SHOES OFF AND NO EATING IN THE BEDROOMS PLEASE...

[Lyn13]

Can anyone relate? Any suggestions to get guests to remove shoes and not eat all over the house? 

I have a chair by the front door and rug by the front door. I do have wood floors, but nice rugs under sofa, beds, and dining room table. I am constantly spot cleaning them in the effort to keep them looking nice for the next guest. 

I have also cleaned messes and stains consisting of sticky, chocolate (hopefully), fingernail polish, markers, urine, and numberous mystery stains (OMG). I have white sheets and towels. I like to offer a clean and sanitary space for my guests, just as I would want if I were staying someplace. I did say clean and sanitary, there is a difference. Thats a whole other conversation. 

I have notes for my guests on line and at the house, but I don't think anyone removes shoes and by the looks of it, the food either. What else can I do or has anyone a suggestion of something to try or that they are currently doing that seems to be somewhat successful?

[Gillian19]

@Lyn13 I've been married for 10 years and I still can't get my husband to remove shoes and not eat everywhere around the house. So good luck with that one!

[Lyn13]

Now that is funny!!! lol @Gillian19

[Debbie96]

I put in my house rules :  "Please remove shoes when entering our home."      95% of my guests don't need to be reminded about this but, when I welcome them I wave my hand across the entrance way with a lingering sweep of my hand towards the row of shoes in the entrance way.  🙂

As far as policing where and how they eat, I'm all ears should anyone have a workable solution for this problem.

[Yulianna0]

About eating in the room I just explain that they will get ants immediately in the bed and we have huge black flying cockroaches. Up to them to enjoy such company. Doesn’t work 100%, but at least something 

[Lyn13]

@Yulianna0  Well, if that doesn't freak them out then I don't know what will! 

I did stay at an Airbnb in LA once that had towel charges if damaged or stained. I added to my listing also so that guest will be more careful with linens. I offer a lot of hand towels in a bowl for make-up removal or anything else that might stain. That has helped, I think. 

[Victoria567]

Hi @Lyn0

Make your rules very clear in your house rules/ manual.

In your checkout instructions which can include photos tell the guests what you expect them to do on check in.

Eg. If it’s removal of shoes, then state this and the reason why.

Please remove shoes on arrival, so as not to mark my parquet floors and leave them on the shoe rack in the vestibule.

Wearing of flip flops or slippers or socks recommended in our home.

Eg if it’s no rating of food in the bedrooms.

Absolutely No eating of food / snacks or preparation of food/ snacks in the bedrooms.

I will provide you with plates, cutlery and glassware to eat your food/snacks in the dining area as it is forbidden to eat in the bedrooms.

that should be clear enough I’d say.

[Victoria567]

Rating= eating 

[Jay77]

Shoes too.  I put a bench by the front door and I instruct guest to remove shoes upon entry. Did have one Millennial who just could not get with the program. His disrespect of our home was reflected in the review we gave him. 

[Jeera0]

I specifically said all these things on my listing no shoes, no eating in the bedroom but still. 

[Kristine-And-Sean0]

It gets frustrating, because sometimes I feel that we have to write every little thing down to protect ourselves when things get damaged.  Our manual gets thicker by the guest!  We don't want it to look like we don't trust anyone, but we've been burned a few times, so the rulebook grows.  I personally check in every guest and explain our most important rules.  I then see them blatantly disregarded.  I just had to refinish our table that the guests just couldn't seem to use a coaster (They are everywhere) when they had a drink.  They also allowed eating and drinking upstairs and that stained the sheets.  A drink was spilled on our stairs and we had to remove the tread to get to the sugary substance before the giant cockroaches and crazy ants made a home.  We are in the US Virgin Islands and our rules are strict for a few reasons, namely because everything is so expensive to replace.