Having hosted for a few years now, I have noticed some trends of "informational holes" in guest perspectives. These are some things I wish guests knew. Maybe I will write an article! Curious to hear from others.
-ABB is NOT a regular old vacation rental. There is such a vast diversity of spaces-- from the professionally managed caravan in a beach town to the spare bedroom in an urban apartment shared with the owner. Guests need to really understand the rules of the spaces they rent. They may fall in love with a listing but be unpleasantly surprised that they cannot treat it like a hotel or commercially available vacation rental chain. Hosts set boundaries based on what they are comfortable allowing in their own homes. Because these ARE people's HOMES in many cases. Rules in each space will be different and may differ still from that hotel you stayed in or beach cottage you rented from Craigslist.
-Extra guests are not cool. Again, these spaces are not a free for all. There are guest limits in place. When booking, guests should be very clear on the max capacity of each home. Hosts typically do not allow exceptions nor should a guest assume they will be okay if they are within one or two people of the max. Kids are included in these counts.
-Visitors may or may not be cool. There are liability issues in place. Guests might love to have family over for dinner but again, they need to be 1000% sure the is okay with the host. Guests should never assume that the space can be opened to anyone who is not on the reservation.
- Leaving the place a big mess is never okay. Airbnb is not a hotel. Yes, you pay a cleaning fee, but that doesn't give guests the okay to leave lots of trash, spills, odors, pet waste, etc. Wipe up that soda that you knocked over. Take the trash out. Don't cook fish and leave the container inside.
-Ratings are serious. Hosts depend on good ratings for income and to stay on the site. If you have a problem try to resolve it with the host instead of airing your grievance in the rating. Understand that ABB sees anything less than a 5 as a host's failure whereas guests can have very poor ratings and still continue to book.
- Some hosts are selective. Your booking request may be rejected if it is clear that you don't understand or seem to respect the terms in the listing. Do not automatically assume because you have sent a request it will be accepted. Your communication is very important. If the host asks for certain information, include that in your message. Put yourself in a host's shoes-- would you welcome someone into your home who didn't even have the time to read what will make them a great guest?
- Pets are not welcome unless the host says it explicitly. Do not assume that your tiny dog, cat, goldfish or bird will go unnoticed. Pet-friendly listings will STATE that. You can filter for places that allow pets. Don't try to convince a host that your pet is special if they don't take pets. Move on to another listing. Understand that even if a listing is pet friendly, there may be limits on the number of pets or sizes/breeds etc. You may also incur pet fees. You will always be expected to clean up after your pets and monitor their behavior.
- Parties are not welcome unless the listing is "suitable for events." The vast majority of ABB spaces reject parties vehemently. You can absolutely expect a poor review if you use an ABB as a party and it is not allowed. You should also be prepared for charges for damages and extra cleaning.
-Anyone who is not staying in the space can't book on your behalf. Even if you are a mom trying to surprise her daughter by gifting a honeymoon stay, you can't book if you are not staying. This is called third-party booking. In addition to having implications for insurance, hosts do not want to give access information to anyone who is not paying to be in the space. ABB can make a great getaway gift IF you are also going on the getaway. If not, you should not be booking.
What else would you add?