What have you learnt about hosting from being a guest?

Liv
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

What have you learnt about hosting from being a guest?

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Hi everyone,

 

I’m aware that many of you are occasionally Airbnb guests when taking some time off or travelling for work, and I’m guessing it must be quite interesting to experience hosting from another perspective. 

 

When travelling as a guest, you might have been able to have different insights and ideas that you later applied to your own listing perhaps. As they say, we learn best by example.

 

So I was wondering: have you ever seen other hosts making mistakes that you now try to avoid? Have you been surprised by a different way of doing things, or by a great idea that you hadn’t thought of?

 

Thanks,

Liv

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84 Replies 84

@Clare167 I stayed at an airbnb overseas and they had a nespresso machine but no pods. Highly specific pods you can not even get in a nearest grocery store. I was jet lagged and dreaming of coffee. The host did not get back to me for at least a day and then offered instructions on how to get to the store that sells them. On top of everything I did not speak the language so could not be guaranteed that someone speaks English when I got there. It was an extremely disappointing experience. 

 

As to sheets, I am the one guilty of polyester sheets. I use them because my property is large and there is no way to get through the wash between the guests if I use cotton. I do have a couple of sets in the closet so I guess a guest can switch if they are really not getting good sleep. Polyester these days is very soft and breathable but I agree, not ideal

Anna9170
Level 10
Lloret de Mar, Spain

@Inna22  Not to put coffee capsules to a guest on the day of arrival is such greed.😆

Why use a coffee machine which uses capsules. It is such a environmental polluting machine?

@Inna22  I can understand why you'd use them, but the thing about microfiber and polyester is that regardless of whether people find them comfortable or not, they are now finding microplastics in waterways and the water going into the sewage treatment plants (which after it's treated, that water is then released into the environment) from washing machine water that these materials are washed in.

 

Also, all plastics constantly gas off for their entire lifetime. You'd think that those people who are allergic to everything (I don't mean the fusspots who just think they are, but people who really do get sick from being exposed to such things) wouldn't be able to live in places that are painted with oil-based paints, since those paints smell so bad when you use them. But in fact, it's the opposite- once oil-based pàint dries, it's inert.  Latex paints gas off forever. And we're breathing that.

@Sarah977 I had no idea there were environmental effects. I do go above and beyond when I can to be green, recycle, etc. When we are in Florida, I take a trash can with me to the beach and get things out of the ocean all day long. It is such a disgrace what I find there. Not just a plastic bucket someone couldn't chase down when it washed off, clearly purposefully discarded items that should have gone in the trash. I look at the giant ocean and think about how my effort is probably making zero difference but continue doing it anyway.

 

Back to the sheets. I used only cotton originally but we just could not get through the turn over. I even bought a second dryer. Guests were complaining that towels were still damp, we had to throw sheets out with little stains because there was no time to run them through after stain removal- also waist. I happened to buy a new duvet and decorative pillow set and it came with those thin sheets. My cleaning crew was in heaven and the guests did not mention any discomfort so I slowly switched to those for all properties. My housekeeping is much happier and while guests mention the thin sheets every once in a great while, they complain less than they did about the dryer still running or towels being damp. I also still have several cotton sets in the linen closet if someone complained but of course they never do in the moment, only after.

 

If I could find a working solution to this, I would absolutely switch

Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@Inna22,

I use microfiber and cotton/poly blend bedding, because they are lighter weight, and wrinkle less than 100% cotton bedding.  This is perfect for in tropical weather, because I am using less biofuels drying them or steaming out the wrinkles.  I often can't always do laundry during the day and also don't have space for clothes lines in my yard, so it has to be dried in the gas dryer.

 

I read what @Sarah977 said about plastics in the water and off-gassing.  I will take that into consideration when I purchase replacement linens.

What I learned:

1. Spare furnishings often makes the unit feel "cold" and impersonal.

2. Generic furniture is great but often screams "corporate" owner and are often not comfortable.

3. If you rent a spare unit in your house - make sure there's a noise barrier. (a host I liked had a well appointed studio off her garage and a security camera inside. We covered the security camera with a towel but could hear her discussing family business in the garage which had the connecting door.) We rent a full apartment so this isn't a problem. But we did have a guest who "enjoyed" their evening right above my daughter's bedroom (she co-hosts and lives in the lower apartment). Guests should go to a hotel or rent a standalone home if they want to get "loud" and busy.

4. Don't have a gate that only locks from the outside: -- a host accidentally locked the gate that I left ajar because my husband was still sleeping while I headed to a conference. He had to climb over the fence to get out. - Have an alternate means of egress (we have two)

5. Little touches help. Makes the home feel warm and inviting (pictures, books, DVD's games). We use our space some times so it's equipped like it's our full time home. Catches people by surprise..

6. White sheets are much easier to get stains out of.

7. At least two pillows per person..

8. Drape at the end of the bed feels like a hotel.

9. Leave a small basket of snacks. Made me feel like I was being welcomed.

10. Reiterate rules at check-in. I have begun copying that - and I'm making a small sign for inside the apartment for those who don't "read" the check-in/check-out instructions on the app.

As a guest I tend to prefer to book with hosts that don't have multiple listings. I gravitate to homes decorated like homes instead of the Residence Inn. I tidy up before I go, clean up any traces of myself (including hair - which I find to be the bane of a host's existence), make up the bed or strip the bed.  I love being a guest and I leave a small footprint when I check-out. On all but one occasion I was able to meet the host and it made the experience more fun to share mutual experiences.

I am forgiving of new hosts if something is not quite right. I often "borrow" ideas that make me feel good (like the snack basket even if I didn't eat the snacks).

Liv
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Great tips, @Christine615!

You can never go wrong with a nice snack basket as far as I'm concerned 😆

Also, I completely agree with what you said about making the place feel homey. It's one of the reasons why I prefer Airbnbs to hotels.

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Nice list! I don’t quite understand about the “drape at the end of the bed” - can you elaborate? Do you mean the tapestries that some put at the foot of the bed?

 

Also, my housecleaner does not like it when the guests make up or strip the bed, as it makes it harder for her. She likes to locate all the soil and stains, and finds it much easier to do while the sheets are still on the bed. Then she removes the sheets and pre-treats those areas.

Anna9170
Level 10
Lloret de Mar, Spain

Never left "slightly used" food for the next guest, it's facepalm. Either new or nothing. No relation to the covid, etc.

Anna9170
Level 10
Lloret de Mar, Spain

@Charles224  
I am ready to support you about bed linen, I hate microfiber, under it I am wet as a mouse, I like only natural materials.)
But then look for such condition in your list, right? and it will cost more.
I don't even have decent words about the coffee machine. I am a tourist with a very long experience, and I have always bought the necessary accessories, recently something fundamentally changed.
The host owes you coffee capsules, toilet paper, towels, okay, if everyone understands how many days, not the endless supply.

Linda-And-Richard0
Level 10
San Antonio, TX

After recently spending 2 nights at an Airbnb about 2 1/2 hours from home, I learned my husband and I offer way too many treats to our guests.  The place I stayed was charming and cozy but had ZERO snacks or breakfast items.  There were just 2 bottles of water and 2 cans of wine.  Coffee supplies were provided but not a cracker or granola bar in sight. 

 

Marg11
Level 10
Warwick, Australia

Lots of memories from Airbnb hosts here in WA and the UK.   A Cornish rural smithy included a lovely moist cake which did morning and afternoon tea for the week, fresh bread, homemade jams and had a log fire to keep us warm. An Italian chef's kitchen was a delight to share. Wonderful people shared their homes with us and we bought home too many ideas to use them all.

We ask for bread and milk preferences as we do self-help breakfast with oranges from our tree, spreads, cereals, sugar, teas, lots of different coffee capsules and snacks for late arrivals after shops shut.

A towel, flannel, hand towel, bath mat & 2 pillows per guest. Cotton bed linen, soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and mini containers. Plenty of tea towels, ice, cold water in the fridge, condiments, sauces and cooking supplies to use if guests wish plus BBQ and tools. 

Brochures of local attractions, maps, books, cds, fast wifi & bedside lamps. Unique art, humorous notices as well as local information like how to keep ants and mosquitoes out, which spiders to avoid and where to see the lizards all seem to help us keep our Super Host, 95% occupancy and many returning guests. Yes, we are too cheap and do the cleaning but tax avoidance is a game my accountant man likes to play.

Liv
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

That breakfast sounds so good, @Marg11! Have you got any pictures of that orange tree? 👀

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Marg11
Level 10
Warwick, Australia

Silver Gypsies brown Turkish figsSilver Gypsies brown Turkish figs