Nightmare guest at last!

[Robin4]

I think I am in the process of hosting my nightmare guest....and unfortunately it is a 9 night reservation.

The booking message was OK except the guests profile says he  joined Airbnb in 2019 stating he resides in Adelaide South Australia. But his message says that he resides in New Zealand, and has for some considerable years. No other red flags though.

On arrival I realised, I had nothing in common with this guest, we were from different planets. You can tell just by that couple of opening sentences what the experience is going to be like....there was absolutely no level of empathy there for me! He looked through the cottage without bringing in his wife/partner and appeared to be not the slightest bit interested in what I was saying, walking away to look at something else while I was explaining aspects of what I offer, and what I don't.

After a few hours he came up to me and said, "the TV doesn't work"! I went in and switched it on to find out he had accessed analogue function which is not used in Australia, as soon as I switched to source and digital the TV worked fine. His comment was, "Could not have handled 9 days without a TV"! To him, It wasn't his fault, it was the TV's!

I have lost track of the number of people who have come and gone over the past few days, but the thing that has me so worked up.....the weather has been beautiful here for the past week! Daytime temps in the upper 20s and nighttime around 20c.... The air-conditioning would potentially have run nonstop since they have been here. They leave at 8.30 in the morning and return at midnight, they leave the air con running when they depart. Fortunately I have a sensor override that turns the Aircon off 8 minutes after they walk out the front gate, so that problem is solved but, they run it through every night until the sensor turns it off when they leave the next day. They are totally thoughtless energy vandals, they are using the facility because it is there, not because they need it. The poor Air con which is set on 'Auto' is rocking between heating and cooling all night long!

I still don't know what her name is....this afternoon Ade was working in the garden when they came back and she introduced herself deliberately to the both of them. He said....."I met you yesterday, remember"! and that was it, made no attempt to introduce her. 

I am feeling uncomfortable, they have taken over the garden, cigarette smoking like it is going out of style. I got permission from them to service the cottage today. change the linens, vacuum and mop, new towels, replace condiments. I was faced with a challenging sight! 

Half way through the stay  and I can truly stay I can't wait for this one to finish.....and that is sad, all those wonderful guests I have had I won't remember down the track, but I will remember this one though. Such a pity, I would have liked this one to be one of those high notes as we are off away for three weeks after this.

It had to happen sooner or later.....I guess this is, later! 

Sorry,  just needed to get it off my chest!

Cheers......Rob

[Robbie54]

@Branka-and-Silvia0   Agreed. I'm aware plenty of hosts look at it as some sort of communal thing, a chance to meet new people etc etc.  For me it has always been from a business point of view. I generally say  hello and a quick chat for 5 mins when they arrive then I let them get on with it, after all it's their holiday, not mine. And I have been commented on from hosts who appeciate that approach, where I don't bother them and let them enjoy their get away.

Horses for courses I guess, but I'm just as happy with no empathy towards a guest than  with. It's a business for me, no more no less. 

[Phil-And-Peggy0]

We have a little guest house with a kitchenette and it sits in our front courtyard. It isn't attached to our home. Altough it's very small, we offer all sorts of ammenities: snacks, wine, unlimited bottled water, a full medicine cabinet just like home, luxury toiletries, and beautiful linens. However to us it really is a business. We don't charge a cleaning fee or ask for a deposit.

Again, it's a business. We will socialize if it happens but we give our guests their privacy. We have had wonderful guests and it's the easiest money we've ever made. So happy airbnb happened!

[Rowena29]

I know exactly how you feel @Robin4 

When I started hosting, I would say my first 8 - 10 lots of guests were just like this ( maybe not QUITE as rude, but not much better). I host remotely and would drive away feeling sick to the pit of my stomach, thinking " I don't WANT these people in my home. I don't like them. I don't trust them"  I very nearly gave up hosting because of it.  Beign remote is somewhat harder adn somewhat easier when you have awful guests. You're not there to see the mindless stupidity which makes you constantly SEETHE ( like running A/c non stop) but instead you ( I)  tend to agonise wondering what they're up to.   For me, it was changing my listing to say host will meet you ( from self check in) combined with a very firm pre booking message, followed up by firm post booking communication if necessary.  All things you already have in place I'm sure. Firming things up and seeing the change was somewhat empowering.  I'm well aware this is not a silver bullet and it's probalby only a matter of time, but I think I really did my trial by fire early on.  I agree with @Branka-and-Silvia0 intellectually - it is only business, but emotionally I find it rugged to have people I despise in my space.  And you DO remember them, but, after some time has passed,  no more than the lovely guests. And perhaps even more quickly with a few bottles of red!.      There is no great joy without great despair - the great guests perhaps wouldn't be  quite so wonderful, if it wasn't for sh*t for brains  like this. (I do hope he's going to get lots of low stars....)

[Kelly149]

@Robin4 the only consolation in these cases are to be grateful that at least you're not THIS GUY!

He can't live without TV

He doesn't know that it's rude not to acknowledge his wife (rude to her and rude to you)

He thinks the highest use of your garden is to smoke

He's in the presence of 2 lovely folks who could share a bit of life with him but he doesn't realize what he's missing

Sure, it stinks that you've shared your lovely home with his ungracious self, but you got the money and he's the one missing out. GRATEFUL, GRATEFUL, GRATEFUL

[Sarah977]

@Robin4  My utmost condolences. Are you going to be able to bring yourself to write your signature sentence for less-than-stellar guests - "While I wish them the best...."? Maybe if you skip that nicety, and just be brutally honest, you'll be able to leave in a better frame of mind.

And I'm so glad to hear the grieving upcoming guest is someone you feel good about hosting, as i know you were intially torn.

[Robin4]

@Sarah977 

The review is a concern to me .......he is just so abrupt, and seems to keep finding issues.

Yesterday he said to me...."I keep getting bitten all the time"! I told him, summer time does see an increase in flying creatures, which I am sure would be the same for him back home in NZ. I asked him if he is using the flyspray or the citronella sponge.....or the mozzie net at night time. He said ...."No, don't like those things" but he or his partner keep leaving the wire screen door open both day and night.

Once again, it is not a user issue.........it's an issue for the user!

Thank goodness the dog knows where home is and never has the inclination to roam be cause every time he goes out he leaves the gate open.

@Rowena29 you summed it up pretty well ...." I don't WANT these people in my home. I don't like them". As a host who loves people I never thought I would say that!

I will be honest with the review Sarah. I would prefer not to review them but, I will. It won't be that verbal slogging match though, and don't worry Sarah, there won't be too much reading between the lines!

Cheers.......Rob 

[Sarah977]

@Robin4 There does seem to be a personality type that loves to complain about things, yet won't do any of the logical things that would solve their supposed problem. They probably wouldn't be able to find anything to talk about if they weren't complaining.

I have a friend who came to visit and she's someone who I'd hate to have as a paying guest. Because I know she's a bug magnet, I went to the effort of drilling a hole in the ceiling above the bed where she was going to be sleeping (not in my present home, but one I was renting years ago) , putting in an anchor and hook and bought a mosquito net to hang over that bed. She refused to use it, saying that mosquito nets make her feel claustrophobic. So she was covered in bites, which she complained about no end. 

I also advised her to bring some warm clothes, as we were having an unseasonably chilly winter. She had lived in this town before, so completely discounted my warning and brought only thin summery things. She likes to go out to town in the evenings, but couldn't, because she was freezing. When I asked why she didn't heed my advice, her answer was "because I lived here and I know how cold it gets." There's some folks who you just can't reason with.

[Cathie19]

I think @Robin4, you’ve hit the nail on the button for this one.

- Can’t do for himself.

- Is entitled and narcissistic 

- misogynistic by nature if his female partner is not equal enough to be introduced

- Can’t handle natural temperatures

- Can’t handle insects in a garden

“The guest and his wife sadly did not engage in the STL philosophy that is part of our Airbnb community. I believe he is better suited to a hotel.”

recommend : no

[Marg11]

Our house rules make it clear that the steel screens are there for personal security and safety as the local wildlife, flies, mosquitos and can be annoying so must be kept out. They can enter is if the front screen is propped open or the back screen is carelessly left open. The window screens are riveted in place. Our 1st aid kit contains the necessary treatments. When curious guests ask, I show them how to locate and wind up redback spider webs on a stick. It seems overkill to some guests but putting leftover food in the fridge, binning rubbish daily and keeping the flat clean will keep them healthy. 

Lockdown has been great. Our Fifo guests are so well trained in the mining camps in hygiene, personal responsibility and environmental understanding. Now to transfer this to the regulars.

[Sean433]

If this is a "nightmare" guest, I would love to have such a guest as being my worst nightmare guest. He is not a good guest but this is far from nightmare. To me, a nightmare guest would be --- thousands in damage, threatening to call police for a so called break in, falsely accused of bed bugs, prostitute using your place to conduct business. All of these happened to me.

Not a nightmare guest but easy to see him that way if all of your guests have been an absolute pleasure. You are lucky he isn't truly a nightmare. At the end of the day, you are getting paid for it. If you are in this more for the social aspect, clearly he will not satisfy that need but does it really matter?

[J-Renato0]

@Sean433 

@Robin4  said... "I am in the process of hosting my nightmare guest"...
There are symptons to predict if a nightmare is coming.. and technics to avoid or to prevent some problems.

You are very arrogant Mr @Sean433  and thinks you know everyting!

You say this is far from nightmare guest! Wowww.. It is not the worst case scenario indeed ... but you are minimizing the situation... Air conditioner on 24 hours a day... they are dirtying the garden... To me it a very bad guest! Almost a nightmare. Imagine if the air condicioner brokes.

Once you said you know more than me!
Well, now I know you really knows more than me!
According to what you have said (the list of nightmares that happened to you) I can agree that you are specialist in having bad guests. Maybe you are the champion!

This post is not a competition to know who is the one who had the worst guests on earth!

However this post is about - how to prevent a nightmare.... how to help someone who is seeing what could be a hurricane appearing on the horizon...

[Sean433]

@J-Renato0 

Awww, so my comment to you like 3 months ago stayed with you this long? Poor thing!!

I am minimizing it because it is not a nightmare. Maybe for an overemotional person such as yourself, this is a nightmare. If someone leaving air conditioning on all day is going to cause someone to stress out this much and maybe lose good sleep over it, that is the type of anxiety I would certainly avoid. I agree this is a bad guest but not a nightmare. It is not like he is a long-term guest and will be doing this for unforeseeable future. He leaves in a few days and you move on with life.

When you host a high volume of guests especially as an off-site host, you will have "nightmare" guests no matter how much experience you have. It comes with the business. Robin seems to be on-site. Much easier to have great guests when you are on-site. Plus she is not pushing volume. Money is not her end goal, but it is mine. I don't care to establish friendships with my guests while holding hands and singing kumbaya!

And yes I do know a lot more about this business than you my friend. Now go ahead and think about that in your head for another 3 months 😉

[J-Renato0]

@Sean433 

OH great brave guy ! 🙂

You say provocative things like "I don't care to establish friendships with my guests while holding hands and singing kumbaya!" and "Maybe for an overemotional person such as yourself" ....

I do not believe you speak in this provocative way when you are talking in person with someone.

Moreover... If dirtying your garden and leave the air conditioner on 24 hours is not enough to trigger an reaction on you... No more comments. You are the S u c k e r Host 🙂

[Sean433]

@J-Renato0 

You did not read what I had said carefully or skipped over it. For the third time, this is NOT a good guest. This is a BAD guest. Not a nightmare but bad bad bad guest. Feel better?

What should the trigger be for air conditioning and cigarettes on the garden? Is the solution to go crazy over it or to just ask the guest not to do it again? Maybe for you, the answer is both. For me, the answer is to ask them to stop and move on.

Now, you can move on too or keep triggering yourself. 3 months from now, you will still be thinking about this.

[Robin4]

@Sean433 

Sean, maybe 'nightmare' was not the correct way to describe this guest but, there is something you have to understand. To me, I love hosting people! I don't do this because I have to, I do it because I want to, and I get so much enjoyment from the interaction I have with my guests. The money I get out of it is a bonus, it's the icing on the cake!

Of course I don't get guests who do thousands of dollars in damage, because I don't host in an environment where something like that will ever happen to me.

No 'guest' would get to bring, or book as a prostitute and get onto this property because, I can read between the lines, I have been doing this long enough to understand the meaning of words. A reservation like that will never walk up my drive, I have at times had those 'requests'....but never accepted them.

I do not put myself in the 'risk' end of hosting Sean, so my expectation from my guests is not the same as yours! 

So that word 'nightmare' has a different meaning to me than it does for you. A nightmare is something I would rather not have again.....a catastrophe would be what you are describing Sean, and I do everything I can to avoid hosting .......catastrophes!

Cheers........Rob