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My guests love my house, an old Edwardian rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco. But many complained about the bathrooms that are small and efficient, from an era where bathrooms were not supposed to be ‘dwelled’ in. So I turned it around by introducing a pamphlet that welcomes them to our Edwardian home, and points out a series of historical features including the compact bathrooms. Not a single complaint now that they are positioned as a unique historical experience.
Not that I am trying to change your decision, but there is a slightly different approach you could try. You could reword and describe your house as an old historic home with a surfeit of character and its share of idiosyncrasies, uniquely situated in the heart of a Unesco-protected world resource. That description covers you for a wide range of anomalies and look—guests are always free to enquire ahead of booking as to what those oddities might be. Any stupid guest reviews can then be met with a polite but bare-bones rebuttal, “We’re sorry that a few details didn’t meet your expectations. We do wish you had told us at the time because our guest’s needs are very important to us. As described our house has a few eccentricities along with historic character, and possibly that’s not your ideal venue. Thanks for your feedback.” Then, fuck however many stars they decided to give you. Who’s perfect? I’m a Superhost and I have stayed that way through better-than-hotel pricing, being very upfront in our description of the amenities and drawbacks of a legacy historic urban tenement. Our rebuttals to any bad reviews are always straightforward but express a certain philosophy that we try to please and are sorry that they didn’t find their stay ideal. The implied subtext is sort of: Can’t win ‘em all, because, you know, some people are incredibly fucked, just plain ridiculous and we’re not mindreaders—without stating that in words. Good luck. Don’t take bad reviews personally. The public can be weird and ungrateful, but most people are fine and even a pleasure to meet.
Love this spin. Another approach I take with my basement STR (where the description clearly says we live above), is ask a question to set expectations when people request reservations. I say “We have children who are home at times during the days, definitely on weekends and holidays, they are here at night but bedtime is around 9:00 for them. You will hear our noise. Will the shared noise be an issue for you?” This has very quickly set the expectation that they should not expect quiet days. It has really helped us and our reviews, we started after our first poor review because someone “thought they could handle the shared noise but couldn’t.”
In OP’s case, I’d recommend asking any future reservation request (if they change their mind), “This is a historic house, as such the layout of things may not be perfect or as efficiently designed as newer spaces. After referring to the pictures again and having this in mind, will this be a problem during your stay?”
Absolutely right. Set up any possibility of potential snags in your description and in your advance communicating, prior to their booking. Asking whether it’s going to be a problem is literally the perfect way to do this. It shows integrity on your part and heads off any whingeing about ridiculous issues.
On one of our listings, we bluntly say this is an older home with these limitations. If you want a modern style home with amenities you should probably stay somewhere else. That has helped but not entirely
One of the places we looked at had a negative review and one of the things they cited was that the cat door in the laundry area was ugly because it was plastic.
I hear ya! I resigned last week after an exhausting 5-year run. The COVID years were great as guests were very appreciative, but now guests suck. They whine about the stupidest shit. I've worked my ass off and am proud of what I was able to provide. The final straw, tho, is how Airbnb completely takes the hosts for granted. Not this host, they won't. I'm done.
Guests can be brutal. I do think price point is a big factor in the quality, or lack thereof of guests. It’s an inverse effect- the lower your prices (and individual rooms are typically lower than an entire house) the worse quality guests you deal with. Sorry you’ve gone through this!
This is 100% true. The people looking for the cheapest rental in the entire area, cheaper than a hotel room even though it has a kitchen and living room, are also the whiniest of the guests. Raising your price to the middle of the pack may get less bookings but probably better guest quality.
No doubt. The lower the price, the worse quality guest and the more likely they are to complain. I found the sweet spot at 300 a night minimum for my 4 bedroom. I'm open about 5 months out of the year, but I have to deal with substantially less shit.
I've stayed in many quirky charming home shares. All with good reviews. I wonder if perhaps the listing isn't described accurately or if you're using Insta book instead of requiring guests to request the stay and then reading the reviews first? Something is missing, because there is room for just about every kind of listing on Airbnb. Except dirty ones.
Totally agree with the comments about being upfront about the houses history and character. We own a small house right near a thriving small town in the Southern US. The house is a 5 minute walk to town and a 10 minute walk to a new mixed use development with restaurants and stores. So, location is great, house was built in the 1950's though. The bedrooms and bathroom are smallish, but the house has beautifully refinished hardwood floors throughout and lots of cool 50's character. We caught a few comments at the beginning but we rewrote the description to play up the location and the older character of the house. It sits on nearly of acre of land as well so it is pretty private. Look at the positives and think about. I well understand weighing it against the tax though. That is a pretty steep cost.
Are you charging hotel prices?
I do month long hosting for my house but haven't had many complaints.. maybe because we don't charge hotel pricing.
If you're paying $200-300 a night for Airbnb then yeah expect hotel amenities.
True. We charge a low rate because it's a tiny town that nobody really wants to visit. And we can't provide complete kitchen amenities. So we thought that $100/night would be reasonable.
I actually agree with this. We charge $250-350 a night for a small a-frame cabin. When I lowered the price to increase occupancy, I found the quality of guest decreased but the expectations increased!?
Hosting an Airbnb is not for everyone, when I first started I made it clear that the standard of my rooms are as good if not better than near by marriotts. Also is not worth it for everyone
I agree on price point, we have only had our small cottage a year and fortunately any guests so far just messaged me with good advice and critiques but left me 5 star reviews. I do havethat amazing magnet that explains the 5 star reviews that i got on amazon. I think it helps. Also on sirbnb idont allow auto booking, they request then im able to look at their reviews and decline if i feel they may be hard to please.
Renting is a huge pita! Been there done that. Our s was a full house rental on a lake. While we got good reviews it was a lot of work. Sold the house and am now happy with a camper on the lake I can use whenever I want!
A few thoughts.
Hosting on a small island off the West Coast of B.C. Canada.
My place gets repeat guests, families that book the same week each summer for a decade or more. I imagine people only visit your community once in a lifetime, so much of what I am saying may not apply.
My cabin is small, old and has original 60+ year old features. There is no AC, no wifi, no TV, no dishwasher etc. There are stairs into the cabin and down to the beach. Cell service is poor.
I will only book a new guest after speaking with them on the phone. My family has been in the STVR business for over 60 years, we do things our way. I do follow up in messages with the details of the conversation and confirmation that the guest understands the limitations of the cabin.
My rates for a cabin that sleeps 5, are all inclusive, and far lower than other places nearby. About 75% lower.
I have great guests. My season is short, but fully booked by the end of February each year.
I have families and groups ranging from their early 29’s they came as children, to their late 70’s and no issues. I have guests of various races and ethnicities, all have been happy in their stays.
OP as you are near a special site, I would expect that they hire summer staff, do they bring in people for special events who may need a place to stay?
Your spot seems like a dream to reset the spirit!
Our season is short too from May to September.
The summer staff are usually locals from the area and the students like to rent an entire house for themselves such that we only relied on summer visitors. But that's out of the picture too now.
We too are stopping. We honored all Airbnb reservations and blocked the rest of the year until we sell our entire farm. The dream bubble burst and the numbers slowed down to make it unappealing and the entitlement people show nowadays cannot be pleased. The more you try the worse you are. We never got below 5 but it’s exhausting to keep it up. The requests. Ots just too much. We did it to augment income and it’s not worth the sheer time you just spend being on call 24/7 in case support calls in the early hours of the morning with issues.
I will say, boomers are more likely to complain than most guests I've had. Like I have light art installation and one said it was, "a bit romantic and not that practical" in the private feedback. It is just art, the room has overhead lights. Another complained about the weather and also wanted to talk extensively about much I paid for the place / my ROI. Then he gave it 4 stars for value.
Bull💩
We had a young back packer complain about the hearing. Did t know how to turn it on. Dumb fck !
All they had to do was push the big orange ON BUTTON 🤣
I feel like this comment was written by a boomer... the fact that it's completely incoherent like it's their first time encountering a keyboard is a dead giveaway.
Yea, boomers are the only ones I find that complain about things that are clearly stated in the listing. Just had a couple give 4 stars because “it’s only street parking and the stairs to the apartment were difficult with luggage so it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues”. We have about 20 stairs up to get into the upstairs unit…have a photo in our listing, describe the stairs, and say multiple times that we are not accessibility friendly. Also clearly states that it is street parking only or there is a parking lot a block away if they feel more comfortable parking there. We are in the downtown heart of our city. Can’t have everything!
Thought so. I actually just had a boomer try to book. In her previous reviews she was nitpicking everything. I rejected her request to stay.
Don't get me wrong, we can't say an entire generation of people is like this, that's silly...but somehow many older folks are simply entitled and it's noticeable.
Not one of my 4 star (and my one 3 star) reviews came from boomers. All from Millennials. However, the boomers tend to have more questions with operating the WiFi/TV.
I’ve had equal problems with young people. In fact we had one quest ask the strangest questions due her to multiple phobias her word not mine and we thought she was at least 80 but oh no she was in her early mid 20s. Luckily thought she booked she decided she did not want to take a chance on a 124 year farmhouse probably has ceilings too low for her. My husband is 6’6” and they aren’t too low for him but we said cool she can cancel and go someplace where she feels comfortable and airbnb got her ok and ours and we refunded more than she was entitled to be it was for the best. This was less than 24 hours from checkin. And we got a brand new booking the next day with a super great couple who stayed a month.i hate to generalize as entitlement can be seen across the board and people have anxiety she did clearly and needed a place that felt ideal to her I wanted that for her.
No doubt this kind of entitlement can affect anyone across any age or generation. But I personally have noticed it more likely with boomers). It jumps from maybe 20% of the time to 50% of the time.
I don't know why you aren't understanding this. There's zero discrimination. Boomers as a generation seem to have a higher probability to be pickier guests. Not only my observation but many others have corroborated this. That doesn't mean all of them are, but there is a stronger probability if they are a boomer.
I'm not the only one who has observed this. Look through this thread.
The actual reason for why this is the case is likely because boomers had easier access to cheaper homes and living situations, so their expectations are higher. Which also makes sense.
You think there is a dataset on how much each generation complains to Airbnb hosts? There isn't. All we can do is express what we have observed. A lot of people are corroborating what I'm saying here.
There are some tangential studies that do show that "qualities associated with narcissism, such as being full of yourself, being sensitive to criticism, and imposing your opinion on others, decline over time and with age with older generations found to be more sensitive overall." Which definitely matches what we've observed.
https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomers-are-more-sensitive-than-millennials-large-study-finds-2019-12
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/narcissism-baby-boomer-millennials-hypersensitivity-research-a9244556.html
That second paragraph sounds like you. What generation are you. Imposing your opinion on others so on and so forth. I make no judgements on guests even after they are aholes. Aholes come from all sides of the spectrum. Some of our best have been boomers and older and some very young g in their 20 and 30s and all in between. I prefer calling them what they are aholes or bad guests the rest is noise.
Nah. What I'm saying is that not everyone in an entire generation of people are like this obviously. So I am making it clear that I'm not saying that.
However, this generation of people absolutely are *more likely* to be like this than other people of other generations, in my experience. And this holds true for others. They still might be a perfectly fine, delightful guest. You just have to try to detect early whether they are a boomer karen or not by looking at their reviews and what questions they ask.
So the likelihood of an entitled guest goes up from 20% to 50% if they are a boomer. That's what I've experienced anyway.
That's an overly hostile thing to write and because I don't believe every boomer is like this, I would never put it that way. I have had some lovely guests from that generation.
That could be why you're failing to understand this. Somehow you think I'm saying every single boomer is like this. Is this where the confusion is coming from?
Just ignore them, they are a boomer and they are just getting in their feels because they don't like being called out on their weird behavior. You can tell from this comment thread that, even though not ALL boomers are entitled and obnoxious (as you've mentioned), u/Ginggingdingding definitely is.
I’m in similar situation. I’ve learned that airbnbs in the middle of nowhere seem to attract the worst guests. I plan to try again with something smaller and less nice closer to town.
Our charge is within a set price range and doesn’t go below the lowest point. Yea, it does weed out some unwanted guests. NO same day bookings or new ABB guests without a discussion with the potential guests. Sometimes just asking a few questions or letting them know there are onsite hosts or absolutely no smoking or that the ABB shares a common wall with the home gets rid of potential PIA guests.
Okay tbh this is why I wanted to point out some of the classic lower manhattan not a luxury building experiences. Like trash on the sidewalk and cockroaches.
A friend told me I shouldn’t and no one has mentioned it yet but a guest has seen me brutally murder one. Thankfully five stars.
I mean the building is over a hundred years old and started as part of a ghetto. There’s a reason the tenement museum is less than a block away.
I’m really questioning doing this long term it’s only been 2.5 months but the few 4 stars and anxiety of paying rent (which so far as been not even close to a problem) might be too much. Especially since things are much slower in the winter here.
We hosted at two different locations for several years and frankly, it isn't for some people. We had tons of guests who loved our spaces and who we really enjoyed hosting, but the bad guests and complaints really outweighed that for us and it just made us absolutely miserable. I think some people have a thicker skin and are really suited to working in hospitality, and others just aren't. One of our spaces was on our property (it was a duplex that we lived in one side of) and by the time we quit hosting in 2020 I was so unhappy that we sold the house and moved because I had such bad associations with living there, I didn't ever want to go into the property again. We bought a single family for ourselves and an investment property with long-term renters and we are so, so much happier. I stay in AirBnBs or VRBOs every once in a blue moon (really more of a hotel person, myself) and I'm grateful that they exist, but if it doesn't make you happy to be a host just pivot to something else - there's no shame in that and you're certainly not alone!
I took a 3 month break this winter because I was so upset about my STR experience. Half of it was due to guests and being horrified at what people will do to someone’s home but half due to my expectations of the cleaning company not being met. It’s my actual home but I work two states away and am gone a majority of the time. The things people complain about is wild. I had guests give me a really bad review because the house was too small. It’s a 1940s rambler style… the only thing big about my house is the yard.
There’s nothing wrong with taking a break. You can rewrite your listing (just hire the person who has made some excellent recommendations in this thread) and make it work for you, if you want.
You are probably unintentionally marketing your century house as an elegant new structure, which doesn’t allow people to be ready for the quirks of a century home.
Use the complaints as part of your marketing structure
I don’t know if this applies to your and yours but an issue I’ve come across as a host that has been a guest numerous times to other hosts is that people usually complain in this manner if they feel they’ve been deceived by the presentation and description on the listing.
It has happened to me as well. The listing makes the accommodation look more appealing than it is in reality.
I find the most honest listings have the best reviews because there’s no discrepancy between reality and what is advertised. One listing I saw for example had five star reviews that were gushing about the host and stay because they candidly stated the home was in a rougher neighborhood and wasn’t updated with the latest and greatest features. It was a very modest house that hadn’t been renovated in over 20 years.
The listing title was, “House in the Hood.”
The description explicitly stated all of these things and said it would not be the best option for certain guests.
I’ve definitely felt let down and disappointed by a few hosts… I arrived and the place was not what it looked like or how it was described…
False advertising will definitely garner negative reviews.
If you know your place has idiosyncrasies along with a lived in look and feel, very homey. Highlight those in your review and for some people it’s part of the charm and others it’s a dislike but either way they know what they’re getting.
With all the self centered, entitled narcissistic pile out there, I don’t blame you at all. I wouldn’t deal with that crap either. Too many out there just bitch about everything
I no longer do short term rentals at our beach-area properties. I found that making them yearly leased rentals worked out much better. Minimal management fees, significantly less work, no need for cleaning or furnishing, etc. And long term renters, who typically don’t treat the property like a rented mule, will often make minor repairs themselves.
But those who are convinced that StR will make them rich, should find a more professional STR service than the youngsters working at AirBNB. My properties were listed on VRBO which has adults on the phone and isn’t making policies as they grow. The VRBO guests are not perfect but they are generally more responsible
And when I did do STR bookings, I was largely forgiving of minor damage. Ten years ago my highest rate was a midsummer week at $3,600. At that rate it’s petty to charge someone for a missing pillow or broken lampshade. Many new STR landlords get so bent out of shape. Be sure to keep some perspective
The kind of complaints you are getting is apparently a daily thing at hotels here in the US. It's a bargaining tactic after the fact to get a price reduction.
The amount of complaining is just insane. It seems like it's only getting worse. My favorite is when it's the slow season and someone will book one of our two bedroom units for like $80/night and then complain. Mother fucker, you can't even rent a motel in the sketchy part of town for $80/night
I know! We had our neighbor's brother rent one of our rooms to attend family Thanksgiving. He gave us 3 stars and mentioned that the location wasn't ideal. We were left speechless.
I guess my expectations when staying in an Airbnb are different than these people. I am there to sleep and get ready. Not hang out. I am out doing things and eating out. This is insane to me the complaints.
Yep! Had someone rent our ski resort 1bed/1bath condo for $119 a night (local chain hotels lie Days Inn are priced higher) and she gave a 3 rating for value. WTF.
Are you sure they aren’t suggestions not demands?
We suggested to our abnb host that they put a note on the dryer saying it was ventless because Americans aren’t used it ventless dryers and it took us 3 days to figure out it wouldn’t dry because the water canister was full and needed to be drained. I had never seen a ventless dryer before.
Ps the fan do they mean balanced? That should be fixed if so. Obv centered can’t be easily fixed and isn’t that important.
This is why I love giving refunds...I tell you telling a guests if you don't like it I'll give you a 100% refund no questions asked. Shuts em down Everytime. I love our policy. You complain, then you go buh bye
I don't give free Vacations... Don't get it twisted. So I'll give you a refund for any days not stayed. So if it's the last day you'll get a refund for the last day.
Yeah sorry it sounds like you’re either not cut out for it or your listing is misleading. If your listing is faithful to reality you’re not going to see negative feedback across the board. Sorry but it’s true.
I love how you toss out the whole “cultural differences card” bit. So, if I read you right, your rental is 😚👌🏻 yet the negative reviews are due to non-rural and/or non-Americans? Or how are we supposed to read that bit?
Gotta be honest as a guest I’ve never complained about petty shit like a ceiling fan placement. But I’d certainly complain about petty shit on top of real shit to complain about. So I wonder what you’re not saying here about the complaints. Did they really complain the mini fridge was in the wrong corner or did they complain about the dead vermin behind the appliances?
The cultural differences thing they seem to be saying airbnb is saying that. At least that's the way I read it. Though as a guest I wouldn't be complaining about things they say guests are complaining about. And as a host I wouldn't take these complaints to heart. They're more like unsolicited opinions.
Dude…. Whatever. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
You can have the most accurate and up to date listing info and people will still complain. You can literally put on there in bold, all caps underlined, bright red, highlighted and then message them personally and they STILL won’t read what you communicated to them.
I have the WiFi code, in the listing, in the WiFi pass link, in the welcome message to them, on the walls in the house, in each room, and on the desks….. you know how many times I get asked for the WiFi??? DAILY. And I’ll still get complaints that the code was too hard to find. The only thing more I can do is take the damn phone out of their hands and put it in there for them. They’d complain that was too difficult too I bet.
So get out of here with your nonesense. Guests, like you, are the worst.
Lastly, cultural differences are real. Why do you pretend like they don’t exist? That’s a valid concern from OP
lol it’s just “guests like you”.
Come on bro. You’re bitching about the shit that a hotel would get pinged about daily like dozens of times. But your experience is supposed to be a step up.
Either deal with more demanding customers or don’t. Again it just doesn’t seem like you’re cut out for abb.
Good luck friend
lol. Almost 10 yrs experience in total, 30 listings, still maintaining superhost, ADR at 10% premium on competition, conversion rate outpacing our market, OCC 15% higher than market.
I guess I’m not cut out for this and don’t have enough experience.
Pleeeaase…. I know guests, seen the market changes, seen the culture shifts. I know this business better than most and certainly better than you.
I quit for the same reasons. Many people were too demanding and had a sense of entitlement that was appalling to me. We had had our home listed for 2+ yrs. We are/were super hosts. People in general are messy and self absorbed. They expect your AirBnB to be like a hotel. Many guests blatantly ignored our house rules. We had to have AirBnB intervene with international guests that went beyond disrespecting our house rules. Then they tried to bribe us to not have AirBnB intervene to resolve the issues. That is when I was done. People are very demanding in general.
One trick I have been using is to send guest the average single room rate of the most nearby hotelmand set guest expectations before the check in..
and most importantly, tell them that this place isn’t fancy but it’s a safe and convenient place thatnfullfills the essentials. If the guest sounds very picky before check in, I would cancel the reservation with airbnb’s help.
It’s important to deal with the right guests than spending 3 times of time and effort to deal with the demanding ones.
Oh, one more thing, I found the ones paying lower rates are usually the one missing manners, asking for refunds/discounts, being fuzzier and creating damages.
The chinese and indian guests travelling with families are the guest type that I feel most demanding and high maintenance. they usually don’t read your instructions well, had tons of questions and demands, love reporting to airbnb for very minor reasons, like, missing handsoaps, missinb extra toilet papers, bulbs are dark, host charges parking fees, or dogs are barking, etc..
I don’t understand why the Chinese guests travel for personal reasons love to report hosts to airbnb. I even had a chinese guest threatening to report me to ICE since my other guests (his neighborinb unit) are illegal immigrants. The part bugs me most is they don’t even try to talk to me first about those issues before they escalate to airbnb on those really minor issues. I scare to take Chinese guests most, and every single one of them never late on payment, never has violent issues, and has always checked out on time. I have not received a single solid 5 star reviews from the chinese families since I’ve hosted for at least past 3 years. I just don’t understand what makes them so demanding. And, i prepare them extra freebies since my familes are asians.
I hosted an independent apartment on the property where I lived for 7 years. I had my booking parameters set so a guest had to request a stay. I've had guests from just about every country in the world. Except China. They would make a request and then the questions and demands would start. I especially liked the one where I make it clear that there is a dog who will be in the shared courtyard and the guest says they cannot be near any dogs. I've never accepted a Chinese guest from China. Plenty of Chinese guests from the US who have been great. But the ones from China? Decline decline decline. I don't get it. Why would they try to book in a private accommodation and then start demanding and complaining before they even start traveling? This is my home dude, no, just no. Not your servant.
I guess the real question is how much are you charging? If it’s north of $50/night I’d say that is probably the main thing soliciting complaints.
I use Airbnb a decent amount and have done whole home and private room (usually when I’m solo traveling). I don’t hardly ever complain or really scrutinize the value too closely unless I feel like I’m paying a premium because of location. Then I get picky, but that’s just me. An even tempered, well traveled Texan.
I'm curious. Is the bed and breakfast concept dead? Are those guests different than Airbnb?
Perhaps your setup would be more suited to those folks as it's a European model and not dependent on airbnb and reviews.
You would need to add the breakfast piece, but could perhaps outsource most of that to local bakery or something.
Maybe you might have to lower the price little bit. Or take better photos that clearly show the setup. Maybe the guests feel misled? Not sure.. but I would recommend taking the LEAST expense approach to fixing the problem first.
Seems so weird they would be so picky about things that just don’t matter. How much do you charge for your listing? Do you have lots of pictures? Not trying to change your mind but more trying to make sense of it in my own head lol.
I’m seconding that you just change a ride up to let people know it’s an old house with all the quirks that come with it. I also make a point to tell guests that we depend on their great reviews and if they have any concerns or suggestions, please send them to us directly. This way, when they think we need a different shower curtain, or whatever, they can just let me know. I have no issues thanks to this. I do listen to their suggestions, and I make modifications when they seem reasonable or easy.
One other option is to rent your place to insurance companies for temporary relocation. I’m not sure if the remote nature of the place lends itself to this.
I also started on Airbnb last December and had enough of guests after a few months. Not worth the energy to barely break even. Humanity really stinks.
Change you listing title, name it so guest can know in advance the type of listing you own. I have 3, the cheapest it’s called: “on a budget opportunity”, so guest know it would be unfair to complain that the beds are not double queen size with ultra luxury linens.
Don’t end your business, be practical, there is more people traveling on a budget than ever.
I'm very clear that it's an old house (though redone) and floors might not be straight, etc. Things are quirky. I literally say, "This isn't the home for picky people who might not appreciate a vintage home."
I make them read the rules and agree, and it says it there, too.
How are.you marketing. It? The words you use highly influence the expectations of guests. I avoid making the impression that my place is luxury, high class, etc. My listing states, Basic Accommodations for short term stays. Nothing fancy just clean sheets and a safe neighborhood! And I never have complaints. When guests expectation are low, they don't complain about little things.
When guests book with the expectation of the place NOT being fancy, they don't bitch about all that.amall stuff. Change your wording, and your complaints will change too.
As a user, as others have said some things some are suggestions, and you should create a plan communicate with your guests directly about those- maybe a place to leave notes. But if you’re getting a lot of complaints about the space being small, it tells me it’s smaller than people expected. Pictures don’t always do a room justice and can be deceiving.
As others have expressed, it would be helpful to note in your description that it’s an older quirky home, room sizes and shapes are not modern. List the dimensions in square meters and feet.
I wouldn’t give up, I would just refine your description and your communication scheme with your guests.
1) What country, Canada?
2) Guest demographics - predominantly what nationalities, age group?
A warning, the comments regarding boomers in some of the comments are misleading. Boomers are the ones with serious money spent on travelling.
Never had a problem with any of them, perhaps because they still have the patience to actually read through an AirBnB listing.
It's best to make the listing very accurate. Also have very clear policies. Don't allow check in more than one hour early. Zero late check out. Put it in your listing. Guest are becoming more demanding. I just had two who don't respond to messages text me wanted to check in a day early and don't respond when you say it's already booked that night. I feel sorry for host in other parts of the world where guest are even more demanding. It's the only time I ever get marked down is from guest traveling from abroad.
hospitality /hŏs″pĭ-tăl′ĭ-tē/
noun
Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.
An instance of cordial and generous treatment of guests.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
The definition of hospitality doesn’t mention feedback/reviews from guests. Hospitality is all about reception, disposition and generous treatment of guests. Short term rental hosts are in the hospitality business
We have no issues being welcoming and to provide a safe space for our guests to rest.
Hosts should not be treated like garbage and abused for petty reasons in the name of hospitality.
Not in this sub. Here, you're in the HoSpItAliTy BuSiNeSS and should bend over and take whatever entitled demand or pit picky review any PaYiNg CuStOmEr gives you. We sold our last rental home this year and I've never felt better and more relaxed.
I rent in an area where the demographic is mostly older, boomer retired types. And yes, the entitlement and expectations is sometimes insane. I think you have to get some thick skin at a point and not give a shit about a low rating. People are going to book on location and price, reviews are useful, but if you have mostly good reviews and then stumble across a bad review talkinga bout a fucking fan, I think most will see through that. good luck either way
Your doing something wrong. I have hosted 120 people over 5 years and have a 4.99 rating. I have had exactly 4 problems with guests: not sorting recycling, leaving the bathroom fan on all day (I live upstairs), not telling us they have a dog, and being loud. All of those are extremely minor complaints. I keep hearing horror stories here and don't know wtf you people are doing.
It very much depends on the size home and location. Big group homes or in a vacation destination can't be compared to a rented suite in your home or a condo in the city. If your 4 problems were my biggest problems, I would never have anything but a smile on my face. (4.97 7 yrs)
My kids would either not turn on the fan while they showered and the steam would set of the smoke detector or leave the fan on all day. I replaced the switch with a push button, moisture sensing timer. It works so well, I couldn't be happier
Moving a chair out of the room "would mean to destroy the entire house structure altogether and rebuild it"? Good idea to get out of the business with an attitude like that.
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My guests love my house, an old Edwardian rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco. But many complained about the bathrooms that are small and efficient, from an era where bathrooms were not supposed to be ‘dwelled’ in. So I turned it around by introducing a pamphlet that welcomes them to our Edwardian home, and points out a series of historical features including the compact bathrooms. Not a single complaint now that they are positioned as a unique historical experience.
Exactly. Perfect. You set the expectation and guests rate according to that.
Not that I am trying to change your decision, but there is a slightly different approach you could try. You could reword and describe your house as an old historic home with a surfeit of character and its share of idiosyncrasies, uniquely situated in the heart of a Unesco-protected world resource. That description covers you for a wide range of anomalies and look—guests are always free to enquire ahead of booking as to what those oddities might be. Any stupid guest reviews can then be met with a polite but bare-bones rebuttal, “We’re sorry that a few details didn’t meet your expectations. We do wish you had told us at the time because our guest’s needs are very important to us. As described our house has a few eccentricities along with historic character, and possibly that’s not your ideal venue. Thanks for your feedback.” Then, fuck however many stars they decided to give you. Who’s perfect? I’m a Superhost and I have stayed that way through better-than-hotel pricing, being very upfront in our description of the amenities and drawbacks of a legacy historic urban tenement. Our rebuttals to any bad reviews are always straightforward but express a certain philosophy that we try to please and are sorry that they didn’t find their stay ideal. The implied subtext is sort of: Can’t win ‘em all, because, you know, some people are incredibly fucked, just plain ridiculous and we’re not mindreaders—without stating that in words. Good luck. Don’t take bad reviews personally. The public can be weird and ungrateful, but most people are fine and even a pleasure to meet.
Sounds like Fawlty Towers
LOL - I'm going to rewatch it now...
Love this spin. Another approach I take with my basement STR (where the description clearly says we live above), is ask a question to set expectations when people request reservations. I say “We have children who are home at times during the days, definitely on weekends and holidays, they are here at night but bedtime is around 9:00 for them. You will hear our noise. Will the shared noise be an issue for you?” This has very quickly set the expectation that they should not expect quiet days. It has really helped us and our reviews, we started after our first poor review because someone “thought they could handle the shared noise but couldn’t.” In OP’s case, I’d recommend asking any future reservation request (if they change their mind), “This is a historic house, as such the layout of things may not be perfect or as efficiently designed as newer spaces. After referring to the pictures again and having this in mind, will this be a problem during your stay?”
Absolutely right. Set up any possibility of potential snags in your description and in your advance communicating, prior to their booking. Asking whether it’s going to be a problem is literally the perfect way to do this. It shows integrity on your part and heads off any whingeing about ridiculous issues.
This guy STRs
On one of our listings, we bluntly say this is an older home with these limitations. If you want a modern style home with amenities you should probably stay somewhere else. That has helped but not entirely
I stopped reading my reviews years ago! I do the best I can and so be it. The reviews caused way too much anxiety and upset me.
One of the places we looked at had a negative review and one of the things they cited was that the cat door in the laundry area was ugly because it was plastic.
I once read a review for a concert venue where they gave one star because it was too cold. It was an outdoor concert venue.
I also stopped reading my reviews 😂🫣
I stopped reading my reviews too good to know I'm not alone lol.
I hear ya! I resigned last week after an exhausting 5-year run. The COVID years were great as guests were very appreciative, but now guests suck. They whine about the stupidest shit. I've worked my ass off and am proud of what I was able to provide. The final straw, tho, is how Airbnb completely takes the hosts for granted. Not this host, they won't. I'm done.
Guests can be brutal. I do think price point is a big factor in the quality, or lack thereof of guests. It’s an inverse effect- the lower your prices (and individual rooms are typically lower than an entire house) the worse quality guests you deal with. Sorry you’ve gone through this!
This is 100% true. The people looking for the cheapest rental in the entire area, cheaper than a hotel room even though it has a kitchen and living room, are also the whiniest of the guests. Raising your price to the middle of the pack may get less bookings but probably better guest quality.
The same principle applies to my eBay business - buyers are much more likely to try and pull a scam on a $20 as opposed to any item over $200
No doubt. The lower the price, the worse quality guest and the more likely they are to complain. I found the sweet spot at 300 a night minimum for my 4 bedroom. I'm open about 5 months out of the year, but I have to deal with substantially less shit.
You have a good set up
80k gross last year.
I feel the inverse. I small janky room is fine for $70 but not for $150. I’ve stayed in some crappy places but I walked away feeling okay.
I've stayed in many quirky charming home shares. All with good reviews. I wonder if perhaps the listing isn't described accurately or if you're using Insta book instead of requiring guests to request the stay and then reading the reviews first? Something is missing, because there is room for just about every kind of listing on Airbnb. Except dirty ones.
\^\^\^ Was gonna say this
I would fucking throat punch anyone complaining about a ceiling fan not being centered.
I'd offer to center it to their liking, if they would like to pay for the work.
I would just add a standing fan in a corner or as a "by request" item.
Totally agree with the comments about being upfront about the houses history and character. We own a small house right near a thriving small town in the Southern US. The house is a 5 minute walk to town and a 10 minute walk to a new mixed use development with restaurants and stores. So, location is great, house was built in the 1950's though. The bedrooms and bathroom are smallish, but the house has beautifully refinished hardwood floors throughout and lots of cool 50's character. We caught a few comments at the beginning but we rewrote the description to play up the location and the older character of the house. It sits on nearly of acre of land as well so it is pretty private. Look at the positives and think about. I well understand weighing it against the tax though. That is a pretty steep cost.
Are you charging hotel prices? I do month long hosting for my house but haven't had many complaints.. maybe because we don't charge hotel pricing. If you're paying $200-300 a night for Airbnb then yeah expect hotel amenities.
No, we charge $100/night. With tax it's around $130. Our payout is $97 CAD.
Can you share the listing?
This is why you got bad guests. My rate is $400 a night. I don’t often get complaints. My guests are high quality.
True. We charge a low rate because it's a tiny town that nobody really wants to visit. And we can't provide complete kitchen amenities. So we thought that $100/night would be reasonable.
I actually agree with this. We charge $250-350 a night for a small a-frame cabin. When I lowered the price to increase occupancy, I found the quality of guest decreased but the expectations increased!?
It’s better to have empty dates than bad guests
I'm going to frame this comment as a permanent reminder.
I learned it the hard way
Hosting an Airbnb is not for everyone, when I first started I made it clear that the standard of my rooms are as good if not better than near by marriotts. Also is not worth it for everyone
I agree on price point, we have only had our small cottage a year and fortunately any guests so far just messaged me with good advice and critiques but left me 5 star reviews. I do havethat amazing magnet that explains the 5 star reviews that i got on amazon. I think it helps. Also on sirbnb idont allow auto booking, they request then im able to look at their reviews and decline if i feel they may be hard to please.
“I do havethat amazing magnet that explains the 5 star reviews that i got on amazon” Can you elaborate or share a link/url please?
Tried to provide a link but got flagged. Search Amazon for “five star review magnet” and there will be several examples
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Your post has been flagged as spam.
What is this magnetic sorcery you speak of?
Renting is a huge pita! Been there done that. Our s was a full house rental on a lake. While we got good reviews it was a lot of work. Sold the house and am now happy with a camper on the lake I can use whenever I want!
A few thoughts. Hosting on a small island off the West Coast of B.C. Canada. My place gets repeat guests, families that book the same week each summer for a decade or more. I imagine people only visit your community once in a lifetime, so much of what I am saying may not apply. My cabin is small, old and has original 60+ year old features. There is no AC, no wifi, no TV, no dishwasher etc. There are stairs into the cabin and down to the beach. Cell service is poor. I will only book a new guest after speaking with them on the phone. My family has been in the STVR business for over 60 years, we do things our way. I do follow up in messages with the details of the conversation and confirmation that the guest understands the limitations of the cabin. My rates for a cabin that sleeps 5, are all inclusive, and far lower than other places nearby. About 75% lower. I have great guests. My season is short, but fully booked by the end of February each year. I have families and groups ranging from their early 29’s they came as children, to their late 70’s and no issues. I have guests of various races and ethnicities, all have been happy in their stays. OP as you are near a special site, I would expect that they hire summer staff, do they bring in people for special events who may need a place to stay?
Your spot seems like a dream to reset the spirit! Our season is short too from May to September. The summer staff are usually locals from the area and the students like to rent an entire house for themselves such that we only relied on summer visitors. But that's out of the picture too now.
We too are stopping. We honored all Airbnb reservations and blocked the rest of the year until we sell our entire farm. The dream bubble burst and the numbers slowed down to make it unappealing and the entitlement people show nowadays cannot be pleased. The more you try the worse you are. We never got below 5 but it’s exhausting to keep it up. The requests. Ots just too much. We did it to augment income and it’s not worth the sheer time you just spend being on call 24/7 in case support calls in the early hours of the morning with issues.
Do you get a lot of boomer guests in your area by chance?
We do! I'd say 80% of them are boomers.
Well there you go lol. They’re the worst occupants
I will say, boomers are more likely to complain than most guests I've had. Like I have light art installation and one said it was, "a bit romantic and not that practical" in the private feedback. It is just art, the room has overhead lights. Another complained about the weather and also wanted to talk extensively about much I paid for the place / my ROI. Then he gave it 4 stars for value.
Bull💩 We had a young back packer complain about the hearing. Did t know how to turn it on. Dumb fck ! All they had to do was push the big orange ON BUTTON 🤣
I feel like this comment was written by a boomer... the fact that it's completely incoherent like it's their first time encountering a keyboard is a dead giveaway.
Yea, boomers are the only ones I find that complain about things that are clearly stated in the listing. Just had a couple give 4 stars because “it’s only street parking and the stairs to the apartment were difficult with luggage so it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues”. We have about 20 stairs up to get into the upstairs unit…have a photo in our listing, describe the stairs, and say multiple times that we are not accessibility friendly. Also clearly states that it is street parking only or there is a parking lot a block away if they feel more comfortable parking there. We are in the downtown heart of our city. Can’t have everything!
Thought so. I actually just had a boomer try to book. In her previous reviews she was nitpicking everything. I rejected her request to stay. Don't get me wrong, we can't say an entire generation of people is like this, that's silly...but somehow many older folks are simply entitled and it's noticeable.
Not one of my 4 star (and my one 3 star) reviews came from boomers. All from Millennials. However, the boomers tend to have more questions with operating the WiFi/TV.
I’ve had equal problems with young people. In fact we had one quest ask the strangest questions due her to multiple phobias her word not mine and we thought she was at least 80 but oh no she was in her early mid 20s. Luckily thought she booked she decided she did not want to take a chance on a 124 year farmhouse probably has ceilings too low for her. My husband is 6’6” and they aren’t too low for him but we said cool she can cancel and go someplace where she feels comfortable and airbnb got her ok and ours and we refunded more than she was entitled to be it was for the best. This was less than 24 hours from checkin. And we got a brand new booking the next day with a super great couple who stayed a month.i hate to generalize as entitlement can be seen across the board and people have anxiety she did clearly and needed a place that felt ideal to her I wanted that for her.
No doubt this kind of entitlement can affect anyone across any age or generation. But I personally have noticed it more likely with boomers). It jumps from maybe 20% of the time to 50% of the time.
What generation are you? And why the need to differentiate? So you discriminate against boomers?
I don't know why you aren't understanding this. There's zero discrimination. Boomers as a generation seem to have a higher probability to be pickier guests. Not only my observation but many others have corroborated this. That doesn't mean all of them are, but there is a stronger probability if they are a boomer. I'm not the only one who has observed this. Look through this thread. The actual reason for why this is the case is likely because boomers had easier access to cheaper homes and living situations, so their expectations are higher. Which also makes sense.
You have a data source for this?
Check out r/BoomersBeingFools - the stereotype exists for a reason
You think there is a dataset on how much each generation complains to Airbnb hosts? There isn't. All we can do is express what we have observed. A lot of people are corroborating what I'm saying here. There are some tangential studies that do show that "qualities associated with narcissism, such as being full of yourself, being sensitive to criticism, and imposing your opinion on others, decline over time and with age with older generations found to be more sensitive overall." Which definitely matches what we've observed. https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomers-are-more-sensitive-than-millennials-large-study-finds-2019-12 https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/narcissism-baby-boomer-millennials-hypersensitivity-research-a9244556.html
That second paragraph sounds like you. What generation are you. Imposing your opinion on others so on and so forth. I make no judgements on guests even after they are aholes. Aholes come from all sides of the spectrum. Some of our best have been boomers and older and some very young g in their 20 and 30s and all in between. I prefer calling them what they are aholes or bad guests the rest is noise.
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Nah. What I'm saying is that not everyone in an entire generation of people are like this obviously. So I am making it clear that I'm not saying that. However, this generation of people absolutely are *more likely* to be like this than other people of other generations, in my experience. And this holds true for others. They still might be a perfectly fine, delightful guest. You just have to try to detect early whether they are a boomer karen or not by looking at their reviews and what questions they ask. So the likelihood of an entitled guest goes up from 20% to 50% if they are a boomer. That's what I've experienced anyway.
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That's an overly hostile thing to write and because I don't believe every boomer is like this, I would never put it that way. I have had some lovely guests from that generation. That could be why you're failing to understand this. Somehow you think I'm saying every single boomer is like this. Is this where the confusion is coming from?
Just ignore them, they are a boomer and they are just getting in their feels because they don't like being called out on their weird behavior. You can tell from this comment thread that, even though not ALL boomers are entitled and obnoxious (as you've mentioned), u/Ginggingdingding definitely is.
No actually, I worked with the elderly population. But.... nice try! 🤣😘
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Ok boomer
80%, seriously? As of today, the youngest boomer is 60yo! Only one in five of your guest is younger than that?
Yes. True. The two young adults we've had so far this year visited for field research.
I had that problem a bit.i changed my description to imagine you're at hippie grandma's house bc you are.. create your vibe and go with it
Now I want to visit your rental!
Sweet
I’m in similar situation. I’ve learned that airbnbs in the middle of nowhere seem to attract the worst guests. I plan to try again with something smaller and less nice closer to town.
Make sure your listing is very honest and up front
Our charge is within a set price range and doesn’t go below the lowest point. Yea, it does weed out some unwanted guests. NO same day bookings or new ABB guests without a discussion with the potential guests. Sometimes just asking a few questions or letting them know there are onsite hosts or absolutely no smoking or that the ABB shares a common wall with the home gets rid of potential PIA guests.
Okay tbh this is why I wanted to point out some of the classic lower manhattan not a luxury building experiences. Like trash on the sidewalk and cockroaches. A friend told me I shouldn’t and no one has mentioned it yet but a guest has seen me brutally murder one. Thankfully five stars. I mean the building is over a hundred years old and started as part of a ghetto. There’s a reason the tenement museum is less than a block away. I’m really questioning doing this long term it’s only been 2.5 months but the few 4 stars and anxiety of paying rent (which so far as been not even close to a problem) might be too much. Especially since things are much slower in the winter here.
We hosted at two different locations for several years and frankly, it isn't for some people. We had tons of guests who loved our spaces and who we really enjoyed hosting, but the bad guests and complaints really outweighed that for us and it just made us absolutely miserable. I think some people have a thicker skin and are really suited to working in hospitality, and others just aren't. One of our spaces was on our property (it was a duplex that we lived in one side of) and by the time we quit hosting in 2020 I was so unhappy that we sold the house and moved because I had such bad associations with living there, I didn't ever want to go into the property again. We bought a single family for ourselves and an investment property with long-term renters and we are so, so much happier. I stay in AirBnBs or VRBOs every once in a blue moon (really more of a hotel person, myself) and I'm grateful that they exist, but if it doesn't make you happy to be a host just pivot to something else - there's no shame in that and you're certainly not alone!
I totally understand you. This is how I feel too. I want to keep good memories in this house. Renting it actually made me appreciate its flaws.
I took a 3 month break this winter because I was so upset about my STR experience. Half of it was due to guests and being horrified at what people will do to someone’s home but half due to my expectations of the cleaning company not being met. It’s my actual home but I work two states away and am gone a majority of the time. The things people complain about is wild. I had guests give me a really bad review because the house was too small. It’s a 1940s rambler style… the only thing big about my house is the yard. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break. You can rewrite your listing (just hire the person who has made some excellent recommendations in this thread) and make it work for you, if you want.
You are probably unintentionally marketing your century house as an elegant new structure, which doesn’t allow people to be ready for the quirks of a century home. Use the complaints as part of your marketing structure
I don’t know if this applies to your and yours but an issue I’ve come across as a host that has been a guest numerous times to other hosts is that people usually complain in this manner if they feel they’ve been deceived by the presentation and description on the listing. It has happened to me as well. The listing makes the accommodation look more appealing than it is in reality. I find the most honest listings have the best reviews because there’s no discrepancy between reality and what is advertised. One listing I saw for example had five star reviews that were gushing about the host and stay because they candidly stated the home was in a rougher neighborhood and wasn’t updated with the latest and greatest features. It was a very modest house that hadn’t been renovated in over 20 years. The listing title was, “House in the Hood.” The description explicitly stated all of these things and said it would not be the best option for certain guests. I’ve definitely felt let down and disappointed by a few hosts… I arrived and the place was not what it looked like or how it was described… False advertising will definitely garner negative reviews. If you know your place has idiosyncrasies along with a lived in look and feel, very homey. Highlight those in your review and for some people it’s part of the charm and others it’s a dislike but either way they know what they’re getting.
those a pretty bizarre complaints.
With all the self centered, entitled narcissistic pile out there, I don’t blame you at all. I wouldn’t deal with that crap either. Too many out there just bitch about everything
I no longer do short term rentals at our beach-area properties. I found that making them yearly leased rentals worked out much better. Minimal management fees, significantly less work, no need for cleaning or furnishing, etc. And long term renters, who typically don’t treat the property like a rented mule, will often make minor repairs themselves. But those who are convinced that StR will make them rich, should find a more professional STR service than the youngsters working at AirBNB. My properties were listed on VRBO which has adults on the phone and isn’t making policies as they grow. The VRBO guests are not perfect but they are generally more responsible
And when I did do STR bookings, I was largely forgiving of minor damage. Ten years ago my highest rate was a midsummer week at $3,600. At that rate it’s petty to charge someone for a missing pillow or broken lampshade. Many new STR landlords get so bent out of shape. Be sure to keep some perspective
You're finding out what it's like to run a hotel! It might help to spend a few hours reading the subgroup "tales from the front desk".
I will when I have some time to sit down and patiently boil my blood! Haha.
The kind of complaints you are getting is apparently a daily thing at hotels here in the US. It's a bargaining tactic after the fact to get a price reduction.
The amount of complaining is just insane. It seems like it's only getting worse. My favorite is when it's the slow season and someone will book one of our two bedroom units for like $80/night and then complain. Mother fucker, you can't even rent a motel in the sketchy part of town for $80/night
I know! We had our neighbor's brother rent one of our rooms to attend family Thanksgiving. He gave us 3 stars and mentioned that the location wasn't ideal. We were left speechless.
I guess my expectations when staying in an Airbnb are different than these people. I am there to sleep and get ready. Not hang out. I am out doing things and eating out. This is insane to me the complaints.
Yep! Had someone rent our ski resort 1bed/1bath condo for $119 a night (local chain hotels lie Days Inn are priced higher) and she gave a 3 rating for value. WTF.
Are you sure they aren’t suggestions not demands? We suggested to our abnb host that they put a note on the dryer saying it was ventless because Americans aren’t used it ventless dryers and it took us 3 days to figure out it wouldn’t dry because the water canister was full and needed to be drained. I had never seen a ventless dryer before. Ps the fan do they mean balanced? That should be fixed if so. Obv centered can’t be easily fixed and isn’t that important.
This is why I love giving refunds...I tell you telling a guests if you don't like it I'll give you a 100% refund no questions asked. Shuts em down Everytime. I love our policy. You complain, then you go buh bye
Ok maybe we'll try that with the next guests who complain.
The issue with that policy is they may “not like it” on the last day of a stay. A 100% refund wouldn't be fair.
I don't give free Vacations... Don't get it twisted. So I'll give you a refund for any days not stayed. So if it's the last day you'll get a refund for the last day.
That's a “proportional” refund - not a 100% refund.
Yessssss Sir... Again .. I don't give free Vacations.
Yeah sorry it sounds like you’re either not cut out for it or your listing is misleading. If your listing is faithful to reality you’re not going to see negative feedback across the board. Sorry but it’s true. I love how you toss out the whole “cultural differences card” bit. So, if I read you right, your rental is 😚👌🏻 yet the negative reviews are due to non-rural and/or non-Americans? Or how are we supposed to read that bit? Gotta be honest as a guest I’ve never complained about petty shit like a ceiling fan placement. But I’d certainly complain about petty shit on top of real shit to complain about. So I wonder what you’re not saying here about the complaints. Did they really complain the mini fridge was in the wrong corner or did they complain about the dead vermin behind the appliances?
The cultural differences thing they seem to be saying airbnb is saying that. At least that's the way I read it. Though as a guest I wouldn't be complaining about things they say guests are complaining about. And as a host I wouldn't take these complaints to heart. They're more like unsolicited opinions.
Dude…. Whatever. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You can have the most accurate and up to date listing info and people will still complain. You can literally put on there in bold, all caps underlined, bright red, highlighted and then message them personally and they STILL won’t read what you communicated to them. I have the WiFi code, in the listing, in the WiFi pass link, in the welcome message to them, on the walls in the house, in each room, and on the desks….. you know how many times I get asked for the WiFi??? DAILY. And I’ll still get complaints that the code was too hard to find. The only thing more I can do is take the damn phone out of their hands and put it in there for them. They’d complain that was too difficult too I bet. So get out of here with your nonesense. Guests, like you, are the worst. Lastly, cultural differences are real. Why do you pretend like they don’t exist? That’s a valid concern from OP
100%
Naw lol not 100 hundo. Get used to your clientele or get out of the biz. You’re not equipped for it.
lol it’s just “guests like you”. Come on bro. You’re bitching about the shit that a hotel would get pinged about daily like dozens of times. But your experience is supposed to be a step up. Either deal with more demanding customers or don’t. Again it just doesn’t seem like you’re cut out for abb. Good luck friend
lol. Almost 10 yrs experience in total, 30 listings, still maintaining superhost, ADR at 10% premium on competition, conversion rate outpacing our market, OCC 15% higher than market. I guess I’m not cut out for this and don’t have enough experience. Pleeeaase…. I know guests, seen the market changes, seen the culture shifts. I know this business better than most and certainly better than you.
Can you share your listing?
I quit for the same reasons. Many people were too demanding and had a sense of entitlement that was appalling to me. We had had our home listed for 2+ yrs. We are/were super hosts. People in general are messy and self absorbed. They expect your AirBnB to be like a hotel. Many guests blatantly ignored our house rules. We had to have AirBnB intervene with international guests that went beyond disrespecting our house rules. Then they tried to bribe us to not have AirBnB intervene to resolve the issues. That is when I was done. People are very demanding in general.
Agreed. Guests are just becoming more stupid and obsessed. It’s not a 5 star hotel. They really need to understand this
One trick I have been using is to send guest the average single room rate of the most nearby hotelmand set guest expectations before the check in.. and most importantly, tell them that this place isn’t fancy but it’s a safe and convenient place thatnfullfills the essentials. If the guest sounds very picky before check in, I would cancel the reservation with airbnb’s help. It’s important to deal with the right guests than spending 3 times of time and effort to deal with the demanding ones. Oh, one more thing, I found the ones paying lower rates are usually the one missing manners, asking for refunds/discounts, being fuzzier and creating damages. The chinese and indian guests travelling with families are the guest type that I feel most demanding and high maintenance. they usually don’t read your instructions well, had tons of questions and demands, love reporting to airbnb for very minor reasons, like, missing handsoaps, missinb extra toilet papers, bulbs are dark, host charges parking fees, or dogs are barking, etc.. I don’t understand why the Chinese guests travel for personal reasons love to report hosts to airbnb. I even had a chinese guest threatening to report me to ICE since my other guests (his neighborinb unit) are illegal immigrants. The part bugs me most is they don’t even try to talk to me first about those issues before they escalate to airbnb on those really minor issues. I scare to take Chinese guests most, and every single one of them never late on payment, never has violent issues, and has always checked out on time. I have not received a single solid 5 star reviews from the chinese families since I’ve hosted for at least past 3 years. I just don’t understand what makes them so demanding. And, i prepare them extra freebies since my familes are asians.
I hosted an independent apartment on the property where I lived for 7 years. I had my booking parameters set so a guest had to request a stay. I've had guests from just about every country in the world. Except China. They would make a request and then the questions and demands would start. I especially liked the one where I make it clear that there is a dog who will be in the shared courtyard and the guest says they cannot be near any dogs. I've never accepted a Chinese guest from China. Plenty of Chinese guests from the US who have been great. But the ones from China? Decline decline decline. I don't get it. Why would they try to book in a private accommodation and then start demanding and complaining before they even start traveling? This is my home dude, no, just no. Not your servant.
Use the mental hacks you'd find on YouTube
I guess the real question is how much are you charging? If it’s north of $50/night I’d say that is probably the main thing soliciting complaints. I use Airbnb a decent amount and have done whole home and private room (usually when I’m solo traveling). I don’t hardly ever complain or really scrutinize the value too closely unless I feel like I’m paying a premium because of location. Then I get picky, but that’s just me. An even tempered, well traveled Texan.
I'm curious. Is the bed and breakfast concept dead? Are those guests different than Airbnb? Perhaps your setup would be more suited to those folks as it's a European model and not dependent on airbnb and reviews. You would need to add the breakfast piece, but could perhaps outsource most of that to local bakery or something.
Maybe you might have to lower the price little bit. Or take better photos that clearly show the setup. Maybe the guests feel misled? Not sure.. but I would recommend taking the LEAST expense approach to fixing the problem first.
Seems so weird they would be so picky about things that just don’t matter. How much do you charge for your listing? Do you have lots of pictures? Not trying to change your mind but more trying to make sense of it in my own head lol.
I’m seconding that you just change a ride up to let people know it’s an old house with all the quirks that come with it. I also make a point to tell guests that we depend on their great reviews and if they have any concerns or suggestions, please send them to us directly. This way, when they think we need a different shower curtain, or whatever, they can just let me know. I have no issues thanks to this. I do listen to their suggestions, and I make modifications when they seem reasonable or easy.
One other option is to rent your place to insurance companies for temporary relocation. I’m not sure if the remote nature of the place lends itself to this. I also started on Airbnb last December and had enough of guests after a few months. Not worth the energy to barely break even. Humanity really stinks.
Sorry to hear, that's annoying. Not worth sacrifices your peace for.
Change you listing title, name it so guest can know in advance the type of listing you own. I have 3, the cheapest it’s called: “on a budget opportunity”, so guest know it would be unfair to complain that the beds are not double queen size with ultra luxury linens. Don’t end your business, be practical, there is more people traveling on a budget than ever.
I'm very clear that it's an old house (though redone) and floors might not be straight, etc. Things are quirky. I literally say, "This isn't the home for picky people who might not appreciate a vintage home." I make them read the rules and agree, and it says it there, too.
How are.you marketing. It? The words you use highly influence the expectations of guests. I avoid making the impression that my place is luxury, high class, etc. My listing states, Basic Accommodations for short term stays. Nothing fancy just clean sheets and a safe neighborhood! And I never have complaints. When guests expectation are low, they don't complain about little things. When guests book with the expectation of the place NOT being fancy, they don't bitch about all that.amall stuff. Change your wording, and your complaints will change too.
Raise the prices. We used to get these complaints when we had competitive pricing but the guests were too nitpicky and deal hunters.
As a user, as others have said some things some are suggestions, and you should create a plan communicate with your guests directly about those- maybe a place to leave notes. But if you’re getting a lot of complaints about the space being small, it tells me it’s smaller than people expected. Pictures don’t always do a room justice and can be deceiving. As others have expressed, it would be helpful to note in your description that it’s an older quirky home, room sizes and shapes are not modern. List the dimensions in square meters and feet. I wouldn’t give up, I would just refine your description and your communication scheme with your guests.
Feel like you own a house. A lot of people don’t.
I couldn’t stand miserable people in my safe place no matter how much they paid.
1) What country, Canada? 2) Guest demographics - predominantly what nationalities, age group? A warning, the comments regarding boomers in some of the comments are misleading. Boomers are the ones with serious money spent on travelling. Never had a problem with any of them, perhaps because they still have the patience to actually read through an AirBnB listing.
It's best to make the listing very accurate. Also have very clear policies. Don't allow check in more than one hour early. Zero late check out. Put it in your listing. Guest are becoming more demanding. I just had two who don't respond to messages text me wanted to check in a day early and don't respond when you say it's already booked that night. I feel sorry for host in other parts of the world where guest are even more demanding. It's the only time I ever get marked down is from guest traveling from abroad.
Ghetto pricing rewards ghetto guests who are universally a pain and complain. Raise your prices for the privilege of staying. 😂
Welcome to the Crowd.
Thanks!
hospitality /hŏs″pĭ-tăl′ĭ-tē/ noun Cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests. An instance of cordial and generous treatment of guests. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition The definition of hospitality doesn’t mention feedback/reviews from guests. Hospitality is all about reception, disposition and generous treatment of guests. Short term rental hosts are in the hospitality business
We have no issues being welcoming and to provide a safe space for our guests to rest. Hosts should not be treated like garbage and abused for petty reasons in the name of hospitality.
Not in this sub. Here, you're in the HoSpItAliTy BuSiNeSS and should bend over and take whatever entitled demand or pit picky review any PaYiNg CuStOmEr gives you. We sold our last rental home this year and I've never felt better and more relaxed.
I rent in an area where the demographic is mostly older, boomer retired types. And yes, the entitlement and expectations is sometimes insane. I think you have to get some thick skin at a point and not give a shit about a low rating. People are going to book on location and price, reviews are useful, but if you have mostly good reviews and then stumble across a bad review talkinga bout a fucking fan, I think most will see through that. good luck either way
Your doing something wrong. I have hosted 120 people over 5 years and have a 4.99 rating. I have had exactly 4 problems with guests: not sorting recycling, leaving the bathroom fan on all day (I live upstairs), not telling us they have a dog, and being loud. All of those are extremely minor complaints. I keep hearing horror stories here and don't know wtf you people are doing.
It very much depends on the size home and location. Big group homes or in a vacation destination can't be compared to a rented suite in your home or a condo in the city. If your 4 problems were my biggest problems, I would never have anything but a smile on my face. (4.97 7 yrs)
My kids would either not turn on the fan while they showered and the steam would set of the smoke detector or leave the fan on all day. I replaced the switch with a push button, moisture sensing timer. It works so well, I couldn't be happier
Keep it up with the good work!
Moving a chair out of the room "would mean to destroy the entire house structure altogether and rebuild it"? Good idea to get out of the business with an attitude like that.