Are guests getting more difficult?

[Catherine281]

Hi, I have been hosting for over 6 years on multi properties now and have found the guests are getting more demanding. Is anyone else finding that? Literally, one last guest seemed to think I was both a concierge and also at their beck and call re extra towels, etc. I provide a super-sized bath sheet - which comes from a professional laundry and costs me £2 per sheet - per guest - what do you go when a guest asks for another one? Up till now, I have given one but margins are so tight now that I am going to stop. However, you then run the risk of a bad review. I think guests know that they can just ask and ask these days with the threat of a bad review in the air otherwise...and f hosting is your profession risks losing super host and prominent listings/ Do you think Airbnb has shifted to wanting guests more than hosts....

[Anonymous]

This observation has been coming up throughout the services industries over the last two years. A couple of possible reasons :

1. All of the restrictions and other concerns around the pandemic have pushed customers away from their preferred habits, and into situations that aren't optimized for them. That traveler who would normally go to a beach resort or a cruise for holiday but had to settle for an Airbnb cottage closer to home is the paradigmatic pandemic tourist driving Airbnb's recent growth, but hosts aren't set up to cater to their demands. 

2. More broadly, people's behavior in service settings tends to reflect their emotional state in life in general. When unhappiness and stress increase, rude and demanding attitudes go right along with it.

3. Airbnb's marketing has veered pretty far from what traditional hosts seek to offer. It's presenting more as a real-estate product than a leisure hospitality brand, and something in that must be rubbing off on the customers. It's been a long time since I've heard anyone describe their experience with Airbnb as "fun" - whether as a host or as a guest.

[Catherine281]

Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it and moreover, it makes sense! 

[Genaro18]

I have many years of experience that are not reflected in my profile 7 years, 4,000 checkins, 11 properties off and on. 

I am a big picture person so I will just do what I wanted someone to do for me about 2 years ago when I wrote pretty much what you wrote.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, you made the right choice, 

your suspicions are exactly correct, The trend is downward

Plan accordingly as if you accept that your gut instincts are more than correct, it's trending further in that direction - BUT

if you are the "fighting back" type personality, and are prepared to work harder, which sucks, and develop new skills (I have developed a digital assistant who is much nicer than me for customer service, and "she" answers customers outrageous requests - and she is good at the particular line....

"Oh, I am so sorry you had to experience that, that was very unfortunate.."

My "assistant" learned that trick from

The new Airbnb agent script. word for word.

That ends our lesson for today

[Gillian166]

---

@Genaro18 wrote:

I"she" answers customers outrageous requests - and she is good at the particular line....

"Oh, I am so sorry you had to experience that, that was very unfortunate.."

My "assistant" learned that trick from

The new Airbnb agent script. word for word.

That ends our lesson for today

---

Brilliant. copied. pasted into my notes folder of polite responses to demanding guests. 🙂 

[Sarah977]

@Gillian166  That pretty much is how hosts should handle complaints they suspect are bogus attempts to scam a refund. Sympathy, acknowledgement, and an indication of professionism. 

"My wife got a terrible rash from the hottub".

"Oh my, thank you for letting me know. There's some calamine lotion in the bathroom cabinet that might make her more comfortable. We have it serviced on a regular basis, but I''ll make sure to have our maintenance man check it out and get back to you."

No grovelling apologies, no throwing a refund at the guest in terror of a bad review.

[Helen744]

Helen @744 Yes I must agree about the 'paradgimatic pandemic tourist' or the 'hostile captive of the working class' in other words the guests and  'the sublimated members of the clean towel industry ' aka the hosts.We are up against it in more ways than one . we want he guests but they simply want to be somewhere rather than home and when that somewhere does not 'fix the world ' for them they remain unhappy tell them the truth . I guess they have other towels beside the bath sheet size . I would give extra towels if they stay longer than the usual two days but its at your discretion . If you have a spa I guess one may not be enough or maybe they can access laundry facilities or clotheslines or drying. We are not hotels and people are not helpless ,nine times out of ten they just need to be reminded that they can function . H I had people collapse in a heap because I asked them to put garbage out. think of yourself as an independance facilitator . I find that helps

[Catherine281]

I think the"independance facilitator" job promotion is going to work, thank you. 

[Helen744]

Or as Genaro says 'get an assistant without feelings.

[Maia29]

Airbnb will always honor guests over host and always has from my experience. I'm not stingy at all with my guests; I don't regulate towels or laundry soap or anything else and I get guests that still find ANY reason to complain so they can get a free stay. Guests know how it works and they use Airbnb to their advantage. I'm SO OVER IT!!! The worst guests come from Airbnb not the "competitors".

[Alexandra199]

Yes absolutely they are getting more problematic. In fact i've just posted on here my self about similar issues (had i read your post i wouldn't have posted the same again). I like you have multiple properties and run mine as my business, I am also terrified or retribution reviews if i don't bend over backwards for every guest whim. Its exhausting but i do think people are getting more unreasonable and demanding.

I very much like Andrews response above, i think he's spot on and I'm hoping that over time things will settle down a bit. I personally have found it is the two night stayers who are the most demanding and difficult. I don't know why though? Is this your experience too?

[Catherine281]

That is really interesting and yes me too re the two nights - maybe they are then on more of a budget and would rather be in a 5-star boutique hotel with room service on tap and are having to sweat it as per their budget - plus it tends to be the early 20's age group too. They aren't the people who are coming to hike or mountain bike either. Have you found the same?

Do you use any other booking platforms, I used to be signed to an actual holiday cottage booking company but came off it as no flexibility and so I went over to Airbnb. Been on it since 2016 and at first it was good but in the last 3 years it has gone downhill, (ever am now thinking I might shift off it).  

I am also getting p off with the time lag on payments coming through, have you noticed that they are taking longer. That on top of not receiving a deposit in the first instance....

[Anonymous]

@Catherine281 @Alexandra199   I changed my minimum to 3 nights after a few too many frustrating 2-night stays. That move turned out to be really good for ratings, too.

Those really short stay guests weren't always demanding, but they just radiated stress and exhaustion. There's no chilled-out way to get from anywhere to the middle of Berlin, and two nights is just not enough time for most people to relax into the rhythm of an unfamiliar place. Whatever the purpose of those brief visits was, the accommodation was usually an afterthought. 

[Alexandra199]

I totally agree with something you wrote before. These people are fed up of their lives. They book a short break expecting that to mend everything, it doesn’t. They take it out on the host. 

[Alexandra199]

Yes I totally agree! The younger age group travelling for ‘baby moons’ or looking to chill out for a few days are becoming increasingly unrealistic about self catering cottages. Everything is “could we please have…..” or “the light on the dishwasher says it’s out of salt”. Picking up on little things as if it’s ruined their entire stay! 

I too want an alternative to Airbnb but where? I don’t want to give 20% away for doing what I do on my phone in ten minutes. 

And yes,  the payments are getting slower . I sometimes wonder if they are coming at all!!