The Toilet is Clean. Inspected with Car Lantern .... - I need your advice, guys.

[Olga464]

As some of you know, I am the co-owner of one of the Oldest Guest Houses in Europe (150 years old, center of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, Eastern Europe). 

I am specializing on a long term rent for embassy workers on a usual basis. And have, as some of you called it, "a military type of hosting".

Very strict. Full of regulations. Like in police department.

On airbnb site I give 1 room for rent in the apartment where I stay by myself, as an experiment. 

Here is my ad:

www.airbnb.ru/rooms/26808906

I have 92 photos for just renting A SOFA.

I made such a great quantity of pics exactly for the difficult daily clients.

In case if they are comming not satisfied by something (wanted to bring more people, or the weather is bad etc) and start giving me a hard time, I say:

- So, if you do not like something about my place, we can call up airbnb operator and make a comparative analysis by all 92 photos via webcam.

When a difficult client hears it, he/she imagines right away that now he/she has to kill another couple of hours on walking after me through the house "as dog's tail", comparing each single corner of my apartment to the pictures online. And immediately says "Yes" to everything and signs all the rules on paper just to get rid of me. 

But, must admit, the overwhelming majority of my clients are big fans of cleanliness. Just as myself. 

That's why they book here.

So, recently I decided to add that very 92-nd picture of the toilet.

Аnd call this visual masterpiece "The Toilet is Clean. Inspected with Car Lantern". 

Here it goes (but I wanted to ask you...):

On one hand it looks like the owner is really providing you with a very clean apartment. 

And when people look through the photos online in my ad, from the marketing point, such positioning is kind of unusual. But convincing enough.

My question is: doesn't it feel to the client like the host (as a gynecologist inspecting the patient on a chair) will be checking each single poo after the guest visiting the toilet during guest's stay? 

Or maybe it will stimulate guests to keep even more clean?
What is your opinion?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

lol @Olga464  😄  you always make my day 😄 😄 you know I am your fan, but honestly, I would be affraid to rent a room from you 😄

you forgot to ad one more tag #gynecologist  :)))))

[Olga464]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  That's actually a problem I am facing for a moment. A lot of my clients are affraid to write reviews. Even if everything was perfect and smooth.  As one host told here on forum: "do not write the review first, let the guest step out with initiative". So, my guests stopped writing reviews. Although I am getting a lot of good reviews face to face while they are here. They tell me: "your place is exactly my kind of place". But they are affraid to write anything)))

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Olga464 

mah... reviews are not a problem, but how many guests were afraid to book might be 🙂

I would definitely skip this forensic photo 😄

[Olga464]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  The majority of my clients are professional renters or business trips booked by the secretaries. So, we will see. I will give the update.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

haha yes, @Olga464  it makes sense... an oppressed secretary books your place for her difficult intitled boss .... "Revenge of the secretary" ... it sounds like a movie title 😄

[Olga464]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 By far we observed only "Controlling Father - daughter who wanna have fun on a holiday" and "woman escaping intimate intercourse with a man interested and paying for her stay" revenges. But people were always creative on escaping from responsibilities))

[Olga464]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  The UPDATE: people continue to book. Guys only. 

[Ana1136]

@Olga464 I have said many many times here, I don't care about anything as long as the place is clean but this might put me off to be honest 🙂 Not the photo itself, but my first perception would be that I would be dealing with some strict and rigid host which might not be the case at all but I wouldn't look forward to find out on my own. But hey, if the bookings keep on coming than keep it for sure 🙂 

[Olga464]

@Ana1136  they do, actually)))

[Ana1136]

@Olga464 I would love to have a light like this though, just to check personally if my listings are clean enough. I will look into it 🙂 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Olga464 @Ana1136 

your next step :

https://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/print/alternatelightsources-print.html

:)))

[Robin4]

@Olga464 

Olga, I know we Australians have a reputation of being a bit 'laid back' in a worldly sense and we tend not to get too tied up in formality , but Olga, as lovely as you may be as a host, I would be frightened to book with you. 

A/......92 photos, dear God, who is ever going to wade through that many photos. People looking get bored very quickly. You show 19 photos of your sofa-bed! They are not just looking at your listing but others as well. The last thing they want to see is lots of random duplication. Your photos need to tell a story Olga. They should start at the entrance to your house (without showing anything that would identify your property outside the Airbnb platform) and you should walk your photos from area to area....one or two in each and then move on to the next.

Your apartment looks very neat and stylish Olga, you have done a great job, but you keep jumping from one aspect of it to another then you throw in some touristy shots and then back into the apartment again and after a while, as a viewer, I was feeling punch-drunk!

I would suggest you cut out more than half your photos and just keep 40 of the most relevant ones. That way I am sure guests will show a lot more interest in your property

B/..... You have such an emphasis on your house rules that, as guest I would all the time be afraid I might do something I was not supposed to. I would be on edge hoping I was not going to offend you in some way. 

Sure guests are coming into our homes and need to be aware of what is expected of them, but Olga they are paying you money to do that and they need to feel welcome and accommodated.  

On looking at a few other properties in Kiev, they all seem to be quite heavily booked and being summer time there I would expect that. But Olga, your booking calendar does not appear to have any upcoming reservations, and I am wondering if you are frightening guests away with your formality. I understand that hosting for a female host in her own space is a challenge and you have to set very distinct boundaries, and personally I think you are very brave....much braver than I. There is no way I could have strangers sleeping in the next room to me.

So I applaud you for having a strength of character to do this Olga. But I think you need to find a balance between out and out officialdom and being that welcoming host who keeps the reservations coming.

Please do not think I am trying to criticise you Olga, I am just trying, as a host, to bring out the best in you! 

Cheers......Rob

[Olga464]

@Robin4  I have no intention to be booked in a first line. I get bookings from 3 platforms. Some of them arrive at the second half of the day at last moment. I sell 23-28 days a month. 

[Robin4]

@Olga464 

Yes, I too host across two platforms , but when I made that comment Olga your Airbnb calendar shows no upcoming bookings........ every date for the next 3 months is available and that is a bit unusual. So that is why I mentioned that. If you are doing well with other listings that is great, I could only comment on what I saw here.

Giving advice is hard Olga, we all like to think we have that magic formula that will make us successful. When I started out here back in 2016 I had the help of some wonderful people here on the CC, some of them still come here to the CC at times, and I am so thankful for the great advice and experience they gave me. They were not trying to belittle me or criticise me, they were trying to help.....and they sure did. 

I am coming up to my 349th hosting .....270 of them here on Airbnb and I have 239 good reviews here.

I could not have done this without the help of others.....and I just want to pay it forward!

Just trying to help!

Cheers.....Rob