Unusual Chinese guests

[Neil408]

[Update Feb 19th, 2020] This thread has now been closed in line with the Community Center Guidelines. 

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Hi guys. 

I'm writing this as recently I've had some unusual experiences with Chinese guests. I am based in the UK.

The first one I had was with two mid 20's girls who stayed, they made lots of noise at nights and also washed their dirty underwear in the sink in the bathroom. They were due to stay for 4 days but after breaking many other house rules they left after 2 nights.

The second issue I had with another guest - they blew up a kettle after boiling rice in it and refused to pay - it was only after contacting airbnb halfway through a 4 night stay that they then offered to pay for a new kettle.

Thirdly and finally - a Chinese guest stuck a metal spoon into a 240V 13amp toaster and thankfully had not injured or kill herself. In 2017 I rewired the property and upgraded the electrics to a modern RCD protected fuseboard (I live in a recently renovated 18th c. period property) and this likely saved her life by tripping the RCD protectors on the fuseboard. I did not find out about this until after she checked out. I came back from work to find my keys posted through the letterbox as requested but none of the electrics working. On further inspection, I found a metal teaspoon jammed inside the toaster. I asked her what had happened and she said she didn't know what I was talking about. I then asked her if she was okay because I had found a metal teaspoon jammed inside the toaster and she didn't reply. All I can assume is that she did NOT get electrocuted.

How far do I go in writing my guest rules? Do I have to treat everyone like children? 'Don't stick your fingers in plug sockets' 'Don't wash dirty underwear in the sink?' 'Don't stick cutlery or metal objects into a live 13A toaster?' 'Don't boil rice in a kettle?' I can't think of every possible eventuality where stupidity might occur?

Help and advice needed!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Sarah977  you don't use WhatsApp? 😮 😮 😮

😄

[Neil408]

I've had that problem before  A lovely and perhaps very expensive coffee machine in the room with 20 buttons. Give me a cafetiere any day.

[Kay90]

I have had local guests brush his teeth in the kitchen sink when he reserved a "Bedroom rental" with shared common areas within my family home... and later complain about the cameras in the living/dining /kitchen area.

(Even if it was a reservation for a "Private Apartment" it is not acceptable to brush your teeth in the kitchen sink!)

Hence the interior cameras within  my home in the kitchen and living/dining area when you have people like these using Airbnb...

I have had guests that take items of food that is not theirs...

Walking with there outdoor shoes throughout the home if they think there is no one around and when they hear someone approaching they scamper to remove the shoes. Signage posted on the  exterior door s as well as within the house rules as  a no no!

As well as guest that walk out of the bathroom  and their bedrooms completely naked or half naked within my home and then when mentioned to them that it clearly stated within the house rules /policy that it is inappropriate as this is a family home they get pissed of and leave a horrible review.

Guest sneaking in strange unregistered guests at all hours of the night and morning knowing by their actions caught on the camera that it is wrong and they get upset again negative reviews ...

Guests that rent a bedroom  within my home and do not want me taking out the kitchen and bathroom garbage or tidying the space or even see me in the space they get upset, these guest should opt for paying more for a complete private apartment....Airbnb does nothing to correct their actions or negative reviews...

I had  "superhost status " however, since "2019" with my last few guests mentioned above this is no longer so!  Based on what they think they deserve upon reserving my listings ....

leaves me feeling private apartment rental is best in the future...

[Helen3]

It's so interesting that in-home hosts have such different hosting experiencesKay90 I had a quick peak at your listing and you have a lovely home.

Although I have had a few thoughtless guests make noise when they come in a bit worse for wear, I have never had guests walk around naked or half naked, sneak in additional guests or get upset seeing me in a shared home environment. And generally they are good about my no shoes rule.

I am wondering if it might be worth looking at how you vet guests to ensure a good fit. I used IB but having vetting questions I ask that they need to answer. This helps me get an idea of whether they would be a good fit.  If they don't answer or don't provide a clear profile photo post booking I can ask Airbnb to cancel the booking.

And although I understand you feel more comfortable with the indoor cameras many guests sadly don't read through our house rules or listings properly and  many guests find them an issue. I wonder what you could do in terms of photos and mentioning it up front in your listing to help make it crystal clear? 

A follow up message post booking to confirm your internal cameras when you send your confirmation message to guests, would be a good idea in terms of managing expectations.

[Dimitar27]

Washing clothes in the sink is very common. Lots ot Youtube videos about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwPLy5LuDyk

Boiling food in the hot water jug or kettle- also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp5KK9GOI9M

About the toaster- probably there is some explanation - maybe the the spoon was left on it and accidentally fell inside.

[J-Renato0]

@Neil408 

If a guest comes from some country that usually cause the problems that you have mentioned, I would do as following:

1- Keep the electric kettle and toaster away from those guests.
Alternatively you could show an written message - The kettle can be used only to have hot water for tea or coffe - In the toaster you can put only sliced bread. Never put metal pieces or bread with butter.

( I have had a guest who put sliced bread with butter in the toaster)

2- Show an written message in english and in the guest´s native language (use some online translator) explaining that it is not allowed to wash underwear or any piece of clothes in the bathroom. It is not allowed to wet the floor of the bathroom.

What get to my nerves are some guests that use the air conditioner to cool the bedroom while they use they sleep with blankets ! I have seen many times blankets on the bed when some guests have checkout and it is summertime here.

[Robin4]

@J-Renato0 

José, I have the same issue when it comes to summer sleeping. I get a lot of Asian guests, most from the more tropical areas of Hong Kong and Singapore, and I have had them on a couple of occasions on a 22c minimum night sleep with the air conditioning on 16c so they could experience what it was like to sleep with a Doona on the bed.....something they would never do at home. Probably not even possible to buy a quilt in Singapore. 

Having my house rules in simplified Chinese text does help a lot, I don't seem to get too many of these crazy scenarios like using the kettle as a rice cooker!

@Sarah977 

Living with someone with a disability does make you think more about the requirements of others. 

I would never ever leave the toilet seat up but, when I remodeled the cottage bathroom in one of the plumbing supply houses, I came across a soft close seat and lid which has a self close function in it. A small flap in the water line between the cistern and the bowl  gives just enough motive force to get the seat to close if it is in the up position. So, all you have to do press the flush button and the seat closes. Problem solved!

In the guest bathroom they have the exclusive use of a washing machine plus plenty of detergent and I provide in an overhead cupboard a pull out drying rack for women to dry those things they may not want to be seen publicly....

This arrangement works really well and all the female guests appreciate it. There is a red plastic bowl there is they want to soak something and not take up the sink. I also supply face wipes and dark coloured face washers to help with make-up removal

And Sarah, there is always a cupboard full of towels !

Cheers......Rob 

[Sarah977]

@Robin4  Well , of course those tips re women's ways weren't meant for you- you're one of the enlightened ones 🙂

I did have an ex-boyfriend who was under the impression that women wanted the toilet seat lowered because they just didn't like the look of an open toilet. No one, including his 3 older sisters, his mother, or his previous girfriends, had ever explained the unpleasant shock of going to sit down with your eyes still half-shut, and having your bum plop into the toilet water.

That's a good-looking laundry set-up you've got there, looks like you thought of everything. I had a large wooden drying rack, similar to yours when I lived in Canada. It was attached to the ceiling over the stairway and was raised and lowered with pulleys, so I could stand on the stair halfway landing to hang everything up and hoist it back up a floor. The woodstove was in the area at the bottom of the staircase, so all the heat rose and the laundry would be dry within a few hours, helpful when you've got 3 daughters who make mountains of laundry.

[Meri305]

I have to have a giggle, as I have only had my Airbnb going for about 3 weeks and I have had to update the house rules x3 times now, WHY? because guests keep doing dum things

[Sarah977]

This thread is making me think it would be useful to have a thread alerting male hosts to the ways of women, and vice-versa.

Men:

Women wash their undies in the sink.If you don't want them to, provide a wash basin for that purpose.

Please put the toilet seat down if you share a bathroom with female guests. It's not that we find an 

open toilet seat to be aesthetically displeasing, it's that when we stumble into the bathroom half-asleep for a pee in the middle of the night, we fall in 🙂

Women with long hair use two bath towels after bathing- one for their hair and one for their body.

A box of emergency tampons is just as thoughtful an amenity as extra toothbrushes.

[Maia29]

I provide both tampons and maxi pads.

[Sudsrung0]

Washing clothes and hanging them on the ceiling fan while it's on

[Robin4]

All this talk about guests and bathroom etiquette  reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend the other day. I haven't seen him since he and his wife split up and he moved to another state some years ago. I heard he was back in town having Christmas with one of his daughters so I felt it would be nice to catch up. He jumped at the opportunity and we had a nice afternoon.

In the course of conversation I asked him if he was in another relationship, (his break-up with his wife being somewhat messy) and he said to me.....

"Nah, if they come with a toothbrush, the're welcome....If they come with a suitcase, they are not"!

Every day I learn a new expression!

Cheers......Rob

[Helen350]

@Robin4 Now don't start me (us) on nationalities with over-large suitcases for one night!

[Kwesi0]

For whatever reason, your listing is attracting badly behaved guests and I’m sure you can address it without referencing the ethnicity of those guests. I struggle to understand how their being Chinese has anything with the behaviors described.