Windows wide open in the middle of winter

[Emilia42]

I just had a couple check out and I’m somewhat venting and somewhat buying some time before I write my review.

Guests were a younger couple; kind of a last-minute 3 night booking (4 days before) for my biggest apartment. They checked out with one bedroom window wide open and the other cracked. They took my window fan out of the closet and put it in the window. The room was freezing (probably in the ’40s!) It is 2 degrees Fahrenheit where I live right now (-16 degrees Celsius.) The only thermostat in the place was set at 70 degrees (where I originally set it.) But every single blanket available to them (all throws and extra blankets in storage draws) was put on the bed.

It’s like they thought they were camping and wanted to be super cold but nice and toasty under the covers. I can’t fathom the logic behind this.

The only saving grace, and what is keeping me sane, is that this bedroom doesn’t actually have a heat source so they didn’t burn through as much heating oil as one would think. But still, the guest doesn’t know that!

[Sarah977]

I suspect that those who leave windows open and the heat or AC cranked are people who have only been renters where the utilities are included. Or young people who either still live at home with Mom and Dad or live in residence at university. Or else they just don't care, because someone else is paying the bill.

I know it's often a shock to young people who move away from home and share a house with others when they receive their first electric or other utility bills. "Okay, who phoned Australia and talked for an hour?"

[Jennifer1897]

The nights get quite cold where I am in the Winter, high twenties or so on average. I had a younger couple come and check in around 7pm. I stepped out after I welcomed them, and came home to the AC blasting and the house below 60 degrees. I thought maybe it was a mistake and they meant to turn on the heater, but they said no. I kindly asked them to please utilize their fan or open the windows, as the house was an ice box! (I didn't use that exact phrase) They ended up rating me low on amenities stating that AC was not available. 

I have learned through many airbnb experiences that there really is no "Comfortable" temperature. You sometimes just have to roll with peoples preferences and accommodate to the best of your ability, within reason of course. 

[Emilia42]

@Lawrene0 @Sarah977 @Laura2592 @Jennifer1897 @Anonymous @Branka-and-Silvia0 @Kelly149 @Ann3 @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

The reasoning was so simple . . . 

[Sarah977]

@Emilia42 Hopeless. Does he like it cold when he checks out, too? "Dear Connor, not so odd to mention, when leaving the window open with the heat blasting doubled my heating bill for the duration of your stay. Guess that never occurred to you, huh? Had you told me when you arrived that you were going to heat the great outdoors in the dead of winter, and offered to compensate me for that, it certainly wouldn't have been mentioned in the review."

[Emilia42]

Hopeless is right.

[Helen350]

@Emilia42 More SELFISH, & entitled, I'd say.....

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Emilia42 

I'm sure this won't be a popular opinion, but in light of the review and the response I do feel for the guest. It does show, that as weird or wanton we think guests might be, their preferences might depart from the norm and although negligence might be suspected there seems to be nothing to suggest that here, taking into account his reply.

The idea that the guest might have selfishly been consuming services wouldn't stick here as possibly if there was some sort of heating in the room you may have actually found it turned down or even off?

I would agree that my conclusion would have been the same as yours. The benefits of hindsight!

@Sarah977 

The bedroom wasn't heated, so little loss of heating should have been experienced. As a guess, the guest might have even closed the door to stop heat entering the room from the house as he clearly didn't want that. (!?)

Definitely a 'curve ball'.

[Emilia42]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 I love to sleep in the cold. My bedroom is currently 52 F (11 C) however, I do not achieve that by opening windows and heating the outside. On April 1st I will turn off my heat completely. I am very conscious of the environment and wasting resources. It is clear from the guest's response that he is not and still dumbfounded. 

The guest did not know the room is not heated. I would never tell a guest this for fear that they wouldn't book with me.

The heating was not turned down or off. But honestly, if it was, I would have had a much larger problem because in below-freezing temperatures, the apartment would have frozen and pipes would have burst. Also, opening the windows during the stay is one thing. But these were left wide open at check out! What if I had not been able to check the property until the next day? 

Anyone in the northeastern United States will know that this is totally absurd given the temperatures we get here in February. If the guest wants to open the windows 1000 miles south of here or in Europe where the weather is milder, then so be it. I tried to make my review neutral (like I always do) because while it is okay to do things like this in during February in other parts of the world, it is not okay here.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Emilia42 

It was fortunate that your guest didn't turn down your heating, or turned it off, we have the opposite problem here, we can't get them to turn it down or heat less where we would actually like them to do that. They deliberately add heat from wherever whilst not actually needing it or using it.

It would have been better if the guest just shut the window after him. I understand. But he would still have had the window open all night for what seems like a legitimate reason. Thought process interfered with at the time of checkout possibly... just like the guest we had last week that simply left their luggage behind! Thoughtless, but not over consuming in an expectant manner (which I know you didn't allege).

[Laura2592]

@Emilia42  Sigh. From his response, he still has not gotten it. Maybe he can complain about this to a colleague or family member who pays heating bills and can enlighten him. But beyond that this is a SAFETY issue. You don't leave any accommodation without securing it. We had guests who forgot to close a back door in September. Weather was mild but a stray cat wandered in and started looking for scraps. She christened our laundry room with her kitty bathroom duties. This was after a few hours of the door standing wide open...I can only imagine what would have happened if it had taken longer for someone to go by the house. You just don't leave a home, any home, with doors unlocked, windows open, etc. unless you are expressly told that is the thing to do. Maybe its an American cultural thing, but doors and windows should be closed on check out. 

[Van-and-Leigh0]

Our property has a central boiler for heat and individual ac units for the apartments. Thermostats are separate and labeled. Recent guest complained apartment was warm enough (70 degrees). We explained over phone how to properly operate.  We had to perform a visit to find the heat and AC were both running.  No point,  just sharing the frustration.