Okay so now I have heard it all...

[Laura2592]

The Weird Guest Award goes to....

Recent guest was wandering around in the yard barefoot and shirtless in his undies. I know this because the neighbor (who is a nurse) texted that she was concerned he was disoriented. We checked out the Ring camera and got a glimpse. Nope, he was just hanging out in his skivvies on a cold day. Big fellow. Maybe he was hot?

So left a review and read private feedback. Guest "stepped on something in the yard." So we should be "more mindful" of what is in the yard. Uh, its a wooded lot with a bunch of leaves, grass, twigs, etc. Our other guests wear shoes when navigating it...

Same guests left three bags of trash inside after a 2 day stay and then said that they saw ants. 

Okay rant over. 

[Kelly149]

Oh. My. Goodness. 

People. Are. Ridiculous. 

*my house rules say “since we can see one another across the yard your dress and demeanor should be shared-space appropriate” 

Perhaps you need something similar for the city folk who are trying too hard to commune with nature. 

[Laura2592]

@Kelly149 my husband said something like "No nude adventures in the yard" or "We are active body shamers so no outdoor nudity" or "Tetanus shots are not provided with your stay so please wear shoes outdoors." or "The neighbors have small kids and we don't want to explain your attire. So please wear clothes." or  "Never Nude guests preferred" (if you have seen Arrested Development.)

He just thinks this is funny. People are very odd these days. 

[Kelly149]

@Laura2592 Did Mr. Naked get a special review from you??

People are odd... and they act like things are fair game once they've left their own homes... honestly, would anyone tromp around in the front yard in their undies at home? Well, I guess they might, so better question, would anyone tromp around the back garden of a hotel in their undies...

[Laura2592]

@Kelly149  I left a neutral to okay review.  They were not bad guests per se, but definitely not the best ones I have ever had. I don't specify "wear clothes outside" in the house rules but really, does one need to? Apparently so. 

I wasn't going to say a word about the underwear in the yard because I thought it might embarrass them. And then I read the private feedback and just shook my head.  We had guests early on who were very romantically adventurous outside and complained that it was cold and their activities might be visible because of dead trees in February (ya think?)  They marked us down because they had to take their party inside. I think they were like the second people we ever hosted and they were the last ones who seemed appropriate to warn to wear clothes. Thankfully this doesn't come up often. 

[Kelly149]

@Laura2592  Have you read the new ToS yet??

in the review section it says that reviews must include the reviewer’s personal experience to be relevant. So I’m wondering if all the generic “better suited to hotel” or “2 night IB” will be in danger of being considered irrelevant. What do you think?

[Laura2592]

@Kelly149 could be. I always have some kind of detail-- I try to say something positive unless they were heinous. Good communication, pleasant, left the place clean, followed the rules, celebrating a special birthday, etc etc.  "Better suited to a hotel" would probably stand with a few examples- stole our toiletries, wanted daily maid service, demanded amenities we don't offer, etc.  "2 night IB" probably not without more detail. 

[Anonymous]

@Kelly149  I've never had to field a request from a guest with one of these passive-aggressive reviews, but I don't think I would find it very helpful - especially if it was mixed in with positive reviews. At least name the hotel chain that the guest is better suited to!

[Stephanie365]

The $29.95 dive motel by the interstate?  LOL

[Helen350]

VITAMIN D!!! - All the rage these days, they say it fights off Covid!

I have an eccentric LTR tenant next door, who literally shares my yard! I pop out for a chat when I see him hanging  out his hiking gear.... He said he walked just round the corner & took off his shirt in a quiet road to maximize his Vit D uptake. Next day, he was up a mountain shirtless. - At least it was just the shirt, & he did spare a thought for the neighbours!

@Laura2592  @Kelly149 

[Kelly149]

@Helen350 @Laura2592 

This weekend’s guests did shirtless yoga every morning out in middle of the yard. 

my grammar school child walked thru kitchen (large window)... “barn people sure are weird today”

yep, sure are

[Sarah977]

I have to say I don't really get it. Is men being shirtless or people going barefoot considered to be naked and offensive in the US? 

@Kelly149

[Kelly149]

well, barefoot is a problem if you're going to complain about splinters @Sarah977 

I don't know if shirtless is offensive, so much as just kind of unnecessary. It's November, not at all the kind of weather where a tshirt would be oppressive. This was a pack of 20YOs. The yoga was performance art more so than a health practice. Kind of like the potted succulent that came as the "child" of one of the guests and was introduced to me after its trip on the airplane. 

Our line on nakedness is much more relaxed in our own home (own backyard) than it would be in a hotel or in a friend's backyard

[Laura2592]

I was always taught that no one should wander around in public without a shirt. The few exceptions are nightclubs of various types, Victoria's Secret Fashion shows and the beach or pool. I also feel if I can't run around topless without getting arrested for indecent exposure I am not sure why its fair for a man to. Friends get shamed in public for breast feeding if they are too obvious. Americans only want celebrities to be half naked. Many with a good physique think they can get away with it. But I disagree. Keep your clothes on unless you are in a private space.

I don't have issue with this guest playing Captain Underpants as he did probably feel like he was in a private space. He wasn't but hey, he felt at home. I didn't have to look at it either. I did take exception to the "rocks and sticks hurt my bare feet." Because duh. That's why people wear shoes. We don't advertise a debris free lawn.

[Sarah977]

Haha, yes I've seen those types- the yoga is some show-off thing rather than a personal health practice, everyone trying to outdo each other in how far they can stretch or how long they can hold a pose (Here's my latest selfie in some extreme yoga posture).

And for sure if one is going to go barefoot outside, you don't get to complain about things you might step on. 

One of them travelled with their emotional support plant? Gimmee a break.

@Kelly149