What is reasonably expected of you as a host?

[Neil408]

Hi guys, just wanted to get some feedback or opinions on what is reasonably expected of you as a host.

I had a guest who said he was 'uncomfortable' because I did not fill the kettle in his room with water and he said 'the bedsheet hasn't been ironed, neither has the duvet or the pillowcases and he found some 'bobbles' on one of the pillowcases. He said this also made him uncomfortable and felt like there was no obvious signs that the sheets had been changed. He had booked for 3 nights and stayed for one. I asked him if the sheets smelt clean when he went to bed - he said that was immaterial and dirty sheets could smell clean?? 

In addition he also said that he has 'lots of friends who host' and they 'all' iron the bedding and he said I should have run a lint roller over the pillows. 

For me I don't iron the bedsheets I just put clean ones on and smooth out any creases by hand - Is it reasonably expected of you to iron the bedding? I only charge £21 a night (23 Euros for my European friends) / $27 US and  I feel he needs to align cost with expectation. I guess he has some points but this is not the Ritz Carlton or Claridges.

I've hosted 700 people over 5 years now and this is the first complaint about not having ironed sheets and finding a small bobble on the pillow. Bobbles happen when things come out of the tumble dryer.

I make it clear in my check in instructions that if a guest has issues to communicate the issues to me on the day - he simply checked out without letting me know and then sent me a ranty message later on about my place not being 'as expected'. He's also demanding a full refund of the two nights he didnt stay in exchange for 'not leaving me a review' and I feel a little unsure about what to do.

[Elaine701]

@Inna22 

I'm with you. However, you might have noticed that there's an abundance of those types out there nowadays. Especially among those seeking 27$ rooms. 

That's not to say that there's anything wrong with 27$ homeshares, but those offering them have different (perhaps greater) risks with lesser rewards than whole house offerings.

I think there should be more of a line distinguishing the two. And different rules governing them.

But then, it also could be argued that guests in general, should be held to equally high standards as hosts are, which would also solve many problems. 

[Sarah977]

@Elaine701  I totally agree that home-shares and entire place listings should be separated in search, for many reasons. But I don't think that guests don't understand the difference- some guests in general, even with an entire place, simply have unreasonable expectations- like the guest who posted here yesterday feeling the host was being unreasonable and "overcharging" because they were charging him for his, I assume not infant, children coming to stay with him for 3 weeks. 

As for "That's not to say that there's anything wrong with $27 homeshares, but those offering them have different (perhaps greater) risks with lesser rewards than whole house offerings"- I have not found that to be true myself. I have never had bad guests with unreasonable expectations- quite the opposite, and have found it quite rewarding and stress-free. I know that's not necessarily true for all home-share hosts, though.

[Neil408]

Yeah the problem here is that in Sheffield it's not really a 'tourist city' and there's an upper limit of price on most Airbnb's and that's £28 a night. Many of my guests are working professionals at the three nearby hospitals or they're students at the city's two universities, also nearby. Students certainly wouldn't pay £30 a night but will pay £20. I would love to charge more and price it in but it's just not an option because it's so competitive here. 

I figure at £21 a night I provide a basic breakfast, tea, coffee and milk for free, clean bedding, towels and a nicely decorated room in a nice quiet suburb. I try and make it value for money. I do however make other money by charging for extras such as early check in (or late checkout), if people want a full cooked or continental breakfast instead of cereal or some other small extras. Many of my guests happily accept I have a low ish price in return for paying for some optional extras.

[Helen3]

Sorry you are pricing far too low. I live in a similar city in an inner city area - don't provide breakfast and charge far for than that plus a cleaning fee @Neil408 

[Gordon0]

I'm afraid you're comparing apples with onions, @Helen3 - Bristol and Sheffield are not similar cities. As much as I like Sheffield, it isn't on the same level as Bristol (sorry, @Neil408, no offence meant), and you can't ordinarily buck the trend when it comes to pricing.

[Neil408]

None taken Gordon. You’re right, Sheffield just doesn’t have the same attraction as Bristol. No nice architecture or historic buildings, the Luftwaffe and then the council removed what was left. If you want a day trip out from London, Bristol is much closer. Plus you have the Waterfront, the SS Great Britain and the Clifton Suspension Bridge. I cannot think of comparables in Sheffield. Here we’re just a bit of a backwater - an industrial city without the industry. Weekdays I get students wanting a few days temporary stays or working medical professionals as I’m near three major hospitals, weekends I tend to get hikers or rock climbers for the Peak District and that’s about it. More than about £22 a night and my bookings fall off hugely. 

[Fred13]

@Neil408 "I had a guest who said he was 'uncomfortable' because I did not fill the kettle in his room with water and he said 'the bedsheet hasn't been ironed, neither has the duvet or the pillowcases and he found some 'bobbles' on one of the pillowcases. He said this also made him uncomfortable and ..."

   That guest is either a hustler or an imbecile, or both. If he dares leave a review, I hope you burn him.

[Neil408]

Thanks Fred, that's my plan! I've reported him to Airbnb though and Airbnb have promised to deal with it so watch this space! 

[John5097]

@Neil408 

I started ironing the pillow cases then run the hot iron over the sheets, however the sides of the top sheet that hangs over the bed doesn't get ironed. No one has complained about non ironed sheets or half ass ironed sheets, but half ass ironed sheets may be worse than non ironed sheets so will try and iron the top sheet a little better. Ironing the pillow cases is easy, but for what you are charging maybe just mention that the bedding is washed between guest but not ironed.  

[Colleen253]

@Neil408  You have over 400 reviews and this is the first guest to complain that you didn't iron his bedding. Why are you even questioning this? We don't let the inmates run the asylum.

[Neil408]

You have a point but I was just simply asking if 'ironing all bedding is normal' because to me it wasn't.

I asked my mother who is a retired Registered Nurse (and a self confessed neat freak) and even she said she thought it OTT to iron all the bedding and she used to iron pillowcases years ago (but not the rest of the bedding) but now doesn't bother with it as she felt it was (in her own words - 'a waste of time'!)

[Colleen253]

@Neil408 imo it's OTT too, especially for a room in a house like you have. I have an entire house listed on Airbnb and the bedding is not ironed for any of the three bedrooms. It would add far too much time to the turnover. If my listing was more in line with 'luxury' then I would probably send the bedding out for professional service, but it's more 'down home cozy'. Not happening.

[Amanda660]

I don’t iron my bedding but do

have a real easy cheat.  I buy seersucker or pintuck duvet covers and pillowcases.  They look great puffed up straight out of the dryer or after flap on the washing line.