What’s the one guest request you’ll never forget?

[Dinesh87]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the Community Center and excited to learn from experienced hosts.
I’m curious — what’s the most unusual, surprising, or even funny guest request you’ve ever received while hosting on Airbnb?

It could be something that made you laugh, a challenge you had to solve on the spot, or even a request that taught you a valuable hosting lesson.

Looking forward to hearing your stories!

[Lorna170 · Accepted solution]

@Dinesh87   Scene:  Rustic cabin in the woods.  Request from Guest:  Remove the squirrel that is on the deck.

Been laughing about that for years....

[Bhumika]

Oops @Lorna170 , haha! That's quite a unique one 😝 

How did you respond to this particular guest request at that time? 

[Dinesh87]

Haha that’s hilarious @Lorna170 — curious, how did you handle it in the moment?

[Dinesh87]

Haha, that’s such a great one, @Lorna170 !
I can just imagine the scene — rustic cabin, peaceful woods, and then suddenly… “Can someone please remove the squirrel?” 🐿️

Thank you for sharing this — it’s exactly the kind of story I was hoping to hear when I started this thread. Sometimes it’s these unexpected little moments that stay with us the longest as hosts.

[Helen3]

Hi @Dinesh87 

I can't see any listings attached to your profile ?

[Dinesh87]

Hi @Helen3,
Yes, that’s right — I don’t have any listings attached yet. I wanted to join here first so I can learn from experienced hosts like you before I start hosting on Airbnb.

[Bernadette466]

The strangest Airbnb request I ever got was for a late checkout of 2 or 3 p.m. on a day when the next guest's check-in was at 4 p.m. I'm not sure how they thought my cleaning crew could do a full turnover in just an hour!

[Jacob1088]

I had this @Bernadette466 , but they asked to check in between 10-11, the guests before check out at 10am. When do they expect us to change over the property 😂

[Bhumika]

How did it go in your case @Jacob1088 ? Did the guests react well when you said no?

[Jacob1088]

They were actually fine about it and just accepted the usual check in time.

We have had people cancel in the past due to it though.

[Bhumika]

Phew @Jacob1088 , I am glad the guests were understanding about it! 

Do you think adding some instructions again in the listing description might help guests know that flexible check-in is not possible unfortunately? 

[Rachel2399]

You can do that I’ve done that but they still ignore it and ask they don’t read when they book things. They just read what it says in the small print they don’t actually go over the additional rules or stuff about the property. I recently had a lady book my lakefront property on Lake Winnebago Where it was August. She didn’t go over the amenities because she messaged me as soon as she got to the property and said where is the washer and dryer I came back and explained to her that’s not a listed amenity for the property and she said every place I go has one so that tells you that they don’t actually read the whole listings they just read part of it and then book it She ended up giving me three stars wrote in the review about not having a washer and didn’t want to look for a laundromat (there was one two blocks away)

[Dinesh87]

@Rachel2399 I can completely relate to that. Some guests really do skip over important details, and then it creates unexpected issues later. It must have been frustrating to receive a lower rating for something that wasn’t even listed as an amenity. Thanks for sharing your experience — it’s a good reminder for all of us to highlight key details clearly, even if they’re already in the listing.

[Bhumika]

That was a close call @Bernadette466 , I'd love to hear more about this situation!

Did you allow their request or had to politely let them know it was not possible?