If a guest books a trip less than 24 hours before scheduled ...
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If a guest books a trip less than 24 hours before scheduled check-in, what is their cancellation policy? And is there an incr...
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Sooo... it happened. Two adults - I'm talking ppl in their 50's.
I have a lower unit in my home. Couples mainly. Fine. People have sex, I know. The wild screaming - okay - put on headsets.
Unfortunately, they stained my couch with sex stains. Not even having the decency to use towels during NOR any attempt to clean up after. I get that's a rareity amongst guests.
The issue was it took my cleaner 2 x's longer to clean AND beside tissues all over the floor - they treated my place like a cheap motel.
How do I review them? I really want to warn other hosts about them.
What do you think is the best way to handle this?
Thank you!
Tori
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The part of my review of a guest that pertained to this exact issue was, "We were also disappointed with the casual disregard shown by XXX and his companion toward our space and furnishings. We wish him well, but cannot recommend XXX to other hosts."
There was even an easily washable throw blanket on the sofa...geez, people...
We weren't very happy with the state of the brand new duvet cover, either, though for a one night stay, we admired his recuperative abilities 😉
He got a 2 for cleaniness from us.
"Cleaning after this guest required twice the normal time."
The part of my review of a guest that pertained to this exact issue was, "We were also disappointed with the casual disregard shown by XXX and his companion toward our space and furnishings. We wish him well, but cannot recommend XXX to other hosts."
There was even an easily washable throw blanket on the sofa...geez, people...
We weren't very happy with the state of the brand new duvet cover, either, though for a one night stay, we admired his recuperative abilities 😉
He got a 2 for cleaniness from us.
@Jennifer1421 if the mess had been, say, orange juice, would your review have been different?
@Lisa723Yes, as spilling orange juice on a sofa is purely accidental. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what's going to happen if you have a romp on a sofa 🙂
We did have a guest who spilled cream soda on our (white!) living room carpet (maybe not the best choice for a STR). They had made an effort to clean it up, though it wasn't thorough. That guest got a 4 for cleanliness and private feedback to the effect that while we are aware that accidents happen, we would've appreciated them letting us know, and that moving forward they should always let their hosts know about accidents if they happen.
@Jennifer1421 some would consider drinking orange juice on the sofa and spilling it as careless and disrespectful... and the impact on you is the same...
@Lisa723I see your point, but I don't think I agree. I wouldn't expect anyone to refrain from having a drink in the living room, nor would I ever see an accidntal spill as disrespectful. Careless, maybe, but not disrespectful. I don't think the impact is the same, either. Orange juice doesn't require the same level of cleaning as bodily fluids do.
I'm not entirely clear here, though. Do you feel that my review of the "sofa **bleep**" guest was too harsh, or that my review of the "cream-soda clumsy" guest was not harsh enough?
@Jennifer1421 I don't really have an opinion, I'm just curious... I rarely have had to leave a negative review but when I do I really try to focus on the effect on me/my cleaners/the listing, not the attitude I infer from that. I think (?) in either case my review would have been the same, however private feedback maybe not.
@Lisa723 Ah, I see. TBH, the guest who left the seminal fluid (just trying this descriptor out, since my previous biological term has been censored) on the sofa had already earned my poor opinion, since he was an hour late checking out, even though he'd been told on his original inquiry that I wasn't able to accommodate a late check out. So, yeah, no doubt that coloured my review.
Orange juice wouldn't be a fair comparison. What about milk shake instead? Ruinous stuff!
Can't seem to @ Jennifer............I was looking at your reviews since you asked someone about was it too harsh or NOT harsh enough.
Did I get it straight - guests stained your white carpet sorta cleaned up and you still give them a 4 star for cleanliness ?? sorry we are hosting really differently............If they told you immediately, and / or cleaned up really as best they could - then maybe a 3 - BUT, sure accidents happen but I do not encourage them - and a 4 star ?? That says to ME - its cool - its OK - no big deal.
I would block them & . 1-2 star so they couldn't book at my place or IB's - I think if they clean up and or offer to pay that changes stuff - its an effort to do something - then I would give a 3 star still - if they do NOTHING....that gets a thumbs down from me.
Some folks are just not respectful of others property - and I don't know if we can somehow impart respect on them BUT low stars/ thumbs down/ charges will certainly get their attention to something THAT DIDN"T matter to them at all before. That's my take on it. happy hosting
@Clara116The cream soda people really did try to remove the stain...it was just a barely noticable light pink spot, that I could've easily missed, so they did try - which suggested to me that they were respectful. All I had to do was apply some Resolve, and the last vestiges of the soda came up, so there was no harm done. I ultimately felt that these people just needed a nudge to make sure that they understood moving forward that hosts must be told about accidents. I would host them again, myself, and I didn't think they would prove to be a menace for anyone else. I also didn't think it would be fair to ruin their ability to book again due to an accident they tried to rectify. I did give them a 3 (I think) for communication, as that was the main problem.
I had guests (also older) who left a mess so horrendous I walked in and had to walk back out of the unit after they checked out. It took a while to gather my courage and go back in. From the beds (yeah, both beds, what are you gonna do?) to the floors of the bedrooms, into the bathrooms...there was human waste and other bodily fluids, lube, grease, and I don't even want to know what. And in the living room, there was a perfect oily print of a human butt on the floor in front of the sofa that took 10 cleanings to remove -- it had soaked into the 150 year old original floors of the house. The guy thoughtfully left his Viagra behind. Yeah, people have sex, and probably all over the house, who knows? But this was . . . epic. I left a negative public review and a very pointed private review. Thumbs down, scored down for cleanliness. One set of sheets had to go, and I ended up buying a new mattress pad for that bed. He responded to me privately that they were "late for their flight." Pretty special.
At my last accommodation I ended up changing to a leather sofa as it was impossible to clean a fabric one for this very reason, as this very thing happened often. My target market was romantic getaway. Well, what can you do. At my present accommodation I have a removable washable cover, the worst stain was a guest who spilled a container of olive oil marinade all over it, complete with olives. I whipped it off, washed in hot, all gone.
As far as the review goes, I would probably not say anything. A lower cleanliness ranking would suffice.