As a guest, You may hate me.

[Paul154]

I just had a 4 day vacation in the wonderful Oakland area. Long nature walks, swimming everyday, delicious food. I now feel prepared for the high season onslaught. I also learned a lot about guests, as I was one. It is really really hard to be a good guest.

My first stay was isolated, so I went to the grocery store before arriving. As I was putting my food into the refrigerator, I asked my hosts for permission. (Not before) It was then I realized that I did not know if kitchen use was allowed! I really did not read the listing. Fortunately, it was allowed. As they had a lovely patio, I asked if I could use it AS I was positioning their lounge chair. I am so independent, it never occurs to me to ask someone if I can do something in their house. I'm not being rude, I don't want to bother my hosts with mundane trivialities. Growing up, we learned "Get it yourself" I also, don't like being stuck in my bedroom. I do like to go the the living room and read or lounge on the patio. But I do feel that I may be invading the hosts' space. After making my 2nd reservation, I realized I DO NOT READ the listing! I look at price, location and some pictures. Then I buy. 

As a host, I will try to simplify my listing more. Less is more.  I will also try to give me guests more space, and to specify common area usage, so they feel more comfortable using. Hosts should be guests more often.

[Robin4]

@Marian80, Yeah true Marian, when you become a Superhost Airbnb will give you a $100US coupon and each superhost anniversary that you reatain the badge they will give you another one....

You should have recieved one so, to see where you stand Log-on > Settings > Payment Method and under the payment method you will find your travel credits as per this screen shot...

If you have not received one Marian, get onto CS and they will organise for you.

Cheers......Rob

[GentleHart0]

 We had Superhost status for over a year and not a bean of credit in our act. !!  Where’s my phone.........

[Audrey220]

Hi Marian,

As far as I know, if you are a superhost, in June you will recieve a bonus, which can be used towards a photographer, or a wee break for yourself 🙂

[Audrey220]

oops just notice someone has kindly explained it all above.

[Alexandra482]

Hi Marian,

I've never been offered 'bucks' for being a super host either!!!!!

I don't think guests read much about details or directions as I always have to email all directions to my place for nearly every booking.  I've let guests use my kitchen in the past but some have taken advantage of this, I don't mind giving out plates etc if they have brought in salad stuff to eat, but no cooking full meals.  I also like to chat to people and do let them sit in my living room but when you come home from work at lunch time to find someone sitting drinking beers it made me feel very uncomfortable. I think it would be impossible to 'list' every do and don't and often I play it by ear depending on the guests and how we connect.

[Robin4]

@Paul154

The sheer fact that you have instigated this thread shows what a thoughfull considerate person you are Paul...'As a guest, I may hate you'..... I don't think so Paul!

You would always be welcome in my property without any reservation.

A years worth of posts show you as being someone we would all like to meet!

I also was a guest before I was a host, and what that taught me was...... bugger all!

Every guest is different....some will feel they are not living up to the hosts expectations, some will feel the host is not living up to their expectations....and vice verca for the host! Some will demand more of the host, some will demand less!

There is not a chalk line here that hosts and guest need to adhere to...we all have a differing level of expectation and....in the final analysis, all we can do is our best as we see it at the time......

And it is up to the review system to sort out whether we were right or wrong! 

Cheers.....Rob 

[Christine-And-Jacinta0]

I am a Superhost and have stayed overseas in 2 very different Airbnbs.  What I found is that the standard of cleaning and provision of amenities differs so very much from what we provide in our own airbnb.  The photos of the 2 airbnbs that I stayed in looked lovely but there was so much lacking in reality.  I returned home thinking I must be crazy to clean to such a high standard and provide such a comfortable stay to my guests.  But then I couldn't hand over the keys to a guest any other way!

I am wondering how many other hosts spend hours cleaning and arranging and making sure every item is in place .... even when the place does not look as though it needs cleaning !

Christine

[Sarah977]

@Christine-And-Jacinta0   I hear you- I spend an hour and a half cleaning the small guest bedroom and their private bathroom- even though almost all my guests have left the place really clean and tidy. I have a 3 day minimum stay and most guests stay for a week-10 days. Even if someone has only been there for 3 days, I have the same cleaning routine- vacuum every square centimeter, dust, wash the floor, scrub the shower walls, disinfect door knobs and faucet handles, etc, etc. The only things that gets done on an as-needed basis are washing windows and throwing the curtains in the wash. 

I just think of how I would want to find a place I was staying, but I know for sure not everyone has the same cleaning standards- what seems clean to one person may seem totally inadequate to another.

[Karen955]

These posts are very enlightening! My listing is for our entire home and property and we stay in our motorcoach when we have guests. It is a small farmhouse with many quirks like windows and doors that don’t open and close perfectly, vintage bedspreads missing the decorative balls etc...It’s a farmhouse with a special charm. A home we created and now share with others to enjoy. I am very meticulous when it comes to cleanliness and presentation though. I to spend hours cleaning inside and my husband does the same outside. Currently we are battling the twirly birds from the giant maples that surround the house and the mice that love to nest in my hot tub foam. I present the home as I would wish to find one. I write personalized messages on the chalk walls and include  breakfast items for all. I have thoroughly enjoyed  meeting all the people that have come to our farm for all their different occasions. I meet and greet them and give them a walkthrough and a lil history about how the farm came about. I am the kind of host that would make a great guest as well and I also am going to check up on those credits for attaining SH. Thanks for all the great comments from you fellow Hosts.

[GentleHart0]

Keep doing what you’re already doing!  We have pictures of our barn which were taken prior to our final ‘dressing’ e.g. hanging pictures, adding this and that.  We will never change the listing pictures as guests’ expectations are not just meet, but are exceeded when they walk into the barn.  Their first impression is the key.  I also clean to as high a standard as I can given time constraints (much to the chagrin of my husband!).

[Alexandra482]

Hi,

I make sure the guest room and shower room is clean & tidy, bedding ironed, everything polished etc. My house is tiny and I clean up/polish/ hoover all areas. I used to tidy away all my personal stuff too when I first started but the place looked so empty and unlived in. I say in my info that it's my home so I'll have evidence of my 'living' in my house left around books, cats etc and hope I've found a balance between a home and a bed & breakfast destination.

[Stella49]

Speaking about cleaning and preparation...we have two AirBnB listings (one for 6 years now).  Both are in the country, remote, excluded and quite "Canadian wilderness".  Pristine cleanliness is almost impossible in the summer...all the spiders swept away today will be replaced by their relatives tomorrow!  It takes 3 hours to clean one property and 2 to do the other and it never fails that, despite our listing being very specific about the natural environment and what to expect, guests just don't seem to read the description or understand what life in the country is like.  

We recently had a wonderful family from Switzerland at our cabin...truly delightful people.  But they arrived 4 hours early with no advance notice so I was unable to do a thorough clean.  I had bought them groceries, brought over children's toys, a high chair and play pen plus did all their personal laundry for them (they stayed 10 days) at no extra charge.  I even babysat a bit!  As they had a 1 year old, there were, literally, garbage bags full of diapers every other day that we faithfully hauled away for them.  When they left, it took me 4 hours to clean up after them (and we don't charge a cleaning fee).  Much to my dismay, they left a 4 star review for cleaning, but no reason why.  I truly believe that if people read a property's description they would ensure both they and their hosts are on the same page as to expectations.  Of course, many guests are fantastic, so that makes up for the occasional ones that are not.

Stella

[Laura1728]

Hi Christine,

I agree about the cleanliness.  I originally hired someone to clean for me, but found that they truly cut corners and I just couldn't allow that to happen.  So I have to do it myself which can be difficult at times but the reward is knowing I have provided my guests with a home that is unquestionably clean as I would want the home that I stay at to be.

[Christine-And-Jacinta0]

Thankyou Sarah.  I am glad there are others out there who clean EVERYTHING even if it doesn't look as though it needs cleaning.

Your sentence "I just think of how I would want to find a place I was staying in" is what spurs me on.  The reward is -  I feel good about it and our guests certainly appreciate it.  It was unfortunate for me that we didn't have this same experience in the 2 airbnbs that we stayed in as guests.  

Christine 

[Christine-And-Jacinta0]

A ps to my reply ....

Can you please tell me how the "Levels" are marked by airbnb.   For example Level 1, 2, 10 etc.

We have been hosting for 18 months and were selected by Airbnb to be part of their APlus category.  It is through the "Join the Conversations" that I even realised they had these "Levels".

Thankyou 

Christine