How should a "shotgun" or pass-through 2 bedroom be listed? By a Sicilian host?

[Kenneth12]

Hello all,

I might begin by noting that I recently had a series of extraordinary stays in Italy,   with a range of hosts ranging from small to "we have 1,100 properties."

All good luck must come to an end--  was anyone day trading last week-- thus, I made it to Napoli ... 

That story aside,  my current host "somewhere in Sicily" had a few problems.    Such as the apartment next door,  having a water pipe leak.   Nothing like stepping out of bed into a pool of cold,  brackish,  smelly water!

That problem aside,   the one I'm writing about is that she listed a pass-through / shotgun situation as a 2BR.  (Hey,    in Napoli,   2 room with a sofa in the front living/kitchen room is evidently a 2BR;    and enough space for 4 adults and 8 kids,   from what I saw walking through some of the tighter passageways.

Excuse me;  Mt. Etna is just showing up draped in clouds here on my train ride.

In any case,   we pumped and bailed and scooped and mopped with every towel in the apartment,  and got much of the water out-- until a bit more came the next night.   

But back to the main topic:   her place is somewhat spacious,  but the second bedroom is a former kid's room reachable only through the main bedroom.

The host and her helper only speak Italian,   and so I'm wondering what to advise her about the shotgun.   (She only has 12 reviews,   2 of them a bit not great;  it's a smaller stop).   "Shotgun" works in US-English,  but not the whole English speaking world;   and while her listing title is in English (text in Italian),    I'm not sure it will communicate well to all.

As well:   is it OK to list this as a 2BR at all?     

Regardless,   I think there needs to be some clarification,  perhaps only a clear line "second bedroom is reachable only through the main bedroom" or such.

How do others see this one?   No jokes about snorkeling,   please.

[Helen350]

I've seen old houses like this in England too, @Kenneth12 .

My personal opinion is that it IS a 2nd bedroom, certainly the host will see it like this, but certainly if I hosted a place like this  I would make it clear, like you suggested, that "the second bedroom is reachable only through the main bedroom."

And obviously you would only rent this configuration to ONE family/group of friends, never to two parties who don't know each other!

[Kenneth12]

Thanks @Helen350 ,

FWIW,  looking at the term "shotgun,"  it appears to refer to a relatively specific kind of house/arrangement,  which some individuals may even be *looking for* as an experience.

In this case,  the layout of the condominium floor plus architectural choices produced a situation with a room off the main bedroom.    Perhaps this was originally intended as an office or such;  it was clear it was used for kid's beds at some point before ABB;   it's an entirely different arrangement.

It certainly is awkward to need to walk through someone else's bedroom on a trip to reach bathroom,   common rooms or outside,   and it seems the consensus is that it should be clearly announced in some way.

[Lenore22]

I'm a US-American native English speaker and I've never heard this use of "shotgun." Call it a pass-through or describe it.

Our current property has 2 bedrooms connected through walking closets and bathrooms- even though there are doors and each has their own entrance, I take pains to call it out. If it would make them uncomfortable, I'd rather they decide that before they book.

And yes, I'd say it's still 2BR.

[André1034]

In a nutshell, I'd say:

- It is a 2BR.

- The circumstances need to be clearly explained in the description and its understanding confirmed with the guest upon booking.

[Sarah977]

@Kenneth12  It's a 2 bedroom. But the pass-through the first bedroom situation most definitely needs to be mentioned clearly in the listing. It would be ideal for a couple with a baby or small children, a deal breaker for 2 couples.

[Fred13]

It is technically a 2BR, but without an explanation to most people it is not how 99% of the human race would envision 'a 2BR place' because of its one-room-is-dependent-on-another reality, as to privacy. The need for separate bedrooms is usually for the purpose of privacy, if not why not put all beds in one large room. Moreover,  the use of the word 'shotgun' (if that is the word this host uses) tells me this host is not too aware of the 'rest' of the world.

This is a classic case of a listing that when Airbnb starts going through its listing one-by-one needs to be cleaned up in its language or dropped altogether - it has 'too much high-maintenance' written all over it because 99% of guests will inevitably just as confused (and disappointed) as you were @Kenneth12.

[Fred13]

Meant to add above that the phrase 'Pass-Through 2BR' is very clever, it would cause the inquirer to fully understand the scenario or ask further questions.

[Sarah977]

I have also never heard the term "shotgun" to describe that room situation. Native English speaker, US and Canada, and I read a lot. You'd think I would have come across it at some point over the years.