Is anyone else experiencing a decline in the calibre of guests enquiring for places to stay?

Patricia3001
Level 2
New York, NY

Is anyone else experiencing a decline in the calibre of guests enquiring for places to stay?

Over the last year I feel it has really gone downhill. Enquiries from guests who don't have any information in their profiles,

nor introduce themselves to you more than" Your place looks nice, can i come now" at 10pm or "I like you place can i book it 

now"  What happened to an introduction or filling out your profile. I feel air bnb has become too big to handle it or maybe 

they dont care any more.  New Guests registering should have to answer questions to give more details in their profile 

and perhaps receive a welcome pack with guidelines how to approach a Host politely. Anyone else feeling this way?

If air bnb are reading this I hope you will take my suggestion on board.

 

Trish

24 Replies 24
Lee3594
Level 2
Fort Davis, TX

I run a campground and the level of understanding and politeness can be atrocious. The amount of people who choose the non-refundable option and then get angry about not getting a refund is simply absurd. It is maddening at times but that is the reality of hosting.  To give Airbnb feedback direct, you need to go to help center and then search on Feedback. You can submit all kinds of feedback through that.

@Patricia3001  I wouldn't have very high hopes for the people seeking rooms in shared houses  during a pandemic. A huge portion of the people who would have been your ideal market before Corona are now avoiding unnecessary travel or choosing self-contained rentals.

True @Anonymous but also, I do think the quality of guest is not what it was.  My guess is that most travelers with any level of maturity and seasoning are probably the least likely to travel during a pandemic for obvious reasons.   I hope they will return as we get inoculated,  at the same time, we really need Airbnb to take note of what @Patricia3001 noted, those they are taking on as new guests need to be required to be as transparent as we hosts are.   IBs that say "Hey! I’m coming down there to visit my girlfriend" as the opening greeting, crazy that a host with 400 reviews might wanna know more than Arty has a girlfriend right?   BTW, that one is real from just last week, "Artimus", when I asked him for more details and to confirm he read and understands our house rules and offerings, he backed out immediately! 

 

What do you expect from a faceless, half named with nothing in his profile Zombie guest "about" box , nothing but that he is from Portland, Maine.   We are required to disclose all but they really dont have to tell us anything, seems a bit unwise for a home share  host to ever accept anyone who hasnt taken a minute to introduce themselves, to them I say, "The Inn is Closed"....   Stay well, JR 

Exactly 100% agree with you and i have suggested to air bnb new travellers need to fill in a form for their profile 

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@Patricia3001 Yes, a good point of Andrew's that expecting to homeshare in a pandemic is indictative of a certain attitude, especially if the reason for travel is leisure.

 

I still host essential workers; health & social care & utility infrastrucure, and have found them as respectful as before. One of them, a doctor, is the same as before, pre-pandemic.

 

I've turned down some chancers recently, who appeared to be coming for none-legit. purposes, eg. 1."Hello, how are you? I am looking for a 1 night stay, 11th-12th. I am in business trip with my wife and dog. Is any chance that we can stay in your place? Regards D...."

2. "Hello Helen, We are two girls thinkinh of checking in tomorrow night. Two questions, Do you have any special Christmas activity happening in the cottage or nearby? And is breakfast available at the cottage? Your immediate response will be helpful. Thanksxx

3. "Hello Helen, I am needing  a place for a writing/film work assignment I am doing.Are you accepting guests if I have a negative test result before coming?"

4."Hi Helen, I have an assignment to do in the Lake District area found your place. I hope it's OK for me to stay with you." (On questioning was  filmmaking!)

 

I also host on a UK lodger site, where the quality of guest/communication HAS gone down recently!

- Only this week I had TWO separate no-shows (=no payment), from health professional women with bad & rude communication, who had not adequately responded to my questions; one of them, when messaged why she did not turn up has not responded, even tho 'message read' is ticked, the other responded, "I had an emergency at home", when messaged where she was. - Not even a "sorry!" She'd messaged the day before to book for next week, as in "Do you have 23,24,25 free?", zero pleasantries/politeness! - Shall I still allow her in? Hmmmm...

Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@Patricia3001 If you're getting inquiries for last minute stays, I would seriously consider turning that off. Last-minute bookers are generally not good guests in my experience. That might help with the quality of guests a bit. 

@Alexandra316 , we have been very successful using lots of IBs to fill in the spaces between bookings when you not generally as much a destination as a good place to stay that is not a hotel.   Some of our best guests have been Bombers (they just drop in unannounced via IB ).  LMB's (last Minute Bookers) are like fruit, one must pick them carefully, there are more good ones than bad ones and most of the bad ones have signs they will rot quickly and spoil the fruit they touch.   Their greeting and profile says most of what I need to know to know I wont put them in my fruit basket, "denied" next....   Be well, JR 

@Melodie-And-John0 I just found that there were so many rotten apples sending requests and I was wasting time and energy on it. Also, too many declines get your listing suspended. Not worth it for me. 

 

In my experience, people looking at the last minute are generally looking because they have been kicked out of a place, have failed to plan ahead, or have had a personal emergency. None of these situations lead to happy, well-behaved guests. 

@Alexandra316  Im in a little different situation than many here, we are in the boondocks so unless our suites are on your route or the country kinda getaway you are looking for, you wont consider staying here.  Also, Because Melodie and I live in Bearpath Lodging in our own suite, I can either be the kindly Airbnb Host if your good or an Ogre of an Inn Keep if you aren't. 

 

They are even easier to pick out now, most dont bother to even try to fib or con their way in .   If I even suspect they might suck, they get a list of Questions  and as soon as they find out we live there, most back out before I can even deny them (most dont seem to read the listing when they are looking for a party place).   In four years, because being an  IB host means they don't ding you for most denials/ rejections  so I have never had one held against me. JR

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@Alexandra316 I'm with @Melodie-And-John0 re 'bombers'. In tourist season, pre-pandemic, I host loads of 'bombers'; people traveling the length & breadth of England/UK, who book at breakfast, or even later for the same night. Brits and foreigners. That's always been a normal 'thing' here, all  my life folk have knocked on the door of a traditional B&B at 5pm requesting a bed; the modern equivalent is booking an Airbnb a few hours earlier. And I haven't found the quality of 'bombers' to be any less.

That is true, we had a guest who booked last minute and by the time she arrived, her last host posted the most terrible review about her abandoning their booking the day before without notice, leaving their front door wide open and the whole place a terrible mess. I was on the edge of my seat during her stay in my garden studio. When she left, sure enough the place was a mess which I expected, really smelly decaying dishes after one week, wine glasses were missing and when asked she said she left them “at the couple’s house upstairs” (neighbours she must have drank with). No apologies for the inconvenience, overall, an entitled brat. So I agree that a last minute booking is at minimum a sign of disorganized living. I now ask, what brings you to our city on such short notice? Which usually prompts an explanation, and it’s one of Airbnb’s suggested introduction questions, I’ve just added “on such short notice”. 

The Johnsons
Ana7
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

During these last months of pandemics, I'm surprised you can be picky, most of hosts don't get to have guests at all 🙂
Myself, I don't mind having Bombers (I love the term, @Melodie-And-John0  :), some of my best guests have been last minute bookers, or bombers, too. 

 

@Ana7, 2020 had three of the best months ever and 9 of the worst.  Right now its very slow and I hate declining folks but I hate even worse being an angry Inn Keeper at 300 in the morning.   I was told about the bomber term from a young couple that was just "Bombing" their way (as they put it) across the USA on their way to Boston and the beginning of a new semester at school and taking it as it came, one day at a time.   I cant wait till folks feel comfortable doing that again, that will mean the World is working again.   JR

@Ana7  you still have to be picky and manners and introducing yourself. You can have my last guest if you like when i wasnt so picky as he had now reviews. He will bring his psychotic girlfriend over a lot they will have mad fights and she will scream in the street out side your house and throw red wine at your white walls.  So dont think im fortunate it was a disaster.