Entitled guest

[Isabella403]

I have just started hosting on Airbnb and my second guest requested to book a stay for two months. (They got a 40% discount) I accepted and the guest messaged me saying they needed a place to stay near their house whilst they are renovating. no further questions. 
A few days before arrival I sent a message to the guest describing how to get to the building, they immediately called me asking if there was an elevator as they had many large suitcases . ( there is not as stated in the description) I kindly offered to meet them at the property and help them with their luggage which they accepted. On the day of arrival they call me an hour before check in saying they have arrived early and are ready to check in. I did my best to get there earlier.

when they walked in they immediately asked where the tv was, a microwave, air con, vacuum cleaner all of which there is none as stated in the description. They admitted they booked without paying much attention to the description as it was the only place available in town and they wanted to be in that location. 
They then proceeded to ask how many times a week I will come and clean the sheets and towels to which I said I was not planning on doing as that was not stated in the description. (It is not a hotel) 

They then stated they would really need a TV, foolishly I said I would see what I can do to find one for them. They also wanted a vacuum because they really like vacuuming . And then called me asking for a broom and shower curtain. I immediately went to the shops and got a shower curtain and mini hand held vacuum for them and fortunately a family member just got a new tv and has a spare one. 
They stated the vacuum was too small after I delivered it and they would need a stick one. 

Now I am feeling regretful at having been so accomodating as it has taken up so much of my time and she keeps coming at me with more and more demands. 
i ended up calling her and letting her know I felt like my place was not meeting her expectations and out of good will I would be happy for her to find another place and cancel her booking, she didn’t want to as she wanted to be in that location and there is nothing as nice and cheap as my place. 

A long winded story I know! But I am now finding myself in a difficult position where I feel like she will never be satisfied and I have already tried to accomodate her needs and she keeps wanting more. 

i am worried she will leave a bad review even though I have gone above and beyond to accomodate her needs even though they were not stated as available in the description. Any insight or tips on how to deal with someone like that? It would be much appreciated from a Airbnb rookie! 

[Elaine701]

Ok, well, first, we all want happy guests, so it's always good to try to accommodate them. Up to a point. This one seems to be overly entitled. Unfortunately, you'll just have to live with it. 

In your case however, it's not unusual for a guest to expect a shower curtain, a TV, a microwave and a Hoover. If you've now installed these things, it's going to be good for you moving forward. Count on it. 

Happy guests. We like them. Entitled guests, not so much. But their "entitlement" would likely have been a bit tempered if you had these basic amenities in the first place. 

Happy hosting! 

[Fiona256]

They must have all these items, which are so essential to them, in their own home nearby which they are renovating. Tell them to go and get their own ones to use in your place, seeing they didn't properly inform themselves of what you provided before booking.

[Anonymous]

@Isabella403   This situation gives you so many good reasons to quickly shorten that maximum length of stay way down to no more than a week. First, because short-term visitors and tourists are much more pleasant and easy to accommodate, but also because it gives you the most chance to build up your base of reviews and offset the bad one that this cheap, lazy, and rude guest will inevitably leave.

I do think the shower curtain and vacuum are useful additions to your space - those are the kind of household essentials that guests don't even think to look for in the listing, as they assume every home will have them. Little things like a hair dryer and a nightstand go a long way too. But I don't recommend buying any larger electronics like a TV to appease a guest, even if you were planning to add them in anyway. The thing with these entitled people is, once they take you for a pushover, they'll never stop coming at you with increasingly audacious demands; by the time you finally put your foot down and say no, you'll have lost so much of their respect that they won't hesitate to turn vicious on you. 

The best way to avoid getting stuck with guests like this is to screen them during the request phase; they tend to reveal their nature pretty early in the communication, and then you still have a chance to decline those whose expectations aren't the right fit. But if a bad guest slips through anyway, and starts asking for things that weren't on offer, nip that in the bud right away with a friendly and firm assertion of what you do and don't provide. If you're not happy to have them as guests, move up that checkout that date, refund the rest, and send them on their way. Good hospitality does not mean being a doormat, and you're far too early in your hosting career to get burned out by one lousy guest. 

[Sarah977]

@Isabella403  Sorry you are having to deal with this entitled, demanding guest at the start of your hosting career. You've been given good advice here re trying to please these types of guests- they will never be satisfied so you have to be polite but firm about what you offer and what you don't.

That said, as others have pointed out, you have listed your place without furnishing it with some pretty basic items that most guests would expect. 

You actually have written no description whatsoever about the accommodation itself, so I can understand that guests might have incorrect expectations and this will continue to be a problem if you don't give any description of the space you are offering.

Looking at your photo gallery there are other things that look like somewhat odd. I realize it's a small studio (it looks quite nice) but there are some odd arrangements that seem unpractical that perhaps you could change. 

For instance, why do you have a clothes rod with hangars right over the kitchen counter? Is there no place closer to the bed where you could create a place for the guest to hang clothing? There are clothes hangar units which hook over the top of a door- you could put one on the bathroom door, on the outside of the door, facing the bedroom, or the inside of the entry door.

Is there no way you could rearrange  the space so the eating table isn't right next to the bed? Also you need some bedside tables with reading lamps- I don't see any.

And when you take photos, you should tidy things up- that pile of books on top of the bathroom entrance looks messy. 

You should also take more photos from different angles to give a picture of the layout of the studio. It's hard to get a sense of the arrangement of the space from the few photos you have.