Question as a new guest

Kyla70
Level 1
Rockvale, TN

Question as a new guest

Hello! I had a question regarding what I should do as a potential guest. I want to be fully open with any hosts I reach out to, so felt coming here and asking the hosts themselves would be the easiest! My group of friends, which consists of two 18 year olds, a 19 year old, and a 17 year old( turning 18 the week after our booking) are looking to book a rental for 6 nights as a trip to send-off our friend who is joining the military in the upcoming month. As long as I send a detailed and open message to the host, do you believe I will have trouble finding someone who will let us stay? We are already planning activities and are more than welcome to give numbers of a parent if that may help. Please let me know what you think! 🙂

3 Replies 3
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Kyla70  Unfortunately, you are likely to have a hard time being accepted for this kind of booking. I know plenty of young people who are respectful and responsible, but even those, simply because of their age and life experience, might not prove to be what hosts would consider to be good guests. 

 

For example, those in your age bracket have almost assuredly never had to buy a washing machine, or a stove, or pay for plumbing repairs, etc. So it's quite natural that you or your friends might damage something, not on purpose, but by using it improperly, or stop up the plumbing by flushing things you shouldn't, because that simply isn't part of your consciousness- it hasn't ever needed to be.

 

Nor does an 18 year old usually have the same concept about leaving a place clean as the host would expect. (which is not to say some much older guests don't leave mess behind them, many do)

 

And when that many young people get together, they can be unaware of disturbing neighbors with loud music, being a bit rowdy, etc. 

Many hosts have had bad experiences with this kind of booking, so they aren't willing to take a chance again.

 

Not saying you shouldn't give it a try- you come across as responsible and articulate and wanting to do the right thing. So if you do, here's some suggestions: Complete your profile. Write something about yourself on your profile page, so a host can get a sense of who you are. Make sure you have verified ID uploaded to your account.

 

Read through all the listing information thoroughly before contacting a host. Click on everywhere it says "Read more" so you are aware of all the house rules and everything else. 

 

And if you do get accepted, make sure everyone in your group is also aware of the rules. Don't invite anyone else over who isn't accounted for on the booking. Read any instructions the host has left for you, and make sure you are informed as to what the host expects guests to do before checking out and make sure it gets done. If anyone damages anything, don't attempt to remedy it yourself- guests sometimes spill something on a carpet, then try to clean it up so they won't be blamed, but end up making it worse. Always let a host know if something like that happens, fess up right away. It's like if a friend borrowed your dress, and got a stain on it- you'd be much more likely to forgive her if she just told you and offered to pay to have it dry cleaned, than if she poured bleach on it to try to fix it or just gave it back without saying anything, hoping you wouldn't notice.

 

Don't use nice towels to wipe off makeup, or dye your hair, don't use glitter anything (almost impossible to clean up), don't get in bed without having a shower if you're covered in sunscreen or oil which will stain the linens.

In other words, be aware that everything provided in the listing is someone else's stuff that they have paid their own money for and be respectful of it. 

 

And be aware that the person who books will be responsible for the behavior of everyone on the booking.

 

 

 

@Kyla70   Watch Episode 4 of  We Are Who We Are (great show, anyway) and you have some idea of what an Airbnb host might be picturing when they think of renting to a group around your age whose friend is about to be deployed.

 

That contains the more extreme examples of what not to do, but @Sarah977 's excellent advice covers everything else. Experienced hosts who often accept families with small kids or groups with pets would probably be delighted to have a group of smart, considerate young adults (I've welcomed several 18/19 year olds here and wouldn't hesitate to do so again). The best way to make a good first impression in your request is to reference things you've read in the listing, show that you understand the House Rules, and give a general idea of what brings you to the area. 

 

The two things that will cause the most hesitation to hosts in the US will be the possibility of your group having a house party with unregistered guests, and being legally responsible if there's any underage drinking or drug use. 

 

Additionally, hosts are obliged to comply with their local Coronavirus restrictions, which might discourage unnecessary travel or limit the number of households mixing in an indoor location. Be sure that you're up to date on the applicable laws, and also check the host's cancellation policy before confirming a booking. If the rules change and you're no longer allowed to travel to your destination, you won't be able to get a refund unless the host has a flexible policy.

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Kyla70  Yes you will  have a hard time, Airbnb itself might even block you due to your ages.  Some cities no longer allow guests between 18-21 to book short term rentals.  And of course, a group of very young people wanting to have a 'send off' is likely to make hosts think of a party, drinking, revelry and other things they  probably don't want in their listing.