10 Things Hosts Would Like Guests To Do

[Chris-And-Steve1]

I'm writing an article for an online magazine on the 10 things Airbnb hosts would like guests to do. As Superhosts, we've had our share of experiences but I'd love to get some more ideas.

What do you wish your guests would do in order to be better guests?

[Sandra126]

read the listing.  If anything is puzzling you,  ask.  Tell me when you will arrive. Tell me if timing changes. Leave house in good order. Don't move the furniture,  i might find it heavy on my own to move back. Do the dishes. Tell me if something is broken. Not so I will  charge you, but so I know. Be happy. Don't ask for discount or things I don't allow such as hordes of people, animals etc. And please, read the listing. It is not long. 

[Mika8]

1) read the house rules before accepting them, if they don't fit you, don't book

2) read my mails, especially that part with a capital PLEASE in it (this is where I plea for a check-in time window of 1-2 hours)

3) make sure you know the (easy) way to my home, if you could not figure it out yourself, just read what I sent you

4) make sure you know my last name and don't ring at my neighbors, especially not at midnight ... if you don't remember it at my door, just (re)read my mail

5) lock the door when you go out, make sure it is locked (could be done easily by press down the door handle)

6) leave bathroom and kitchen that the next could use it

7) if you need an early check-in, ask before you book
(especially when you book in the late evening and you'll like to arrive within the next 12 hours and you will honor me with a one star rating in all categories when I already had plans or had to work the next day and check-in is only possible at/after regular check-in time) 

😎 if you need a late check-out, don't ask for that after check-out time

9) if you don't understand anything: just/please ask

10) if you have time and joy: share a glass of wine or beer with me and let us have an interesting talk

[Mel131]

1. Read the listing before booking (there's a theme here!)

2. Be respectful that you are staying in someones home - recent guest overstayed his welcome despite a late checkout, was happily lounging in my living room with his feet up on my sofa 

3. If you cause damage to someones property, be honest, own up and put it right 

4. Don't come back to a host's home roaring drunk at 3am on a weeknight

5. Don't take advantage of your hosts generous nature 

[Mark116]

These three things would eliminate the majority of problems:

1. Read the listing. This takes care of any 'surprises' on location, rules, expectation, details of the area and the space.

2. Tell your host of any problems.  This allows for hosts to fix/know of issues, prevents passive aggressive bad reviews w/no notice.

3. Follow the house rules.  This prevents nasty surprises to the host and helps keep the space nice for everyone, neighbors included. 

[Chris-And-Steve1]

Thank you all for your replies! You were so helpful! I will post the link to my article after it's published.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Chris-And-Steve1 

Be happy when you arrive 🙂

When they are happy at arrival I know they will be happy during their stay and after they leave and we will have no problems and will get great reviews

[Kath9]

@Chris-And-Steve1,

1. Like everyone else here, my number 1 'tip' is READ THE LISTING. It's your experience for goodness sake! 

2. Closely related to no. 1 is please don't arrive and then ask for things that aren't included. It's just awkward.

3. Communicate your arrival time. I have a life.

4. If you get up early, please respect sleeping members of the household and, FFS, stop slamming the doors!

5. Don't park so that nobody else can get out.

6. Please eat with your mouth closed.

7. Please use a tissue (which you will find right beside your bed) instead of incessantly sniffing.

8. Don't blame your host for bad weather. Australia is not uniformly hot year round, people!

[Sarah977]

@Kath9  haha. Good ones. You'd think #4-7 would be things their parents should have taught them and would be quite useful in all social situations 🙂

[Kath9]

@Sarah977, yes, you would think...but as it turns out, no! Oh, one learns so much being an Airbnb host! 

[Mika8]

unfortunately in other cultures it is totally normal to speak with the mouth full of food or it is even a compliment to the chef to eat with a lot of noise 😕  .. for me this is so horrible, I always look then for some excuse to leave the table. 

[Alice595]

@Chris-And-Steve1  Here is my top 10 list for expected from a guest

1. Read full listings, including reviews from other guests, and rules

2. Make sure that the listing is the one you are comfortable with the price, location, and amenities provided.

3. Prompt communication is essential prior to and during the trip. This includes but not limited to check-in time, any questions during the stay, and check-out time.

4. When booking, select correct total number of guests

5. Provide information about yourself, arrival time, and reason for trip when sending a booking request

6. Respect house rules during stay

7. Do not expect more than what a listing is provided

8. If you have a problem during your stay, report it directly to your host and give them an opportunity to correct it.

9. Keep happy and positive during your stay

10. Understand how Airbnb review works (4 star is a failure for a host while anything below 4 star is a disaster for a host, which is different from the Airbnb definition in their review system) and write an honest review

[Matt682]

I think there may be some differences between “whole place” and “single room” hosts, I’m the latter but would be thinking...

1) Read the listing - you’ll enjoy your stay more, and it’s demoralising for me to be marked down for something I communicated to you in advance

2) Read the house rules - They are there for a reason

3) Be courteous, remember that you’re in my family home, and not a hotel - The price reflects this, and hosts typically more than make up for it in other ways

4) Feel free to ask about negotiating on the price, but be reasonable and don’t be upset if the answer is a no - Look at similar listings in the area and reviews from other guests, that will be a good guide as to what the room is worth

5) Make yourself at home, don’t stand on ceremony - It makes us both more relaxed if we both settle in and treat the place like a home, if you’re unsure, just ask politely

6) Quiet hours are there for a reason - come and go as you please, but seriously, people work shifts and everyone’s reason for travel is different

7) Clean up your own mess - No-one expects you to launder your own bedding, but if using the kitchen leaving a post-it note on dirty pans saying you’ll use it again tomorrow is not acceptable

😎 If you need anything, ask - Don’t feel awkward, hosts would rather have an opportunity to fix something rather than only learn about it in a bad review after it’s too late

9) Interact with your host, use their local knowledge, and get the best out of the area - There are other ways to generate additional income with less effort, hosts generally do this because we enjoy it and want to help travellers

10) Respond to communication - It’s good practice to send at least a booking acknowledgement and a check-in instructions, it’s unnerving to be met with nothing, did you even read all that important information?

[Sarah977]

@Matt682  I really like your list-I'm a private room host, too. I like your use of the words demoralizing and unnerving- I  think guests never consider how their lackadaisical behavior makes a host feel. 

Post-it notes on the dirty fry pan, wow. Obviously never occurred to them that you might want to use that fry pan before they got around to using it again.

[Matt682]

@Sarah977  Thank you. I used those words on purpose; they sound a bit emotive, but when you are a single room host in your own home, I’ve realised it’s inevitable you become personally invested in the guest’s stay. Seemingly throw-away comments complimenting or criticising the decor, quality of sleep, cleanliness, the design of the garden, or even local amenities are inevitably taken as a reflection of your personal taste, hospitality, and neighbourhood. I’m not sure that this is true to the same degree for those who do whole-place lets, or those who do it as an investment (although I do accept there will be some where it is true based on individual circumstances). Receiving positive feedback can be incredibly uplifting, whereas criticisms can sting more than a little.

And yes, the post-it note did happen, along with another attached to cooked and half-eaten food on a baking tray being stored overnight in the oven. I even have dedicated space in the fridge for guests, so I don’t know what the excuse was! Some private feedback was left for that guest -_-