Things I find unusual about my guests

[Kamilla8]

We have been AirBnB hosts for about 4 years and there are three things I find unusual:

1.  people sleep on the pillow with the sham on it. There are plenty of pillows on the bed or in the closet without shams. Why do they choose to sleep on the pillows in shams?
2. Most people don’t shower even if they are there for 3-4 days. Ewww! Why?  There are loads of towels and I can supply more if needed. 
3. Many people sleep either on top of both sheets or on top of all bed covering. It doesn’t save me any work. I still change and wash everything. 

Maybe I’m naive. These things just don’t seem normal to me. Do these things happen in your lodgings also?? 
Just curious. 😊

[Mark116]

I'm a fan of decorative pillows.  In a listing like ours that is like a budget plus, with a basic kitchen and a smaller bathroom, there are limited things we an do to give a more upscale feeling...a nicely dressed bed with matching shams and a couple of decorative pillows gives the bedroom a finished and purposeful look.

I am also both annoyed and grossed out by people who sleep on decorative pillows and the pillow shams.  Why?  There are pillows right there for you to use?

My guests do shower most of the time, some of the 2 night sets seem like at least some of the party didn't shower.

I have found once in a while very strange things done to the beds which I still have no idea why.  Once the entire bed must have been unmade and remade because the two mattress pads had been reversed.  

Another recent guest left something that looked like a combination of sugar and cornmeal BETWEEN the two mattress pads.  There was nothing in the sheets, nothing even on the first mattress pad but a small stain, and then once that was removed, about 4 tablespoods of whatever this was? was on the bottom mattress pad.  The same stuff had also been spilled? near the stove.  Inexplicable.

[Anonymous]

@Mark116   Do you give your guests a clear indication of where the decorative pillows are supposed to go when the bed is in use? And do you wash them at every changeover?

[Sarah977]

@Mark116  I think your place is super cute and go ahead and decorate however you want. 

But as for "am also both annoyed and grossed out by people who sleep on decorative pillows and the pillow shams.  Why?  There are pillows right there for you to use?"

Why? Because they are pillows. Pillows are meant to be something to use and make yourself comfortable with. At least to most people. It's one thing to have decorative items like art on the walls which is purely something aesthetic to enjoy looking at, but pillows that are only for looking at, not to be used, and then having to move somewhere else is, no offense, a pointless concept to me.

"about 4 tablespoons of whatever this was?" 

Okay, wild stab at an explanation. Some sort of substance that is supposed to be a sleep aid? Back in my hippie youth days people made little pillows stuffed with various herbs that were supposed to make you sleep well and give you good dreams.

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  Thanks on the decor!  

It's interesting, I never realized that there were so many people who think any pillow on the bed is okay for sleeping on.  I always thought it was obvious--like a small square pillow--is there for decoration only.  Or that the pillows that are in the pillow shams matching the comforter/duvet are also not what you're supposed to put your head on when you sleep.  It literally would only take about 25 seconds to move a decorative pillow(s) off the bed and put it on a dresser/chair/bench/floor.

[Sarah977]

"I always thought it was obvious--like a small square pillow--is there for decoration only.  Or that the pillows that are in the pillow shams matching the comforter/duvet are also not what you're supposed to put your head on when you sleep."

It's only obvious to people who think of pillows as something decorative rather than practical. 🙂 Which I would venture a guess is a small percentage of the world's population.

[Kamilla8]

Amen! And hallelujah!!  😊

[Huma0]

I am confused about pillow shams. I am not even sure that is a thing in the UK. What is the point in them exactly?

So, from what I found on The Internet, they are decorative covers you put over the actual pillow cases that guests sleep on? You are then supposed to take them off before sleeping on the pillows? Why would you expect a guest to do that?

I am somewhere in the middle here in opinion about decorative touches to the bed. I have some decorative cushions (within moderation), which do make a real difference to the initial appearance of the bed and can definitely affect the wow factor of the room. There is enough space in the bedrooms for guests to tuck these away if they don't want them.

However, expecting guests to remove shams from pillows before they sleep is a step too far for me. There should be serviceable bedding on the bed, i.e. stuff that guests can just flop into and sleep on. I don't think that means it can't look fancy. Just buy prettier pillowcases!

So, yes, I also have nice quilts or bedspreads and if the guests want to sleep with them or even on top of them, that is fine. It's all going to get washed between stays. I would advise against having anything that is not washable. I know that some hosts (and a lot of hotels) do not wash all the bedding between stays, but I find that a bit gross.

[Mark116]

@Huma0  No I don't think so.  All the beds have 4 pillows.  2 pillows with the pillow cases that match the sheets and 2 pillows in the shams that match the duvet/quilt/comforter.

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  No, the guests aren't meant to take the sham off. The pillows with the shams are only meant to be admired, then put somewhere else and not used. 

Don't ask me to explain why- it makes zero sense to me.

Did you watch that clip I posted of the movie scene from "Along Came Polly?" Pretty much sums it up.

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 @Mark116 

Ah, okay. I think that was lost in translation a bit.

In the UK, those are decorative cushions, not pillows. Pillows are what you sleep on and would normally be in a pillowcase, not a decorative sham (if there's a difference between a pillowcase and sham?).

So, I do have some decorative cushions, within moderation, which the guests can use or not. Some guests remove them from the bed and that's fine. Others use them and that's fine. I doubt anyone uses them to sleep on as there are plenty of full sized pillows for that, but they can be used to make yourself more comfortable sitting in bed, reading, watching TV, whatever. I have some on my own bed, including the large continental type ones which I have found so useful for this exact purpose as I have a wooden headboard. 

I'm not going to get upset about guests using these extra cushions. Yes, they are decorative, but they can also be useful, e.g. a bolster cushion is there to bolster, not just look cute! If there's something you don't want guests to use, it's probably best not to put it on the bed, but that's just my opinion...

[Sarah977]

@Huma0@Mark116   Exactly. I don't find decorative pillows  or cushions odd, in moderation- they can definitely add a nice touch to the decor. It's that they aren't expected to be used at all, but just taken off and put back on the bed, that's a strange concept to me.

I read in bed every night before going to sleep. It's the only time I have to relax and read. I need at least 2 pillows and even 3 to sit up comfortably. If I stayed where there was only one sleeping pillow per person, I would definitely be using the decorative ones.

[Kamilla8]

We have at least 2 pillows per guest capacity. 8 guest capacity = 16 pillows

[Gordon0]

I too am a bit confused about 'shams', even after a quick internet search.  But I do find North American rooms (hotels or Airbnbs) a bit flowery/kitsch when it comes to tat on the bed/chairs, almost like there's some sort of 'how many cushions can I pile up' competition.

These germ-traps are swiftly banished, as are the quilt things on top of beds, when I arrive.

Give me a duvet (in a cover), one sheet, and pillows that I can lay my head on, please.   

[Lisa6917]

@Huma0  I agree.  I wash EVERYTHING on on the bed (except for pillows).  The majority of my guests seem to place the front decorative pillow on a dresser but I'm totally fine with them using them.  I can't ever know for sure so I just always wash them regardless.  I could just place regular pillow cases on the front pillows but I'm kinda OCD, lol.  I feel like the bed isn't "dressed" without them.  

[John5097]

@Kamilla8 I also don't use pillow shams. For a queen bed guest get 4 pillows with cases. Several reviews mentioned they loved the pillows. 

I didn't research this, but never read a review that complained there were no pillow shams. Most guest are going to assume they aren't washed between reservations, and most of the time they would be right. 

Only a few guest have slept on top of the bed spread. I think some do this because they assume the mattress protector issn't washed between guest and most of the time they would be right. (All my bedding gets washed between guest and let guest know it.) 

Once again that's personal preference and if there is a duvet a few guest just prefer that as it has sheet over it, so maybe they don't like to be buried in blankets. These guest always leave great review. 

Only a few guest didn't shower. I clean the shower that also has a glass door so know if the shower simply wasn't used, as its a lot of work to clean the door. These guest are odd and either don't leave a review or also strange in the review, such as rave about the location then mark down location in sub category.  

Thankfully they are soon gone and someone with positive attitude makes a reservation or checks in and say they love it. 

Edit: only two guest have not taken showers. I take note of that as I'm also trying out darker grey towels and washclothes, and not white ones. They all get washed, and some guest complained about the white ones.