What to do during bad weather?

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all good. I'm sure many of you have noticed, I like to talk about the weather a lot, so I thought it was about time we have a discussion about this. 🙂

Generally, when a guest comes to stay,  one of their reasons for coming is to visit the area, and of course, they usually spend more time out and about, but what if the weather is awful? Do you leave something for them to have fun? Board games? Books? Perhaps, if you share a house, have you ever shared an activities together, i.e cooking or watched tele?

It would be great to hear whether you think about this and offer anything to keep your guests entertained?

Thanks,

Lizzie

[J-Renato0]

Good topic! 🙂 I let entire space. In the city that I live in, bad weather only prevents guests to go to the beach or to visit the peak of some mountains to see great views, meaning... because the peaks get surrounded by clouds.

What I do is to send a link by messenger suggesting things to do and places to go on a rainy day, with many suggestions. Beyhond my suggestions, there are free guided walking tours that are available on rainy days as well. 

There are lots of alternative to go out instead of staying in door. Anyway, cable tv is still available. I am considering replacing cable tv for netflix, but will have to change the tv sets for smart tv in all listings. It will take sometime.

[Lizzie]

Sounds great @J-Renato0. Have you gathered a list of places ready, do you have several different lists for different occasions / interests?

In the listing, I am staying in at the moment, I have access to Netflix, but then I have to add in my own account details–so this is a half way house. But, I've stayed in listings, which offer Netflix or something similar and they have a guest account set up. 🙂

[J-Renato0]

Yes @Lizzie. I have some lists and many types of information ready to send. Actually, the guest can find most of this informations in a kind of "guest guide" available in the listing. When they are self-contained they read it. Many a guest does not read and sometimes ask questions via messenger. Thats is why I have a FAQ where I pick the right answer and send it in return.

[Fred13]

I provide Wi-Fi, movies board games, puzzles and cards to keep them busy; but above all, roofed places for them to still  be able to be 'outdoors' even during inclement weather.

[Lizzie]

I'm a bit of a fan of board games and cards, @Fred13. Every place visit, I get a pack of cards with the name of place (I particularly like the cards with creative design on the actual suit).

I bet it is actually very atmospheric on your little island when it rains? 

[Fred13]

Hiya @Lizzie We collect cards from interesting places, at the island we have cards from Galapagos, Ecuador, the Antilles, Europe, etc. Guests get a big kick out of it. 🙂

[Lisa723]

@Lizzie @Fred13 if you stay with us you will get a pack of custom playing cards with our scenic photo and booking url on the back of each, to take home... I can't post a photo of a sample deck on our listing though, because the Airbnb censor bot thinks the link to our Airbnb listing is a private email address.

[Fred13]

Now what a cool idea @Lisa0.

[Lisa723]

@Lizzie I don't believe in bad weather.  People come to our places to experience all varieties of good weather.  🙂

https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/593030277540934/the-leland-lake-house/

[Lizzie]

Very nice photos @Lisa723. I kind of agree with you, although, usually in February time in the UK I start to get a little sick of the Winter weather and wish to see the sun! 🙂 

What would you say your guest's favourite thing to do is, when it rains?

[Lisa723]

@Lizzie probably watch the cloud patterns over the lake,  preferably while soaking in the hot tub-- or read or sleep; it's very quiet and cozy with the rain on the roof. Alternatively you could hike in a rain forest, visit natural hot springs, watch stormy surf, or browse scenic and historical Port Townsend. We do provide games etc. but here in the PNW if you don't go outside when it rains you will be inside eight months of the year. Plus, it's a dry rain.  🙂  

Sort of on this topic, I just conducted a survey of our last year's guests about whether they care about TV, since it's expensive to provide here. The majority said they never even turned it on.

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723   I can totally relate to your comment about being inside for 8 months a year if you don't go out in the rain, having lived on Vancouver Island for 30 years. Now that I'm in Mexico there are so many Americans and Canadians who own homes here but leave between May and Oct because they can't handle the heat and humidity. They ask me how I can survive without even AC and how I can work outside in the heat. I tell them it's just like living in coastal B.C.- if you never worked in the rain, you'd never get anything done. Just substitute heat for rain.

[Lisa723]

@Sarah977 I'd really rather not.  🙂  Rain is fine for me but heat and humidity turn me into a limp noodle.

[Rachel0]

@Lizzie As you know we can get all 4 seasons in one day here!  I provide a couple of cheap umbrellas in case guests have forgotten to bring their own and they tend to go out anyway as they have come to visit our city, go to the shows, the museums, the galleries, the shops etc.