I think I have met the epitome of the entitled guest.

[Robin4]

I have been busy telling others what great guests we have had this year, and all of a sudden this comes along.

It wasn't an Airbnb request so I can decline it without fear of retaliatory action!

I know it's every travelers duty to try and strike the best bargain they can, but I can't ever recall getting a booking request with quite this many demands/requests before.

This was one of the easiest hosting decisions I have ever had to make!

Cheers.........Rob

[Michelle53]

@Robin4    The dietary question is really interesting to me, and I'd like to know what other hosts do. While most people don't mention it, occasionally I will get someone who has a particular dietary restriction. 

The worst review I ever got was from someone who asked if I could provide everything I "cook for guests" "gluten free".   I responded that I provide a range of pre-wrapped, pre-purchased items which might appeal to a range of dietary needs, "hopefully, something for everyone", and I don't prepare any meals or provide any home-cooked snack items (local food safety regulations). 

It was only one of a laundry list of requests, which, as a new host, I thought I had to jump around to provide. Including allowing her daughter to have an online shoe purchase delivered (silly me).  Most of this only came up after confirming the booking.  Every week, almost, pre-arrival, there was a new thing.

This guest cancelled after one night due to a spider in the space, and gave me a horrible review.  I learned my lesson the hard way.  

But I still try and provide a range of items that I think will appeal to the widest range of people. e.g. regular coffee and decaf, some plant-based items.  It really doesn't cost me any more to do that. 

Also, there's a full grocery store 3 blocks from my house, where folks can get pretty much anything.

Mainly, because I'm Vegan, I'd be interested in what people think if I asked a host that provides breakfast if any plant-based options were available.   Vegans and Vegetarians often have the worst time in restaurants where there is no plant-based option, and one can order the chicken salad "without the chicken", but you still pay the full price for the salad. 

[Robin4]

@Michelle53 

Apart from the requested room temperature, it's not the individual requests that were the red flags for me.

Quite often I will have guests who have a special dietary requirement, and the food becomes an issue because, I do provide a considerable number of items. If the prospective guest says to me, "Don't worry about the bread, milk and bacon, we will bring our own, we are on special diets"!  I will ask them what I can supply that will be suitable for them as replacements.  I don't want them to feel 'short changed'! I am quite happy to supply gluten free bread and soy milk....I am not happy with them telling me what they want before they even have a confirmed reservation!

I have had a few who I have let use my personal undercover car-park, they haven't asked for it, but I have offered it. You can sense when someone is super proud of something!

I do my best to fit in with guests but, this one had entitled disaster written all over it and before I had read 3 lines my decision was made for me. The discount request at the end was her crowning achievement, that absolutely set my response in stone.

I wasn't rude, as it was an enquiry I simply messaged back ..."Thanks for your enquiry Sue, our property might not be a good fit for your requirements, there are others in the area that could suit you better, good luck with your search.  Cheers, Rob!"  

I hit decline and hopefully she will take the hint that I don't really want her here.

Cheers........Rob

@Elaine701  @Justine275  @Colleen253  @Kia272  @Anthony223 

[Shaun304]

I offer guests pre-packaged breakfast and snack items and I always ask guests if they require dairy free, gluten free, or nut free options.  For dairy free I have almond milk or oat milk and I even have items that could accommodate someone who was dairy free, nut free, and gluten free. About a 1/3 of guests make a special dietary request and I'm happy to oblige them. I would never consider offering food items unless I could accommodate people with dietary issues (within reason, of course).  

[Michelle53]

@Shaun304   That's great !   It's really welcoming when people make an effort to do that. 

[Laurelle3]

@Michelle53 I dont advertise that I provide breakfast but on arrival I give them a hamper with food for a light continental breakfast and food for a cooked breakfast and this is my gift for them. But my reviews have mentioned this and now have had 3 bookings say they are vegetarian so dont leave any food or milk.

However, I have substituted foods for vegetarian foods and reading all the labels. (Buying vegetarian bacon, butter, almond milk and have substituted eggs with vegetarian cheese)The guest really appreciate this and put it in the review. So, this may explain why I am getting more vegetarians booking in. 

[Michelle53]

@Laurelle3    I'm sure it's much appreciated. I've spent years taking my own food to dinner invitations. Finally, my friends are starting to include a couple of food options for me on the menu. I can tell you it is wonderful when that happens. 

[London-Trans0]

its so obvies how teribbler this person the way she ask !

[Kia272]

@Robin4  Oh. My. God. 

I can't fathom actually putting those desires (demands) in writing, let alone asking them of a host. And then asking for a discount?? Maybe offering to pay double....or triple. Unbelievable. 

Thanks to those who make it abundantly clear that a host should just say no!

[Elaine701]

Probably read something in the Daily Mail (what is it in  Australia? In the US? "National Enquirer"?) that Airbnb hosts are dumb and gullible (and impoverished too), and will do anything to get a good review, so you can demand anything you want and you'll get it,  because they're stupid and starving. And the guest of course, is beautiful and entitled. 

Reminds me of that old blonde joke about flying first class to Sydney. 

Maybe you should tell her that first class doesn't stop at your place. 

[Colleen253]

Don't you love it when a potential guest screeches in sideways, red flags waving wildly in the wind? Phew! Much better than the ones who don't put up red flags and then take you by surprise somehow.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Robin4  😄 ajmeee...

[Sarah977]

@Robin4  Fascinating to me is the juxtiposition of total self-absorption with zero sense of self-awareness. Which seems to be an attitude that is becoming rather prevalent.

A real killer line in their messsage was not just asking for gluten-free muffins, but a selection of gluten-free muffins.

Presumably so they could pick the ones they like best, leaving you to chuck the rest in the compost. 

[Robin4]

@Sarah977 

Yeah wastage is high, which is why for many it is not possible to provide these nice little extras, they just get abused and the cost becomes prohibitive.

My cheese plate is a classic example, I provide three different types of cheese.....a matured cheddar, a nice creamy Brie or Camembert, and either a swiss style, fruit, or a blue vein. Guests will have a preference for one type but, rather than just leave the others for someone else, they are compelled to open all of them, take the smallest chuck and then discard the rest in the bin. Every day I throw out 2/3 of what I supply.

The way I justify it is, if I didn't use it, it probably would have ended up in the dumpster anyway!

Sarah, I used to subscribe to the theory that....'the less a guest expects, the more they will be delighted with what they get', but I do have to agree the divide has certainly narrowed over the past few years....expectations are definitely on the increase.

Cheers.......Rob

[Tony-And-Una0]

Nothing surprises us anymore.

We stopped providing any food, even pre wrapped snacks. Too much of a minefield. In theory we should have registered with the local authority and followed quite stringent guidelines. Between that, and the risks of someone having a bad reaction etc etc, we gave it up.

And, as many of you have mentioned, you get no thanks for it.

[Robin4]

@Tony-And-Una0 

Unless it is alcohol, which is a bit of a minefield, the supply of food is reasonably straightforward. In Australia you only need to be registered with local government if you wish to supply fresh food products you have tampered with, for which the guest/client is paying. 

I am at liberty to supply a vacuum sealed 5 short cut bacon pack, cheeses that are in their sales packaging. I am not allowed to pull 5 rashes out of a 2 Kilo pack of sliced bacon and put them in plastic wrapping or cut a wedge of cheese off the round and re-wrap it. I am not allowed to provide a jug with a bit of milk in it that I have poured from a larger 'in date' container. The milk I supply must be sealed as purchased.

Because I do not have a food handlers licence I am only permitted to supply fresh products where the responsibility for meeting food handling standards has been met by the supplier.

The only exceptions to that are eggs, fruit/nuts and bread.

I do not supply a bottle of wine for guests! The supply of alcohol can be seen as part of the rental agreement and as such forms part of the sale, and that requires an alcohol licence. But I am permitted to open a bottle of wine and share it with guests.

I understand the boundaries Tony and Una and I work within them. A case of food poisoning would be devastating for my business so I do my best to make sure that can't happen!

Cheers........Rob