on this circuit but have managed pretty well with our guests. The guest that is staying with us seems to not understand nor fully read through our household rules. Examples: adjusting our thermostat, going into areas of the house which we had disclosed to be off limits to our guest(s)  while attempting to empty our humidifier he spilled water all over our new fixed floors, very loud after quiet hours. Stomping, slamming doors, oh and of course loud sex! I emailed him kindly reminding him of our house rules, and that if he needs anything to contact me. I got no response. Finally, I attempted to make a kind interaction and told him to please leave the following items alone and be mindful of our quiet hours. Also on the day he arrived, he showed up about 7 hours earlier than our check-in time making the timing very frustrating. 

Should I mention these things pretty straight forward in the review or just back off and let go? 

[Sarah977]

@Heather619

 Mention them. It's a warning to other hosts, that's why we write reviews (and vice versa, we want our nice guests to be readily accepted).

Keep it simple and factual, no need to go into all the details.  "Guest ignored house rules, entered spaces he was clearly told were not shared, emptied dehumidifier tray without permission, damaging new floors, arrived 7 hours earlier than stated check-in time. Unfortunately, cannot recommend".

[Heather619]

Thank you very much for the suggestion. One other, would that be enough to not recommend the guest again or do you think that would hurt my status as a host. Not ever really a huge fan of submitting a review before the guest has. Oddly enough the guest has good reviews from previous hosts. 

[Sarah977]

@Heather619 Thumbs downing a guest doesn't have any effect on your hosting status. And it seems some hosts give good reviews to poor guests just because they don't want to mean or something, which really defeats the whole point of a review system. And some hosts never even meet their guests- they just write some generic "nice" review. You can always cross-refernce when there's good but fairly impersonal reviews- click on the host profile that gave the good review, then see if that host gives the same bland nice reviews to all their guests. In that case, the review doesn't carry much weight, at least to me. The type of listing also matters- some guest might be fine in a place they have to themselves, but really aren't suited to a home-sharing situation.

[Helen3]

As a superhost @Heather619 I am sure you are an experienced host, but it seems you let this guest walk all over you.

If someone turns up 7 hours early outside of your check in time - you don't let them in, at the most you might take their luggage if they don't have a car and recommend some nearby attractions to visit.

If your guests are being noisy outside of your quiet time in your house rules and breaking house rules - speak to your guest in person. Point out they may not be aware of the impact of their behaviour but they are disturbing you and would appreciate if they could keep noise levels down including in the bedroom.

You can always follow up on Airbnb to confirm your conversation. In this way the guest can't say they weren't aware of your concerns.

I think the review suggested by @Sarah977 is perfect.

[Heather619]

Thanks Helen!

I actually did end up having a kind chat in person with said guest. I think the person somewhat got the message but not in its entirety. I'll follow up with Air bnb support as well today on that.  

[Heather619]

I want to add that we seem to get some deent guests but most of the time they never or skim through the check-in times and house rules. Is there a way to make that more prominent so that when the time comes, I don't have to deal with the drama? I already follow up with a confirmation email before they and ask that they read it but thats about it. 

[Sandra856]

Hi @Heather619 🙂

I always add the houserules to the welcome messsage and direction guide. It helped a lot. I had the same issues as you before I did that. Also I'm quite insisting on getting a precise arrival time when communicating with my guests. If they arrive by car I ask them to message me when the gps tells them they are an hour from my home (if they arrive later than my 5 PM check in time). If they come from the airport I ask for flight number so I'm aware of any delays and I have made a detailed direction guide including how much time it takes to get to me home. I make sure they know that it is important with a precise arrival time otherwise I might not be home to welcome them and they might have to wait for me. And they really don't want that 🙂 If they arrive much earlier (having an early flight or something like that) I recommend stuff for them to do, where to eat, where to store luggage but still make sure to know when I can expect them and that it is important for me to know when they will be here. Best, Sandra