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.

[Inna22]

@Sharon1014 is this a general teaching moment? If so, perhaps you want to start a blog?  Otherwise, your message should be specific to your listing. Do you allow dogs? If so, don’t include that point if you don’t, just say no pets. Also, people barely read what we post. Why do you think they will read this additional message? Also, you include a lot of don’ts. Not a good start to a relationship. If a lot of people are breaking same rules, perhaps it is a good idea for you to have a bullet point highlight. It should be much shorter, something like:

a few reminders:

No pets

no additional guests

i provide this and that

check out at this hour check out at that hour

it is helpful to provide your guest with a general message to check in and out on time without specifying the times and send them to yet another place to search for those times. Either give the times in this message or don’t mention the subject. 

[Sharon1014]

You make some good points.  I did try to steer away from using the negative "don't" but difficult to phrase some things in more positive clear terms.  We are a "no pets" listing, but have twice had guests sneak their pets in.  Just saying "no pets" doesn't seem to register with some, so how to reinforce this in other words?

We've also had lots of requests for early check-in or late check-out which we try to accommodate wherever possible, however some guests do really push the envelope, like turning up hours early when your check-in time is clearly stated and you specifically ask them to enquire about early check-in or late check-out.  Also had guests (one nighters usually) that seem to enjoy squeezing every last minute out of their time, arrive early, leave late, using an entire 24 hour window.

I was reading elsewhere about a host couple (in NZ I think) whose guests got them to provide transport to town and wanted very specialized breakfast items provided.  That kind of thing is a bit too out there.  As hosts we are encouraged to provide guests with accurate realistic expectations, just feel immensely sorry for hosts who have guests impose on them above and beyond what is reasonable to expect.... so how to address this?  Most of us do make it very clear what we provide, but some guests just like to push the envelope and you do have to get familiar with the "no" word.  Not pleasant having to say no (and risk of retaliation in guest reviews), so just wondering if there is a way to draw the boundaries more clearly from the outset.

[Inna22]

@Sharon1014 

here is my stand on early check-in’s and late checkouts: I have a templated message where I offer one complementary option – free luggage drop off and then I charge for late check out and early check in with specific time provided. I tell them that  the money goes to the second set of cleaners because I will need to have two people clean in order to be ready for the next group. If they start questioning what happens if I don’t have another reservation, I tell them I take same-day reservations so I need to be ready at all times. Because I provide an explanation as well as offer a complementary option, It has never affected my relationship with guests. If they do choose to drop luggage  off, I don’t allow them to go inside but rather greet them at the door and except their bags from them. Yes, every once in a while I have somebody who just keeps asking and asking and it’s really annoying but I feel like that type of person would’ve done it Regardless of what kind of message I sent  them when they booked.

now to outrageous demands:  The more you load into this message, the less chances it will be read. If you have never personally experienced outrageous demands, don’t put it in there until it happens more than once. If someone asks you for something you cannot provide - just politely say so. I have multiple properties and have been hosting for several years. I have actually never had a crazy demand and insisted on it so much that it had to become a warning to all. If guests asked for something I didn’t offer and I just said i didn’t offer it and no one threw a fit or left a negative. It just makes it sound like you’re not willing to go above and beyond for your guests right out the door.

[Sarah977]

@Sharon1014  I think that's a great guideline for guests in general. As Inna says, though, how do you make them read it? You pretty much covered all the bases- Airbnb should use it and make every guest read it before they are allowed to ever book their first Airbnb.

[Sharon1014]

Good point.  Some guests suck at reading even the basics.  It might have to be compulsory reading before hitting the book button, with check/tick boxes next to each item (?)

[Kemi6]

Hello @Sharon1014 @, it is a good idea to communicate your expectations to guests. As you stated, You can send it to them in a message just after their booking confirmation. I have noticed that while some guests do not read the listing description, they usually do read messages. We do send the information to our guests on the message thread and we have a printed guidebook in our units. 

Also the way these expectations are communicated is important. You don't want to come across as rude and demanding, even though sometimes you would rather do just that 😉

So you can change the wording, for example instead of:

**Arrive and leave at the designated check-in and check-out times, unless pre-arranged. - you can have "We appreciate when our guests arrive on time and check-out as at when due, except otherwise agreed"

**Read the house manual and the details on the listing before you arrive.  Keep your expectations accurate and realistic. - This can read something like, "Kindly read our house manual and listing details before you arrive. It contains vital information to help make your stay one you will enjoy."

**Message your host immediately if you notice any problems at the property, don't leave it until after check-out. - Maybe something like - "Should you experience any concerns during your stay, please message us immediately so we can address it. We do want you to be comfortable."

**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. - It could say " We have provided some amenities for you. If there is anything else you need, you can get it from a store. The closest one to us is……."

**Don't invite excess people to the property.  Disclose the exact number of people you expect to stay.  Honesty goes a long way. -This may read "We appreciate our guests being upfront with us about the total number of guests. Do ensure you let us know how many of you will be staying on our property"

**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. - Can read something like - "This is a 'no pets' listing. While we do love animals, our listing unfortunately cannot accommodate furry friends. Thank you for your understanding".

**Tidy up before you leave - hosts appreciate this so much. - "Please tidy up before you leave. We do appreciate this a lot"

**Be fair and reasonable in your review.  Hosts will be delighted to also do the same for you. -  this may read  "Please remember, this is our home and not a hotel or a bednbreakfast. We hope this will be fairly reflected in your review". 

I hope this helps. 

[Laura2484]

Super helpful @Kemi6 , Direct & assertive politeness!

[Melanie251]

These are great suggestions!

[Linda108]

@Sharon1014   I like your concept of encouraging guests to aspire to getting 5 star reviews.  This is not for all guests as many do not see themselves as members of the guest community.  Some might aspire so your guidelines are very helpful.  I would like to see Air BNB have a Super Guest program that would have some rewards like the Super Host program.  I don't think Air BNB has any retention programs like most hotels and motels do to reward good users.

Rather than see this as a "how to make guests do the right thing" to "how can we reward those guests that are a pleasure to host".

[Helen350]

"Many do not see themselves as members of the guest community." THAT'S the problem!

[Sharon1014]

That is one SUPER OUTSTANDING IDEA !!  Great marketing tool for Airbnb (especially at the moment with Covid19 impacting tourism).... "become an Airbnb Super Guest, and get xyz discounts, freebies, etc etc."  Encourage and reward brand loyalty and super guest good behaviour.  Just have to make the "Rewards" program of real value, not like the meaningless fly buy points system other marketers use.  So easy then to feed in the key components of Super Guest status and a reasonable chance guests will actually read it, and do it, because it has the "what's in it for me" element.

Just one seriously great idea.  Love it !!!

[Susan17]

@Sharon1014 @Linda108 @Helen350 

Airbnb has twice already (in 2014 and again in 2018) made big announcements - to global fanfare -that they were on the cusp of  implementing a Superguest initiative/programme. Despite the fact that they received a huge volume of excellent feedback and suggestions from both hosts and guests, on each occasion, they quietly shelved their plans to move ahead, so it's pretty clear at this point that it's not something the company has a whole lot of enthusiasm for. 

SAN FRANCISCO – December 16, 2014 – Airbnb, the world’s leading marketplace to list, discover and book unique, local accommodations, today announced a new Superguest program that will recognize and reward frequent guests who rely on Airbnb as their primary resource for accommodations.

https://www.tribalcore.com/2014/12/airbnb-announces-superguest-program/

The more recent big announcement regarding a supposedly imminent Superguest programme, was by Brian Chesky himself as part of the "Building a 21st Century Company" event on February 22, 2018. He waxes lyrical about the exciting new scheme from about 17' 30" in the video below  

"Later this year, Airbnb will also recognize its best guests with a new guest membership program offering benefits across the entire trip. Superguest will launch initially to 10,000 guests as a trial this summer before being rolled out to Airbnb’s wider guest community before the end of the year"

Brian Chesky Speaking About The Plans For Superguest Programme

https://youtu.be/pBAc4Fo0b2g

However, for whatever reasons, the pilot program never materialised on that occasion either. Over 6 months later, at the Skift Global Forum in New York in Sept 25, 2018, Airbnb President of Homes Greg Greeley said the company had conducted research and put together a pilot, but that was about it, so far.

“We decided that it wasn’t differentiated enough, we didn’t have enough community involvement for us to launch it,” he said. “So we’re actually back to the drawing board. We have nothing else to share on that, but I can tell you the team is waking up every day thinking about how we can have a great Superguest program for those loyal guests that are asking for it.”

So there's nothing that hasn't already been pitched or suggested to Airbnb in relation to the Superguest designation. If they really had any will to implement such a scheme, they'd surely have done it by now. 

Conde Nast Traveller: Airbnb Superguest - The Benefits We Want To See

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/airbnb-superguest-program-the-benefits-we-want-to-see

Community Centre July 2018 - Superguest Suggestions

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/SuperGuest-suggestions/td-p/742228

[Sharon1014]

@Susan17  Thanks for the info.  Disappointing.  It would do a lot to help counter-balance the power imbalance between host and guest too.  If a business isn't growing, it's dying, so perhaps Airbnb might have sufficient motivation shortly to get on with it.

[Susan17]

Valid points @Sharon1014, but I think at this stage - particularly in the wake of the recent viral articles on scamming hosts - Airbnb's biggest problem at the moment is trying to work out how to restore sufficient consumer trust to persuade guests to use their platform at all, let alone spend time setting up a system to reward the best ones. So I couldn't see them coming up with a third attempt at a superguest programme anytime soon, unfortunately.