Guests in AirBnB room, but do I rent out personal bedroom while I am away too?

[Claire973]

Hi everyone,

My AirBnB room has been booked for while I am on holiday, I have advised the guests they will have the place to themselves most of the time (note it is NOT a full home rental though).

I have a regular guest that stays with me who has been displaced by this booking. Do I allow him to rent my personal bedroom while I am away instead? 

I am trying to figure out if the first guests will be unhappy with that arrangement....ie rather than the hosts staying in that bedroom, another guest stays there instead. 

Would love to to hear your thoughts and experiences. 

[Denis-Mark0]

Hi @Claire973 , You should talk openly with all guests about the conditions during their stay. If you surprise them with this when they arrive or later, you might offend them and risk one or both of them writing a negative rating for you.

[Anonymous]

@Claire973    I don't understand your setup well enough to know why your regular guest had to be displaced so that you could rent to Airbnb guests. But I trust that you have a mutual understanding about whatever your arrangement is.

If you informed the new guests that they would have the place to themselves most of the time during the inquiry process, before confirming the booking, it might be somewhat in breach of your agreement to have another person in the house. But if they booked under the expectation that they would be in a shared home, you're only obliged to inform them that the person sharing the common areas is someone other than you.

It the regular guest is someone you trust to act as a co-host in your absence, it shouldn't be a problem to let him stay in your room. But if the guest signals any discomfort (perhaps a woman reluctant to share the house with a male stranger) she should have the opportunity to cancel with a full refund.

[Claire973]

The booking was made as a room in a shared home, before I accepted the booking I explained that I would be on holiday some of the time so they’d need to wash their own sheets / towels. I said that they would have the home to themselves some of the time. 

I definitely need to tell them beforehand but at the moment I have a choice about whether my regular guest stays with me or not, as I could tell him the room is unavailable and he will book elsewhere. Alternatively I can also offer him to stay in my own room. 

For ref the booked guests are an older couple, and the regular guest is an older (married) man who I trust. 

[Anonymous]

@Claire973  This sounds like an arrangement that could work out very well. One added bonus to having the regular guest in the home is that he knows your house's fixtures well enough to answer questions the new guests might have in your absence. And if the older couple turn out to be crazy party animals I guess he could set them straight. 🙂

[Claire973]

Also, thank you for your contributions. I appreciate your help in thinking through this. 

[Linda108]

As usual, @Anonymous  response is well thought out and to the point.  Your response, @Claire973 , clarifies the situation futher.  I wonder if you could set up a second listing that is your personal bedroom.  You could sync the calendar with your travel schedule and your more permanent guest could book that room when the current guest room is booked.  That way you would have whatever security this platform provides along with a record of your earnings.   Of course you can always be more informal with the guest you know, but sometimes that informality can bite you in the b____.

[Qier-and-Philippe0]

Hi@Claire973 

In you listing, you said "You will be sharing the common space (kitchen, lounge, bathroom) with myself and my fiancé".

I don't know in this case, if the couple are willing to share the common space with a stranger.

As a guest, I prefer staying with the host than a strange.

However, you could ask them if it's OK for them.

[Gordon0]

I do something like this @Claire973, for a regular of mine, however, it has to be said my living space is very minimalistic, so there's no personal stuff around. Not sure whether your regular would be happy in your bedroom if it's full of your stuff?

My guy (a 20+ stayer) can now be relied on to feed the cat when I'm on holiday. A keeper, for sure!