guest illusions in a host’s eyes

[Mar125]

 it’s time to list out the biggest misconceptions guest constantly has. 

1. Guest needs to clean the house before they leave. Wrong.

     Host pays for cleaning ladies every time as a fixed rate.  it doesn’t matter if guest left spotless or has some regular trash left. Guest’s cleaning doesn’t matter to hosts.

2. Guest can drew small Holes on the wall. Wrong. 

     Dry wall damages are very expensive to fix and it’s not ok to screw or put anything in a wall, including tiny nails.

3. Guest can arrive midnight or late night or any time on the check in date.  Wrong.

     Late arrival impacts the community most so usually host does not allow late arrival and always check host’s check in windows. 

4. Guest can smoke outside of the listing. Wrong.

     no smoking means no smoking in or outside of the listing

5. Guest can bring in extra guest for free. Wrong.

     extra guest means extra cleaning for towels beddings and utilities. Usually there’s extra guest fees associated with extra guest

6. Guest can directly report issues to Airbnb and Airbnb support has more authority than host. Wrong.

     I constantly see guests raising issues to Airbnb support before they even reach out to their

host. i know airbnb support usually helps guest get a refund or an early out, but it’s always a good idea for guests to reach out to hosts and give hosts a chance to remedy any issue. Airbnb support can help terminate a stay, but airbnb support can’t help with a damage claim. So it’s important to get an amicable solution from your host before you reach out to Airbnb support. And, communication to your host is keen in any issue.

7. Don’t accept partial refund. Wrong

It’s always the best to keep the reservation as is in host’s eyes, so try to ask host to remedy the issues and if you can’t be satisfactory to the remedy, ask for a small refund from your host. It’s easier to do a small settlement than a full cancellation and you can’t be more considerate to your host since host also can’t find a replacement guest last minute. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mar125 I have no idea who this is addressed to or what it is trying to achieve but I have the following take on it:

1) Guest's cleaning does matter to us as hosts. We don't expect guests to 'clean' but the tidier the guest leaves the apartment the more helpful it is to our cleaners (us) in preparing for the next guests.

2) Never had guests leaving holes in the walls but agree this would not be welcome

3) Guests should be able to arrive at anytime within a hosts check in time range. As hosts we appreciate an indication of when in said time range guests will arrive and will always try to accommodate late/early check ins if requested.

4) Hosts cannot dictate what guests do outside the listing. Of course the listing does extend to the grounds of the property. Some hosts however do specify no smokers (ie they don't want people who smoke all in their properties as they are sensitive to smoke smells on clothing)

5) We like guests to let us know how many are staying up to our max occupancy by modifying the booking but its not an issue for us as we don't charge extra fees per guest.

6) If you build a rapport with the guest they will, in our experience, always bring any issues to us and not Airbnb.

7) Thankfully no one, even the folks with a flooded kitchen when a pipe burst, has ever wanted a refund or to cancel so again I guess our approach to problem solving and/or luck has got us through difficult times.

In summary I guess ALL Airbnbs are different. They have different rules and different expectations. The key takeaway for me is communication solves pretty much anything and this starts with a carefully crafted listing description and good messaging both before, during and after the stay.

[Mar125]

As a host and airbnb traveler myself, i personally don’t book any listings which don’t charge extra guest fees. I would suspect the beddings are not changed. As a host, we pay for professional clean bedding sets and towel sets at every booking for the number of guest in guest’s reservations. If you don’t have an extra guest fee paid, you are likely receiving beddings that are washed non professionally or non changed. I would never book places that don’t charge extra guest fees. It doesn’t mean extra guest fees would guarantee clean bedding, but at least cost structure supports it. 

Transient taxes and permit fees are also charged by number of guests we host. so we had to reflect correct number of visitors. 

As for smoking, yes, i mandate rules in my property as long as it’s in my property lines…..if you don’t mandate rules in your yard, then it’s your choice, not mine. Logically, most hosts do. 

Again, i simply think UK hosts’ experience don’t have much meaningful insights to the US listings since our tax and permit system is different. 

[Ruth413]

@Mar125   I am afraid I think that if this is advice aimed at guests it is wrong to lump all Airbnb's together.  This is a global community. 

Every Airbnb is different whether it is in the U.K, U.S.A, Europe or elsewhere and they all have different expectations and rules listed.  So the best thing for any guest to do if they are unsure about anything is to check with the host before booking.  

Your statement about no extra guest fees could relate to unclean bedding is misleading.  For example, I rent a large property every year which sleeps 12 people for a fixed price.  Sometimes, there are only 2 of us go, sometimes 6 and sometimes 12 and there no extra guest fees.  I just let the host know the week before how many guests there will be and which bedrooms will be required and the property is set up for that amount of people.  All bedrooms with spotlessly clean bedding !  

Re the smoking, again everyone is different, I allow smoking in the gardens but not indoors, it is listed in my rules.  You don't allow this that is fine, but again to lump all Airbnb together is wrong. Again if guests are unsure they just need to ask the hosts.  Communication !

Re cleaning, not all hosts pay for a professional cleaner, some do it themselves, like myself.  I agree with @Mike-And-Jane0 that I don't expect my guests to clean the property but leaving it in a tidy condition is better than not.  So if guests just walked out the door leaving dirty dishes etc it is just more time consuming than anything else.  I actually don't think any guests I have hosted presume they have to clean.  Happily most of my guests just follow the couple of check out instructions and leave after having a happy holiday. 

[Mar125]

@Ruth413 

Looks to me UK team has much more self hosting host while US hosts mostly hire professional cleaners. 

indeed, much different in terms of a U.S. host’s understanding 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mar125 Wow- A real downer to all the hosts who don't charge per guest - Do you really believe they don't change the bedding between guests? This would be totally contrary to Airbnb rules let alone the fact that all these hosts would be ripping their guests off and acting unethically.

In the very occasional case where  a host is going to be this devious I am sure they will do so whether or not they charge extra guest fees.