How to respond when an amenity is unavailable?

[Joi0]

I have guests currently staying for 5 days at my beach property. The hot tub broke the day before their arrival. I called 3 different companies to come fix it. Two different servicemen came to look at it.

The fastest I can get it fixed is on the last day of their reservation due to a part getting shipped in. What does a host do in this situation?

I know they are disappointed. It's cooler weather this time of year so the hot tub is a desirable outdoor activity. Do you give a refund in this situation? How much? Other tips? Thanks for any advice. I want to be a good host!

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

It might be good to ask your guest what would make them happy in this situation.  You can let them know you are happy to give them some money back on their current reservation or you would be happy to give them a good discount on their next stay.  Maybe a nice bottle of wine is more their fancy?  A gift certficate to a local restaurant?  The choices are endless.

[Joi0]

Good ideas.

How much money back would you offer?

Their rate is 250/night for 5 nights.

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

@Joi0  I would think 10% would be enough of a discount, but feel them out.  They might not even be that upset about it.

[Paul154]

The best thing is to be forward and take control.

Acknowledge, don't minimize ,apologize and give a token of appeasement.

I use Starbuck gift cards.

If the amenity is expensive, ask if a rebate of $XX would be OK.

If they become unreasonable, be prepared for them to leave. It really isn't the end of the world, just a temporary blip.

[Joi0]

I apologized  sincerely and acknowleged that it's a disappointment.

I'm not worried they will leave, i'm more worried they will be disgruntled.

I would like to offer a consolation so they are happy, and also so they don't write a review that says "we would have had a nice time, but the hot tub was broken. and the host didn't get it fixed while we were there."

[Wendy-and-Frank0]

If I had a dime for every instance where a hotel "amenity" wasn't available, I'd be basking in Bali. No refund required. An out-of-order sign doesn't mean you get free Pepsi. 

[Joi0]

The thing is, I think the hot tub is often the reason people chose my place. There are a lot of vacation rentals on the island, but not a lot have hot tubs. guests ask about it all the time.

so assuming it's a motivating factor, and it's out of order, do you think I should offer a credit or a gift? Or just hope they are understanding ? (like you would be!)

[River-Circle0]

How did you resolve this? I am currently experiencing this same issue with my guests and they are requesting a 20% refund, which I think is excessive.

[Julie5993]

If it was out of order you would not purchase the Pepsi due to it says out of order.  People filter all amenities and that is what comes up with the best places to stay with all amenities.  If the hot tub says out of order but still showing the house then they would be aware.  The whole point is we are not staying in a hotel we are staying in homes.  Completely different!

[Jessica-and-Henry0 · Accepted solution]

@Joi0

Based on my personal experience as someone who was in the guest's shoes (when I was at a resort), a 10% discount/refund really doesn't help. The refund amount is really minimal and something I was willing to pay for the "EXPERIENCE" - I would have preferred if the resort made an effort to "make up for" the disappointment rather than refunding 10%. IMO free drinks/wine or complimentary fruit basket or some sort of gift card/voucher is way better, even if the cost is more or less the same (or even less!).

Of course it could depend on the individual, but for me the "experience" was an important factor so while I can understand that unexpected things that are out of people's control can happen, efforts made to ensure I could have an enjoyable experience despite the initial disappointment were always the most appreciated. For instance, if having a sea view was really important to me to the point I paid 10~20% more for a sea view room, I would definitely be very unhappy if the hotel/resort refunded me the difference and stuck me in an equal room with a garden/mountain view. Sometimes it's not all about the money. 

[Jazz12]

I was just fined by airbnb for $719 for broken pool, which became available to a guest during stay. Airbnb didn't put enough effort to look into the case, which was opened by a guest 1.5 months after she checked out. According to their "policy" 20% discount is due, even though there is no pool or hot tub which costs $719 for 29 days ,) So guys, beware, guests can claim whatever and airbnb will come after you waaaay after issue is overdue.

[Brittani7]

If there is a bath tub in the rental,you could offer a bath bomb with a bottle of wine and some nice snacks.  If they can't enjoy the hot tub then maybe they still might enjoy a nice soak in the bath tub.  I definitely like the idea of presenting them with a nice "I apologise for the inconveniences" gift rather then an actual partial refund.

[Jenni78]

I would refund the 20% and also get them a gift/meal out voucher/pass for public pool with hot tub.  I’ve had this experience as a guest, and sought to find a hot tub we could use nearby.  

[Rebecca181]

I had this happen once due to a blown transformer. This gal had booked my beach rental specifically to have a romantic 'Valentine's Day' experience with her boyfriend. I knew it was a VERY big deal to her and she had put a lot of thought and care into planning this special weekend. The power went out for 2 hours as well due to the transformer blowing out so they had no heat during that time (not a big deal, house is well insulated, but still...)

Due to the level of her disappointment and my feeling truly bad for her regarding the situation, I offered her a 100% refund for her weekend stay. I did this because I could tell that she was likely going to write a less than stellar review, and my Super Host status mattered to me more back then and we had never had anything less than a 5 Star review at our rental (which we manage and clean ourselves, it is a cottage suite adjoining our primary residence). 

I told Airbnb support about the situation and the support person said I went WAAAAY beyond what I needed to do or what Airbnb would ever expect. Which was true. This is the (painful) 'genius' of Airbnb's current review system: Fear of a bad review, and losing my Super Host status, caused me to make a relatively poor business decision. However, this guest gave me a five star review, so...