Guide for Guests - How to be a 5 star Guest - Is this needed?

[Sharon1014]

Any suggestions fellow hosts?  I'm thinking a short, sharp dot point guide on how to be a good guest earning 5 star reviews, sent out with the booking confirmation notice?

1.  Arrive and leave at the designated check-in and check-out times, unless pre-arranged.

2.  Read the house manual and the details on the listing before you arrive.  Keep your expectations accurate and realistic.

3.  Message your host immediately if you notice any problems at the property, don't leave it until after check-out.

4.  Don't expect or ask your hosts to provide more than what is stated in the listing.   If you want or need special things, please organise that yourselves.

5.  Don't invite excess people to the property.  Disclose the exact number of people you expect to stay.  Honesty goes a long way.

6.  Don't bring your pet along to a "no pets" listing.  It takes 3 times the amount of cleaning to remove pet fur.  There are properties that do cater for pets so please use them instead. 

7. Tidy up before you leave - hosts appreciate this so much.

8.  Be fair and reasonable in your review.  Hosts will be delighted to also do the same for you.

[Susan17]

There's zero point in giving guests more to read - they barely read the essential info, as it is. 

At this late stage in the degeneration of the host/guest relationship, the only way for Airbnb to "educate" guests on how to behave appropriately, is to stop rewarding them for bad/anti-social/criminal behaviour by routinely gifting them with unwarranted and wholly unfair refunds, and/or desist from rehousing them with other unsuspecting hosts, and start collecting actual (as opposed to imaginary) security deposits from them (or better still, permit hosts to collect and administer their own deposits), and immediately bounce transgressors straight off the platform for any serious violatiions.

Once again - what we permit, we promote. And for the longest time, Airbnb itself has actively promoted and encouraged this phenomenon of unscrupulous guests engaging in - and getting away with - completely unacceptable behaviour, and with abusing and exploiting their host community. 

Swift, decisive and firm actions would speak much, much louder than a few "Please play nice" words. This epidemic of disrespectful, abusive, cheating and scamming guest behaviour on Airbnb's platform has long since gone way beyond whispering a few sweet nothings in their ears. 

[Cathie19]

@Sharon1014 , I’m totally with @Inna22, @Sarah977  & @Susan17  on the advise they have given you.

Besides hosting, I am also an AIrbnb guest, and do not want negative vibes coming my way from hosts = it is a major TURN OFF.   Consider if English is not a guest’s native language; the use of contractions (eg: don’t/can’t)  can be confusing......

🙌🏼I use a one liner or up to two sentences to respond to a booking, that varies only slightly depending on the guest. I always send check out information nearer the checkout day.

🌻 As you have used “instant book”,  that advises me that you have accepted our listed house rules. If however, you are unsure of those rules, please read the listing to check them. 🌻

[Daniela1586]

@Sharon1014 sharon1014      You have to look at this from a guest perspective.  Would you read and follow these guidelines if you stayed in an AirBnB home?  Maybe you would since you're a host but if you weren't, would you really?  Honestly, I would feel a bit offended if someone left me this note.  As others mentioned, people rarely read the basic requirements, what makes you think they will follow yours?  I would feel a bit offended reading your requirements if I stayed at your place.  Good luck!

[Susan1188]

@Daniela1586 

I agree that some people might feel offended by a host having to bluntly state expectations of common courtesy.  And the condescending tone is probably not a good idea.  Especially since, superguest?  Who would care?

But I have also stayed as an Airbnb guest in different properties.  In one, the superhost had a huge long list of rules saying things like" checkout time is 11am, at 11 we will enter the apartment to start cleaning.  Do not overstay or pretend to be asleep.  Do not pretend not to hear the doorbell.  Extra fee = 20 euros per 15 minutes".

I did not take offense at this AT ALL, because I would never do any of these things.  I felt it rather showed the trials and traumas this Barcelona host had been through with incredibly disrespectful guests and I understood and felt empathy for her!

But I have 20 years STR experience before going on airbnb so I know how people are.

[Ann72]

@Sharon1014  You say you tell guests to inquire about early check-in or late checkout.  I believe most guests reading that will think, "Hey, she'll let us check in early or check out late!"  Just remove that from your listing.  Don't give anyone an inch before they ask.

[Susan1188]

@Ann72  That is an excellent, excellent point.  If you open the door a crack, you open the door!

Find a way to formulate it so there is no doubt, then stick to it, and expect some people to try to bend the rules anyway don't take it personally.

[Ann72]

@Susan1188  That's it!

[Laura2592]

I think it would be great if Airbnb published a guide on being a "Superguest". Superguests get consistently high ratings from hosts and are recommended to others on the platform. They score above a 4.8 in all criteria and their score is listed prominently on their profile. Superguests can have some kind of special privilege (instant book even when hosts don't have it activated, late check-outs, something...I don't know. Whatever it was it would be similar to SH search placement.)

Then we could see all kinds of educational articles about how to be a Superguest-- make sure the place is clean! Read the house rules! Leave your hosts a personal note! Maybe Airbnb mag would feature the tippy top Superguests and their tips on how to make hosts clamor for their reservation. 🙂

[Kevin1322]

Darn right it is needed, sort of.

I think the issue we have is that european guests don't give five star reviews lightly.

As a Europen myself, before coming to Airbnb would have considered giving four stars as a real compliment, three stars as all was good, no complaints, as advertised.

But we are on an American platform where five stars are "as expected", and anything less is not acceptable.

How people in the US are expected to rate something as better than advertised is beyond me.

It makes the whole principle of under-promise and over-deliver redundant.

[Helen350]

I used to give guests 5* across the board, unless there was a major transgression.... Now, however, I'm reflecting on how all my guests over the winter (with 2 marvelous exceptions!) have been 'meh' guests... particularly offensive for their poor communication. - Not giving arrival times, even when messaged about this several times, leaving me dangling, never knowing what their plans are, refusing to state the purpose of visit, avoiding conversation once here to the point of rudeness (one jobbing doctor turned his back & sprinted off, EVERY time I enquired "Good shift?" - I swear. Increasingly, guests just don't 'get it'! - I'm starting to mark these rude non communicators down on 'communication' now...... Won't be long till it's 1* comms, unless someone with old-fashioned manners turns up!

[Sarah977]

I still luckily get guests who understand the concept of home-sharing and are well-suited to it, and who communicate well both pre-arrival and during the stay.

It's really astounding to me to read all the posts about guests who think it's perfectly okay to book a room in the host's home and then want nothing to do with the host, to the point where they don't even demonstrate basic manners. As if Airbnb exists purely for them to be able to book a place for less than they'd pay for a hotel room and with more comfort and privacy than they'd get in a hostel. 

[J-Renato0]

@Sharon1014 

I think you have a good idea ! You could experiment it for a while to see how guests react. We only know if an idea in good if we put it into practice.

I also think that, you should sent your idea to Airbnb via feedback form (as a suggestion).

It would be great if Airbnb sent that list to all guests when they are about to travell to the the listing they booked.

[Golddess0]

I myself have found that sending our house guidelines via a message to our guests usually works.

 Anyone offended or deterred by them will either cancel their reservation or accept and do the best they can whilst staying in our home. 

we have actually had many people say that they were a little intimidated by the list initially however after reading them and staying they appreciated having them in place. The ones ( very few!) who don’t feel them are probably not who we would want sharing our space. 

my home my rules! They are a guest and I expect them to respect our home and other guests. 

People will always try to stretch the boundaries, though ultimately they respect and respond to clear guidelines. 

[Susan1188]

@Sharon1014  I would LOVE for this to become common knowledge among guests!

Unfortunately I agree with others here, most guests already don't read and some don't even look at the pictures.

So it's really up to the HOST to find creative and multiple ways to pass these messages into the guest's brain - web graphics, youtube videos, different small things sent at different times...

We have to expect a minority of entitled demanding and non respectful guests and deal with it when it happens... in my case this has truly been a minority (but I also have multiple systems in place to prevent it).

Guests will never care about their review as much as a host does, all they have to do is create a new gmail account and set up a new profile if they get a bad review.

Guests will always complain if there is slow internet or no cable, even if you write it all over your listing.

Some things I wish ABB would implement to help good hosts would be:

- making transparent if the GUEST has a history of booking and cancelling (host cancellations are right there in your profile for everyone to see, why not guests!)
- making transparent if the GUEST has asked for and received a discount on his stay (this should be one of the star buttons - hosts are judged on VALUE guests should be judged on it too)
- making transparent if the GUEST has a history of receiving refunds and discounts for various complaints during prior stays

Best wishes to all good luck with the Corona situation everybody!

[Normen0]

I’m coming to the point that I’m getting signs made for the important things. I hate to do this but it appears they don’t read the messages you send and they don’t read the guest book provided and pointed out to them, which literally has everything in it. I’ve placed a small “no smoking” sign in the apt. I have a small sign for the basket of hot tub towels because they use the bathroom towels and bleach them.
I’ve placed notes inside drawers where I think I they may be looking for something- telling them where the item is.  Also a one page sheet for taking care of cast iron in the drawer with the cast iron.  
I’m at my wits end!