Hosting Ultra Orthodox Guests

[Dionne1]

Well, after 4-5 years of hosting on this platform, we had a first. We hosted a family of ultra-orthodox guests in our Airbnb. They did not make us aware of their religious requirements prior to their arrival and we were constantly caught off guard regarding how their presence would impact our own quality of life and schedule. Putting it nicely, this reservation was a disaster. We will be revising our description, house rules, and outgoing messages so that we can state (professionally) that we do not want to be in this situation again. 

Below is my draft review. Has anyone else had this experience? 

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We’ve hosted hundreds of guests from around the world, and the overwhelming majority of people are a pleasure to host. However, some reservations can be difficult and this one TAKES. THE. PRIZE. I will list the issues that made this reservation a challenging one:

1. This family of four arrived three hours early (with short notice) and seemed displeased when they couldn’t have access to the suite. I offered them the opportunity to leave their luggage in our sunroom, however, they were visibly upset.
2. They grew even more upset when they realized they would not have their own refrigerator or freezer for their food. One of their family members pointedly asked, “What are you going to do with your food in the freezer?” After I explained that I was not in the position to discard of my family’s food, they aggressively jammed their food into the fridge and rearranged my family’s food to accommodate for theirs.
3. It was clear that they did not read our listing thoroughly; they thought they would have our entire home to themselves. This led to significant tension, aggressive body language, and communication misfires from our guests. I invited them to seek other accommodations, however they chose to stay.
4. When going over the house rules, I specifically asked that they not dispose of cigarette butts in our yard. Not only did these guests dispose of cigarette butts in our yard, but they threw them right outside our front door, onto our patio. Hosts who take pride in their home will most likely find this practice nasty and disrespectful. 
5. These guests constantly slammed doors throughout their stay. I asked that they stop slamming the doors and while it stopped briefly, it picked back up. Again, there appeared to be little regard or respect for us and our property.
6. Their religious beliefs prevent them from operating technology and other mechanical devices during their Sabbath. This meant we had to open the doors for them, turn lights on and off for them, eliminate the lighting in our refrigerator, go behind and unplug cooking devices, etc. I had to cancel my Saturday plans so they could have someone to open the door for them during this time. 
7. Their strict religious lifestyle required an usually high amount of hands on engagement from us as hosts. At no point were any of these requirements communicated prior to their arrival. We pride ourselves in being flexible and accommodating for our guests, however, this caught us by surprise and left us feeling blindsided and very inconvenienced. Furthermore, there was an air of entitlement and despite everything we did to accommodate this family, felt unappreciated for our time and efforts. 

The good news is that XXXX's mother was friendly and they left the suite and kitchen in good condition. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Dionne1

eh, and you could resolve this problem so easy - by not open the door and leave them outside 😄 😄

[Marla0]

I think you went above and beyond what is reasonable. Changing your schedule to turn on lights for them? Uh no. At that point, I would have called Airbnb and advised them that the arrangement is not going to work and you want them to leave and that you should still be paid for the time they were there.  I would not have done all that you did. 

[Helen56]

If they can't turn lights on and off, or open doors on the Sabbath, how on earth do they manage on their own in their own house?  

I suggest in your review you don't mention the word 'sabbath' at all, or any day of the week.  Just cut out the words saying which day it was.  .... they asked me to open doors for them.... no days mentioned.  Best to cut all mention or hint of religion.

[Sarah977]

What these ultra orthodox guests should be doing is bringing a non-orthodox person along with them, counted and paid for as an extra guest, to do their door opening and light turning-on for them. Oh, and they should never travel without carting along their own kosher mini-fridge.

I'm sure that the "day of rest" required by their beliefs wasn't originally intended to mean someone else should be expected to do these things for them. Interesting that they choose to interpret it like that. In fact, electric lights and door locks didn't even exist when those biblical laws were written.

In my book, fanatics of any stripe are to be avoided like the plague.