very new and very confused host in DC

[Scott1265]

Hey Folks,

I just had my first guest last night, and everything appeared to be going swimmingly. She even called me to compliment my decorating style. Then, I read her 2-star review complaining of an apartment whose cleanliness "left something to be desired." I'm not sure what apartment she's talking about, because I like my place to feel like a customized, extraordinarily tidy hotel. 

I also learned that she didn't even stay the night on account of her husband's cat allergies. I explicitly mention that I own a cat (Lyndon Johnson, Jr.) and. offer to kennel him for any and all guests, which I did last night. Why would one book an apartment knowing that cat dander is slightly larger than a tiny smoke article, even my hospital-grade purifiers can't catch all of it.  

I did, however, forget to replace Lyndon's litter mat, which did smell pretty bad when I sat at the end of my living room sofa, something I never do but should have anticipated.

I'm pretty discouraged. I worked hard to create a gorgeous space and equally hard cleaning it on Friday, yet my home left "something to be desired." I welcome everyone's suggestions, experiences, or encouragement.

[Sarah977]

It really doesn't matter how well you clean, if the place smells like cat, or cat litter box, regardless of whether a guest has allergies, that's going to taint the guest's perception of whether the place is clean, unless they also happen to be cat people who are desensitized to the smell of a cat litter box.

That you would keep it in the living room is rather bizarre to me, but litter boxes have always grossed me out. Can you move it to a space the guests don't have access to, or some out-of the way spot? 

I also have a cat and a dog, but they are primarily outside animals and there is no litter box. As far as guests who may be allergic to cats, some guests can be really clueless about being proactive and taking responsibility for their own health. And many guests simply don't thoroughly read the listing description- they read the first few lines, look at the photos and price, and book.

So you should have a photo of the cat in your photo gallery, because visual images are more likely to be mentally registered than just words.

What I do is have in my "other things to note" section that I have a dog and cat and to please not book my listing if they have allergies to animals or are scared of them. (I know many people are scared of dogs, but I didn't realize some are terrified of cats until I read of host's experiences here where they had cat-phobic guests). I also re-iterate that in my booking message to guests "So just checking that you read that I have a dog and a cat?" Depending on their answer, that also gives me an indication as to whether they actually read through all my info. And if they didn't notice that and have a issue with it, I've thereby given them an opportunity to cancel while they can still get a full refund.

@Scott1265

[Sarah977]

P.S. You could beef up your listing description a bit- it's very sparse. You don't make any mention of whether you live nearby, how you interact with guests (can they call you if there's a problem?), and it seems to me you must live there when you don't have guests, since there's a resident cat, so there must be personal items of yours in the apartment? If so, that bears making clear.

Also remove that line in the "House Rules" section about no gatherings of more than 4 people. Your place is set up for 2 guests. Period. If you give guests a inch, they will often take a mile. Before you know it, they'll have 2 or more extra people spending the night, taking hot showers, using up the clean towels and toilet paper and soap.

What most hosts say in their listing info is that only registered guests are allowed on the property. 

@Scott1265 

[Anonymous]

@Scott1265 Sorry to hear that your first guest wasn't a good fit. You might have better results if you deliberately foreground Lyndon in your listing to narrow your catchment down to fellow cat lovers. Guests who enjoy interacting with the cat may turn out to be your most enthusiastic reviewers.

I'm with @Sarah977  on the placement of the litter box - the sophisticated design of your living room as shown in the photos is probably a big selling feature for guests, but their enjoyment of it is going to fall short of expectations if there's any presence of animal poo in there. Also, it's rather uncommon for an Entire Home property to contain an indoor pet - does that mean you have to enter the property during guests' stay to feed and clean up after him? Are guests expected to do pet care tasks? Are they responsible for making sure he doesn't sneak out the door?