Beginners bad luck?

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Beginners bad luck?

 I just started out with my Airbnb and put a great deal of money into it I also did the special cleaning for Covid   requirements the place is spotless and beautiful!

. My first people brought two large mastiff dogs even when my listing said No Dogs..  I guess I wasn’t clear that I lived on the other side of the house so they were upset I was there and left I refunded their money. I went back and redid my listing to make sure people knew that I lived in the other side of the house . 

The next people cancelled because the Kitchentte  I installed wasn’t good enough, before they even saw it.

  🙄

Now I had a person leave because she didn’t like the energy... wants a full refund.. even though she ate the food , spent one night a left  the place a mess!   

My place is $40/night and  $20 cleaning fee.  I feel beaten before I’ve gotten started. 😣

Any suggestions?

 

Mimi Sudbury
1 Best Answer
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Maureen447  Unfortunately, you began your hosting career at a time when hosts are reporting getting some of the worst guests they've ever had. It appears that since COVID, there are lots of new Airbnb guests (I suspect there is social media buzz about how hosts are now desperate for bookings and it's a great time to get a deal on an Airbnb), who tend not to bother to read thoroughly, or at all, through the listing description or house rules. 

Your place is lovely- the setting is gorgeous, and I can see how much work you put into it. The kitchenette is sweet, those people were just being jerks.

 

A few suggestions- If you are using Instant Book, turn that off for now, so guests have to send a Booking Request. This gives you the opportunity to communicate with them before deciding whether to accept their booking or not, and check out their reviews, if they have any. A guest with a string of great reviews is probably nothing to be concerned about, but a newbie guest needs to be well vetted. You would want to make sure they have read all you've written in your ad, are aware and willing to comply with the house rules, have entered the correct number of guests, are aware you live on the property, that there isn't any Wifi, etc. Communicating with guests and reading their reviews is the best way for me to ensure I get good guests.

 

Raise your price! $40/night for a private suite for 2 people, in an awesome setting, with a kitchenette and all the amenities you provide, and a hot tub to boot, is way too cheap. You'll get a better quality of guest if you aim for people who aren't just looking for a cheap place .(I say this in spite of the fact that I hate it when I read "Low prices attract low-quality guests", because I have a budget-priced, for my area, private room/bath listing and I get consistently lovely guests, but your price seems really way too low for what you offer)

 

Although you have listed it as a private room, and mention way down at the bottom that you live in the separate part of the house, I think you should put the wording in the body of your listing info. "This is an owner-occupied home, although our portion of the house and the entrance is completely separate from the guest quarters. As we are on-site, we are available to assist you with whatever you might need during your stay".

 

And while all hosts may not agree with me on this, I think that when you are living there, you shouldn't have that wording about the guests being able to choose self-check-in. Any guest who is averse to meeting the host, who lives in the same building, is not a guest I would want to have. Meeting and greeting your guests can go a long way towards you getting a sense of who they are, and them understanding that they are staying in someone's well-loved home. It isn't necessary to be overly chatty, or stay long, when they arrive, but a quick greeting and orientation is a good idea, IMO.

What I actually do with my guests when they arrive is show them to their room (they also have a private entrance, although they share my kitchen), give them a quick run.through of the most important things for them to be aware of in there, like where all the light switches are, that it takes a few minutes for the hot water to work itself through the pipes to their bathroom, etc. Then I say I'll leave them to get settled and relax, and that I'll clue them in about the kitchen, door locks and other stuff whenever they're ready.

I don't like to overload guests with too much information when they first arrive- they are usually tired from travelling, a bit disoriented, and it's hard to pay attention to the workings and quirks of a strange place in that state. 

 

And don't put up with guest nonsense, like expecting a refund because she didn't like "the energy" after spending the night, using up the amenities, and leaving a mess. She ha every right to leave if she wishes, but no way should you agree to a refund.

 

Hope this helps a bit and that other hosts have some suggestions, as well. Hang in there- it's a hard learning curve sometimes.

 

 

 

 

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27 Replies 27
Sally221
Level 10
Berkeley, CA

OMG I want to stay at your stunning place the next time we drive up to Seattle  to visit family ( in the golden someday ) I am always done with the road by  the time we get to Weed & I'd be glad to pay for the peace, beauty & privacy instead of slogging along endless hwy 5!

Do raise your prices, you would be a bargain at twice as much- I fold cleaning costs into my price  on some good advice I got when starting out - Sarah & Andrew gave excellent advice I won't reiterate, hoping to be a guest when we travel again, XO Sally

Awww, thank you !  I would love ❤️  that!  

 

I am more prepared now and more sure of myself thanks to all you wonderful people.   I’m kinda excited, like starting over again.  

With Sincere Gratitude ! Mimi

Mimi Sudbury

Ok,  Just an update.   So hopeful my next guest would go well.  She is stuck at an airport, needs a ride. The airport is 2 hours away.   I've been calling rental car people for her and sending her numbers, but no response except for.  " If I get someone to bring me close to your home, can you pick me up?"  You guys are made of much stronger stalk than me.   I applaud you.   Oh and she has a little baby with her.   Good God!

Mimi Sudbury
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Maureen447  Stuck at the airport 2 hours away and needs a ride? How was she planning to get from the airport to your house in the first place? Or did she not even think about that until she arrived? She should call an Uber or something.

Most of my guests come here by bus from the airport. I do offer to pick them up at the bus station, because my place is hard to find the first time, even for the taxi drivers, but the station is only a 5 minute drive from my place.

Hope she turns out not to be demanding and entitled in a whole lot of other ways. Good luck. 

Thanks so much...You are so kind Sarah to help me.

She has 5 great 5 stars reviews, so hoping it's just a bumpy start.    I hope to post a positive comment next time.  I'm really not a complainer.  Well, Ok, I really wasn't a complainer before starting my business.. LOL    Mimi

Mimi Sudbury
David192
Level 10
Norwich, United Kingdom

I just have to join the conversation to express my admiration for the name of your town - Weed, California. Much better than Boring, Oregon! Though maybe not quite as exciting as Climax, Saskatchewan.

 

I hope the behaviour of your guests has improved. Good luck!

Yes, I wish it had another name like, Fortune, California or Mountain View, California.... anything but WEED! LOL

Mimi Sudbury

@David192 near Boring we also have Drain.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@David192  There's a Peculiar, Missouri.

But the best, IMO, is Head Bashed In Buffalo Jump, in Alberta.

Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump!  How dare you!  😋  Loved going there as a child, really neat museum there.

😂 @Sarah977  

 

Incidentally, Head Smashed In is a stunning UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site that preserves and interprets over 6,000 years of Plains buffalo culture. A must-visit if you're ever in southern Alberta.

That is tooo Funny!!!

Mimi Sudbury
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Maureen447 

 

Joining this conversation a bit late but I was wondering how it's been going for you and your lovely place? I trust it is going very well as I see you have some excellent reviews and a 5.0 rating across the board! Sounds like you are doing an excellent job as a host. I am so glad you have gotten over your initial hiccups.

 

Also, I don't know if you have blocked off any dates or if it is all bookings, but your calendar looks very busy indeed. Perhaps your location is very seasonal, but now or soon might be time to think about raising your prices a bit. Those lovely reviews are worth something you know!

 

Hopefully you have learnt to ward off those problem guests, but another thing to consider is how you would deal with any similar ones (I hope you don't) get in the future. Do not automatically issue full refunds, especially to people who don't read the listing and definitely to people who have already stayed some nights and used your amenities. It's well worth versing yourself with the complaints procedure, for example, and there are many, many threads on this forum about hosts dealing with problematic guests. Sounds like you might be too busy right now to read them though!

 

All the best to you.