What constitutes the average/good/bad guest?

[Brittany1]

Actually I generally know what a BAD guest looks like and thankfully I haven't had many. But I'm curious how hosts handle and review the not great and not terrible guests.

If for us the average airbnb guest is pretty damnwell close to perfect, I.E. kitchen spotless, linens in hamper, lights off, great communication, garbage removed, dotes on place : ) then does someone who doesn't take garbage out, leaves dirty dishes, bed still ruffled but has good communication also deserve a high rating? Is it fair to punish them for not being the average perfect guest?

Is it fair to say they weren't tidy because they left dishes and garbage and place askew? If it isn't tidal wave level? I know for some it's a matter of whether or not I charge a cleaning fee. I DO. But my point is that most guests (the guests I really would recommend) still leave our place in near perfect condition.

My cleaning fee covers hardcore pro level laundry and cleaning. It's not there so you can act like a slob and leave dirty dishes all over the place.

THOUGHTS?!

[Clare0]

@Brittany1  If a guest leaves the place untidy but not severely so, I give a lukewarm review without a recommendation to future hosts.  Something like " X stayed at my cottage for a weekend and was very pleasant.  Wish them well in their Airbnb travels."  (How bland is that?). I also tell them in the private review that they could have done a better job cleaning up after themselves.  

Unlike 99% of hosts, I do not have cleaning fee because (a) don't guests have a right to expect a clean place when they arrive? and (b) I fear they will think they can leave the place a mess since they're paying for the clean up.  When I check the guest in, I ask them to leave the place reasonably picked up and so far, with one exception, they all have.  Some are better than others, but I just take it in stride.

What do you think?

[Leana1]

I am an extremely tidy person and I take that into account when guests on vacation stay in my home but I lower their rating the more that they don't clean up after themselves (after all, they are guests in my home and not staying at a hotel). I charge a small cleaning fee of $5 to cover the cost of having to take an extra load of sheets and towels to the laundromat for every guest that I have come to stay which ends up being at least once a week or more. To clarify what I expect from them as a guest and what the cleaning fee is for, I state everything that I just said in my house manual and rules. Before a guest comes to stay I remind them to read both. If after they come to stay, I have had to remind them again of what I asked them to read then their rating goes down even more and I state my issues in their review sometimes publicly if it was severe enough but mostly just privately so they are aware of their offense. I try to be more lax than my instincts because I know I am a bit obsessive compulsive but I do have a good gauge of what is respectful/reasonable and what is not. Hope this helps.

[Dede0]

@Brittany1 While we love it when guests aren't total slobs (and hate it when they're beyond total slobs), we explicitly encourage guests to NOT worry about making the bed (or, worse, to strip it and pile up the linens), and to NOT wash the dishes. And we tell them that while we're perfectly happy if they take out the trash or recycling, we're also perfectly happy to handle that ourselves.

The reason we prefer that they don't strip the bed? It's easier to examine the linens for stains and, if necessary, apply pre-wash stain-removers.

The reason we prefer that they don't do the dishes? If they do, we still have to examine every item and more often than not, rewash them. We want them done right. Spotless.

Our favorites are the guests who don't even touch any dishes or glasses, or drink the complimentary beers or mineral waters, or use any of the coffee beans or half-and-half. The worst are those who use 2 towels per person per day, or multiple rolls of toilet paper or paper towels, or leave inexplicable faint gray-brown stains on our white towels. Or scattered blood stains on the sheets and pillow cases. (And what's up with the otherwise perfect guests who decide to take a white muslin kitchen towel with them when they go? We had two guests in a row do that recently, and they were otherwise total dream guests.)

[Brittany1]

Thanks @Clare0 

You are totally right about the linens @Dede0 . I've thought about changing my request for stripped beds. I often don't find a stain until after it comes out of the dryer and by that time it's usually too late. Thanks for sharing your ideas. And I totally agree with you, my perfect guest doesn't touch the kitchen at all. Makes cleaning a breeze. We don't reexamine every dish but just yesterday a guest filled my dishwasher with the most disgusting food covered, mac and cheese baked on, coffee stained dishes and then didn't even press start. I had to wash every single one. *And i actually have a note that says, "please rinse dishes before placing in dishwasher"

@Clare0 I hear you. A guest definitely has the right to a clean apartment. I don't see the cleaning fee as money to pay for me to get the place ready for you. I see it as the money for me to clean up after you for the next guest. Either way, it's helpful to have the extra money to pay for good cleaning and our guests have never said anything about it. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

[Dede0]

@Brittany1 Our joint doesn't have a dishwasher. Just a sink, some dish soap, and a drying rack. To be honest, about half our guests don't use anything more than a coffee cup or two. Austin is a restaurant town.

[Pamela343]

How do you review/ rate guests that:

leave make up on sheets and pillows?

stain sheets with blood?

leave bathroom extra dirty? 

But over all are pretty good or great?

[Carmel26]

Perhaps give them a good rating for most items, but just give them less stars for "cleanliness"... its hard to decide what to put in the written review though! maybe privately mention what you expected with regards to cleanliness

[Kris12]

Leaving the place a bit messy is not a big issue for me, as I have staff to take care of that part and I wouldn't expect guests to do the dishes when they are paying for a cleaning at check-out.

My biggest issue is guests who don't read the description of my place and the instructions of how to get here. People asking me 50 questions before booking, that are answered already in the description, are really getting on my nerves. And people calling me at 4am for directions, when I have clear instructions on how to get here by train, bus, taxi, GPS-coordinates and Google Maps links really p*sses me off. Why call someone from the airport at 4am, when you are not checking in before 1pm at the earliest.

This has resulted in me turning my phone off from midnight to 8am, as I get phone calls at the most insane hours.

And guests demanding to get checked in early. Even when I explain to them that I wouldn't kick them out early to make room for new guests, they have no regard for other guests or my schedule.

People trying to get huge discounts and wanting to stay more people than the listing allows.

Actually, most of my guests are getting on my nerves, one way or another. But most of my guests are Asian, who expect 5 star service at a third of the price.

Still trying to smile and be friendly, though it's not easy with some guests 🙂

[Chavonne0]

I'm so glad you asked this question.  I charge a $25.00 cleaning fee for a 2 bedroom, full house property.  It takes me about 2 hours to wash the towels and linens, remake the beds, sweep, vacuum, mop, clean the toilet, sink and shower. I try to use any extra time for monthly deep cleaning like baseboards, windowsills, blinds, etc.

Where I have my quandry is guests that leave a sink full of dirty dishes.  I don't have anything in my house rules, but it seems less than 5 star to leave in the sink dirty pots, pans, plates, etc.

Does anyone have a standard they use, do you put it in your house rules, any ideas?

Thanks for the help!

[Rachael85]

It is in my house rules. I say. " Please wash any dishes you use, and I'll take care of the rest of the cleaning."

[Sarah977]

I happen to think that charging a cleaning fee is just strange. No one gets charged a separate cleaning fee when they stay at a hotel, bed and breakfast, or even a hostel. I think it should be factored into the price a host is charging, just like hosts factor in utilities, soap, toilet paper, etc. It's bizarre to me to charge extra for washing the bedding and towels, for instance. I know it looks better to see a lower booking fee, but if it gets added on anyway when the guest books, what's the difference?

What really needs to happen is that airbnb allows hosts to charge an "above and beyond" cleaning fee which is held until a day after the guest checks out (not like the bogus security deposit, which in fact is not charged and which hosts seem to have to practically sell their soul to claim on). I really can't see many hosts claiming on such a cleaning fee if it wasn't warranted. If guests knew that cleaning $ was being held and not refunded (without them having to agree to it) if they left the place dirty, they would be more likely to leave the place in acceptable condition, and it would eliminate the problem of those guests who think that if they are charged a cleaning fee it means they are justified in leaving a mess.

Guests could be given a checklist of what the host expects to be done as far as cleaning in order to have the cleaning fee refunded. I don't think the majority of hosts would be unreasonable in this. I doubt if any of us expect paying guests to wash the floor (unless it's covered with sticky crud) or windows, vacuum down cobwebs or deep-clean the oven. We just don't want to feel like we're mommies cleaning up after 5 year olds.

[Molly119]

As a host and a guest, I'm always puzzled by hosts who make their guests strip the beds and do the dishes. A hotel would never, ever ask you to do that.

As a host, in my PRIMARY RESIDENCE, my cleaning fee covers cleaning. That includes dishes, changing linens and taking out the garbage - things that I pay my cleaner to do.

I've hosted over 60 groups and only had 3 that were disgusting (5%). Most are incredibly tidy and respectful.

@Brittany I would never, ever charge a cleaning fee and then expect my guest to clean up! TIDY - yet. Clean- no. That is insane. I don't think a cleaning fee should be for deep cleaning, but rather to clean. I have never asked a guest to take the garbage out although many do on their own accord.  I tell groups to enjoy the house! Enjoy their vacation, be respectful (95% of guests are) and it will all go well.

As a guest, I very much resent being asked to strip beds and take out the garbage. I wonder why on earth I am being charged $80-$100 cleaning fee and then being asked to clean. The last thing on earth I want to do when I am on vacation is to spend 30 minutes cleaning when I am paying a cleaning fee. This makes me completely turned off. It makes me feel like I am a HOUSE guest and not a PAYING guest. I don't act like a slob (I do not regard not stripping beds acting like a slop) but I also don't believe in being a cleaning lady on my vacation. The times I've rented properties as a  part of a group the rest of the group felt the same way. People were very *resentful*of being asked to be a cleaning lady during their vacation, whilst being charged a $80-$100 cleaning fee. 

I would recommend that if you expect guests to be their own cleaning service, you either don't charge a cleaning fee, or tell them in advance. That would certainly weed out your "messier" guests. 

No- I would never give a bad review to someone who left dishes around. I do give bad reviews to people to are genuinely disrespectful. 

[Shannon241]

I liked reading different people's views, I personally think you can't compare and airbnb to a hotel room, its not staffed at the same level, and doesn't cost the same. I therefore expect a much higher level of thought and care as to how my apartment is treated than someone would a hotel room. I'm on here reading, as a guest left my place for the first time in 6 months in a shabby condition. However it was all surface, just rubbish lying around, and things out of place. washing was done but not put away. (And I now feel bad for judging them harshly) I came on here to figure out how to rate them. I thought, look they've treated this like a hotel, and to me its not a hotel... hmmm. So its an interesting conversation! and I won't leave them a bad review as they didn't damage anything, they were just a bit grotty than most. All my guests usually leave my place spotless and looking great. Then I go over and make sure everything is sanitary clean, which takes hours and I do charge a cleaning fee equivalent to a cleaner coming - well a little reduced. It makes me feel great about having them stay as I know they've appreciated the apartment and being hosted. I think Airbnb is about giving for both hosts aswell as guests... well I guess sharing. I definitely don't want my place treated like a hotel and I dislike it when guests don't communicate in an open friendly manner.

[Julie1104]

For the first time in my first year of hosting, I have had a difficult guest. (I have found that about 95% of guests are respectful and even wonderful!) This particular guest broke at least 3 of my house rules... no parties, no children and no smoking either indoors nor outdoors.

I have joined this conversation because #1. She was actually an upbeat young woman and I rather liked her. I don't want to trash her profile by giving her a terrible review but I WILL give her personal feedback to help her be a more rsponsible guest in the future. #2 Mostly, I am curious about what happens when we review guests and give them the "thumbs down" response to the question of whether I would recommend hosting her. Does that go on her profile? Does it just go to Airbnb? Does she know I do not recommend her to other hosts? 

Here are the reasons why this booking was difficult for me:

The booking was for two nights; the night before her wedding and for her wedding night. On the first night, she showed up 4 hours later than the time we had agreed to for check in. She showed up with 3 friends in tow, (the bridal party) and her 18 month old daughter which she said had not been part of the plan, but the babysitter didn't show up.

After arriving around 7PM, they all left quite noisily around 10:30, leaving all the lights on, the air conditioning blasting and the door ajar. She came back the next morning, but I was busy with my other work and was not able to talk to her about whatever it was that was going on. (I was still oblivious to most of it.) I realized, after she and her new husband had left, that the full bridal party had been there to get ready. Since I book the cabin for 2 guests only, this seems to break the house rule of "No parties". There were 7 cars in our driveway for bridesmaids, photographer, florist, etc. This is a driveway that usually accommodates 3 cars at the most and which we share with our neighbors.  During our cleaning up, I discovered a beer can with ashes in it and a lighter, left outside on the deck. Obviously someone had been smoking... possibly one of her guests. We live in a drought zone and the wildfire hazard rating is currently set at "extreme".

Bringing her baby here broke the rules in the extreme. We have the "no children" rule because it is unsafe on the deck for young ones, but also, I don't want to be taking diapers out in the garbage and other cleaning up issues that children and babies bring.

As for star ratings, this guest's communication was poor as she didn't inform me about wanting to bring 4 friends over. She broke 3 house rules. She was not respectful of us or the neighbors when they all left late at night, talking at the top of their voices, nor respectful of consumption of utilities, (lights on, AC on, door wide open) (Also, we are in the midst of record breaking warm temperatures and they had the heat turned way up the next morning! to counterbalance the A/C on all night! But this is not one of my main complaints.After all, we are all different)

As I write this, I have to laugh. It sounds so obvious! Give a poor review! But I want to be helpful. I want to be kind and not just hit her over the head with my issues.  I think this will all come as a shock to her! Also, everyone deserves a second chance. At the same time, I don't want other hosts to have to encounter this irresponsible guest. I know other hosts who do not give honest poor reviews, but is that really helpful?

Thanks for reading my rant! I am open to all your thoughts and suggestions.