advice please for feedback for an "ok" guest

Rowena29
Level 10
Australia

advice please for feedback for an "ok" guest

Hi everyone,

Would appreciate your advice re this.

Have only been hosting for about 5 months and not a huge number of guests so not that experienced but made superhost so must be doing things reasonably well.

this guest was not terrible, but not amazing either.

He IB'd and this was his message  'Just a weekend away with my partner to explore the area and markets. around mid morning we will arrive. We only need the one bedroom."

My check in time is 2 pm. I immediatley messagd him through airbnb and pointed this out. Said he was welcome to do a bag drop mid morning. Said I would be there and would do my best to have home ready by midmorning, but couldnt' guarantee.    No reply

 

2 days before checkin I messaged again through airbnb stating again the same thing about early check in,stated I would be there and giving directions plus keypad code. No reply

 

I live about 2 hours drive from my listing and do my own cleanign and making beds etc. (My decision and so I realise not the guests problem). However, in this instance I got up at 4 am, drove up and worked like the absolute clappers trying to ensure house was fairly ready by 10.30 am.

At 10.35 am he rang and said he would be arriving at about 3 pm. I asked him to ring 15 mins before he arrived which he did.

When he did arrive the first thing he asked was "where can I hang this wet T shirt?"

I showed him and his partner how to use the keypad. He had no idea what the code was but insisted he had read the emails from me.   He was not rude, seemed pleasant enough, but asked lots of questions, nearly all of which were covered in my listing.

I left and drove home.

He rang the next day to say he had found a corn cob in the microwave. ( absolutely totally my fault and a direct result of trying to get ready too quickly)

I apologised profusely.  He asked me to come and remove it as he didn't "want to touch it. he was scared, as he was an asthmatic"  At this point it became obvious that he had not read my listing or my messages. He had no idea I lived 2 hours away. etc etc. At this point I politely let him know how much he had inconvenienced me  on the day of check in.  I arranged for someone to come and remove the said offending corn, , scrupulously clean the microwave and leave a bottle of wine in the fridge as an apology. I messaged him through every stage of this but he had left his phone in the car and didn't reply until 3 hours later. The next day I offered him a late checkout ( which I would have done anyway - nothing to do with the corn cob)

he did message me to let me know he was leaving. Said he'd loved the stay and he hoped I'd let him stay again.

The house wasn't in an awful state - not TOO bad, but fridge full of food, - half a bunch of celery for example -  bins not emptied, had used SIX beach towels and left them in 6 different places throughout the house, stovetop was pretty grubby, dishes washed ( not very well) and left in draining board.

My distinct impression is he thinks - I've paid a cleaning fee, you clean up after me.

I dont' explicitly talk about empyting bins or washing dishes in my rules (but then again he hadn't read anything anway, He ignored the rule about washing off sand with the outside shower for example and used the downstairs inside bath)

he has good reviews and has left good reviews previously.

he has already left me a review which my gut tells me will either be great or awful.

How do people think I should handle a review for him? 2 months ago I wouldn't have said anything, but i'm, beginning to think peopel like this should be gently pulled up. I don't want to say much. I dont' think he merits a thumb down. Should I make it basic and non commital  comment and then in private message let him know his communication could be better? 

shoud I say nothing because I made the cleaning oversight with the microwave? Would really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.   Many thanks

18 Replies 18

@Rowena29  I think that's a very nice and reasonable review. It gives him an opportunity to change the way he approaches his next stay, while warning other hosts that this could be an issue if he doesn't learn from his experience. I would, however, not say that the place was left adequately clean, not with a grubby stovetop and sort-of washed dishes. I might say "reasonably clean" instead.

Thanks @Sarah0 for your advice and insights. Can't believe how much I am struggling with this! Want to be fair, educative, but also honest and diplomatic.   (Not looking forward to seeign what's been said in his review of me!)

Cheers!

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

Personally @Rowena29 I think you are being a bit too nice.

When guests ''tell'' me they will be there at 11 (errm, that's the check out time...) I say the same thing, every time:

''Check in is from  2pm. If you wish to check in early, that will be great as long as I am ready. It depends on what time the present guests leave. I will let you know when I am done. If you wish to drop bags off, that is fine.''

And you only get one chance to make a first impression, so nobody comes into the house until it is presentable. I love an early check in, as they will come while I am still at the house and my afternoon is free. Hooray!

 

And two hours is a looooong way to come each way. I imagine you have a minimum stay to make it worth your while?

 

 

Well - only 2 days.   In NORMAL circumstances the drive should only take about 1 hr 15 mins 1 hr - 30 mins. But at the moment there's lots of roadworks, so it can take closer to 2 especially very early and very late when the road works really go into full swing.   I was a bit put out by the way i was TOLD he was arriving at midmorning, but like you, in reality, didn't mind all that much getting started early so I could finish early and get on with other things- only as it turned out I couldn't.    It was the way he handled it. But he's unthinking and ignorant more than arrogant. Sometimes I just can't be flexible due to work or family  committments and I don't feel at all guilty about saying so.  quite ironically, just a few days after he checked out I got a similar situation. I require a night s notice before an IB.  I got up at 6 am and saw I had received  a reservations request from the night before at 11 pm to stay that day, asking if she could check in with 2 cats adn 1 dog at 10 am as she was checking out from another place down the road and had nowhere for the animals.  my alert from my phone app hadn't gone off either. I thought it all sounded HIGHLY suspcious and very nearly declined. I messaged her first though and got more of the story - she was very unhappy where she was staying and wanted to relocate.  She was happy to drop off animals and disappear for 4 hours and let me clean. I also got cutomser service to contact her adn run through the rules re pets and normal check in time etc - (this is what I SHOULD have done from teh get go with Richard when he didnt reply).  So - the same thing again. But different because the communication  and attitude was totally different and this is an outstanding guest.  after checking in, she extended the stay by another 6 days - so 8 nights in total. I'm so pleased I was able to help her out, she's just delightful, and it worked out in my favour also.  She's over the moon with my house and the efforts I have gone to and I feel sure she'll leave a great review.  but i've learned my lesson - I will ALWAYS ask CS to make contact with guests if I am ever in any doubt from now on.