Entitled Guests Who Make Me So Angry

[Lorna170]

Once again I have a guest who is ** demanding, entitled, uncaring and flagrantly disregarding all decent guest behavior and rules.

What is it with these guests?  I have no understanding of these behaviors.  I am a licensed property, maximum of 4 guests, room for 2 cars to park.  My current guest has 6 cars in the drive, multiple pets roaming about, and at least 8 people at the property.  WTF?  

When I initially vetted this young woman, 3 months ago, there were to be two guests and one pet, and she had very good reviews.  A week before arrival there was a request for 2 more guests and another pet.  The communication seemed very up front and pleasant.  What a LIAR this guest turned out to be.  I wont burden you with the number of idiotic requests she has made -- they are unbelievable.  My husband says let it be, she and her friends will be gone in the morning.  She will be getting a very poor review from me, and I will happily say that she should not be allowed to rent on AirBnB again.

**[Comment removed in line with the Airbnb Nondiscrimination Policy]

Title edited for readability - Stephanie

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Lorna170 ,

I replied to your note but for the threads sake - I removed the asterisks from the topic title as it does cause some confusion and misrepresentation regarding the discussion. I do stand by my colleagues editing of negative or sweeping generalisations of any protected identity, in this case, age.

Many thanks,

Stephanie

[Suzanne302]

@Lorna170  I see Stephanie already replied, but FYI I am not a moderator and did not actually "fix" your title nor do I have the power to change anything on your post.

It was simply a tongue-in-cheek comment by a fellow host indicating your post was ageist and discriminatory.

[Helen744]

Helen@744 Maybe the post was but maybe the person isnt just caught up by someone using 'cancel culture ' as a weapon. during covid I have found that due to a lot of online chat getting way out of control that the use of agism ,which seems little understood is really prominent . It has been useful to blame 'older " persons for not only being older but for covid itself racisct remarks sexism homelessness mental illness and a few other things I currently forget . often the issue is a language that is undergoing a massive change and like all new trends 'the hep and the happening people catch up first some people get left out and behind . We live in a world where dominant paradigms that were hidden by language and often from sight are now mainstream . Be happy for the world but remember everyone does not run their race at the same speed What someone says which sounds ignorant is really their own weighing up . Chill

[Laura2592]

@Lorna170 sorry you had this poor guest. And I really do support your review as that is the only way people will know what this person is all about. But I gotta say, we have FAR fewer problems with our younger guests than our retirees. Those are the people who want us to change the furnishings, complain when they can't follow directions (its obviously someone else's fault) and expect a daily maid service and breakfast, though none of those things are offered. 

There are bad guests in every demographic. We had a young lady not long ago who sounds like what you are describing. But if we were going by percentages, a much higher chunk of the "difficult" public belongs to those in their golden years. It can be dangerous to paint people with a broad brush based on a handful of experiences. Again, sorry about this guest. 

[Lorna170]

@Laura2592   I do enjoy reading your posts about your guests.  My experience has been very different.  We have rented properties for over 20 years through other platforms and have had wonderful older guests who communicate, ask questions, read listings, and have never asked to change the decor.  

This is our first listing with Air, which I resisted as I have always thought of Air as "rent a couch".   The persons that I am getting through Air are much younger, do not read, arrive without the door code, text at all hours of the day and night, expect immediate gratification and brazenly ignore the house rules.  And these are guests with stellar reviews!  

[Laura2592]

@Lorna170 our worst guests have been retirees followed by very type A beltway bullies at a variety of age brackets. We did have a few awful (quite) young guests who wanted to treat the place like a party crash pad. We tend not to know the ages of guests unless there is a clear indication from the picture in the profile (not always and some people use pics that are long out of date. Or of their kid, grandkid or pet.) 

We typically meet guests only if there is an issue we have to go on-site to solve. Our poor guests in the senior age range take a "tone" and make demands of the space that we gently but firmly can't accommodate. There is crankiness over instructions on house technology that hundreds of other stays have not had. There is a lot of attention to quirks and noises around the house as an indicator that we aren't taking care of our space. There are a lot of questions and pings which are answered by the house guide and other communication.

But that is only our experience. I am sure other people, like you, have different interactions. We are younger than these guests and perhaps it is simply that they treat us the way they would treat their own kids or younger colleagues. Or maybe they expect us to conform to an entitlement attitude based on generational stereotypes. Or maybe they just resent that they have to pay us to stay at our cottage. Who knows. We don't turn anyone away based on a demographic as I am sure you don't either. But some guests really make your blood boil. I would be fine with avoiding all bad guests 🙂 

[Mark116]

@Laura2592 I'm sure if we could put a research team on the subject they would be able to suss out the various variables of price/location/amenities/type/etc.  that cause hosts to have different experience of young v. old.  Almost all of our worst guest have been youngish, and Americans are the absolute worst demographic, despite obviously we've hosted many great Americans, but the guests who flagrantly break the rules have all been American.  We've had a couple of older sets of guests who seemed not to 'get it' and weren't great, but overall we find less problems or the problems are of a less problematic nature than those for younger guests. 

[Sarah977]

@Mark116  I haven't had any difference in the quality of guests as far as their age. I wonder if one of the factors is why they are booking. All my guests are coming to have a relaxing vacation in a beach town.

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  I suspect that your offering itself is a huge filter for getting good guests.  A solo traveler is likely to be independent, so that alone reduces the chance of entitled behavior.  The solo traveler also eliminates all issues of other family/friends/partners behaviors and interactions which could negatively affect the stay.  Your location is a destination, a quiet beach town, so it is very likely that a guest would already have an understanding of what is on offer in the area before booking.  Lastly, that you are an on site host is another major filter to prevent anyone who might get rowdy/loud, etc. 

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  I think you're on to something there. The success of a stay tends to be closely related to how well the location and type of accommodation fits the guest's travel agenda. I get a sinking feeling when someone arrives and it's clear that they didn't research the neighborhood - it's not for all tastes, and I know that any discomfort they feel with the street culture is going to come through in the rating and review.

I've never asked someone their age when they book and I never will, but there are usually some obvious generational signals in the way people communicate. My partner and I are always amused by the youngest guests, who have always been extremely nice and respectful, and address us as respected elders, because we still (perhaps incorrectly) believe ourselves to be young too. We've also been delighted by guests in their golden years, who have treated us as if we were their nephews and felt constantly compelled to give us food, as if they'd forgotten that they'd already paid us for their stay. The ones right about the same age as us, who regarded us as on equal footing, have been the only ones who tried any funny business.

[Helen744]

Helen @744 you are young from where I sit . I would give you food

[Helen744]

Helen@744 Often older guests are more out of their comfort zone and things that dont worry young people like low chairs no milk steps up and down low beds no electric blankets on cold nights etcetera are a real pain literally. low lighting no outside light inadeqaute kitchens. and often they would like reccommendations for shopping or cinemas or just a chat and the reassurance that a competent host is nearby. although like everyone else they may just want to be left alone to eat grapes in bed.one of my rules is that if you do not have a clear id pic then you do not get in . Just like a door bitch.If u choose hands off with the checkin process that is what happens. take a walk on the wild side and meet your guests every now and again . H

[Helen744]

Helen@744 I suggest those reviews are often mummies and daddies

[Helen744]

Helen@744 It may come as news to you but being older comes with a lot of down sides . Two that spring to mind are loss of hearing and loss of sight these both can make it difficult to " read instructions or hear 

them so maybe slow and patient and do what you do best let someone who is after all paying you also enjoy a holiday. If someone came in on walking canes are u blaming them for asking for the crumpled hallway rugs to maybe be removed. Its not difficult.I had a group of "younger people ' come to my home and explained how to use the gas heater. as I was leaving thinking they understood the one I had explained it all to who nodded yes said" but wheres the thermostat".Its gas . It comes out of here and you set it on fire . Then u use these buttons. They complained about the cold in their review. H.sigh 

[Colleen253 · Accepted solution]

@Lorna170 Glad to hear you will be leaving an informative review for other hosts. Sounds as though her previous hosts could not bring themselves to be honest about this guest. It’s upsetting to be taken by surprise with egregious behavior, such as you experienced with her.