Have guests been tougher this year?

Anneke-And-Jim0
Level 3
Peekskill, NY

Have guests been tougher this year?

I came to this platform to see if anyone else is experiencing what we have been experiencing in the past year as hosts.  We have been Superhosts for several years and bend over backward to make our guests as comfortable as possible.  This past summer has been super stressful with guests seeming to complain about the smallest things. We feel that our description and photographs detail our homes so that people get what they expect. I communicate well with all my guests and take care of any issues immediately. In the past month, people have been giving more 4 star reviews without really giving a reason. In the reviews, they say everything is wonderful and comfortable. Why four stars then???  

 

Jim and Anneke
Jim and Anneke
30 Replies 30
James2214
Level 1
Valletta, Malta

Yes a good many arogant guests 

Well I'm new to the airbnb game, so I thought it was normal, I thought people had been watching to much four in a bed

Shelagh17
Level 2
Guildford, United Kingdom

interesting to read these comments. We have found exactly the same this season. For the first time ever we are receiving a few 4s and even some 3s. One 3 was for check in- we have a lock box and self check so I really can’t see how they could warrant a 3. One guest from Holland went as far a creating a length list of pros and cons. We always check with our guests that everything is ok and all if they need anything, so it’s particularly gruelling when they write negatives in their review. So far this negatively hasn’t impacted our bookings but who knows what next year will be like. 

@Shelagh17 

One guest from Holland went as far a creating a length list of pros and cons.

 

Oh, yeah, they are bored.... 😄

@Shelagh17 @Branka-and-Silvia0  From "Ted Lasso":

 

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@Branka-and-Silvia0 @Shelagh17 @Ann72

 

Hi all.

 

I looked for the -lovely- listing of Shelagh ....and in defense of my fellow countrymen and women I must say that I think the aforementioned review with pros and cons was written by someone from Belgium;-)

Shelagh17
Level 2
Guildford, United Kingdom

@Barbera0 I apologise profusely for any disrespect incorrectly attributed to your nation. I see that you are quite correct - the offender was indeed Belgian! 

@Shelagh17 @Barbera0 I was married to Dutchman and have several Dutch friends. The flip side of their reputation for not sugar-coating what they have to say and their tendency to be a bit arrogant ("You can always tell a Dutchman, but you can't tell him much" is a phrase told to me by Dutch, who seem rather proud of it and find it funny)  is that they also don't seem to take offense easily  🙂 

@Shelagh17 @Sarah977 Thanks for your replies.... I really don't take it  (Belgium vs Holland) that seriously...just trying to be ironic in a language that is not my own....I apologize for what might be perceived as  being arrogant..

@Shelagh17  The type of review your Belgian guest left is mainly what I call an "informative" review as opposed to a personal one, such as "We had a great time here, loved the decor and the comfy beds. Our kids were thrilled to find a box of toys and games provided."

 

Every place has pros and cons. The cons may not have anything to do with your hosting or anything you have control over, such as traffic noise in a downtown listing, or spotty or no Wifi in a remote listing. A guest listing cons isn't the same thing as complaining, and sometimes is actually a benefit to the host in that they can warn off guests who would be complaining to you about those things.

 

Of course, if the cons listed are something you could have done something about had the guest only contacted you during their stay, that's upsetting. But there are also guests who really aren't whiners and don't expect hosts to run around trying to please them, accept things as they are, but mention those cons in the review.

 

I can understand the mindset of that type of guest, too. It's rather pointless for them to call you during their stay to complain that they find the mattress uncomfortable, because they certainly don't expect you to replace the mattress just for them. They know the host can't do anything about the fact that the neighbors have kids who play noisily in their yard, but they feel it's something to let other guests know about, even if they also say it didn't personally bother them. It's just information, not complaints.

Julia-and-Giovanni0
Level 3
Montefioralle, Italy

Hello there, I'm sorry to hear that so many hosts have had less than positive experiences this year.

 

Here in our micro guest house in Chianti we have had the best year ever (in 9 years) with our guests - they have all been happy to be able to come on holiday and super appreciative of our very rustic (read messy and lived in) home.

 

The reason for this is that we have increased our minimum stay to 4 nights and have thus filtered out the visitors who are desperate to 'do' all of Italy in a week and just need somewhere to sleep.

 

This means that our visitors have actually read the description of our place and come to us specifically, and knowing what to expect, not just because we are cheap and have nearly 300 reviews.

 

We have made friends and had a great summer. Another thing about having only European visitors is that there is a high probability that they will return.

 

Turning off the Instant Booking button is an option, but in our experience it greatly reduces bookings.

 

 

@Julia-and-Giovanni0  I love your guest house and it certainly doesn't look messy to me 🙂

Dear Sarah, that's very nice of you to say, thank you! Julia

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

@Anneke-And-Jim0  it does seem that hosts from the US are the ones that are mainly complaining about post Covid guests 

 

I have never 'bent over backwards' for guests. I provide a lovely home, at a great rate with lovely amenities and a personal touch.

 

I haven't noticed guests being more needy but I do spend time vetting guests to ensure there is a good fit with my listing and this seems to work for me.

Susan837
Level 3
Portland, OR

I actually had my worst guest of three years a month ago. Someone hit my renovated 1964 VW bug and didn't even bother to tell me. Unfortunately, I didn't notice it right away, so I have no idea who did that. The dent will be easily fixed, but I was most upset that they didn't bother to tell me.

Then I got a bunch of 4's from a medical doctor woman who regaled me for half an hour about her awful husband who dumped her for a friend of hers. THEN she left the bad reviews! I was tempted to write her a text about why her husband dumped her, but I didn't. LOL I guess the unhappy arrival will leave for an unhappy departure as was written here.