Help! I'm seeing a spike in complaints about guests "having" to drink tap water / bathroom water

[Mary1211]

Private room host, no guest access to the kitchen.

I've had 3+ negative reviews the past couple of months, and more guests who didn't say anything in reviews but did say things in person, complaining about effectively having to drink water from the tap. The most recent review said this -

" This means that if you want water it will only be from a pre-used gallon jug that is left in the closet or you can get some from the bathroom sink. "

Another guest used the phrase "forced to drink water from the bathroom," in their review.

Like... OK? I advertise myself as ecologically minded in my listing title.   leave a one gallon jug of filtered water next to the k cup coffee machine in the guest for guest convenience, both for drinking and for refilling the coffee maker. And since when is anything wrong with bathroom water? What do guests do in hotels? Should I just start leaving 14 dollar bottles of VOSS in my guest room?

I've also had guests go to the kitchen and when I was like "Uh what? That's a private area" they're like "but I need filtered water."

I'm seriously at a loss, what am I even supposed to do to manage these expectations? Does anyone else get this and how do they manage? It's really making me feel depressed and defeated as a host that I can't do anything right.  Even leaving the gallon of filtered water in the guest room was because guests were complaining about how it was hard to fill the coffee maker, and the coffee maker was because guests were complaining there was no coffee maker (even though I didn't advertise one), and then I've also had other complaints about the coffee maker like "It's broken," "Not enough coffee and tea choices," "it ran out of water," etc. It seems like no matter what I do, there will always be something wrong 😞 

[Ange2]

@Mary1211   

"I feel like I have bad luck with guests not being the brightest or most intuitive"  

I find this goes in waves. I get a slew of great guests followed by a slew of horrible guests who have read nothing and complain, complain, complain. I try to focus on the great guests and put the others out of my mind. Although that is not always easy when their behavior is so petty and  incomprehensible—visitors from planet nasty.

[Sarah977]

@Mary1211  House Rule: IQ above 120.  Please do not book this listing if your IQ score is lower than this. Documentation required.

BTW I love your colorful, eclectic space.

[Yadira22]

Brilliant but @Sarah977  I imagine Airbnb would class this as some form of discrimination... 😏

[Rachel0]

@Mary1211 I used  to have two carafes with glasses which were inscribed with the words "Perfectly Drinkable Tap Water." Sadly they both got broken and I haven't been able to find any with the same wording on them.  I always offer my guests a decanter of tap water to take upstairs - with ice if required -  but am shocked by the number of them who refuse, saying "Oh no, I only drink bottled water" as if it were something to be  proud of.  

@Sarah977 Like the idea of an IQ test for guests, but that does presuppose that they can actually read ...

[Sarah977]

@Rachel0  It's really sad how many people now have the notion that tap water simply isn't safe to drink. As if they know where their bottled water comes from.

It's like the gluten-free craze. People seem to now be under the impression that gluten is some kind of poison, guaranteed to harm your health.

@Mary1211  It sounds like you have a great water filtering system. How about putting a laminated sign on the guest water container saying exactly what you said above "This jug is filled from my 5 stage filter, PH alkanalized drinking water system".

[Melanie33]

I just leave 2 glasses in the bedroom for the guests to use the bathroom tap.  Never had any complaints.......yet! 
Having said that while guests have no access to the kitchen for cooking they can make a drink.  None ever do!

[Susan151]

@Mary1211 About two weeks ago the City of Somerville sent out the annual "Quality of Water" Report. I have made copies of this report, since it shows how wonderful our water is, and have placed the copies in the guest rooms. During my welcome tour, I actually talk about how the water in Somerville is excellent, without any chemicals added, and "sell" guests on the fact that they can save money by not having to purchase water during their stay.

Most of the guests are fine with this, but some continue to head to Target to buy tons of bottled water. These guests are generally from countries where they do not trust their governments to provide accurate information.

If you didn't get a copy of this report in the mail, try calling 311 and having a copy sent to you.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mary1211 

If they don't want to drink tap water they can go to the grocery store and buy bottled water, no problem 🙂

I read somewhere that the average population inteligence grew somewhere until 80-es and since then is dropping. As hosts we are all painfully aware of this devolution process  😞

[Mary1211]

Right? I'm a one minute walk from a convenience store that sells water.

[Sarah977]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  Which would co-incide more or less with the mass digital age, the texting generations, etc. As people get used to communicating in 4 word texts, staring at their smart phone screen all day, watching netflix and youtube, they have become non-readers of novels, newspapers, and other literature. Reading improves intelligence levels. I read a study where they compared the brain waves of people when they were reading, conversing with others, or watching TV. Brain waves are most active when reading, next when conversing, and when watching TV they were almost indistinguishable from being in a coma. And it didn't matter if the TV watching was Discovery channel and the news, or some stupid reality or game show.

[Tony-And-Una0]

Hi

There may be misunderstanding. In the UK we do not drink water from the bathroom tap - even the cold water. This is because it is normally not supplied from the main fresh water supply that supplies the kitchen and sits in a water tank and is therefore not fresh water and can become contaminated.

We always would drink water from the kitchen tap.

If your bathroom water is from the mains supply, then you should indicate this.

In hotels I would not drink form the bathroom tap unless it is indicated as drinking water or I forgot to buy bottled water. I would use it in a kettle or coffee maker as it has been boiled. 

[Mary1211]

The bottle of water in my room comes right next to a water boiler / coffee maker.

I also fill it from the kitchen..

And the United States, the water generally all comes from the same place and the same pipes.  I am perfectly comfortable drinking water from the shower tap if needed.

that said, it sounds like you don't believe the hotel for not providing free bottled water and you take responsibility for your personal preferences, which is fine, I have no issue with guess not drinking my water 🙂

[Emilia42]

I am going to agree with @Tony-And-Una0 on this one. I have no problem drinking tap water but I do not want to drink water from the bathroom tap. Not in my own home and not in hotels. You can call this silly, that it all comes from the same water source or say that I have high expectations. But I have a feeling that we are not the only people that have this mindset. 

[Mary1211]

Sure, but what do you do in at hotels?

[Emilia42]

Most of the hotels I have stayed in have a little station set up in the lobby with water and coffee/tea. I usually carry my own water bottle or I can always ask for water at the bar. I know you obviously don't have a staffed bar in your house but going to the kitchen to fill up a water bottle would be the same thing to me.