Extra bedding

[Carmen60]

I have been hosting for more than 6 months but less than 12 months now.

When a guest recently checked in to stay at my place, I provided her basic bedding. When she first placed her booking, the first thought which sprang to mind was "Yes, there is only 1 guest. I don't need to wash 2 sets of bedding! Yay!!!!"

You see, offering the guest free WIFI and free parking does not cause me extra work - it is the cleaning and washing which requires work and which I dread.

After hosting for more than 6 months, my objective was to minimise the amount of I had to do with / for Airbnb. I'm sick and tired of having to constantly 'work at home'. If not for my current situation, given the option and opportunity, I would prefer to not be a host in the future.

After a few nights, the guest asked for an extra blanket. I frowned at the request of the guest. My main intention was to avoid having another extra item to wash - extra work. I asked her for a nominal fee for the extra blanket. After all, this is budget accommodation, not luxury accommodation.

Think about this, flying budget airline is not the same as flying luxury airline. When you fly budget, you pay for every extra. When you fly luxury, the price you paid includes all extras.

My request caused displeasure on the guest. She asked to cancel her reservation and refund for her remaining nights.

I insisted that I have the right to request for money for 'extra services' at Airbnb. After all, the accommodation I provide is budget accommodation, not luxury accommodation.

It really was not my intention to be mean to my guest. At the same time, I was not willing to cater to every whim of the guest or allow my guest to feel entitled for something they did not pay for, especially when the guest paid for a budget accommodation at a low rate. From my perspective, she asked for something extra and it's extra work for me.

From my perspective, this is fair trading!

I had roast chicken for dinner this evening. When I asked for extra sauce, the merchant asked for extra payment for the extra sauce! Fair? Did I get mad? No. Should I get mad? No. Did I have any sense of entitlement that the extra sauce should be included in the cost of the chicken or included as part of my meal and so should be free? No. I paid for the extra sauce.

What is your perspective?

[Carmen60]

Warm temperatures, blue skies for Sydney's Easter long weekend 

(APRIL 12 2017 - 12:07PM)

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/sydney-weather-blue-skies-forecast-for-easter-long-weekend...

Is the guest a liar?
Do you believe the guest lied?
Do you believe the guest lied to Airbnb?
Do you believe the world is full of horrible people?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Carmen60

I understand the way you ar thinking but you could do it the way we do it.  Instead of quilts, blankets etc you can make beds european style : put a duvet inside a duvet-cover and when a guest leave you have to wash just a cover. And a pillow case.

Or , as someone else mentioned, you can have spare quilt or blanket in the closet and wash it from time to time

[Amy38]

@Carmen60. Even the cheapest motels inAmerica will have an extra blanketin the room.  And believe it or not there are $25/night motels in rural areas all over the states.

Charge more and smile.

[Emma94]

Wow, so much hostility toward Carmen. I think every host has their own way of running their business. Who are we to disagree? Do you like it when someone else tells you how to run your Airbnb? Having said that, I think you should just provide an extra blanket and move on with it. You may comment about it in the review. No use in nickel and dime with these people. 

[Betty-B--M-0]

@Carmen60 my perspective is that you can certainly run your business the way you see fit. If you want to charge, that's ok. As a suggestion, put it in your house rules but just try to word it such that it seems in keeping with your budget-friendly offering, rather than it coming across as unwelcoming. 

Only...once in a while, God/The Ancestors/Great Spirit/The Universe/Lord Buddha may ask that we give something freely, not expecting anything in return.

Yes, you will be put out; yes, you will need to do extra work; yes, it will mean more time and energy but do it anyway, especially if it's only this once. In fact, if the guest has caused no trouble, has been respectful and has asked for only this, why wouldn't you give a blanket? Heck, even if she's been troublesome and disrespectful, rise above it.  

Thank you for reading and all the best to you, Carmen.

Betty 

[Annette33]

First thing that popped into my mind is, "this host would be better suited for another career".

My hunch is that the guest had to ask for an extra blanket just because she observed the house rule about "if you insist on wearing a pair of home slippers they have to be a new pair (with tags!)", so not having those specified slippers, her feet got cold and she got cold all over. 

[Carmen60]

I found the solution to this problem.

You see, the cleaning fee on the listing is $50. This is because I had only anticipated guests to stay up to a week or no longer than a week.

This guest booked for 2 weeks! There is no feature or facility at Airbnb to automatically increment the cleaning fee according to the duration of stay.

The only workaround I have for now is to specify the additional cleaning fee to correlate with the duration of stay within the house rules.

Thank you to all who listened to my disappointment and frustration but I hope that you understand that prices have to be set to remain competitive at Airbnb (sometimes, this occurs at the expense of the host!)

[Tim-and-Holly0]

I completely understand where @Carmen60 comes from. We have two houses. One takes 1 1/2 hours to clean, the other 3 hours. As often happens I spend almost five hours a day cleaning. Believe me, cleaning was never my choice of occupations and it gets old fast. However, I take great pride in our houses and the business. I have to keep reminding myself that cleaning is just part of the job. A job that allows me to meet really great people from all over the world, to operate a business that pays me so I can spend quality time with my family, to ONLY have to work 5 hours a day instead of 8 or 9 and be bossed around by people who really don't care about me. I don't like the cleaning much, but I did not like punching a time clock either.

My houses don't pay what I think they are worth either, and that's something we're working on (and a lot of hosts in this thread have provided some good input already for me in another thread). Running an Airbnb can be frustrating.

Carmen is doing Airbnb because she feels she "has to" for some reason which she did not elaborate. However, instead of focusing on what Airbnb is doing FOR her, she's focusing on what Airbnb is doing TO her. In a polite way, Carmen needs an attitude adjustment. Hopefully she can start focusing on the positive things that Airbnb is providing for her and then her care for guests will come around too.

Good luck, Carmen.

[Emma94]

@Tim-and-Holly0 I fully agree with your assessment of @Carmen60's attitude. However, I think the only one person or thing that can change her attitude and has a say in this matter is the guest or the business itself. We may not agree with her style but at the end of the day she is the one who has to make the decision for her Airbnb business. Only time will tell whether she is suited to serve her guests or cut out for this Airbnb business. I believe that not everyone is your customer and there's definitely a customer type for @Carmen60 out there as for all of us. We are not really looking to please everyone on Earth as it would be virtually impossible. I've learned not to cater to outrageous demands as I know no matter what I do won't ever be enough for these people. I'd rather focus my attention to those who appreciate my service. What I love about running an Airbnb is that no one can really tell you what to do. Only your experience and what you go through day to day in dealing with good and bad guests will teach you how to become a savy Airbnb host. 

[Carmen60]

Since you all have difficulty understanding my view / perspective of / on Airbnb, you may refer to this article.

Figures show Australian Airbnb hosts to make less than half of what they charge
https://www.domain.com.au/news/figures-show-australian-airbnb-hosts-to-make-less-than-half-of-what-t...

I believe that the very thing you all don't like about my tone is that it is a very matter-of-fact tone.

Do you need a reality check? The reality is that sharing economies thrive on the expense of the worker; whether you choose to frame it as 'business in hospitality' or 'exploitation of workers'!

[Tim-and-Holly0]

Has anyone read the response @Carmen60 posted to her last guest's review? It pretty much answered the question. She has already killed her business. Not many people will book a place where the host starts a response with, "Do the guests need a reality check?" when the guest is stating that they paid for two single beds (which is very clearly shown in her listing pictures as a trundle bed that slides out from under the second bed) but were only provided one bed and to make matters worse the bed is in the living room- not in a bedroom at all.  No where does the listing state (other than indicating it is a shared room) that the bed is in an open living room in shared space of everyone in the house with no privacy. The extra charge for a blanket was simply the icing on the cake for an already upset guest who rented space after reading an inaccurate listing. I would be upset too! 

In my response I tried to be sympathetic and understanding of Carmen's despise for cleaning, but being rude to a guest is the fastest business killer of all, especially when it is right out in public view for eternity. I'm sorry, Carmen, but my sympathy is gone. You need to get a second job doing something else and please don't ruin the Airbnb business for other hosts by being a bad representative of Airbnb. Some of us enjoy what we are doing and make a nice living or second income off of it.

[Annette33]

@Tim-and-Holly0, ten thumbs up! and @Carmen60 , I think you might benefit from a reality check yourself. Good luck - you need it! (that is my matter of fact assessment.)

[Carmen60]

Why did the guest choose to stay at a $25 per night Airbnb accommodation and not choose to stay at the luxury hotel near her place of interest for up to $250 per night?

Why did the guest impose unfair expectations on the accommodation offered at Airbnb?

Why did the guest choose to live in Sydney or Australia, rather than a cheaper city or country? (That's right, move to a third world country then!)

If I had to cop losses to provide the guest a private room in Sydney, why should I? Does it make much sense to accommodate the guest at all?

If I had to spend between $30-$60 a day on cleaning, why should I? Does it make much sense to accommodate the guest at all?

That's right, I'm better off spending $30-$60 per day sipping afternoon tea at the local luxury hotel!

Airbnb is not exactly commercially viable for all hosts - whether you realise this or willing to admit this at all! Do you still need a reality check?

[Emma94]

Wow, I'm speechless after reading that. Best of luck to you. 

[Carmen60]

What right does the user from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam believe she has to make any accurate assessment, judgment and evaluation of my circumstances and situation here in Sydney, Australia? Have you even been to Australia as a tourist yet? What a joke! Why do you even bother to make any comments here? How much do you know / understand about housing in Sydney / Australia? Why bother making assumptions and jumping into conclusions when you have such limited perspective? Did you assume that housing in Ho Chi Minh = housing in Sydney? Is this what this discussion room is for - wasting other people's time? 

That's right - most guests at Airbnb actually has an unrealistic and unfair expectation of accommodation at Airbnb. The product which they insist and demand for actually does not exist. 

Since guests at Airbnb are not willing to pay market rent but to insist and demand on accommodation BELOW market rent, then it is actually better to rent the bedrooms to permanent tenants; there are even less costs (no cleaning costs, etc.).

I hope you now have better context of things - I had actually wanted to delete the conversation I started earlier when I realised that discussions like these are quite some waste of time (limited understanding of things based on limited information and perspective) but there was no option to delete this conversation!