@Helen350
I think guests reflect learned behaviour, and my experience of Newbies is quite positive. I do promote communication and express their obligations and direct their use of the Airbnb platform. An individual may exhibit bad behaviour and have several reviews stating they were wonderful, but can you imagine the problems hosts encounter when that same individual books for several other guests too? Just how are those other guests going to turn out basing their behaviour on their 'leader'? When they become individual guests their experience becomes replicated and pretty soon you have Maverick expectant guests.
The problem is, there's no school for them to learn the good ways to behave and when they disbehave nobody holds them to account. Not even Airbnb. In fact, Airbnb will not even know who the guests are they are sending and they will not know who to hold to account should they need to.
I think Airbnb fail to promote good behaviour on their platform, and such is their reputation. It is very easy to guide guests towards good behaviour with automatic helpful suggestions prior, during and after a booking. Things like:
- Full disclosure of group, intentions and identification.
- Adding guests to the Airbnb Itinerary (so that guests are identifiable). Often only 1 guest is listed out of 8
- Emphasising that the Airbnb platform is predominantly 'other peoples' homes and not hotels.
- Insisting that the booking guest be present at check-in and not still 'on the way'.
- Breaking down the Terms of Service and expectations into simple terms.. 'Leave as found' etc..
- Reminder message " You're due to leave... make sure everything is as you found it..."
- Promote honesty in revealing damages they might have caused by simply asking them the question.
I don't think as hosts, this sort of training should be our responsibilities, and I don't think that giving sparkly reviews should be the default. This just promotes poorer behaviour.
@Colleen253
When you say that your guest was apologetic, was that in your presence or afterwards by messages? In hindsight, giving him the cleaning materials necessary and time to do the cleaning if he was present would have been a good thing. Those marks and cupboards were not like that when he arrived.
That problem is just a fundamental abuse of the mutual contract we make as hosts and guests and should not even be needed to be discussed. Least of all hidden in flowery reviews if that is what his previous hosts had done.
As an aside, judging the cleanliness of guests , or groups in my case, the more time provided on checkout the better condition the accommodation is left. We have a lateish check out of 11.00 anyway so there's reasonable time for breakfast and clearing up, but often on the night before I'll get a message "any chance of a late checkout?" I can normally accommodate so do. The difference in the cleanliness is noticeable.