Is it bad practice to ask your guest if they are satisfied with the level of cleanliness on arrival?

[Caroline1034]

Reason is that my cleaner normally does a very good job of cleaning my rentals, and this is reflected in many reviews, but then sometimes she does omit to do something (as I can verify when I check after her occasionally, I always find something that has not been cleaned properly when you look closely), or perhaps a guest is overly critical sometimes, and will comment that cleanliness could be better, but only after they check out or, worse, in their review.

I don't mind criticism if I get the chance to rectify it as soon as possible, hence why I sometimes think if I should ask them on arrival,  or if it will just make them think that I am not confident in my cleaner and they will purposely look for dirt in some hidden corner. Unfortunately I do not have the time to check after every cleaning, especially since my small guesthouse gets mostly one-night stays, plus we offer self check-in, so my guests normally do not meet anyone during their short stay. I always ask them via text to let me know that all is well when they arrive, to which they normally reply that they had an easy check-in and they love the room, but that's about it.. Just looking for some ideas and strategies from other hosts. 

Also how does everyone handle stained sheets and towels with their guests, especially blood stains which do not always go away ? This is a recurring problem for me.

[Huma0]

@Caroline1034 @Anonymous 

But there is a 'linen fee' on Airbnb, so I think it must be a fairly common thing in some areas, no?

Under the pricing section of the listing details (when viewed from the host side), there is an option to include it and it states:

"The linen fee is added to the cleaning fee for guests when they book, but it will be a separate item in your payout report."

Personally, I don't have a cleaning fee, let alone a linen fee, because as a consumer, I don't like all these extra fees added on. I would prefer to see what a place costs from the outset. However, Airbnb make it harder by initially only showing the base rate in searches without the cleaning/other fees, so that hosts who do not charge separately for these things are at a disadvantage and seem less competitively priced.

[Caroline1034]

@Anonymous  @Huma0  I  don't feel a cleaning fee makes sense in my guesthouse since its only a room (with private bathroom and kitchenette), and especially since I have a lot of one night stays, I feel that a cleaning fee would be seen as an unnecessary add-on. My housekeeper is at the guesthouse daily anyway and we even do up guests' rooms and provide fresh towels every couple of days for longer stays.  Aren't linen fees seen as just the cost of washing the linen not for the linen itself? - we are only looking at fees under Eur 10.00 so nothing major. As for raising rates, I play a lot with rates depending on occupancy and availability, so having certain expenses always covered makes more sense when I need to really lower the rate. 

[Anonymous]

@Caroline1034    "Linen fee" is a very unusual thing to see on an Airbnb listing, and when I see it in the  old-school vacation rentals like we have in rural Germany, it invariably means that renting linens is extra and optional amenity, and that guests may avoid the fee by bringing their own.  How would it look to a guest with less experience working in hospo than we have? Perhaps like just another sleazy way of nickel-and-diming guests for things they normally expect to be included. Guests constantly complain about how many extra fees Airbnb listings have these days, with one subtext being that the base nightly rate is the only measure of what the home is actually worth.  In that sense, if you're comparing two listings with similar total prices, the one with fewer superfluous fees looks like the better value and higher quality listing.

But there are two competing goals here. One is for each total payout to fully compensate you for the expense and labor you dedicate to the stay. But presumably another goal is to attract guests who will appreciate the value of the home, treat it with greater care, and support you with great reviews and ratings.  The latter is especially hard if you're choosing to do one-night stays, so I'd be cautious about piling on more of the fees that scare away those better guests.

[Huma0]

@Caroline1034 

I wouldn't charge a linen fee. Guests coming here would expect clean sheets and towels to be provided as a basic amenity.

There are, however, some places where it's not standard, e.g. the old school rentals in Germany that @Anonymous mentions, and I know there are similar in France. A few years ago, when Airbnb made sheets and towels a basic amenity, there was a bit of an uproar from hosts in those kind of locations where guests normally bring their own. Perhaps that is why the 'linen fee' was introduced as an optional extra. I don't know.

I assume you've done your research and know what the standard is in Airbnbs in your area? I stayed in a self catered accommodation in Gozo. It was a few years ago, but I definitely don't remember bringing my own sheets, just maybe a beach towel...

So, if it's normal in Malta to charge extra for linens, then fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it. Just make sure your nightly rate factors in cleaning and laundry.

[Sandra856]

@Caroline1034 I have had a small  cleaning fee since I started (100dkr~13,44euros) I rent out a small room in my home - I also used to accept 1 night stays until recently and I have never heard a bad thing about the cleaning fee and I have had guests from all over the world. When hosts in Europe ask for a linen fee it is mostly for when guests can choose to bring their own (because most of the guests will be arriving by car) or they will have to pay for a linen bag/per person that comes from a laundry company. That is how it was back in the 80s when I as a kid and drove to places all over Europe during summer holiday (we always brought our own towels, bed linen, tea towels) and how it still is in Denmark if you rent a summerhouse via an old fashioned bureau. 
My own experience is that it is not that time consuming to make sure stains are gone before you wash it. It is easily learned 🙂. Gross but with gloves it is easily done. 

Cleaning fees are normal and (mostly) accepted in the Airbnb world - linen fees not so much. So I would not add a linen fee but a cleaning fee - if I were you 🙂