a standard for hosts.

Michael1308
Level 2
Vancouver, Canada

a standard for hosts.

 ‘i think hosts should be familiar with traveling airbnb as a guest. i have arrived to stay in a apartment in santa marta, columbia. there is no drinking water. no guest book with directions to . . . well just no guest book.. i asked the host about water and he tells me that everyone in columbia knows that you can not drink the water.. i told him i missed that bit of information at the airport and that he really should advise his guests of the local "details". this host has never used airbnb to travel. he has rented an apartment and bare bones furnished it. no bedside table or lamp. really the bare basics for habitation. i purpose built an airbnb rental. from the ground up. i did this after traveling as a backpacker through the 80's and stayed in all sorts of bare and basic dorm room weat boxes. airbnb should attempt to hold itself to a higher standard of accomodations. do something abut hosts who have not traveled using the system. they give the entire community a bad feel.’

12 Replies 12
Cynthia-and-Chris1
Level 10
Vancouver, WA

Airbnb’s vary drastically by host and country. Airbnb couldn’t possibly monitor the millions of hosts on the site to the extent you think it should. Read lots of reviews, filter for Super Hosts, and ask questions before booking. 

Marie82
Level 10
New South Wales, Australia

@Michael1308 I am little bit confuse about ur post, it is the house manual or the basic furniture?

Is the apartment was well portrayed or described and pictures accurate? So if it is the case ur mistake

 

I am not big fan of many host who tend to compare they hosting style to the other host they are renting flat from which is not fair. We are different and we will host differently

 

Many time what I don’t understand is guests who travel from country to country without doing their own search if u are traveling to any country/City and u have the full address of where u will staying and location please do ur own search don’t expect host to be ur tour guide as well. I am noticing more and more this trend from mature guests.

 

And even if u still have the house manual the same guests will still dont read it

If u are traveling be little bit more adventurious and  do ur own search before the trip.

 

 

David126
Level 10
Como, CO

@Michael1308

 

You make AirBnB sound like a Chain Hotel system, it is just a booking system.

 

I think the most expensive one I came across was $10,000 a night, the cheapest $10.

 

Even before the web there were plenty of guides out there, I have not been to South America but would assume the water is dodgy.

David
J-Renato0
Level 10
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The fact is, some people are resistent or become resistent against some kind of virus in the areas they live.

I have travell to the US and I did not drink tap water anywhere. There is no filters attached to the taps, and nobody can guarantee that the water box of the building is clean. Actually, I usually avoid drinking tap water in any country that I have visited, including UK and Europe, for the same reason. I am not posh, but I go for bottle water when travelling for a safty measure.

 

In Brazil, the water is potable. In many south america countries the water it is also potable. Only in restricted areas there is no water treatment. Anyway people use to have a filter between the pipe and the tap, where they get the water to drink. But in many cases it is not necessary. Some people drink water directely from the tap.

Last year I was in Peru and I think the water was potable in most of the cities, otherwise the population would be all sick. Even avoiding drinking water from the tap I think I had a problem with rotavirus because I ate some grapes that I washed them using tap water in the day before. Or may be it was because someone had put dirty hands on the grapes and contaminated it. It was not a big deal, I was just sick for a few hours, there was not need to go to hospital. Maybe the water it was potable to the locals, but not to me. Actually, the more "civilized" or cautious people are, the less weak they became. (It was also said by "Dr House" in the famous TV series) 

The progress of the civilization does make people stronger before the nature, people are getting weak day by day.

José70
Level 5
Lisbon, Portugal

This is like saying: How can you be a police officer if you were never a criminal? And, following your logic, it kind of goes both ways: how can you be a good,honest and respectable guest,if you were never a host, and therefore you don't know how the hosting world works? I think you are missing the mark here... Anyway, best of luck for your hosting and travels. Have a great day!

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Michael1308

hehe we have the oposite situation - in Croatia water is drinkable, we have it written on the kitchen wall but our guests still buy bottled water because they are used to buy it and they don't trust us :)))) 

 

In Croatia , to become a registered , legal host your unit has to get a licence / permit and be categorized. To get it,  it has to satisfy certain conditions, all included in "minimal technical standards"  . Everything is specified :  from the size of beds to the size and hight of your unit, from the number of bathrooms, beds and towels to the number of lamps and glasses...etc... Every unit has to get certificates that the water is drinkable, electricity and gas instalations and apliances are secure etc...

 

Every country is different and it has different living standards so you should do your homework or play safe and book some well known international chain hotel . Don't expect that every host will give you all informations on the plate. 

 

 

 

Michael1308
Level 2
Vancouver, Canada

I take all of your points and agree , I ask that you look to the core of my comment.

 I think that as "A Guest", one should be able to expect that you will know or have access to

some basic neccessities.

Toilet paper sufficient to get you started.

Drinking water to allow you the same neccesity.

A card that has emergency numbers

Directions for local annomalies. In Mexico City that would be Earthquakes.

As "A Host", being certain that your guest is awareand comfortable with these things and this knowledge should be an acceptable "standard" by which this Hosting Platform functions.

Thank you for your thoughts. 

 

 

 

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

I get your meaning @Michael1308 though as others have said tricky for Airbnb to set and maintain a base standard in listings in the many far away places were it has them. I suppose this place was one of those 'el cheapo' listings, sounds like it.

Story: So the whole family goes on a cruise two weeks ago, we all head into the interior of Haiti, my brother-in-law at lunch is the only one that drinks the local water while the rest of us bring bottled water from the ship. He gets sick, gets a virus, ends up in the ship hospital and after we realized he will be fine, we spend the rest of the cruise 'beating' him up for his bravado.

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

Yes @Michael1308 I totally agree with you but what I wanted to say is that hosting standards are  not regulated in many countries... well... most of them. To be honest, I never heard that anyone had to satisfy "minimum techincal standards" and pass home inspection to get a hosting permit to rent his home, apartment or a room anywhere in the world ....except in Croatia. So, in most countries everything is left to the host , his conscience, inteligence, experience and good will to predict what his guests needs may be. I am sure that today with a lot of competition , Airbnb and other booking sites where guests can left a review - things are much better then before when reviews didn't exist and competition was weak.

J-Renato0
Level 10
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Hello @Michael1308

I agree with you, on the matter that, if one would like to be a good host, one should put himself in the shoes of the traveler.

From my point of view, there must be some basic things that has got to be available to the guests when they arrive. From the perspective of the civilized person, there are normal and natural standars that should be provided by the host. I am not talking about regulations by the law, I am talking about , common sense.

However, airbnb is a platform that takes everything, and it is necessary to pay attention on details and reviews. Some hosts has traveled and can have empaty with the guest. Some others see the guests basicaly as a way to get some money , maybe they do not care.

As for "guest book" I have one. It is just a few pages with basic instructions about the accommodation and about the city and places to go and on how to go. It is good for the guest and to me, because I will not have to answer lots of repetitive questions . When I have contact with the guests it is only when they arrive. In this case I show quickly the accommodation, talk briefly about the surrounding area and the city,  then I left them alone.

Paul154
Level 10
Seattle, WA

@Michae0

Airbnb's strength comes from the fact it is incredibly diverse. It is disruptive. It relies on guests to fend for themselves.  Guests need to understand the culture where they are visiting and guests need to make sure what their host will provide. 

The guest is free to leave an inappropriate housing situation or stay and leave an informative review.

By burdening hosts with standards, the Airbnb disruptive spirit will be ruined.

Some people want adventure, some people want a hotel chain with high standards Let the people decide

 

Jasmin59
Level 2
Langley, Canada

As a traveler, I think your and my expectations are completely different (water and a guestbook didn't even cross my mind until you mentioned it), so I don't think that being familiar with traveling as an airbnb guest would make much difference.