Short staying cooking in my shared listing ! Help !

Moudi1
Level 2
Raleigh, NC

Short staying cooking in my shared listing ! Help !

I’m a new host , my listing is a private room and shared bathroom in my apartment , it is a very clean room filled with snacks I really consider the room real great compared to 4 stars hotels or motels ! , I made a mistake not clearing out guest access because it’s very annoying to have guests invading my own area , I had couples who stayed for 2 nights and helped them selves to the kitchen using my pans and spices and the lady knocked in my room asked me about the cutting board ! I was very shocked since they were here Friday and Saturday + my listing is way more than fair priced ! It is actually super cheap ! And I just don’t understand how someone would stay for 2 nights in a live area filled with restaurants around! And they kinda complained about where to eat since I don’t have a dining Arouca I don’t even cook much in the house and I don’t expect short stays renting a cheap room to even stay and cook ! 

They were nice and left everything clean but I just don’t know what to review them !

14 Replies 14
Jim472
Level 10
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I'd review them based on their basic merits; communication, cleanliness, attitudes and overlook the cooking part. I might leave them a personal note saying they might need to look at the house rules better as some hosts might not be so accommodating. Who knows, maybe they just didn't understand or realize the kitchen was off limits, perhaps update listing to make it crystal clear to future guests. 

@Moudi1 your listing states that the guests have access to the kitchen - I've copied the overview that is available for your listing below. 

 

As a guest I would be pretty unhappy not to be able to cook when the listing states that I have access to the kitchen.  And I would be  very unhappy if I got a review penalising me for using the kitchen when it said in the listing that I could access it!!!

 

If you don't want guests cooking, then change your listing to clearly state that the kitchen is off limits. 

 

The space

 

Private clean bedroom, shared bathroom

 

Guest access

 

Guests have access to the living room, bathroom, and kitchen and everything else in the shared space. Please make your self at home.

 

 

Thank you for sharing this with me , I updated my listing and I don’t know why it’s still showing that , however as a standard of economic private room I don’t see any sense of having guests taking advantage, I feel like I’ve been taken for granted , I haven’t made any profit in fact my bills are increasing, I don’t know if there is a way to create a fair expectations based on what guests are paying for ! 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Guests are not taking advantage @Moudi1  if your listing shows kitchen access, they are using facilities you said were available when you set up your listing.

 

I have a shared home and am happy for guests to cook at my place (I live in a major city with lots of cafes and restaurants). Sometimes after a long day sightseeing guests like to relax with a home cooked meal.

 

If you are not making a profit increase your rates (look at what hosts with comparable places are charging).

 

If you don't want guests using your kitchen then don't offer it as an amenity (you will obviously need to honour this for guests who have booked before you remove access).

@Moudi1 if you're not making any profit then you need to look at increasing your pricing, you've got great reviews so a price increase is probably justified. Check out some of the message threads on the community centre about guest expectations & behaviour for lower priced accommodation. The guests that book these types of accommodation tend to expect more, give lower ratings and can be a pain.

 

And you say you feel like you've been taken for granted about guests using your kitchen. You need to make it very clear that you expect guests to eat out. Maybe have a saved message that you send to them when they book with you explaining that there is no access to the kitchen, it is not set up for cooking and that there are plenty of places to eat out in your area.

 

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Moudi1  It's not called being taken for granted for guests to use a space that was stated in your listing that they could use. It seems you thought you had edited that out, but it's still there? Maybe you forgot to press "Save" after the edit?

In any case, once you manage to change it, you still have to honor kitchen use for any guests who booked when that was still on your listing.

By no means should you mention it either in the review or in private feedback, since it was your error in your listing info, not the fault of the guests.

I just changed it , I left her a good review and as I expected she left 4 stars which now effected my ability to get super host status , she left me a private note that the only thing is that there is no dining area! It’s kinda frustrating since even motels and 5 stars hotels doesn’t have a dining area and Airbnb guests expect more with lower cost !

If they booked with you based on access to kitchen it is a normal expectation to be able to sit down nd enjoy your meal.

I am also a new host and I put in my house rules “no cooking after...” as a precaution and also to talk to me if guests plan to cook so we can coordinate (It is my home) Have had wonderful experience.

Graham-And-Michelle0
Level 9
Auckland, New Zealand

Yes you have crossed out kitchen as an amenity but you still show 

Pots and Pans

and kitchen cooking basics available.

plus dining room available so I guess people will assume that  kitchen 

ia also for guest use.

It is a bit confusing.

cheers

Michelle.

Julie143
Level 10
Princeton, NJ

I see in your listing that you say the kitchen can only be used for light meals. Everyone has a different idea of what that means. One person’s snack is another person’s banquet.

 

People will try to push the boundaries. It might work better if you just make the kitchen completely off limits. Otherwise you will find yourself being constantly annoyed by guests who push.

 

You could make an extensive local restaurant guide and leave it in the room.

Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@Moudi1I'd say your listing still isn't clear enough. It says that there is no kitchen, but then still lists a stove, oven, dishwasher, pots and pans, etc. as amenities. This is sure to lead to confusion and possible unhappiness on both sides. 

 

A really easy boundary to set would be not allowing them to use the stovetop or oven. Then people could still make a sandwich or charcouterie board, but they won't be cooking. If you have a microwave, you could offer that for reheating food. 

@Moudi1  Many guests choose an Airbnb over a hotel/motel specifically because of the ability to prepare their own meals. Maybe they're on a tight budget, or maybe they have special dietary needs or just prefer home cooking. Either way, your listing is still showing kitchen-related amenities, and as the host you are contractually obliged to provide them to all the guests that booked while they were listed. 

 

But for future bookings, it is OK to only offer a sleeping room and bathroom. It should be very clear in the listing and also reiterated upon check-in. If you're struggling to make a profit you can experiment with incrementally raising the price to see how it impacts your booking rates. But also, you might cut back on the snacks and drinks. They're a nice touch and I'm sure guests appreciate them, but they aren't expected by most guests. Also, you might consider increasing the Minimum Stay, since fewer changeovers means less laundry and less labor.

 

If the market doesn't support a price that you can make money on, and you feel "invaded" when guests are in your space, it's possible that short-term home-sharing is not the best fit for your needs at this time. That seems to happen a lot when cities get oversaturated with listings.

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Moudi1 

Yeah Moudi, everyone else has summed it up, don't list things you do not want guests to use. 

When you list amenities as Stove, pots and pans, dishwasher, Refrigerator, a potential guest reading that will think....'Great, we can prepare our own meals and save a dollar or two!" 

Your listing description is very brief and I can see where guest confusion is coming from. You need to make a point of saying in your description...."I have provided some nice snacks for your enjoyment in the room but, the kitchen is my personal space and does not form part of the listing"!

That should solve your problem!

 

Guests take things either for granted or very literally Moudi!

I list a studio cottage with it's own private facilities. It has a shower, a toilet, a clothes washer, a sink/basin and vanity mirror, an inbuilt hideaway line for hanging personal things out to dry......but it doesn't have a bathtub. Technically, I cannot list it as '1 bath' because Airbnb's interpretation of '1 bath' is that it will come equiped with a tub! If it doesn't then it should be classified as a .5 bath......but then that infers that it is a powder room with a toilet! When I first started to list some guests expressed disapointment there was no tub despite the listing description saying.......1 bath. I had to graphically show in the photos exactly what the guest could expect in my 1 bath.

 

Don't automatically think that because you don't do a lot of cooking, guests will follow your lead....they won't. If you list it they will expect to use it.....I would if I was the guest!

 

Cheers.....Rob

Annette76
Level 10
Cherry Log, GA

Pretending I was a potential guest, I just did a quick look at your listing. I see pots, pans, salt, pepper and oil, refrigerator, oven,stove, etc. listed as amenities. So if I were a potential guest I would feel completely fine using the amenities listed. It’s like listing the shower as an amenity and then getting mad when they used it. Makes no sense. Remove those amenities from your listing.  

This is a screenshot of your amenities, I would totally expect to be able to cook. Even though you have kitchen marked off lower down, most people wouldn’t pay attention to that as they usually stop looking once they find what they’re looking for ;). 

0BF1C0BB-4103-4E9F-A4F4-5487103AB2C0.jpeg