Hosting and Experience - Turn off instant booking

[Debra282]

Did you see a decline in reservations when you turned off Instant Booking?  We just had a really messy guest...maybe my standards are too high, but clothes all over the floor, wet towels on the floor,  food caked on the sink.  Our apartment was just renovated and I put my savings into a six-month renovation.  Everything is pristine and really sweet.  It breaks my heart to see someone trash our beautiful apartment.  How do you deal??  I was hoping that I might reduce these type of experiences by turning off Instant Booking.

[Tim-and-Holly0]

@Debra282:
99% of our bookings are instant book. I sincerely feel that we would lose a lot of money by turning it off.

No matter which method you use to get bookings you can still get bad guests. Typically, the lower the room rate the more opportunity for a less than deirable guest but that is not always the case. In our three plus years we've hosted over 2,500 people and probably the bad guest ratio is about .05%. Bad guests will always be there, but the vast majority are good ones.

[Debra282]

Thank you.  That is very reassuring.  We are charging a higher nighty rate as it's a completely separate apartment with its own kitchen, LR, BR, office and laundry room.  We are on the premises. My intention was to do more corporate type bookings for 30 days.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Debra282 

It's a known fact that IB-off means your position in searches will drop. People have different ideas and standards for cleanliness and although most guests are good people, let's face it, they aren't going to show the same affection, care, and consideration for someone else's property 🙂 

It might help if you were a bit more specific about what your weekly cleaning covers vs. what the guest is expected to do. Also, post a list of basic expecations somewhere in your listing - you will have to state the obvious. My experience is....... common sense is not common at all. And with longer stays...... it's harder. 

I've actually had to post "How to wash dishes by hand" and "How to clean up after cooking in the kitchen" instructions in front of our kitchen sink. Do people really need someone to explain to them things like...... "make sure you use the sponge to clean the INSIDE of your coffee cup when you wash it" and "if there are food bits still stuck on the plate, it is not clean. - wash it again" and "don't put wet dripping plates and cups into the cupboard" and "after cooking/eating, wipe up drips and splatters from the kitchen counter, stove top, and kitchen table". 

I also have a list of "Basic Bathroom Etiquette" on the bathroom wall saying things like "Only flush TP in the toilet - All types of wet wipes, sanitary pads, q-tips, tampons, dental floss, cotton balls, band-aids etc. go in the trash bin" and "clean your own poo streaks" and "wipe/wash down toothpaste spittle and soap scum from the sink" and "leave the vent fan on (at least 10~15 mins) or leave the bathroom door open after a shower to let the humidity escape" 

Some of my guests were soooooo~ completely clueless. 

Even with the list......Henry was telling me a couple days ago that he found a huge red drip on the stovetop along with splatters all over the backsplash and countertop (which are white~ ivory colored) from spagetti sauce that the guest seems to have had cooked over the weekend. Sigh~

[Joyce243]

I have been hosting since October of 2018. The vast majority of my guests have been great and most have been weekend guests. I actually had to leave a note requesting that guests not make the beds in the rooms they don't use and to close the doors to those rooms. Some where so clean, I couldn't tell which room they used!

So, it came as a shock today, that my guests of five days had left my house in such poor shape, it took me six hours to do what normally takes me 1 1/2 hours to do. It was a young couple with a 2 year old and a nine month old. I actually purchased a pack and play (used -from a close friend) to accomodate their inquiry about whether I had a baby crib.

My house is a 3 bedroom, one bath and fully equiped kitchen. The dishwasher had dirty dishes, the drainer had poorly washed dishes and the counter tops where covered with crumbs and spill residue. The stove was so bad, it took me an hour to clean that and the counter tops. I had to pull pans and my crock pot out of the cabinet to clean them. There was something all over the kitchen floor that regular mopping would not get up. I had to get down with a hard hand brush, detergent and a lot of elbow grease to get the "goo" up.

The bathtub was full of dirt and razor cuttings and the sink was covered with toothpaste scum. The bed linens on all three beds were messed up and taken to different rooms and one set of bed sheets had a small blood spot and maybe chocolate??? 

I could go on, because there is more, but I think you get the drift. A small part of me feels sorry for this young lady, who has a toddler and infant, but the other part of me thinks..."would I ever host them again?" and "how hard should I be in their review?" Did I mention, she is pregnant with a third one on the way?

I am now considering changing my listing, to "No children under ?"

Also, thanks Jessica for your tips on making signs, I have already made a few...

"Please, no food or grease down the sink" (this after a $250 plumber bill).

"Please rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher"

This is my first time posting, so I am sorry if I jumped in on Debra's first inquiry. I wasn't sure if i should start a new session. This looked as if it was along the same lines. Thanks!

[Debra282]

Hello Jessica and Joyce, I cannot thank you enough for your insightful comments.  This is also my first time posting. It's actually quit therapeutic.  I just could not understand how guests thought it was OK to come into a neat, sweet home and trash it!  Mind you--I don't expect anyone to vacuum or dust---I actually include that in my fee for longer stays.  But, the food issue is major!  Our home backs up to woods and the thought that someone could leave unprotected food out just scares me to my core! I did not want to be one of those homes with signs everywhere-- but now I understand why they are needed.  I was at a yoga class in NYC--there was a sign in the bathroom that said "Do not throw used paper towels on the floor."  I thought to myself--REALLY??  Now, I understand. LOL

Joyce--Thank you for jumping in.  We just had an $800 emergency plumber bill for mystery items thrown in the toilet.  I added a sign that the guest would be charged if anything other than TP was found by the plumber. Our first guest was found through Craigslist--he was a military gentleman and impeccably neat.  So, I was completely unprepared for the AirBnB experience.  I do not allow young children...as our home is not child-proof.  But, I think that might have been a wise decision...based on your experience.  I also had to make a sign that said "Please rinse dishes before placing in dishwasher and please do not put grease, rice or pasta down the sink."

Currently, I am second-guessing my decision to host.  I just need to re-think this a bit.  I was raised to respect property...even if it's not my own.  We live above the apartment and the reason that I included cleaning..was to keep my eye on things.  With long-term stays, I clean on Tuesdays (4 hours).  With our current guest, ugh...she had managed to undo everything in one day. (I had to go down and replenish the laundry detergent) on Wednesday.  Hard to believe.    Maybe I should switch to just weekends??Thank you for weighing in....it really helps.