Responding to critic by guest - limits due to confidentiality

[Johannes240]

Hallo to everybody ! 

I am superhost here in Sao Paulo and recently had a guest (with wife and 8 year old daughter) who gave me a 5 star evaluation but at the same time wrote in the commentary that the flat is
"Ideal space for two people or even for two adults and one more child".

I myself offer the flat for "up to 4 persons" and until today 6 of my total 22 bookings actually were groups of 4 individuals. None of them mentioned that the flat is small or not sufficient.  We offer a seperate (small) bedroom and the livingroom with a sleeping sofa.

During the stay this specific guest asked me to help with an internet conection problem. Entering the flat I noticed that he is actually was working on his laptop. On the last day he told me that he had to complete work in an attempt to explain why he left on the very last minute (actually 30 minutes late). He had send the family to the beach to await him there.

So for me the situation is evident. We had rainy days and with the daughter turning unhappy with nobody to play and the father busy with work  the "family" event became stressy. Needless to say that I find the comentary in the given form about the size of the flat unfair.

My question is now if I can put this information (father working, rainperiod, daughter age 😎 in my reply or if this could violate confidentially (which I always try to respect 100%)

Please let me know your opinions. Thanks

Johannes

[Sarah977 · Accepted solution]

@Johannes240  I don't think that's necessary at all. I'd just write a response like "I'm a little confused by the guest's comment about the number of guests that can be accommodated here- as per my listing, there are sufficient sleeping arrangements for 4 adults, which we often host, and all have been comfortable in the space."

[John1080]

@Johannes240, I think you're overthinking this one. As @Sarah977 said, I would just respond as she suggested and leave it at that, not thinking another moment about it. 

[Anonymous]

@Johannes240   Perhaps I'm missing a linguistic subtlety, but it doesn't sound like a critical comment to me. Saying "this space was ideal for my group of 3" does not automatically mean that the guest felt it would be too small for 4. He was only conveying information relevant to his own experience, which is exactly what a review is supposed to do.

[Johannes240]

Andrew, well part of my problem is that (without asking or looking for anything) I got to know some more about this guests experience which were rainy days, a single kid without chance to play with the other kids here and most likely workpressure of the father. Unfortunately he did not include any of this in his commentary to give a complete picture. For them even a big apartment probably would have felt small "German saying: Decke auf den Kopf gefallen"

Anyway - I  thank you all for your reading and commenting. This is great support !
I answered in line with Sarah's recomendation.

[Lisa723]

@Johannes240 I personally would agree with this guest that a space with one bedroom and a sleeper sofa is not "ideal" for more than two. We have two bedrooms plus a living room futon and I would not be surprised or upset if a review said it was "ideal for four." It sleeps six but it's not ideal for six. In your shoes I would let it go without comment. A defensive response is just shooting yourself in the foot.

[Johannes240]

Lisa, thanks for your input. I agree with you in some ways but here in Brazil sometimes even more people would join in in the event. Actually two times people asked for an additional matras to host an aditional relative visiting for a night. Well thats the culture - people enjoy sticking together. On a large beach in the Netherlands the people will for example distribute more or less evenly over the space available. In Brazil the people will get together on one spot and start a "festa" 😉

Again thanks a lot to everybody.

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723 @Johannes240 A neighbor here in Mexico told me his property manager found 17 people staying in his house that accommodates and was booked for 6. They weren't having a big drunk-up party, they just didn't mind sleeping 5 to a bed and on the floor, so the whole family could be together 🙂 (They got kicked out)

One of the workers who built my house here invited me to his wedding, in a town that would be be too far for me to drive home from at night, especially after a few drinks. I said I'd bring a tent, and they said, "Oh, you don't have to do that, we have a huge family, there will be a place for you to sleep." But other friends who'd been there, done that, said, No, bring the tent- they'll be super hospitable, but you'll end up sharing a bed with 3 strangers. I brought the tent.