HELP! THE GUESTS ARE STILL SLEEPING...

[Deborah614]

When guests want to snooze the morning away, I feel this is a really good thing.    They come here to relax and recharge their batteries, and sleeping in is a sign that they are comfy in their beds.   But...  I forgot to ask the guests what time they wanted their breakfast last night.   I did ask the guest to let me know these things in our Airbnb messaging, but I hadn't got a reply. 

Breakfast has been on the table since 7.30am (I thought I'd just get it all ready).    The spicy fruit buns are warm in the oven, the ground coffee ready to go.   

My millennials are still slumbering,  and it's almost 10am, bless them!    They need their beauty sleep.   The work hard and they play hard.   No doubt after the Eminem concert tonight, they'll be staggering home in the wee hours.  

But it does pay to have a TO DO list, of things to talk to your guest about before they retire on the night of arrival.   Now that I have 2 rooms on offer, I'm getting groups of friends, rather than couples, and as a result, the range of preferances is far wider.  

How many hosts offer breakfast included in the room rate, what does it consist of, and do you ask your guests to help themselves or do you set a table and wait on them when they are seated?   

[Deborah614]

@Sarah977 

You sound like you're in a hub of wonderful Mexican eating options!   So of course, who'd want cornflakes and milk when they can have a breakfast Taco!   I know what I would have if I were your guest.   

Here at Te Horo Beach, it is a 10km drive into the closest town for a choice of cafe's.      So I'm aware that once here at my place, the guests really appreciate not having to get in the car and drive a 20km round trip to get something to eat.     That's why I make it known I'm here to prepare any snack or meal, no matter how small, or how elaborate they want to go.  

[Scott-and-Mary-Ellen0]

We offer breakfast and show the guests when they check in around the kitchen (we have a townhouse with a small-ish kitchen). There's a table with a Keurig and lots of coffee to choose from. There's a basket with tea bags, sugar and other sweeteners, fruit, and an assortment of protein bars. Besides our Mount Washington mugs, there are to-go cups if they need to dash. There is fruit and also snacks on the table. We have a cabinet with an assortment of cereals, oatmeal,  and yogurts, half-and-half, milk and juice in the fridge. We often have English muffins, bagels, or croissants with jam, peanut butter, etc. I do set out place settings for the morning. People are told to help themselves, since we both work on weekdays. On the weekend we like to make a nice hot breakfast of bacon and eggs or pancakes or waffles and sausage if we don't have to head up to the mountains to change over our other place. We let guests know the night before in case they want to join us and enjoy it when they do.   

Because we're not at our mountain place we tell guests there's a "breakfast surprise" in the fridge as part of the check-in instructions. It's just a tube of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls but people enjoy it, along with having coffee, tea and hot chocolate on hand. Little touches like that make it fun. I bet your breakfasts are lovely!

[Rachel0]

@Deborah614   I do something very similar to you.  I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful bakery less than a two minute walk from my front door and they provide the most wonderful croissants, pain au chocolat, pain raisin etc so every morning I stroll over and buy them while they are still warm.  I also provide a selection of cereals, yogurt, milk, juice, fruit plus tea or coffee.  

I've hosted a lot of people in my 4 years with Airbnb - probably close to 500 - and have found that most guests enjoy breakfast and use it as a time to have a chat about their plans for the day and a chance to ask me questions about places to go and the best way to travel.  99% of the time I remember to ask them the night before about what time they would like breakfast, but if I forget, I just get everything ready and make the tea or coffee when they appear.  However, I do make it clear that 10am is the cut off point and if they have not made it downstairs by then, they are out of luck.

[Deborah614]

@Rachel0     thanks,   I'm never sure what the guests would like.  If they don't eat what I've bought (and only ONE cinnamon Hot Cross Bun was eaten this morning), then I'm left to eat them and I really should not!     I've had the odd guest who couldn't give a hoot about the included breakfast - a German lady stayed for a month and would have a coffee and head straight out the door to visit her daughter for the day.      And some guests really tuck in and enjoy their breakfast.      I like to ask them, before they arrive, what they would like for breakfast.  What sort of bread, what kind of yogurt, muesli or cornflakes, etc etc.   That takes a lot of guesswork (and shopping) out of it.   If they answer my questions that is.  

[Rachel0]

@Deborah614 Perhaps if you don't warm the HX buns through first you could just wrap the unused ones and freeze them.  Same with bread, you can buy a loaf and freeze it in 2 slice portions.  I've had all sorts of experiences with breakfasts! Some guests from the Far East like to provide their own noodles and just want hot water from me.  Some just want a tea or a coffee with some cereal and some want more than I offer - ie a Full English, which I don't do.  I do make it perfectly clear in my listing that I offer a "continental style" breakfast and that it is included in the price but as people often don't read it, they get a surprise when I ask them roughly what time they would like breakfast.

[Deborah614]

@Rachel0 

Thank you for taking the time to make those suggestions.   Yes, well I wrapped 4 HX buns in foil, and put them in a warm oven for the guests, the other 4 remained in the bag in case they wanted more.   Only one person had one.  I was so surprised, I thought they'd fall on them like a pack of wolves.   I over-estimated their young appetites.     When I was their age, I was constantly hungry.   But then, that was before social media and on-line gaming etc.   This group seems to run on energy drinks called "MOTHER" (written in gothic writing), and lots of strong coffee, and air.  

However, when they arrived after a 5 hour drive, at 8pm, they were very happy to be served with complimentary mini-pizzas, which I whip up using the small Pita pockets.   I just spread with tomato paste, then put ham, olives, pineapple, tuna, cheese - whatever they ask for.  

I've altered my introduction to make it clear right up front, because my pricing includes a very good breakfast whereas a few other profiles offer self-contained self-catering units and don't mention breakfast is included.      So I've made it clear, "this is a home stay with Continental breakfast included."      I list what that means later on down in the blurb.    

Yes, freezing sliced Vogels works well because you can snap individual slices off the loaf whilst still frozen, and just use what you need.  

[Rebecca181]

@Deborah614 You are the hostess with the mostess, that's for sure! Here in the United States, once you start offering things like breakfast, cleaning / laundry services, picking up at the airport, etc, you are considered by the Internal Revenue Service to be offering 'special services'. This means you no longer can file taxes for the rental business on a Schedule E - You must file as a Schedule C and pay self-employment tax (15%), etc. You do get some nice write-offs, however, but it often is not worth it due to the higher tax rate in general. So I don't offer things like breakfast, just to be on the safe side, as I prefer to file on a Schedule E for multiple reasons and still get many of the same tax write-offs. Do you have any tax concerns like that where you are?

[Deborah614]

Gracious! @Rebecca181 

My Airbnb is my own private home with 2 spare bedrooms.    By NZ law I'm allowed to have two boarders occupying those rooms, without having to declare for tax.     I found that getting boarders through our local newspapers and noticeboards often resulted in some dreadful experiences with people who didn't pay the rent, and would promise it next week, wouuld smoke in the bedroom, male lodgers who would try to climb the stairs to my bedroom ... etc etc.    I was getting traumatised with taking in lodgers who appeared to be clean cut and honest, very quickly took all kinds of advantage once settled in.   And I found it difficult to dislodge some of them, with Police needing to be called when threats were made.   The Police advised me that they were not interested in protecting me from male lodgers who made threats or tried to come up to my bedroom, so I tried looking into getting a "Police Check" done.   A Police Check takes about 6-8 weeks, so that doesn't work.   Someone's looking for digs and they want a yes/no answer on the spot.   

So, I'm getting my "lodgers" through Airbnb and so far have found them good as gold.   There is no problem with payment, the exit date is agreed, and all is ticketyboo.    If I add a third bedroom, I then become a commercial boarding house and required to present my books, with income and expenditure.     

Our tax department doesn't sort you into a "class" because you offer breakfasts or other things.   That's a very different system you have.   

[Linda108]

@Deborah614   As my listing is a private room, I am here in the morning and do offer breakfast.   Prior to check in, I send a message in which I reinforce the breakfast and ask if there are any food allergies or sensitivities so I can adjust the breakfast offering.  I usually offer French press coffee service along with fresh fruit, fruit juice, hard boiled eggs, toast or bagels, (with butter or cream cheese) muffins or breakfast bread and yogurt.  If a guest is staying more than a couple of days, I offer several variations such as , stuffed eggs or egg salad or avocado toast or I might even make a frittata.  I agree with @Ben551 that it something you enjoy doing rather part of your marketing.  While the breakfast is often favorably mentioned in the review, I don't think it encourages a booking.  Of course if your listing is an actual Bed and Breakfast, the quality of the breakfast is important.

[Deborah614]

Yes @Linda108 

my listing is an 'actual' B&B, which delivers the implied Continental Breakfast in the tariff.      I offer juice, fresh ground plunger coffee, tea, (herbals and black), toast (whole grain or wheatmeal), home made jams, honey, peanut butter, etc;  then stewed fruit - usually tinned apricots or peaches plus sometimes my own stewed rhubarb which produces year round, or feijoas when in season, choice of muesli or cornflakes, yogurt (organic, unsweetened), with milk.   

Sometimes I will grab a treat like Easter buns or croissants if a guest is staying more than a couple of days, so I don't wind up eating a lot of what I shouldn't in the left-overs!  

[Anita485]

Hello Deborah I am fairly new at the Airbnb, but I too offer a continental breakfast which is included in my price. My situation is a bit different as I have a full apartment in the downstairs section of my home with a separate entrance to the outside. My guest have a fully stocked kitchen and I supply pastries. I make homemade breakfast burritos and waffles and keep them in the feeeze in their apartment. This way my guest eat at their convenience not mine. I also keep the basic dry goods coffee tea oatmeal homemade jams etc, and the fridge with milk water juice butter cream cheese etc. If i have a guest staying more than overnight I sometimes get motivated and make a breakfast casserole. This again is cooked ahead and just needs to be heated up. I have found  in the US most guest want to come in and not necessarily interact with the host.  I did have one couple want me to help them make bacon jam as they saw i made my own. It was a very fun experience for all of us. Like others have said having a cut off time frees you up as well. Maybe posting something in their room with the times uou offer breakfastwould be a good thing. I think I would love to come to stay at your place. My husband and I do some traveling so I will keep your place in mind for future trips. Good luck