Bad feeling about a guest

Berta25
Level 2
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Bad feeling about a guest

Hi,

 

I am having a bad feeling about a guest.

I asked her to change the linen herself because my co-host is away. This would mean that I would leave the house clean, have a guest the night before and then her. I have done this many times, always with a possitive result. I have got this answer that is making me nervous:

 

' To be honest I’m not really happy to change the bed and this also means that the bathroom will not have been cleaned or any other part of the flat after the last client :frowning_face: I’m paying to come on holiday and this does seem strange.... '

 

Any recommendation about what to answer?

 

Thanks

 

Berta

33 Replies 33
Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Berta25 to be honest I wouldn't want to come to an uncleaned house also. The bathroom is the most important thing to me and as a host i disenfect it and clean it after every guest even if it is every day. And I wouldn't even think of asking my guests to change the linens and come to an uncleaned apartment. Especially if the guest is paying a cleaning fee, I would be also upset. The best thing to do is have someone go and clean the rooms that the guest will use and apologize for the inconvenience.

Mel101
Level 10
Amsterdam, NL

Hi Berta, 

 

To be honest, I would have similar worries as a guest, had a host asked me to put new sheets on the bed upon arrival. I think this is compounded by the fact that you charge a cleaning fee.  You are building the (not unreasonable) expectation that the listing will be cleaned between your guests.

 

As both a host and a guest, I expect clean bed linen upon arrival. I don't ask my guests to strip our bed, but I am happy to do so as a guest. Perhaps there is some confusion,  and you are actually asking your guest to strip her own sheets after her stay? In which case, this should easily be cleared up with an e-mail.

 

Your current wording makes it sound as though you are asking her to change someone else's sheets, so I can see why she'd be unhappy with that. I am much less clear as to why an expectation of cleanliness on her part gives you a bad feeling about her. Can you explain more about why this gives you a bad feeling?

 

Cheers, 

 

Mel

 

Otherwise, 

Berta25
Level 2
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Thanks for your answers, it is good to get feedback regarding this.

 

I am concerned because I have got a couple of semi-bad comments (although within good reviews)  for things I would not even care when using AirBnB as a guest. First one because there were few bugs in the house  - unavoidable as it is spring and I am sorrounded by gardens (and I am not going to put pesticides in any part of my house). Second one because I did not provide enough selection of cereal and milk 'types' for breakfast - this is my home not a 5* hotel.

 

When I use AirBnB as a guest I expect the house to be clean, but definetely not as a 5* hotel and I am happy to change the linen myself. Maybe i am too relaxed, but this relaxation is also the reason why I preffer using AirBnB than hotels.

 

As a host, I obviously clean the house before guests arrive and I usually have a co-host if I am not there, but it is quite difficult to find one if she is on hol. I anyway think my house is cleaner than many AirBnB's I have used, and all my reviews have been good so far.

 

So i am not sure what to put in my listing to make guests aware that they will be staying at my home and not in a hotel - on in an AirBnB used for that purpusoe. This means that things will be clean and tidy, but might not be perfect, and they will find any issue they might find in their own house.

 

Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I hope this does not end up with a stressfull experience that puts me off from AirBnB....

 

Berta

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've just looked again at your listing. I think it is clear enough that you live in the property and rent it out when you are not there. I certainly would not expect 5 star hotel service from what you've written.

 

With respect to the reviews you mention, I wouldn't worry too much. The issues you've brought up don't appear publicly,  and I wouldn't change the things that have been brought up either.

 

However, your initial question was about a future guest and issues with her being reluctant to change bed linen. I asked specifically what gave you a bad feeling about her message, which would help advise you better. From your description, it could be that there is:

A) a misunderstanding that you are asking her to clean up after a previous guest

B) it could actually be that you are asking her to clean up after a previous guest, or

C) it could be that you are asking her to clean up after herself.

 

I'm pretty new to hosting, but I am surprised at your description of having a bad feeling over this. I asked what else gave you a bad feeling about this guest, in order to better advise you. 

 

I'm a big proponent of trusting your first feeling about a guest, but on what seems like a simple misunderstanding, describing your feelings as "bad" seems a little overwrought. I'm hoping you'll expand on why you feel "bad" or if it's just that you don't appreciate her honesty about her expectations? From the information you've provided, I think her reply was entirely reasonable, and nothing to be concerned about being put off Airbnb.  If it is a misunderstanding, it's easily cleared up. If your answer to the above list is B, then I think that is an unreasonable expectation to put on your guests, and that you might need to find a different solution to cleaning when your co-host is on holiday.

Berta25
Level 2
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Hey Mel,

 

Many thanks for your answer.

 

I do not expect her to clean up,  just to change the linen (but I will sort this out). I think that a toitlet that has been used a couple of times during one night stay will be cleaner than the toilet at your work (for example). But that's my opinion, I can apreciate that people is more exigent with cleaning standars.

 

When I have done this, I have asked my neighbour to check that the previous guest has not made a mess. One option I considered was to return the cleaning fee, not sure if this would look better.

 

I think I am over-worrying about getting a bad review....

 

Anyway, many thanks for the answers.

 

Berta

 

Kathie21
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

Sorry - you are proposing that guest B arrives after the departure of guest A, but no cleaning is done in between and guest B has to change the bed before using it? And you are charging a cleaning fee?!  I really don't think that's acceptable.  You have no idea what mess guest A might make, and as a guest I would at least expect the bathroom to have been cleaned before I arrive.  This isn't about expecting 5* hotel standards, this is basic.  

Berta25
Level 2
Cambridge, United Kingdom

When I have done this, I have asked my neighbour to check that the previous guest has not made a mess - and never happened. One option I considered was to return the cleaning fee to the host, but I decided that what gives me more work is to clean linen and towels, and to replace stolen towels... And as said in a reply above, on my standars a toilet used a couple of times is clean...

Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

I am sure on most of the people standards a toilet used even once by previous guests and not cleaned is not acceptable and even more so if they pay a cleaning fee.

Berta25
Level 2
Cambridge, United Kingdom

well, I have been asking around working colleagues, family and friends, and you would be surprised....

Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Berta25 I think my friends would also tell me it would be ok just to be kind but an honest friend would tell you that they will be upset to arrive in an uncleaned home. There is no need to have anything extra in the room since it is not a hotel but cleaniness is the most basic thing you should provide.

Berta25
Level 2
Cambridge, United Kingdom

I re-write my answer here cause I feel like I am doing something dirty and I can assure you that my home is extra clean.

The difference with your bookings and mine is that i am renting out my own home (where I live). This is a huge diference as an investment poperty is a business and has to be treated as such. If I am hosted in someones house I expect it to be clean and tidy, but I understand the toilet might have been used (as long as it is unnoticeable). I have been in many houses like this as a guest, without being surprised about it. I just do not know how to make this clear in my listing....

 

 

Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Berta25 my apartments are in my home also. The problem is not just the visible mess but the bacteria in the toilet that is why I am talking about desinfecting every surface. I am not implying your home is dirty but a guest paying for cleaning  will expect it to be cleaned even after one guest before them. I don't even charge a cleaning fee and I still clean after every guest. Maybe the way you handle things works for you and continue to do so, but the guest has every right to complain.

I get what you are saying, that things may not be 'dirty', but I believe most people when they are paying for accommodations have an expectation that the place has been cleaned, e.g. someone has wiped down the counters and the bathroom surfaces, and that the towels and linens are fresh.  So, I'm going to have to agree with the guest in this case.

PS I see that it's a shared bathroom in your own home, so maybe that makes it different in terms of doing a full bathroom cleaning between guests, and your reviews mention your space is clean, but I still would not expect or ask them to change the bed linens.