Very discouraged about 'quality' of airbnb guests

[Mary1135]

I don't know, is it me?  Is it too much to think guests might understand that a host is opening her home to them, and therefore it's a special situation, a unique setting, a glimpse of a local's life?  I am not a Hampton Inn, and I don't have generic Ikea furniture.  When I plan trips, my husband and I actively seek out interesting, unusual places to stay.  Do people not understand what airbnb is supposed to be?

Last season I had a guest who tried to squeeze me for the cleaning fee -- but she was rude and she left the place a mess.  It's a lousy $25!

This week a guest who has no idea how the 'rate float' works hounded me to rebate the overage for the week they want to stay, which he says is a total of $100.  I finally told him that he should just cancel if that rate won't work for him.  Which he did.  Now he's sending me messages demanding I return his 'service fee'.  I politely explained that the host has no control over that -- that he will need to contact Airbnb.  Good grief!  He wouldn't do that if I were travelocity, or an airline, or a hotel chain, right?  I'm just one host with one apartment that I hope people will enjoy.

I had a group of ladies on 'girls' trip who broke an antique goblet (in my part of the house) and left me 5 bucks, I had people try to sneak in their dogs (multiple), I had people snooping around my workspace (my art studio), although it is clearly marked Private.  I've had people complain and whine that the apartment doesn't have this or that -- when all of the amenities are listed, and there are ample photos showing the space.  

I would say that my experiences with Airbnb guests are running 60::40, 60% seem to be good people, 40% not so much.  If the balance tips anymore, I will delist after this season and just rent the space year-round.

That rant over, how do you all deal with these situations?  I took off Instant Booking (although airbnb nags me about that) and I've listed on other sites.  I send messages and hope to engage guests in dialog.

I don't know.  I am pretty discouraged.

Thanks for any insights or commiseration.

Mary

[Sudsrung0]

In my experience over the years we have had various properties what we thought would suit various budgets we still have some high end properties and 3 small bungalows with a pool all our trouble comes from the 3 small bungalows its a nightmare some days, all our properties are full at the moment we dont here from them only the bungalows they just dont stop moaning and talk about things getting broken we are now thinking that Airbnb is just attracting "Cheap Charlies" who have Champane taste but only beer money.

We have a family who have rented 2 bungalows ripped open our pillow cases and takne out the stuff inside when I asked them why they did that her reply was they didnt like them being so big and they have broken a timer for the outside lights that come  on at night, they are there for security they said it was to bright, now Im fumming leave my property alone if you dont like something then tell me DONT TOUCH ANYTHING, UNDERSTAND?

A guy in the other bungalow went and had some tattoes done then went to bed without covering them up so now we have ink all over the nice white bedding, And that my friends is just this week

[Ann72]

Good Lord @Sudsrung0!  I can't even with these low-lifes.  Give them less than 3 stars in the reviews, and to the question, Would you recommend these guests?  Um, that's a big No.  Then they'll have real trouble going anywhere else with Airbnb.  Revenge is sweet.  🙂

[Mary1135]

I agree with Ann! 

I stopped giving the benefit of the doubt in my reviews and rating everyone (even the destroyers and the whiners) 5 stars, because another host told me please don't do that -- giving an honest rating helps other hosts know what kind of people want to stay in your place.  Now I really wish all hosts would rate honestly.

I'm so sorry that is happening to you!

[Costa2]

If you do not leave bad reviews to guests , you are not belong here. You will make all of us end up homeless evetually . Bad review is the key. It will change any system..

[Suzanne302]

I agree with Christine that people are decent or not decent, no matter the price they're paying. That's just been my experience.  (There are exceptions, of course!)

As Susan said, some of my younger guests have been the most respectful and so much fun to host! My place is not fancy or large by ANY means, but I guess for a 20-something splurging on a $40/night room, my house is pretty cool. Most comment as soon as they walk in how much they love my house. And I love my house, too, but it's small and really nothing special compared to what else is out there!

I've also found, the more interaction I have with a guest, the better they are. I think it's because it's harder to disrespect the space you're staying in when you associate it so closely with an actual human being.

[Mary1135]

Interesting -- a friend of mine said that too.  She hosts in her house, and it's hard for guests to avoid interacting with her and her husband.  She's had ONLY good experiences with guests!

I guess I thought giving guests as much privacy as possible was the way to go -- so I've gone out of my way to NOT be at my art studio when they arrive.  If they are in the apartment (upstairs) when I am there, I don't 'hallooo' up the stairs, I basically tiptoe around in my little corner.  It turns out this is probably wrong!

So strange -- I guess a psychology study could happen on airbnb guest behavior it's so counter-intuitive.  All of the things you think are good (privacy, independence, low prices, authentic host furniture) turn out to work against hosts!

[Susan151]

@Suzanne302 

@Mary1135 . I think you might consider that the people who have booked with you have chosen to stay in someone's home. A percentage of them have chosen this option because they do want at least some interaction with a human during their travels. I get Chinese visitors who want to experience how an American family lives. I get American visitors who want to be close to the universities so they can imagine their child's life if they can get into MIT or Harvard.

And then there are those who chose in-home because that is what they were willing to pay and/or what they can afford.

I never call up to guests once they are in their rooms, but I do chat a bit when they pass through the common rooms. I ask them how they slept, do they need help planning their day, and then when they get home, I might chat about their day. It is pretty easy to tell who wants to chat and who doesn't, so I take that into account as well.

In conclusion, your hosting style should be who you are. The most important attribute of your interactions with guests [and the world in general] is sincerity.

[Mary1135]

Well, I'm pretty much of an introvert and socially awkward, Susan, so sincerity for me is actually minimal contact, but I'm trying to adapt.

Some of the guests I've gone out of my way to welcome and gone way out of my way for have been nice to my face and then trashed my place or rated me down on something in their reviews (while never saying anything to me directly).  This is so discouraging that I think -- did I say or not say something?  What about me is making them hypercritical?  Best to avoid that.

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you -- your hosting style would not work for me as a guest.  I do not want to tell a relative stranger how I slept or how my day was, necessarily.  I've stayed in B&Bs and airbnbs with the host in-house, and I just want our relationship to be cordial and considerate, but with boundaries.  If they invite me to join them in their own activity (watching tv, drinking coffee, gardening, etc.) I think that's lovely and gracious, and sometimes that's a yes.  As a host, if I am doing something in the common area (such as running an art class, having friends in my gallery for a glass of wine)  I always invite guests to join in, but I don't expect that they will share their lives or any vacation time with me.

It's undoubtedly really different if you are hosting in your home or in another space.  For me, the apartment on airbnb is upstairs from my private art studio and semi-public gallery.  It is my workspace, but is very personal to me, not like a hotel or hostel, much more like a home or private environment.

[Emilia42]

Hi @Mary1135, I think privacy is so important. I give my guests (apartment attached to the side of my house) complete privacy but I let them know (in my check-in e-mail and welcome binder) that if they need me or want to meet me they can find me at my family business a few buildings away. This has worked really well for me. Some people stop by to introduce themselves and other come and go without me ever seeing them. It gives the guests a sense of 'I'm here to help' but 'you are on your own to enjoy yourself.'

[Deborah614]

Good point, Suzanne.   I interact with my guests - greet them with a complimentary drink (wine or beer) and a platter of nibbles.   Ask them what time they want breakfast served.   Ask them if they'd like horse riding, kayaking or perhaps a camp fire dinner.   We sit and chat about stuff so they are truly a house guest.   

It's hard to diss someone who you have sat and shared drinks and nibbles with.   A management consultant once told me, business lunches are crucial to good key account management.   It goes back to biblical times - "when two people break bread together, a bond is formed".    

So, "break bread together" with your guest.   Even if it's just a glass of wine and some crackers & cheese.   

[Francesca-and-Dave0]

@ Mary in Bar Harbor ME

We are seeing and hearing similar tales and concerns more and more from ABB hosts. When ABB originally started they marketed to, and were favored by, a particular market niche of both hosts and guests looking for a unique and more personal experience. This self-selected for hosts and guests who tended to seek out and expected a “house guest” experience. Although there were certainly issues and problems, for quite awhile the ABB system generally worked very well for most hosts and guests.

As more and more “generic” or “standard” rentals were brought into the market (multiple property owners and standard hotels) looking to cash in on the ABB phenomen, ABB changed drastically along with goals and expectations of both the hosts and the guests. Soon the management at ABB seemed to be going after the maximum profits regardless of the quality or standards so traditional hosts providing personal touches in their own homes are being beset with guests looking for hotel amenities and anonymity at the cheapest rates possible. This sets up a horrible mis-match for the “traditional” hosts who find people looking for cheap hotel rates tend to make terrible “house guests”.

Because those who host in their own homes often have lower overhead, they can generally offer lower rates than standard hotels or vacation rentals. If hosts get good guests and enjoy the experience while making a little extra money, then the lower rates are great all around, but when ABB lists a “traditional” ABB Home Hosted property along side a listing for Holiday Inn, hosts can end up with a cheapskate guest who doesn’t understand — or doesn’t appreciate — or doesn’t care, about the extra efforts we go to in order to give guests a truly special experience, then EVERYONE, guests, hosts and ABB, lose.

We have had ONLY great guests in over 5 years of hosting with ABB and over 10 years hosting BEFORE ABB came onto the scene, but we are very careful and have strict protocols for vetting potential guests. We are now no longer using ABB as our main listing and we have set extremely tight parameters on guest bookings. Part of the problem now with ABB is that they want to control the host booking and have taken away the protections and safe guards that so many hosts need in order to do this comfortably and successfully in the more “traditional” sense.

At this point ABB is basically the same as Expedia or Trip Advisor so we see no advantages to using ABB any longer — in fact, ABB is WORSE for us than sites like Booking.Com and VRBO because we have MORE control in managing a good fit between our homes and our guests by using the other services and our own web site. If we were not already part of the ABB system — and didn’t hold out a small fraction of a percentage of hope ABB might repair some of the damage they’ve done — we would never join up now or we would simply leave ABB altogether.

[Mary1135]

So well said.  

Do you find it really irksome to be nagged by airbnb to loosen your parameters on bookings?  They are prompting me constantly to remove Instant Booking, to lower my rates, to reduce my minimum stay nights, to allow this and that.  I think as a "newbie" you want to cooperate and be a good airbnb host member and then you find out all of the reasons it's a bad idea, because some guests are just going to take advantage.

[Francesca-and-Dave0]

Absolutely! ABB was once fairly simple and mostly pleasant to use as they supported hosts and guests in a transaction of mutual trust, comfort and benefit. They are now just too much trouble to deal with because they no longer provide any real service or advantage to us to use them over our own web site portal or any of the other internet booking services.  No one knows more about our home, the “pricing”, our local area and which guests will most likely feel comfortable and excited to say with us, yet ABB constantly tries to dictate prices, booking parameters, who we accept and what we know about potential guests. More and more they tend to ignore our concerns as hosts. In fact, we have discussed removing our listings completely from ABB because we think listing with them now actually DEVALUES our property, CHEAPENS our business and ultimately DAMAGES our own “brand”. However, we still hold out some slim hopes that MAYBE they will repair the damage so we retain our listings for now....

[Mark-and-Chris0]

@Mary0  we removed Instant booking AND raised our rates and it has been good for us on both counts.  I totally understand why they want instant booking - but increasing their income is not my priority - having the right guests (who we can verify have good references is).  

[Dallas9]

I feel your pain, but not as hard.  i just had young renters who knocked me down on communication AND cleanliness.  one.  i told them cell phones don't work out in the wilderness where my rental is.  two, they brought two indoor beagles and i didn't charge them a pet fee.  but they complained my house common areas were not up to thier standards.  sheesh.