Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Educating first-time guests

First-time guests

 

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you are having a good week.

 

We know how much time and effort you all put into welcoming your guests and making them feel at home.This is why, when you have guests booking on Airbnb for the first time, we want to set the right expectations for you and your home.

 

If your expectations are misaligned, this can lead to less than ideal trips and reviews, which is discouraging for everyone involved and something that has been mentioned here in the Community Center before. So to help these travelers understand the unique, local experience they can have when they stay in your home, I wanted to let you know that we’re reaching out to educate first-time guests before they arrive at your doorstep!

 

To find out more information about this take a look at this blog article.

 

Do you have any handy tips on how you manage expectations for your first-time Airbnb guests?

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Hi, my rentals are on an Island in Thailand. Despite all the info I put on airbnb. ( which nobody reads)  I am constantly upset with my custoners,  I never tell them, maybe I should.. I have put info in the 2 rental houses but people who are not just first time airbnb users still think and act like this is a hotel. I cant go away on holiday if I have customers. This is not Europe or the USA  air bnb need to tell customers to read every information we write. But there again the young men who are now millionairs who run air bnb probably dont care. Nice business . Good idea.

Just nèd custoners to read all info first. 

Amecus-J-0
Level 3
Albuquerque, NM

I'm going to read everything but I have a reoccurring issue with new guests who are surprised about what to expect.  My fav complaints are a guest who wanted me to turn down her sheets, another upset that goats lived outside when the listing is titled "goats, chickens, and rabbits...oh my", others about location, which I clearly state and there is a map. Anyhow.  Here is my post and now I will go read everything.

@Lizzie

 

I always send my guests an email after they have booked with the house manual/rules contained in it and ask them to get in touch and ask any questions that they may have. This may be months before they arrive or just a few weeks away...it doesnt matter. Although the house manual is part of the booking details that they can printed off, I found that many guests dont print those details until very close to the arrival date...due to life, time pressures. By sending the house manual early I try and engage early and get the guests to become familair with the apartment and give them plenty of time to ask questions. As such, when they arrive...what they see is very much what they expected...and anything they particularly expected or asked for has been catered for or provided. That reaching out from the outset also gives them the idea that you will "hold their hand" as it were... through that first booking experience...whether it be with transport information, amenities information or even information about how the oven works..whatever.

Stephanie365
Level 10
Fredericksburg, VA

A couple of things I think AirBNB needs to improve upon with regards to educating guests.

For the most part, they need to understand they are sharing someone's personal home. We are not a chain hotel. We don't generally have professional cleaning staffs. And we don't have the ability to renovate a room as soon as it's showing signs of wear. (A hotel can shut down some rooms, while still leaving others open for business). Our houses are not perfect.

Guests need to understand that we often have full time jobs. This means we tidy up our guest spaces, but we con't necessarily have 5 hours to deep clean the entire space after each guest leaves. 

They need to understand that older homes will have flaws, like dents or scratches in hardwood floors, and sometimes there will be lime scale around faucets if your water is hard.  I recently had a guest, who never even used the shower, mark me down for my shower needing attention. The only spot in my shower that isn't pristine is a rubber gasket at the base of the shower door that has some fading to it. It is built into the surround, cannot be replaced and I can't do anything about it. 

They also need to understand that just because someone charges a cleaning fee, it doesn't give them Carte Blanche to trash someone's home. I recently had a guest who told me this in response to my less than stellar review. And these particular guests spilled coffee everywhere (including INSIDE cabinets) used every cup and glass and left them scattered throughout the apartment, left rotting food in the sink and on the counter and ON THE FLOOR, overflowed the trash cans, dropped food everywhere on carpets, floors and furniture, emptied the trash out of their car into my house and were just amazingly filthy pigs.

They responded to my review that I should expect such a mess and it was "normal" and that my cleaning fee should cover it.  No, my cleaning fee covers the time and supplies I spend washing linens and towels, cleaning toilets, sinks and counters, and dusting, sweeping and vacuuming the unit.  I should not expect to have to carry dishes and glasses from all over the house, clean up so many spilled coffee stains out of drawers (???) and inside cabinets (???) and off the floor.  I provide 4 trash cans. They should at least put their trash IN the cans. 

I would really love to be able to charge an "excesss" cleaning fee for guests like these. 

They also need to be educated about the star system. My very first guest under an old profile gave me 3's and 4's and their review was glowing. They highly recommended my home in both public and private feed back. (Naturally AirBNB began with the threatening messages because I had a 3* average from them). They need to understand they are rating the experience, not rating us like a 3* hotel.

And AirBNB needs to rethink the rating system. 4.7* is a ridiculous standard. 4.0* is more realistic because it only takes one self-entitled pig to ruin everything.

Catherine827
Level 10
Northern Territory, Australia

I always ask my guests if they are flying in on the day, and if so, are they renting a vehicle from the airport. Most people tell me the time their flight is expected, and I use Flightradar24 or other apps to watch the planes arrival, if I have a time issue. I also suggest they text me or Airbnb message me after they’ve got the car and are about to leave the airport, so I can assist them with a smooth check in. Meeting them at the gate. This  works particularly well for 1-2am night time arrivals. 

Marilyn117
Level 2
Coarsegold, CA

I want to charge extra for dogs. After my guest leaves with a dog it takes much longer to clean all the dog hair.  We had a beautiful rug spoiled by dog urine . We want our families to enjoy their visit but the dogs are causing us trouble.

Pamela247
Level 2
San Diego, CA

Would like to share with the group, as a Super Host writing as a frequent airbnb guest, also a guest,  Hosts should really consider that guests don't always want to see a bright shining face after traveling. Some do, they should request that if avaialble. but honestly, it's annoying for Hosts to "meet' me and insist on a glass of wine on the porch when I'm in town trying to get my daugter married for example. Sometimes privacy and space is what guests appreciate. Hosts need to be a text away or reasonable responsive but I'm just saying, allowing guests privacy -- to use one common room exclusively and bath exclusively if possible, a door code or key under the matt 75% of the time is 5 stars. 

Perhaps be more forthright about your desire for privacy, or consider a hotel?

Susan775
Level 1
Maceo, KY

Susan , Kentucky, USA

We had a great year last year as first time Airbnb hosts.  Almost all of our guests left our house in great shape .... However, this year, we had a first time guest who brought 6 extra people and then left the house looking like a tornado had struck.  I took photos of all of the messes they made (and believe me ... it was HORRIBLE!!) ... Then, after I cleaned up, I took photos of what the house was supposed to look like ..... I put these photos together in the "House Rules" booklet as ... YES and NO ... Yes - this is what the kitchen is supposed to look like and NO this is what it is  not supposed to look like. (and so forth for all of the rooms)  I greet all of  my guests and take them through the house .... I go through the House Rules book with them and point out what the house is supposed to look like when they leave.  After this one HORRIBLE experience.... so far ... everyone has left the house in good shape !    

Clara116
Level 10
Pensacola, FL

 

@Pamela247 yes I agree -Privacy is key -  I do like to greet and give a short tour of the cottage and I do tell them I will not be back unless they have an emergency - but they can message any questions, requests - I can't imagine expecting to sit down and have a drink or such with guests. I wouldn't like that as a guests myself. Those things occur naturally if they should be. that's my take on it.

Happy Hosting, Clara