I'm writing this as a previous 5-star host and now, an extremely disgruntled guest.
Should there be separate host vs accomodation ratings?
Overall, I think there should be two different ratings for a host and for a property. We had a pretty nice property but the host was awful. I gave the property 5 stars but if I could rate the host, it would be -100. I try and be positive with my experiences - for hosts, it can mean a vital source of income and if I like a place then I try and see passed bad hosting. A private constructive message on improving could work but I don't think it goes far enough.
Generally, as a host I've had really good guest experiences. I regretted 1 or 2 experiences but felt maybe I should've been more communicative and saw these more as failings on my part rather than the guest.
Discounting disputes
After an intense lockdown in Barcelona, we were looking for a place on the Spanish Coast with a pool to relax. Apparently, due to C-19 some pools can't open/ take precautions not to open which we weren't aware of on the listing details or description. If it's for health and safety in a community setting, I can completely understand that. However, I think it's unreasonable to maintain a high price for a property that prominently features and is priced with a pool.
Just over 48 hours before we arrived the hosts said the pool would be closed for our trip. We were disappointed but politely asked if there would be any discount for this. The host didn't think this was an issue, said we had good value for money and if we wanted a discount we should cancel the trip. It was a very abrupt and rude message to our request.
I contacted Airbnb support to find out what would happen - could we book somewhere else using the credit or would we lose all our money due to the cancellation policy? I can appreciate they have resource constraints but I still haven't got a message back after asking this 5 days ago.
I tried to keep things cordial and said it was a shame we couldn't get a discount but otherwise we looked forward to visiting the place. It felt very awkward communicating with them at this point.
We had a reasonably nice stay - the view was great, the WiFi was terrible, it had good features but bad DIY meant a wooden plank above the door fell on my head. After a few days of relaxing, the negative host experience was somewhat behind me and I wrote a nice 5 star review.
However, the host completely trashed my Airbnb profile and even negatively commented on my good review of his property.
As a host, charging a €90 cleaning fee, how much is reasonable for a guest to clean up?
We were asked to bring our own bedsheets, towels and bath mat (this is the first time I've experienced this). We made the bed when we arrived and stripped it when we left. We wiped all the surfaces, left some cleaned dishes on a drying rack and also had some dishes washing in the dishwasher when we checked out. Nothing in the sink, nothing on the surfaces etc. I took the trash bags outside the door and asked the lady who greeted us where I should put them as we were in a large apartment complex and I was unsure of the best place to put them/ where the trash went.
The host said we treated the place like a hotel, we didn't return it how it was given to us and we wanted them to take out our trash. Completely untrue.
So, if you're charging a €90 cleaning fee - what is expected of the guest?
As a "virtual" host, how responsive should you be/ expect your guests to be?
Our hosts lived in another country so they had someone local greet us at the property (there was a 3 hour check-in window between 4pm and 7pm).
We had to coordinate times directly with her. We messaged an estimated time of 6pm arrival (we were driving around the area during the day so were unsure exactly when we'd arrive). At 3pm we asked if it was possible to change it to 4:45pm but could always meet a bit later. She was clearly annoyed in her messages and said she'd have to change her schedule and would meet us at 5pm.
She checked us in and with broken Spanish between us, we had our Airbnb.
The hosts messaged later saying that she had notified them we had checked in and arrived. They sent a few messages over the next few days saying we hoped we enjoyed the area and the sun. No questions, just a general "hope you're enjoying your stay". I didn't message the host. I really didn't want to interact with them at this point because I just wanted to enjoy my holiday and not spend time on my phone. They weren't asking any key questions, just generally messaging me.
At 5:30pm the night before we checked out, they asked us to coordinate a check out time. Given I had been at the beach, drove home and was relaxing, they messaged again at 9pm saying we had to reply. I instantly messaged the lady to check out and said her suggested time on 11:30am was ok.
They said I wasn't responsive at all to their messages.
I have asked Airbnb to take down my positive review but looking at this from both a host and guest experience, I really struggle with the fact that there aren't better mechanisms which limit this type of arrogant hosting.
As a guest, they have trashed my profile for future stays. They do not deserve to be part of what I expect to be a high standard of friendly, fair and flexible hosting.
It has completely ruined the experience for me and what I thought other hosts in the community were like.
How do we reduce this type of hosting in the community?