Need Advice From Experienced Hosts On Leaving A Negative Review related to Blood Stains

[Rebecca181]

Hi Everyone,

I've been hosting for a bit less than a month and absolutely love it. However, I had a rather freakish experience with some guests who stayed last night and could use a bit of guidance from more experienced hosts. I'd like to say first that I have already reported this matter to Airbnb Customer Support, who say they will kick it up to their Trip Advisor staff, whatever that means. In brief, the guests (an older couple) were pleasant enough, but I overheard a hacking cough off and on from the hot tub / courtyard area, and later from their suite (which is attached to my living area via a breezeway). They left a very nice review for me in my comment book, and when they checked out they told me how much they enjoyed their stay. When I entered the suite to clean (I had only a couple of hours to get it ready for the next guests checking in today) I found blood spatters EVERYWHERE. It looked a bit like something out of a Hitchcock movie (think 'Psycho'). Blood spatters in the shower; on the kitchen counter; in the bathroom sink; on the sleeve of one of the white spa robes I provide (inside and out); on the sheets; on the pillow cases; even on my newly painted designer-colored walls. As I work in the healthcare field, I quickly donned my gloves, got my S/O (who is a PhD chemist) and we set about sterilizing EVERYTHING with hot water and bleach (which not all Airbnb hosts would know to do). I suspect that one of them may have active turbuculosis or a severe bronchial issue going on, but whatever the case, it was literally a nightmare to clean (I am not sure I will keep the linens even if I get them clean  - I have taken photos of everything and reported this to Airbnb, as stated). So now I am faced with having to decide whether to leave a negative review or stay silent as if it is a health issue I could be violating the guests' right to privacy. But I feel angry that they left my beautiful suite (everything in it is brand new) in this condition. There were also coffee grounds all over the kitchen sink and crumbs in the bedroom on the side tables and they did not use any of the 8 coasters I provide.

I thought of writing something like this in the review: "They were very pleasant but may be better suited to stay in environments that are professionally equipped to remove stains from linens and properly sterilize stained surfaces such as counter tops, sinks, and showers." But I wonder if even this could result in the guest contesting the review or be seen as a violation of his or her privacy. Even more importantly (to me) is the thought that other hosts might not have the medical awareness I have and they may be picking up linens with blood or **bleep**, etc, and risking possible infection (Hep C, AIDS, etc) if they have an open cut on their hands. I have not had time to do an in-depth search, but the Airbnb C/S rep was not aware of any information Airbnb provides hosts on how to safely clean up human bodily fluids. This seems to be a critical issue to address with hosts, for many reasons.

If any of you can speak to this - leaving a review, and also dealing with bodily fluids and Airbnb's responsibility toward educating hosts in regard to ensuring their health and safety, I'd love to hear from you. Also, had I not known how to properly sterilize the suite (including all the dishes they had used, linens, etc) the guests that followed may also have been exposed to blood-born pathogens / contaminants.  I'd post some of the pictures for you to see but they really are gross and a bit upsetting.

Thanks, 

Rebecca

[Rebecca181]

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. I thought long and hard about this and I have decided to leave an honest review. Airbnb counts on hosts to be honest as this helps to protect us hosts. These guests knew what they did. One or both of them coughed up blood all over my brand new suite and did not have the courtesy or courage to tell me. If they are that ill, they should not be exposing hosts and future guests to their blood and phlegm. I decided NOT to use the word 'blood' but I DID use the word 'sanitize' as this will give hosts a clue that the stains were not just coffee stains or something more benign. I thought of contacting the guests to inquire about their health but why should I? They KNOW what happened and they did not come clean with me (pun intended). Why play a game of asking them if they are okay? Also, they could potentially make something up, like they cut their finger or some other body part, and deny that it was coming from their lungs (which, based on the hacking sounds I heard all night and morning, it definitely was). I also decided that potential guests who see my review should be reassured that I take my hosting responsibilities seriously and I bleach down my rental after a 'messy' guest. If I lose guests because of it, so be it. We are either a real community or we are not - hosts and guests alike - And I have decided to embrace the community approach, come hell or high water. Here is what I wrote (and copied to Airbnb), and thank you again for your replies: "X and Y (guests' names) were guests on June 14th, 2017.  They were very pleasant but may be better suited to stay in environments that have a team of professional cleaners who can quickly handle tough jobs. Although I'm sure it was unintentional, my beautiful, brand new suite (with new everything, including designer paint) was left in such a manner that it took me and my partner two hours longer to clean and sterilize the suite for the next guests than it usually does due to multiple stains on linens and robes, in the bathroom sink, shower, floors, and walls - All which required careful (gloved) handling and lots of bleach. Also, crumbs and coffee stains were left on the bedroom side-tables even though I provide 6 coasters to use,  and crumbs were on the bedroom floor. Also, coffee grounds were left all over the sink and elsewhere in the kitchenette and in the cups, and all over the coffee maker. Although the dishes were done, I had to rewash all of the dishes and utensils and sterilize them in hot water and bleach due to the stains I found in the sink and on the kitchenette counter. It was a very surprising and upsetting experience, one I did not expect to have to face while hosting on Airbnb."

[Rebecca181]

Thank you all for your replies. For some reason a post/reply I just now made on this topic was removed for review by Airbnb - Not sure why. So I will share this again and sorry if it is a duplicate post in some ways. Airbnb encourages us to leave an honest review on our guests, just as guests are encouraged to review us hosts honestly. The entire system will break down if we do not leave reviews out of fears that prospective guests will not book with us for doing so. I decided to use the word 'stain' versus 'blood', and I opted to use the stronger word 'sterilize' versus 'sanitize' because that is exactly what we had to do. I said in my review that they were pleasant enough guests and that the mess they left may have been unintentional (the stains) but it was upsetting and time consuming  for us to clean none-the-less. I also mentioned that they left crumbs and coffee stains everywhere and that I did have to re-do all of the dishes due to stains I found in the kitchenette, on the counter and in the sink, etc. I then gave them a 'thumbs down' and I sent a copy of my review to Airbnb. I did not write the guests privately to ask if they were okay and that I found blood everywhere - They know what they did and they did not have the courage to come clean and tell me so I could be prepared to deal with it - My guess is that not all hosts always wear protective gloves like I do. I could have easily been exposed - my partner as well. And/or the guests I had coming that same day. I cannot be a host for Airbnb if I feel intimidated and like I can't be honest about my experiences. I could not live with myself if a future host or guest(s) were exposed to blood and possible blood contaminants / pathogens due to my fear of leaving a negative review and the possible trouble this might cause me. What kind of community would we be if all hosts went this route due to fear of losing business? As another person here so rightly pointed out, what if I had an infant at home or an elderly or ill family member (or future guest) who has a poor / compromised immune system? This is a very serious issue, and one that Airbnb would be wise to address in an educational letter to hosts on how to handle guests' bodily fluids. Let's hope this reply of mine is left up and not taken down for 'review'. Thank you all again for your thoughtful replies and I'd love to hear from more of you on this subject. Also, it would be nice to have a 'block' feature as I have Instant Booking on and I would not want these guests to be able to book with me (or anyone, really) again. Let's hope that Airbnb finds a way to get these guests out of their system as well.

[Annette33]

o wow, @Rebecca181 , what a shame that Airbnb took down your previous post for "review". Some of us saw it anyways - and still see it, not here but in my emails, so it's not totally gone. 

I congratulate you on your viewpoints, your integrity and your perseverance, couldn't agree more with you!

What a shame  that Airbnb can be so very fast in making posts they don't like disappear, but super slow in addressing the issues, if at all.

[Rebecca181]

@Annette33 - Thanks for your comment and for supporting my decision to tell the truth (as diplomatically as I could) about this hazardous guest. I think that the post I did came under 'review' because I copied and pasted my review about the guest off of my gmail email and I did see that Airbnb's system thought that there was an associated hyperlink (although there was not). So I will give them the benefit of the doubt. So far I have been fortunate to have very positive experiences with the U.S. based Airbnb support, so I'd like to think that they won't have a problem with this thread, or my original posts and the ones that followed. As a new host I confess that it felt a bit scary to be so honest (albeit I did not specifically mention blood from the lungs) but I have to live with myself and sleep in peace at night.

Best, Rebecca

[Annette33]

@Rebecca181 I get that sometimes, that when I copy something from my notepad and try to post it here, it says invalid html or so, but it self corrects itself and I simply hit the submit button again and it posts. Your first post "is not available" it says when I click on the link in the email I got about it. It is/was indeed posted for a short while, then taken off, that is different....

[Huaai0]

@Rebecca181

What is annoying to me in your story is that they left blood spatter all over the place without even telling you and expressing how apologetic they were, rather than the fact that they left blood stains due to illness. For me and many people I know, language, maybe coupled with a gesture to make some monetary compensation, may soothe the situation, make anger subside, and resolve all problems... From you story, I can hardly feel any sympathy towards the old man's illness. I'm sure he knew that he made a mess. Imagine maybe sense of guilt will be haunting him for the rest of his life, but I hope not. 

I remember that a couple I hosted used my brandnew white bathtowel to wipe their dirty suitcase. They knew they left stubborn stains hard to remove, so they hid the towel in a corner of the closest right behind the laundry basket. I got so angry when I saw it. I thought if they had apologized and explained that they probably had not expected their suitcase to be that dirty, maybe I would not have been so mad at them. 

I tracked their profile and found out after their stay they opened their own Airbnb and seemed to keep it super clean. So you see? People have double standard--they would trash your place, but not their own. I would forgive those who treat their own house and other's in the same manner even though they may not be habitually clean and tidy. 

I hope and pray that this unfortunate situation will not affect your mood and life too much and will not preclude you from continuing your Airbnb service. I even disinfect the walls of the Airbnb room because guests may cough and sneeze, so cleaning body fluids is not uncommon. Imagine, what is more scary is those invisible stains!

For me, 90% of my guests are wonderful, and it is common to run into weirdos once in a while. Such is life. 

[Rebecca181]

@Huaai0 You are obviously a most kind and compassionate man. Your comments have helped me to feel heard and understood, and I am very grateful to you. I did post on this thread how I decided to handle the situation and I feel at peace with my decision. More important than renting my suite is my feeling that I am acting according to my values and my own sense of ethics and integrity. And so I did leave a review on this guest to help other hosts be aware of the possible issues (dangers, really) they will face. 

Best, Rebecca

[Steven614]

I’m digging through these posts now because I’ve got a woman who came in with body odor and left blood all over my bedroom and bathroom. Left the guest bath toilet clogged with bloody toilet paper and said nothing.