True Story: Guest very concerned with noise - Rant time with a delay !!!

[J-Renato0]

It happened about 3 years ago. Only now I decided to write about that.

If there is a type of guest that I do not want to host is the ones who are very concerned with noise.

When some potential guest asks me if the apartment is silent, if there is not internal or external noise, I do not think twice to reply.
My standard answer is - "Sorry, If you are the type of person that are very concerned with noise, I recommend not booking my apartment".

Actually, my listings are good for the average guest, but not for the special noise-concerned guest.

Why? By experience I have noticed that, most of this type of person will never be satisfied. Even if you have sound proof windows, or if there is not street noise they will make an effort to hear it. They will hear some noise to bother themselves, such us toilet flush noise, refrigerator running noise and whatsoever.

Some have ears that are more poweful than the NATO radars or even more accurate than that huge satellite dishes to listen to sounds from other galaxies.
Some noise-concerned guests can NOT sleep because theier mission on earth is to find or detect some noise. The more the silence prevails in dead of the night, the more their ears get accurate to capture some noise. In the end, certainly they will rate less than 5 stars! If they give 4 it is a blessing.

It was about 3 years ago when I had the worst experience I ever had with a noise-concerned guest.
When the guest started complaining about noise, I offered him to move to another listing! He visited the other listing that was vacant and said he wanted to stay in the same listing because the other one it was smaller. I also offered to return the money to him except for the nights he had alredy stayed in the apartment. He said he did not want to leave because he liked the location. 

The grumpy and noise concerned guest gave-me 1-star in overall experience. Not only he was the worst guest I have had but the only one who gave me 1* !!!

[Sarah977]

@J-Renato0  I'm actually quite sensitive to noise if I'm trying to sleep. No particular brand of earplugs, but the type that are bullet-shaped, made of soft material. They are usually bright orange, or yellow. You roll them a bit between your fingers, then insert them and they expand inside your ear. They pretty much block out all sound.  I get the ones that are rated for high decibel level, I think 33.

I never could get earplugs to really block sound much and couldn't understand how other people could. I was saying that to a friend of mine who's a nurse, she grabbed her ear-examining tool (whatever it's called), and said she could see why-that my ear canal had a bend in it, so the earplugs weren't fully blocking sound. Once I knew that, I now use my little finger to sort of work them down into my ear and around the bend. It took some practice, but now I can sleep through just about any noise and not hear anything.

[J-Renato0]

@Sarah977 

Nice to know that. If someday I have to advise someone I will pass along what you have said.

When the guest in question said he liked the location and wanted to stay instead of receiving his money back, I recommended to him to buy earplug in a drugstore/pharmacy too close to the apartment. Later on he said the earplug it was no use to him.

Well, with earplugs or not, I think it is very hard to deal with too noise sensitive guests. So I do not dare to guarantee that they will not have problems.

Fortunatelly you know on how to deal with your noise sensitiveness.
Just out of curiousity, do you trust entirely on the earplugs or before booking somenting you ask if the property is silent or located in a silent area?
If you do not ask you are a normal/average guest because you do not make any special request about noise.

[Sarah977]

@J-Renato0  I have never travelled as a guest, but no, I wouldn't ask if it was silent. If there was a construction project going on right next door, with guys jackhammering at 7AM and the host didn't bother to mention that, I would be upset, but normal human and animal sounds are to be expected anywhere. 

There are things I would ask before I committed to booking a place, like that I can't sleep in sheets that smell strong from perfumey soap or dryer sheets, but noise isn't something I would ask about.

Your guest should maybe book a place in Antarctica- it's probably pretty quiet there 🙂

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  Melting glaciers are said to sound like frying bacon.  https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/07/melting-glaciers-sound-like-frying-bacon/

Thanks a lot, climate change. This guest should probably just stay home.

As for the jackhammering, I hate it as much as anyone, but the city doesn't inform us in advance when an infrastructure project might interrupt our sleep. The only way I can imagine covering the bases is to say: "this is an inner city neighborhood and all that entails."

[Sarah977]

@Anonymous  I did have the thought that large icebergs cracking and breaking away is probably quite the sound 🙂

[J-Renato0]

Not exactly @Sarah977    Even if the guest goes to Antartica he will find himself surrounded by some animals and birds nearby, that can make noise as well.😉 
Penguins, Leopard Seals, Elephant Seals, Killer Whales (Orcas), Snow Petrels 

[Sarah977]

@J-Renato0  I guess the only suitable place for this guy then, is in a sensory deprivation tank 🙂

That could be a "Unique" Airbnb listing. No light, no sounds, no smells, not too cold, not too hot- nothing to complain about!