Getting some terrible guests this year.

[Kevin1322]

Hi all,

hope everyone is well, and  starting to come out the other side of the last weird year.

Was going to be a rant, but probably more constructive to compare if we have a right or wrong sort of guest.And how we can deter the wrong 'uns even when everywhere else is fully booked.

Cornwall fully booked. Overseas travel restrictions.

Usually we get hikers on the coast path, German, US, european and from the rest of the world.

This year all we seem to get are disgruntled people who would't touch this sort of accommodation with a barge pole if everywhere else wasn't full up.

The sort of guest you really don't want.

What sort of guest don't you  want?  What warning sirens go off?

After six stays since reopening we have already ticked two "would not host again" boxes and even had to leave a review  along the lines of  "guest checked out on time. Received full refund after raising issues after they had left". hopefully to help hosts who do our type of accommodation.   Never had to leave a negative review or tick that box before.  

Our warning signs:

1. Get lost, can't find the house despite inch perfect google map pin, advised not to use google satnav, and very clear directions in the listing.

2. This usually means they have not read the listing very well if at all,  because then they complain that there was a dog hair somewhere, and we were smoking outside. (dogs and smoking area are in the listing)

3. Turn up dressed for a girls night out in St Ives (10 miles) or Penzance (8 miles) despite covid restrictions and the need to book a month ahead

4. Ask for the WiFi code when it is on the massive keyring you have just given them, and on the dresser in front of the telly next to the hand sanitizer they never bothered to use.

5. One of them booked it "for my friend and I", the other one didn't like the look it from the start. But hey, everywhere else is booked/too expensive.... and we are too good for this sort of hovel anyway.

The "better suited to a hotel" syndrome, but when all the hotels are full they turn up in your home determined to find everything wrong.

Can't wait for our usual guests back.

[Lorna170]

@Kevin1322   Your listing is very homey, and perfect for that person who is in need of a quiet bed after a long hike.  With regard to your current issue of unsuitable guests who apparently expect something different, I honestly can't say how to make them move on and leave your listing to those who will appreciate it.  Your introduction is pretty clear as to who your guest is and what your property is about.  Good luck and better guests in your future!

[Lawrene0]

@Kevin1322 , you and I have been spoiled. 

I am convinced that international hikers who book Airbnb accommodations are the easiest guests in the world to host. My evidence comes from personal experience and reading this forum.

We, you and I, thanks to the travel bans, are now seeing what our fellow hosts, poor things, have had to deal with all along, I guess.

I was so discouraged last night in a last-straw moment over the messaging with yet another local who wants us to be something we're not that my next step was to block my calendar by default. I'm booked into 2022 thanks to pandemic popularity, so it won't be an immediate reprieve, and I may relent later in the year, but right now that block is making me feel so much better. 

Thanks for posting this. Feeling less alone feels better, too. 

[Sarah977]

@Lawrene0 @Kevin1322  

As I am still not taking bookings (will start again in the late fall when the tourist season kicks in here and I have had a chance to get vaxxed), I don't have anything to compare as far as recent guests. I've always had incredibly great guests, so I've been spoiled, too. The three of us, while in far flung places and with different listings, seem to attract the down to earth types who have better things to do with their time than come up with ridiculous complaints and demands.

I sure hope this clueless newbie guest thing fades out, but I'm actually a bit skeptical. I think a lot of these bad guest attitudes come from reading online blogs and such, with guests telling other guests to always ask for discounts, how to scam refunds, etc. They've had a lot of stay home pandemic time to write and read this stuff.

That, coupled with Airbnb making it easier and easier for new guests to sign up and book seem to me to mean we need to be prepared for this trend to continue. Of course I hope it goes back to the way it was, and I may find I get the same good guests I've always had, but I'm just being pragmatic.

[Louise0]

I agree that the quality of guests has reached a new nadir.  A dud guest used to be around 1 out of every 10, if that.   Now it's more than 50%.

So many recent guests have just been so disrespectful, dismissive of house rules and too lazy to read my detailed arrival instructions, listing description and House Manual.  The worst, and they are legion, are utterly filthy and just downright vile.  So much so, that after more than 6.5 years of hosting I've taken my main listings off the market.  I've gone back to private rooms only; solely because I need to have more control over guests' behaviour.

[Elaine701]

Definitely more than 50% now. It's very different than say, 2019. It was rare to have no profile, no reviews new signups that ask for really cheeky things, like big discounts and seeming to have failed to read the description. Also far more groups of 20-somethings. Red flag. 

I'm spending an uncomfortable amount of time vetting now. And many just walk away when I point out key items in the public description, house rules and penalties.

The only upside is that a steady stream of inquiries keep coming in. That's the advantage to being on a big popular platform. Others like VRBO still don't have that market reach (yet). But we're just now signing up with a small but popular boutique villa platform that focuses exclusively on Mallorca, and caters specifically to families. They seem very savvy and appear to have very knowledgeable and personable staff. I have hopes this might provide a bit of relief. 

[Kelly149]

if @louise’s rules can’t control bad behavior, there’s no hope for the rest of us

my parents have moved into my ABB, they say “oh, but we’re depriving you of income”, I say “you’re much less trouble than current ABB guests!!”

[Fred13]

2022 hosting appears to require a higher level of patience! All things pass.

[Jillian115]

@Kevin1322 

This seems to be across the board. I am in California guests are a lot more work these days. Since Airbnb has destroyed its CS department and has tried to make booking super simple for the guests, they have left it up to us hosts to make sure the Guests are educated on how Airbnb works.

I now have in my pre-booking message:
Reservations booked must be booked by the person staying. Also, please provide your reason for visiting.

I added to my rules:
This accommodation is for a maximum of two. Hosting additional guests on the property is not permitted at any time and will result in additional charges. A profile photo is required for booking. The image must show your face—a picture of a sunset, sports team, or a dog, for instance—is not permitted. All bookings must be booked by the person staying.

After the booking, I overshare directions with an email, a pdf with images, and a message saying the house is easy to find, but it will be very difficult to turn around if you pass it, so please pay close attention once you turn on my road. People still get lost, then mark me down for location.

Anyway, I miss my international travelers; they had it figured out. 🙂

[Joanne673]

@Kevin1322 Your post is exactly what i was hoping to find here. Had a terrible weekend with last guests...and i need to be more specific as you are being. Im sorry you are also having the same issues, its enough to make one give up hosting.  Thanks for sharing! 😊

[Dave52]

I remember an old adage about customer support, it went something like this

-- 10% of your customers take up 90% of your time. 

Most guests figure things out and you don't hear from them until after they check out and submit their 5-star review.  Then there are the others......

[Patricia55]

@Kevin1322  Ew, Kevin, I've just opened up our calendar a wee bit... and now wishing I hadn't! Not to be too disparaging about our fellow Englanders, but I was already thinking I'd miss the guests from all over the world... Dunno if I fancy hosting Brits who'd prefer to be doing the "sun, sea, sex" type holiday!

[Kevin1322]

Yea. exactly that 😬

[Kevin1322]

some lovely replies, it is  reassuring to know it is not just us.

We really are just a budget friendly stop for Hikers and Bikers. We are bikers ourselves, and love the coast and country so we get on with Hikers. 

The people who are booking, frankly, are booking because everywhere is full. They don't want to be here in the first place.

They are actually blocking out decent guests.

Our mistake was turning instant book back on this year, but it's too late now.

We used to do very well with same day instant book and 90 percent hikers and bikers.

Having a solar powered motorcycle EV charging station and garage parking  for free, free laundry and drying, and a clean comfy bed and endless hot water, a quiet neighbourhood, and stating that we are a bikers and hikers  place seems to escape some people 🤷‍♂️

We can't wait for the return of our international guests.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Yes, guests are different now but the new Airbnb platform layout contributes to the chaos.

Airbnb deliberately hides the listing's description, location info is far down and custom house rules are hidden and so is the "contact host" button.

A few years ago every guest has read our description and almost every guest saw our house rules. Now - not the single one.

It is very complicated to find all info and even more complicated to write it and this causes a lot of problems, unhappiness, and frustration for both sides. I really miss the old 2016-2017 layout. .... and guests