Guests not reading the amenities

Victoria794
Level 2
Durban North, South Africa

Guests not reading the amenities

I have had guests not reading the amenities. One guest was so disappointed that we didn't have swimming pool, that she marked me down!  Another refused to check in as he hadn't realised we didn't have a TV!  Is this a common problem?

22 Replies 22
Lorna170
Level 10
Swannanoa, NC

@Victoria794   Many many hosts will tell you that guests do not read.  However, you may need to put more detail into your description about what you do not provide.  I saw the No Pool note, but nothing about the lack of a TV.  Could you put a smart TV on the wall in the lounge so your guests could stream by logging into their subscriptions?  

 

Quite honestly, most guests expect a TV (or 2, one in the lounge and one in the bedroom).  My spouse and I once stayed at an expensive resort and he was horrified and distraught that there was no TV.  I didn't even think to check as most everywhere we go has TV and I was more concerned about the Wifi service.  He survived with his iPad and Hulu/Netflix subscription.  It wasn't pretty.  

@Lorna170 "Quite honestly, most guests expect a TV"

 

I don't have a TV and never have. Not one of my guests has ever expected a TV. 

None of the hosts I personally know have TVs in their listings.

 

It's more an expectation of older folks- younger people pretty much do everything on their devices and don't watch TV at all, even if it was available.

 

Even if half my guests had expected a TV, I wouldn't have one. I'd just mention prominently in the listing that I didn't have one.

 

 

No TV here either and only ever had 2 guests out of almost 1,000 ever say something about it.  Of course, we also talk about it in several places in our listing.  Recently Airbnb has started saying in the "improvement" category, that we should offer one.  Seriously hope that this is not a trend - we don't have cable either so all this would be is a giant screen where the guest would still have to stream their own content.  

@Alice-and-Jeff0  My dashboard tells me I have like 8 "improvements" to make. All things I have no intention of doing, like turning on IB, accepting long term reservations, unblocking my blocked days, offering discounts, etc.

Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

@Victoria794 Guests are Notoriously bad at familiarizing themselves with the details of a listing. You have one review from a guest who cancelled due to no tv and demands a refund. You can have that review removed as it’s irrelevant, if a tv is not listed amongst your amenities. I hope you didn’t give that guest a refund. 


Dale711
Level 10
Paris, France

@Victoria794 

Yes, is a very common problem.

 

The majority of guest doesn't read the listing detail, house rules, check-in times and especially on amenities.

Therefore, it is always important to remind the guest and well communicate with the guest prior to the booking and again, to remind them before arriving.

To assume the guest understand what they will be expecting during their stay.

 

Those simple reminders may be effective.

 

Happy Hosting

 

BenkaandKeith0
Level 10
United States

Yes, common problem. We send all our guests prior to arrival to read the complete listing again as between the booking and arrival they forget even what they read before. Make one of those ahead scheduled messages to kindly remind them to familiarize themselves with your listing prior to their arrival.

@Victoria794  There are little tricks for making sure a guest has read your listing - they're primarily useful for hosts who choose not to use Instant Book. One of them is to slip an Easter Egg into your House Rules saying something like "please include the Secret Password in your Request so we know you read the listing description." And the more prosaic one is to engage a little chat before accepting a request, to make sure the place is a good fit for the guest's needs.

 

The general idea is that you get an interested guest focused on your listing specifically, because you have to keep in mind that people tend to look at a bunch of listings at the same time during their search and often get them confused. The perfect guest is one who loved only your listing, but realistically, most bookings will come from people who were switching between a lot of open tabs with a short attention span. So it becomes up to you as the host to put them in the Zone and force them to focus, make sure they know what they're ordering before the booking gets confirmed. Otherwise, it's inevitable that some portion of your guests will be people who accidentally booked the wrong listing.

M199
Level 10
South Bruce Peninsula, Canada

@Victoria794 

 

Some guests just look at the listing pictures and don't (or can't) read beyond that.  Remember the axiom "a picture is worth a 1000 words".  I had an inquiry today that started with WIFI then went on to screens on windows, kitchen stove, fridge.  Of course I provided answers along with other related amenities.  After 5 or 6 messages, she thanked me and said she would talk to her "hubby".  You can't  probably believe how ecstatic I was when I received a confirmed booking from another party.😊

@M199  When guests inquire about things that are clear if they had bothered to read through everything, rather than answering all their questions, I usually say something like, "Hi Xx, I'm happy to answer guest questions and all you asked about can be found by thoroughly reading through all my listing info, making sure to click on "Read more" and the arrows everywhere. If there is still anything you need clarified, or you don't find addressed there, feel free to ask."

@M199 Asking about window screens?? If you'd accepted that guest, she would have pulled your fridge out looking for dust bunnies, and given you a 3 for cleanliness 🤣

Good dodge.

M199
Level 10
South Bruce Peninsula, Canada

@Colleen253 

 

She's from Toronto.  Apparently she was worried about blackflies🙄

 

I guess that window screens, mosquito netted gazebo and a supply of Muskol wasn't enough.  I have to admit that I have learned a lot about guests through this community center.  Thanks to all who share👍

Annette76
Level 10
Cherry Log, GA

The no swimming pool person is just odd. If a property offers something as significant as a pool it is usually made clear and shown in photos. As for the tv, that’s a thing that most people don’t think to look specifically for as it is a standard item for most people to expect. As a matter of fact, in my area it used to be required that any guest property have a tv with access to local channels, specifically so people could get weather info as this is an area that gets tornadoes. My guest house has a smart tv and one of the top options is the local channel that is set up for weather events. 
I looked at your listing and was thinking it would be pretty easy to put a small smart tv on that table across from the sofa. You have wifi, so a guest could catch up on news or have access to their own streaming services if they are stuck inside on a rainy day. 
Personally, I don’t understand hosts (not you, specifically) desiring to foist their own preferences on guests. If you think tv watching is not something one does on vacation then ok, you don’t have to.  But aren’t you trying to offer an experience they will enjoy? For me, I personally dislike beer. Regardless, I have a bottle opener and a nice set of pub glasses in my kitchen. I also have a listing in my guest book of local breweries. It doesn’t bother me that they are in the space when I use it, just like I wouldn’t turn on the tv if I didn’t want to watch it. 
On a side note, your place looks very charming and that garden looks like a slice of paradise. So inviting. 

@Annette76  As an example, we could put a TV in the large bedroom, but we never will because we don't want to encourage 'staycations' or people staying up late watching loud TV.  We have a TV in the living room w/cable and netflix and we'll eventually upgrade that to a larger screen, but will never put in more than one.  As best as a I can, I set the apartment up to get the kind of behavior I want to see...so there is no speaker for people to connect their phones to play their music in the house for the same reason, we don't want a party atmosphere or to risk loud music.  Same with having only 1 TV.  I wouldn't put in a pasta maker or ice cream maker for the same reason, I don't want to encourage people staying in all weekend making lavish meals.  The kitchen is well stocked with pots/pans but no gadgets.