4WD Guest issue

[Margaret309]

I have a relatively new Airbnb in VT.  I have in my listing, and in my house rules that a 4WD vehcicle is needed this time of year. I also send this info in a message to guests w general notes about the house.

Thursday night they show up in a 2WD vehicle w bald street tires. My neighbor ended up pulling them up my hill.

I think they were sweet and polite. But this is really frustrating. I don't want my guests to cause my neighbors any issues. Would you leave them a negative reveiw?

-M

[Barry-and-Lera0]

@Margaret309: This is  the kind of thing you need to reiterate to guests at booking. We do not have a Washer and Dryer in our guesthouse so when guests inquire for 6 or more nights we mention it to them directly before confirming the booking. People DO NOT READ and its best to put the most important information in their face prior to confirmation (if possible). We do not use Instant Book so we are able to communicate this and look for a reply prior to confirmation.

[Margaret309]

I thought about turning off instant booking, but the warnings were so dire. You might never get booked again!

[Barry-and-Lera0]

@Margaret309: We have never used Instant Book in the almost 4 years of hosting and have no issues getting bookings. Like @Cathie19 said below change your wording. "Recommend" should not be there if it is a necessity to have a 4WD vehicle at certain times of the year.

[Helen3]

Of course you dO. For the first year I had it turned off @Margaret309 and got plenty of bookings.

Having said that it depends on what competition is like in your area, whether you have superhost status, how many ratings you have etc.

[Cathie19]

Hi @Margaret309. Your wording is not precise in your listing.

You are stating in this thread that guests need a 4WD vehicle at this time of year, but your listing details only recommends- even if *highly* recommends, a 4WD or AWD vehicle.

This is open for opinion and debate, so needs to be changed to a specific statement of fact:

“There is only 4WD ACCESS ONLY between December to April, due to the terrain and weather conditions..”

Your snow images 1 and 3 should reinforce the need for a 4WD during the winter months and early spring. Caption them with something like:

1. -  “Please note: Due to our location & terrain ONLY 4WD vehicles will have access to the homestay from December to April.” 

3. - “You will need a 4WD vehicle to reach us across Dec-April, but it’s worth it!”

Hope this is better. 

[Margaret309]

That is really helpful. Thanks! I have updated

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Cathie19wrote exactly what I wanted ... only her english is much better then mine :))))

[Alexandra316]

@Margaret309 I second what everyone else said: you don't say that it's mandatory, just recommended. I would not give a bad review for this, unless you specifically got a complaint from your neighbour because the guest was rude or inconsiderate (i.e. demanding that they tow them. I'm guessing the neighbour offered to help?). I would use it as an opportunity to update the wording of your listing and booking message. I would also move up that requirement to the first couple of sentences of your listing: right now it's pretty far down and could easily be missed. You could also add it to your "Guests must also acknowledge" section so they have to agree to it before they book.

[Rubén16]

I would not leave them a negative review, I live in Vermont and my listing is in Vermont, I tried using the 4WD or AWD vehicle needed all over my description , however my bookings dropped drastically in the Winter months. So what I did was to make sure my driveway is plowed and sanded so the check in experience can go flawlessly, and it has. my bookings are way up along with my reviews, I would suggest pricing out someone to do the plowing and sanding or getting a co-host to monitor the property. (I since then removed the 4WD needed from my description)

Ruben

Vermonter