HOSTS, NOT COUNSELLORS.

[Rebecca44]

I had an interesting guest last week for whom I felt very sorry. He had come to visit his daughter who was in university and when he arrived he was cheerful and smiling. He only had 3 days to be here, and I should think his plane fare was expensive. Something went down between him and his daughter and he fell into a terrible gloom and didn't come out of his room for a whole day, but just watched TV. Outside it was warm, but inside the house it was cool, and he told me that despite the extra blanket, he had been chilly at night and wondered why the heating in the house was off. I explained that it was summer, and asked if I could lend him a jumper. Later, I went out and bought him an extra blanket which he threw on the bed and ignored. His behaviour was appalling actually, and one of the other incidents was that on his first afternoon here, he brought his daughter back to the house despite my house rule which states that people must not bring visitors. It was embarrassing to haul him up on that, and it could've been that he didn't bother to read the brief, but he didn't tell me that when I spoke to him about it.

So what I did this morning was to go through my listings sections very carefully adjusting where necessary so that everything is crystal clear, and then at the end, at the welcoming before confirming the booking slot, I have asked guest to make sure they have read the notes, the house rules and the check-in and out times to make certain that the booking suits them before they commit. The other editing I did was on the information sheet that each of my rooms has, in which I re-iterate the no visitors house rule and the check-out time along with other bits and pieces of useful information. So that's been a whole morning's work, and I can't think that I left anything out. The guest in question left a slightly scathing review and three stars, and I thought for a long time before deciding that I would 'answer' it because I don't think people should be allowed to get away with bad attitudes unchallenged. So I went directly to the point and explained that there might be other hosts who are happy for their guests to bring visitors back and a couple of other things I forget now, but I felt it needed to be done.

[David126]

I like the comment about other guests having had the benefit of hearing him sing, hopefully you gave him the big thumbs down.

[Bruce43]

I just received this option from Airbnb in messages.

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Details guests must know about your home

Aspects of your home guests must acknowledge before booking

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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looks like the perfect place to add some information

@Rebecca44

@Robin4 I am thinking of adding this to aspects of my home

Welcome to my nightmare
I think you're gonna like it
I think you're gonna feel like you belong
A nocturnal vacation
Unnecessary sedation
You want to feel at home 'cause you belong

Welcome to my nightmare
Welcome to my breakdown
I hope I didn't scare you
That's just the way we are when we come down
We sweat and laugh and scream here
'Cause life is just a dream here
You know inside you feel right at home here

Welcome to my breakdown
Whoa
You're welcome to my nightmare
Yeah

Welcome to my nightmare
I think you're gonna like it
I think you're gonna feel that you belong
We sweat laugh and scream here
'Cause life is just a dream here
You know inside you feel right at home here
Welcome to my nightmare
Welcome to my breakdown
Yeah

Songwriters



Read more: Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare Lyrics | MetroLyrics

[Rebecca44]

I saw that today, Bruce, and filled it in... it's a new piece and very useful.

[Rebecca44]

Snort! Imagine opening a cupboard and finding Alice Cooper in it. 

[David126]

Schools will be out soon...

For the summer.

[Bruce43]

@David126 that song came out two years post high school well I just gave away my age!

[David126]

I remember buying the album, and where I bought it. Also the wrapper the album came with.....

[Bruce43]

@David126  small world I spent a week in the Frisco hotel two years ago in March/April

It was on my bucket list.

You picked the right spot to settle old man!

cheers

btw I wound up in the summet hospital  I ran out of oxygen.

[Robin4]

@Bruce43

Alice Cooper.....oh Bruce, where are our lives going?? Roger Moore died yesterday, I am starting to feel a bit like one of those monoliths at Stonehenge!

I figure enough has been shown in photos and described about my listing for a guest to know what they are booking! But the only total unkown for them is me! It is a leap of faith for them because I, (like some we have seen here) could be a complete 'loopy'!

So right off the top I try to make a guest feel comfortable with the decision they have made...

I have posted this before but we are a forum of a revolving audience....

That gets things off to a good start, I am not pushing myself on them but, the offer is there. And then the morning of arrival I will quite often through in some 'way out' phrase, once again, as an icebreaker!......

Sure, it seems a bit 'Loopy' , in fact one guest said "Crocodiles, what crocodiles....what the hell are we coming too?", but it always gets the desired result, I get a reliable arrival time and when they arrive, they arrive almost as friends and it's a fact of life, people do not like feuding with people they like!

From Alice Cooper to Crocodiles in the back yard.....we could really do something with this Bruce!

Cheers......Rob

[Bruce43]

@Robin4 that was one of those posts you open in the morning and spit your coffee all over the laptop laughing 

[Bruce43]

@Robin4 it is the way we cope with the pre-pressure of our new guests. 

And you are 100% right about icebreakers. 

I just booked 3 Airbnb rooms in southern England and a place called woolley grange and the commutation has been excellent.  

very nice hosts. 

it is from the 1st to 14th of September.  

I will keep you posted.

[Rebecca44]

Well, no I didn't give him a thumbs down because I think he was having a bad time while he was with me, but not because of me, and he might behave much better in with someone else in the future. This is what I hope anyway. 

[Robin4]

@Rebecca44

Well, in actual fact his review was not a bad one ....."My 1st airbnb stay here, pleasant enough in quite residential area, shared toilet, w garden at the back, shared kitchen. Bus stop is near and no 24 will conveniently take you into the city."

There is no way on Gods earth I would call that a 'slightly scathing review'....and neither would anyone else!

And your review to him was a pleasant one too, no hint of any problem, just that you were sorry you didn't hear him sing!

What you have done here Rebecca is commit the cardinal sin of bringing his private feedback to you into the public arena. In your response to him you made a point of bringing up blankets, heating, visitors and other things nobody else would have been even remotely aware of, and by doing that you have guaranteed that future people who look at your reviews will firstly, wonder what on earth you are talking about, and secondly think you would be possibly a 'brittle' host to deal with, and someone to be avoided. 

Private feedback means the guest wants to make a comment to you but not criticize you to the world.

There should be a lesson learned for you here Rebecca, you thank guests for their private feedback and leave it at that....don't make it public. I am afraid you are the one that comes away from that hosting looking a bit tarnished!

Cheers.....Rob

[Rebecca44]

Thank you, Rob. I have learnt it.