Are my filipino muslim guests hiding something or are they just shy?

Are my filipino muslim guests hiding something or are they just shy?

I currently have two young guests staying in our detached self contained unit. Since they arrived at 6pm on Saturday they have not left the building or even opened the curtains or windows during the day. That's 2 and a half days so far of being inside in the dark. At night I noticed that they have the lights on all through the night. I can't understand why they won't open the curtains or let in fresh air or go out to enjoy their holiday here. One of my house rules is to open the windows because the small unit can accumulate a lot of condensation on the windows leading to mold very quickly. It's making me paranoid that they're hiding something or doing something illegal. But maybe they're just shy or simply enjoying walking around naked? Even then, it doesn't add up. Can someone tell me if this is normal behaviour for a young filipino muslim couple? I assume she's muslim because she wears a head scarf. I thought maybe she wants privacy to not wear the scarf while inside. Is that a thing?

The young woman who made the booking over a month ago sent me a message to make the booking which read "seeing the sights" but they're clearly not doing that. On Monday I sent her a message to ask how everything was going and carefully enquired about why they hadn't emerged or opened the curtains. She replied saying they were both trying to finish their writing and they're fine. Today I knocked on the door to see for myself what they might be up to. The young man answered and said he was really enjoying their stay. I asked if they had been sleeping through the day and why the curtains were always closed. He replied it was to cover... I repeated the word "cover?" to imply I wanted more of an explanation and he simply said "yes, cover". He seem confident but coy - not nervous or hiding anything. The woman didn't come to the door at all.

I didn't notice or smell anything suspicious but seriously, it's confusing the heck out me. Should I be concerned? They check out tomorrow morning at 11am.

I googled the young woman's name (I don't know his name) and found out she a student of chemical engineering at a University located 2hrs from here.

25 Replies 25
Maria-Lurdes0
Level 10
Union City, NJ

I agree that I find it strange, but I wouldn't be very concerned.   They may be on a leg of a long journey and thought that they'd want to sightsee but are just so tired that they want to rest.   Also, maybe you're right and they just want to chill out in privacy and not wear the headscarf and play video games all day.   They may also be newlyweds and are just getting to know each other and want to hide out from the world for a few days.

 

If they haven't broken any house rules, I'd leave them be.

Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

@Kirsten59 I had a young single Jewish visitor and the lights on all through the night and day were pain in the a**. She, however, did see some sights. 😉

Don't worry, the world is getting strange.

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"
Mark26
Level 10
Melbourne Beach, FL

Maybe they're Muslim Vampires.  Have you considered that? 

They're probably fine.

 

I once had 2 guys book our 'Rural, lovers, romantic bell tent for 2', it's 1 tent in a field.  Single dude arrives, then doesn't leave for 2 days.  Had a male person visit him twice a day. By the 3rd day I was intrigued, sneaky peep through the fence to see him sat on the grass in middle of field with chimes, bells, candles, incense burners around him. Visitor was a chiropractor, for twice daily manipulation!

 

There is nowt so strange as folk, they do weird things (and normal things behind curtains).

Thanks for your replies. It helped me relax about the situation and get on with the rest of my day. They've just checked out and I've inspected the flat. It's very clean and tidy except for a tired old pair of womans undies in the bedsheets. lol. Maybe they were just too focused on each other to look out the window.

I'm still fairly new to airbnb, these were our fourth guests, so I'm wondering if it would be unfair to post a review that mentions the unusual behaviour. Not in a bad way but just to give other hosts a heads up of what to possibly expect. Maybe something like:

 

"A*** was a very quiet and private guest. She and her partner stayed with us for four days.  During this time they didn't leave the flat or open the curtains and kept the lights on overnight which we found a little strange but they followed all our house rules to open the windows and they left the place clean and tidy. There English was reasonably good and they were very polite and happy to be staying with us. They said they were finishing writing. Perhaps there was an important deadline that kept them focused indoors."

 

What do you think?

Maybe I'm the odd one, but I don't care if my guests go outside or open curtains.  The only thing I care about is how the space is left.  I would find your comments stranger than their staying indoors.  

 

As I said, maybe it's just me.  I read all kinds of things here which bother hosts, that I wouldn't bat an eye at. 

I agree, so long as you can successfully use a toilet and don't make much noise, I am good. The worst behavior I seen in my first 14 stays has been an overuse of cologne. 

 

Andrew

It's not just you, Willow. Yes, the only thing that matters is how the apartment is left.

@Kirsten59

Your draft review..... to me sounds a little creepy and waaaa~y too detailed. As a host, I also have a tendency to keep an eye out for what my guests are doing, but I also try to make sure I respect their privacy, even if they are in my home. In the end, as long as they respect my house rules I try not to care about anything else - no matter how strange some of their actions or habits may seem to me.

 

I suggest you revise it to leave out your personal opinions "A*** and her partner were very quiet and private guests. They stayed with us for four days staying indoors most of this time. They followed all our house rules and they left the place clean and tidy. Their English was reasonably good, were very polite and seemed happy to be staying with us."

thanks. You're right. And I kinda knew it was a bit too detailed. Had to test it though to be sure.

Agree. I will take a step further. As a muslim, I feel host has presumed negative judgement against muslims behaviour and generalized something against whole religion. I wonder how would she had felt about white christians with the same behavior.

What do I think?    I think I'd best keep those thoughts to myself.  I've been chastised for being brutally honest in the past, and realize that I have to be very careful with what I say.  That's what I think.

@Kirsten59

 

Kristen, I think that is an inappropriate review.  It may even say more about you as a host than you'd like to be revealed to other potential guests.

 

An editor dude I know suggested this version of your review.

 

"A*** was a very quiet and private guest. She and her partner stayed with us for four days.  They were very, very private people and told me they were writers focused on their work. They followed all our house rules and, they left the place clean and tidy. There (sp) [their] English was reasonably good and they were very polite and happy to be staying with us."

 

Much more appropriate imho.  (See how he accented " . . very, very?").

 

 

Thumbs up if you like a post.

Hi Kirsten,

I may be late on this, but I think you could be shooting yourself in the foot if you post something verging on the perceived negative. 

I would leave it short and sweet. Focus on the good (there is no bad - just a perception that maybe, perhaps soemthing sinister was going on), but as a host you should not be judging people lifestyle and behaviour.  As long as they abide by the rules then no harm done. Should you get too wordy on judging them, you maybe scaring away potential guests. You are focusing your message so much on that they did, their movements and movements that you expected but didn't happen. You are judging. Potential guests may see you as a busy body, interfering and nosey. 

For the record, my experiences with students, the younger generation is always very positive. Much more than the business men that come through for business or the trade fairs. I find the students far more conscious of their reputations in the internet and are aware of its potential.

Good luck and relax a little. 

Peter