Problems with Chinese visitors

[Lucy232]

Hiya, 

I really need to know if anyone is in the same boat & get some input from the community...

We have been hosting our 2 spare rooms on and off for a couple of years now and have had over 150 guests. We really love welcoming people from all over the world. But (and I hate to say this) we’re really starting to struggle with most of our East Asian, particularly, Chinese guests! 

The problems are always the same. We find them very messy around the house and leave their room in pretty bad state. TBH we can cope with that, but find their washing routines are becoming unbearable. 

When we first started hosting we noticed that a lot of Asian guests like to have many showers a day, especially very late at night. They then use hairdryers until stupid o’clock. 

It got so bad I had to include in the house rules that we don’t allow showers after 11pm as it can be very disturbing to us and our other guests. 

We hate to enforce any rules, but the past few bookings were beyond a joke. 

The majority of the guests completely ignore the 11pm cutoff and are coming and going to the bathroom until about 3am! They slam the doors, have showers which completely drench the whole bathroom (I don’t even know how it’s possible?) and constantly leave the bathroom fan, light and hallway lights on. 

On numerous occasions we use the loo in the middle of the night only to find it completely trashed and have to spend ages cleaning it all up as it’s not fair for our other guests to walk into such a mess! 

We’ve tried speaking with them

the next day (If we see them) but it’s always soooo awkward and they usually ignore us anyway! 

I’m always worried to make a big deal of such things incase they leave us a bad review! 

We’d never want to discriminate but am becoming very wary of accepting bookings now as it usually means we get a bad nights sleep and lots of extra cleaning! It’s becoming very stressful & feels like they treat our home like a hostel! 

Sorry for such a MASSIVE rant but I really need to know if anyone else is having similar experiences & can offer any advice on the matter? 

Much Thanks,

Lucy 

[Jennifer835]

My 2 cents

1. Put some hair caps in shower room. Most of the Chinese people like to shower in the evening before go to bed but not necessarily wash their hair. If there are some hair cups they will use them and no need to blow dry hair in the evening (they can wash hair in the morning)

2. Put a mop or swift wipe at the coner of the bathroom. I knew lots of My Chinese relatives do not use hotel towels, they use their own small towels which will leave water all over the bathroom floor. If they see a mop they will use it to dry the floor after each use

hope this will help 

[Pete28]

Perhaps they have jet lag ?

Have had various Chinese, Japanese folks and haven't noted any particular issues. Our unit is thankfully separate so I don't have to directly experience their bathing.

Unlike some locals who managed to urinate in the trash can in the bathroom 😞 bleh....

[Robin4]

@Lucy232

Lucy are you saying your Asian guests and more particularly your Chinese guests are disrespectful and cause you more issues than those from other parts of the world?

My experience is exactly the opposite. I love having Chinese guests, they are very respectful of the property, maybe a triffle ignorant of some of our cultural habits but (but so are we, of theirs) very eager to please and to learn. They photograph every square millimetre of the 1,060 M2 rear garden and a few of them lately have been lucky enough to have our adopted Koala put in an appearance outside their cottage door. The shrieks of sheer delight at having a native animal like that in the garden with thousands of bud lights flickering is probably a once in a lifetime experience for them, coming as they do from an apartment building in Beijing or Shanghai.

I am in the process of having my house rules put into symplified Chinese text to better help my guests understand their experience and what is expected of them in a hosting environment.

Asian guests Lucy, there are none better, They don't expect the use of your driveway and garage. They don't leave cigarette butts on every level surface they can find! They don't pee in your potplant!They don't want to bring their Burnnese Mountain dog to trample it's way through your property leaving 'land mines' everywhere it can! They are lovely gentle people and I can't host enough of them. My only slight quibble, Asian women possess enough long black hair to entirely solve mankinds male baldness issues!! Their hair regenerative capacity is simply amazing!

Cheers......Rob

[Lucy232]

Hi Rob, 

Thanks for your response. Unfortuantely from reading up on in a lot of hosts are having similar experiences to us. 

Like I said, we've been hosting for a very long time and had a couple of hundred guest so this isn't a conclusion we've jumped to. It's becoming very stressful and we've just had a fresh complaint from another guest about the state of the bathroom. The last Asian guests we had, broke the shower completely and left the bathroom in a disgraceful state the morning they checked out. One of my lovely towels was aIso taken!  I messaged them regarding the shower and towel but had no response.

It's a shame we've had the exact opposite experinece to you 😞

I have now put a sign on the bathroom door in English and Chinese explaining that don't allow showers afer 11pm as it caused too much disturbance. I've also put one of the kitchen door saying no cooking after 11pm as we've had guests cook very smelly fish very late at night! 

It"s not ideal though, as I feel my home is starting to feel like a hostel with signs on doors.

Let's hope it solves some problems as we would hate to turn down any guests due to where they are from and our concerns...

Cheers, Lucy 🙂

[Dr--Maria-Lorna0]

[Inappropriate content hidden in line with the Community Center Guidelines]  I share the same conclusion as you and now trying to find decent ways to block them from booking my place.  The only way to do it is FOR HOSTS NOT TO ENABLE INSTANT BOOKING as that is where they can book without being identified.  I am also listed on booking.com and trying to find ways to block them.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Lucy232

I've talked about this before in other posts - bathrooms are built differently in Asia. I'm Korean but I have travelled extensively in Asia and know that bathrooms are similar. Because most Asians are used to "wet bathrooms" we usually have to leave the fan on for a while after showering to get rid of the humidity (humid bathrooms will become moldy very fast) Reason for leaving the light on is probably in case they need to use the loo at night. They don't want to stumble in the dark in an unfamilar home while they are half asleep.

Please check out the link below for more details 🙂

http://vivianlostinseoul.blogspot.kr/2008/12/showering-in-korea.html

[Sandra126]

I looked at the link, that's amazing! Thank you @Jessica-and-Henry0 for the enlightenment.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

Oh and another thing....... large bath towels are rare in Asia (Korea). A lot of people I know usually use a hand towel (or two if you have long hair) and also don't like towels that are "too" thick & fluffy. The reason being, summers in most Asian regions tend to be really hot and humid (the entire city is like one big sauna) and drying machines are rare (considered a luxury) so large, thick, fluffy towels take forever to dry on the drying rack and sometimes get "stinky" from being damp too long.

Also, especially in the summer I would easily take 3 showers a day (anywhere from 5~15 mins per shower) - in the morning, when I get home from work, and before I go to bed. (I would wash my hair only once though, either at night or in the morning - depending on how sweaty I became during the day. So If I were to go to bed at midnight, I'd take a shower a little past 11pm, dry my hair, apply night cream and go to bed 🙂 )

[Fred13]

"They then use hairdryers until stupid o’clock." Hahaha @Lucy0. 

   By your post I gather you are trying not to 'discriminate', but the reality is that cultures ARE different, and some different manners drives us bananas. My son, spend 5 years in China and married a Chinese lady, her ways 'exhaust' me; every dinner is 6-7 entries, taking hours, the kitchen gets destroyed, the constant showers late at night, etc, etc. Just having stayed in China, I now see where they are coming from and only now I appreciate their ways. Those 'crazy' dinners are important to their very strong family structure, well I be darn.

  The reality is you are truly 'sharing' the same space, and that perhaps demands new thinking...

  Perhaps work backwards. Think of the ways to minimize the 'clash' by your description and expectations in your listing, be explicit, which you are entitled to be since it is your personal~home~, and let the applying guests determine if it is for them. 

[Lucy232]

Hi Fred,

Thanks for your message! We are so laid back and really enjoy welcoming people into our very relaxed & eclectic home. It just boils down to the mess and the noise at night really. I still feel like if people want to stay in your home they should be respectful of your rules (There isn't many) and to leave the areas they use how they find them. It's not really asking for much.

If my friends or family acted in that way when they stayed, it would be the last time they'd be invited! 

I truly hope it is just a communication breakdown instead of people not caring. It's just very upsetting to see your place get trashed time and time again. 

I forgot to say in my original post that last week my husband had to actually tell a guest off for the first time ever! We have just built a loft extension so we have our bedroom and bathroom up there. We explain this to every guest when they arrive, and let them know that it is our private space and out of limits. He came home and they were in our ensuite bathroom having a shower! And, of course, drenched the whole place! 

We have put up signs in chinese so hoping things improve as we really don't want to 'screen' our guests! It goes against the whole reason we do Airbnb! 

Thanks for the input! It's much appreciated 🙂

[Susan1043]

I totally agree with you Lucy as we just had a Chinese couple leave after 58 days!! We experienced first hand exactly what you said- showering after 11 pm, wondering the halls where our bedrooms are very late at night and leaving their bedrooms very messy and even though they only rented one bedroom we allowed them to use a second one as well.  They were up and down the stairs to the kitchen to boil water constantly. They were also allowed to use the kitchen which they did at all hours! They somehow lost a fitted sheet for their bed and then she helped herself to another sheet from my laundry closet without asking and it was not even for their bed but instead was a sheet for my bed.  After they left when I went to wash it I noticed two spots of dried blood on my white fitted sheet and I could not get it out! Basically they took over the whole house and the male of the couple never even talked to us at all unless he had a complaint and then he was suddenly able to speak English. We would greet him every morning and his reply was always just a grunt.  His wife told us he was very shy and childlike but how hard is it to say "hi" so I think he was just rude!  We really felt like hostages in our own house!

I will really hesitate to take anymore Chinese guests and I know that sounds horrible but this experience has left us shattered.  We have being doing Airbnb for 3 years now and have met many amazing people and many have become friends who we keep in touch with.  We have been super hosts for the whole 3 years and will continue to welcome all guests from all over the world and hope this experience is not repeated.  I did contact Airbnb twice to express my feelings but were talked into completing the 58 days with these guests even though I mentioned that the male guest made me very nervous.

[Michael1624]

At least it is just not me that has had problems with Chinese guest’s.

I have also found them to be rude pushy and untidy,why do they seem to travel the world with bags of dirty cloths that they want to wash the minute they arrive? Also the cooking habits ( how about boiling rice in the kettle??)

I have been a Airbnb host four years now and have not had one positive experience with Chinese guests, so sorry to say no more Chinese guests ( just do not need the hassle in my life)

By the way I have visited China many times (work) and have found them to be very surly and rude to visitors ( like the food though!)

many of you have said it must be a culture thing you are right they are just not a happy lot!

[Helen3]

@Michael0 

To be honest I find your generalisations about Chinese people offensive.

I have had nothing but lovely Chinese guests. They have been happy, friendly, clean and tidy.

Often when hosts generalise about another culture it is because they aren't enforcing their house rules properly and haven't made an effort to be culturally aware and where necessary translate their house rules and address key issues of concern in community languages.

For example;

If having guests using the washing machine offends you. Don't offer a washing machine or limit it to only being available for those on longer stays once a week.

Have a sign on the kettle that it is water only/ Provide a rice cooker.

As you know if you descriminate against people on the grounds of where they come from, Airbnb can close your listing down. If that is what you want to do, sounds like you aren't a good fit for Airbnb. 

[Michelle-And-Michael0]

We have had many Asian guests, from a variety of Asian countries. And I have to say that for the most part, they have been some of our tidiest and most respectful guests.

But we have had several that have left the bathroom floor, seemingly flooded with water.... and yet the towels haven't been used!!! We've been totally baffled by this, so Thank you @Lucy232 @Jennifer for your feedback, it explains a lot.

And @Robin4, my husband (it's his job to clean the bathroom) would absolutely agree with you regarding the long black hair issue! Lol