What is your favorite thing about being a host?

[Suzanne302]

I know I'm still in the "honeymoon stage" as an ABB host, and in spite of spending over an hour cleaning dog hair embedded in a comforter, I'm still loving it!

I am very much an introvert, but one of my favorite things so far is just meeting new people and seeing their excitement as they explore a new area. I also love coming up with ways to personalize each guest's visit.

What is your FAVORITE thing about being a host?

*Yes, I know I will eventually experience a less-than-stellar guest, but let's keep this positive! 🙂

[Noel63]

I am very much still in the honeymoon phase too. We've only just started. My favourite thing would be meeting people from all over the world.

[Zacharias0]

The money. Its guaranteed to be paid on time even if the guest doesnt show up on time. 🙂

I do appreciate every guest but i like decorating and changing the space up every now and again with the money I make. Hosts will be surprised how many compliments theyll receive if they reinvest in their space and upgrade the amenities. 

[Michelle-And-Michael0]

My favourite thing would be chatting and getting to know a little bit about the guests, and helping them with local recommendations that suit their needs.

Not all guests like to chat openly, but it's easy to recognise those that do prefer a little more interaction and those that want to be left alone. 

Our Studio space is separate from our house, so we generally only interact with our guests on arrival and departure.... but occassionaly some guests that have stayed with us for a few days or more, have joined us for a drink and chat, one repeat guest, even for dinner. 

And then of course, if they leave you a great review.... nothing is better than that! 

Happy Hosting 🙂

[Paul154]

I love that they leave.

"I hope you enjoy your ferry ride, I'll see you later tonight"

"I'm so glad you'er going to visit the Space Needle. Have a good day"

"Have a great flight home"

I get my whole house for the day. After cleaning, I just relax and enjoy having no guests. 

Don't get me wrong. I love making coffee from them in the morn and chat a little. 

But I love when they leave.

[Elizabeth429]

@Suzanne302,

I like the little money coming weekely into my bank account.

My favorite part is when I can come back home after guests have left.

Since I like eating, I consider waking up in the morning to a nice desirable choice for breakfast is a must. So, I try to make sure my guests get a personalised variety of goodies for them to enjoy.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Suzanne302

My listing is a private room in my apartment and most of my guests are exchange students....... for the majority of my guests, it was their first time in Asia.

I like the extra income I get from the 'would have been mostly empty' guest bedroom, which I usually use to splurge on stuff to upgrade my home/listing. (Yea~ melitta varianza coffee machine, balmuda toaster and honors dual wet-mop~!!!)

I like that I am able to provide an affordable, clean, fairly private space to exchange students - because both my younger sisters also studied abroad and I know how hard it is to find a nice, quiet place you can call home when you are in a different country for only a couple months.

I've always enjoyed meeting people from different countries, backgrounds, cultures. And I like being able to help my guests make the most of their time in Korea/Seoul and recommend things to do that I think they will like and won't find in any travel blog.

And I like that guests will eventually go back home (unlike a roommate/tenant), and Henry and I will have the house to ourselves for a little while until our next new guest arrives 🙂

[J-Renato0]

The money I get in return for providing a good accommodation.

Talking to people from different countries almost every week is also interesting.

Talking to people from different states of my country almost every week is also insteresting.

[Robin4]

I have met a cowboy from the Black Hills of Dakota! A strawberry farmer from Southern China, a peace activist for Greenpeace, a lead star from a major television series, a human rights lawyer from Brussels, a little nine year old girl who is a piano prodigy,

I said yesterday in another post, I can't think of another job in this world where I would get paid to have so much fun!

Cheers.....Rob

[Lizzie]

Lovely topic @Suzanne302. It is great reading what everyone has shared so far. I hope others will continue to share what their favourite thing is. 🙂

[Huma0]

I know we're only supposed to choose one thing, but can I choose three?

- The extra income has made me a bit more financially secure. It's a lot of work, but that makes it worth it. Like @Zacharias0 says, it can really help to have that extra to make home improvements.

- Meeting many different types of people from many different countries and learning from this.

- Learning more about my own city by seeing it through the eyes of a guest and coming up with answers to all their questions. I always felt like a Londoner, but even more so now.

[Christina355]

@Suzanne302 I love this post! I am an introvert too, but hosting definitely helps bring my extroverted side out a little. 

My favorite thing is when people bring kids to stay at my farm. I love introducing the kids to all the farm animals, especially if they've never met one before. It's really fun to show people how to collect eggs, especially if they're still warm. I also love being able to provide a safe, affordable place for people to camp out and explore our area. I am in a tourist area where it can be pretty expensive to visit. Of course, the extra money is nice too 🙂 So far we used our earnings to put up new fencing, which was much needed. 

[Rebecca160]

@Suzanne302 wonderful topic! I am also an introvert and was not sure how I would like having people in my space. I rent out a room, fairly well separated from my personal space, so I am able to maintain privacy, as well as giving my guests privacy. I started this strictly to bring in more money, yet found out quickly that guests are fun! I really enjoy meeting new people and learning new cultures. It has been a lot of fun to share info and adventures about the most magical place on the planet(New Mexico).  Some of my guests have turned into good friends, so that is a big bonus. 

[Sarah977]

I enjoy the extra income from an otherwise underused guest room, of course, and also enjoy my guests, all of whom have been interesting people who have done interesting things in their lives. Many of them surprise me in a good way. Am not particularly an introvert, but I live alone, don't need people around in order not to be bored, and am capable of spending vast quantities of time dealing with my place, and my list is always longer than the hours in a day are enough for (maintenance is killer in the tropics).  Having these guests gets me socializing more than I normally would,  relaxing with them more than I normally make time to relax, and hearing how much they love the space I've made for them makes me happy.

I also like when they leave (altho there have been a few who I was actually a bit sad to see go, but some of us keep in touch)- I can go back to my slacker habits of leaving my dishes unwashed for 2 days, wandering around the house scantily clothed, and not whipping out the vacuum cleaner every time I see another clump of dog hair from my constant shedder on the kitchen floor.

[Mathieu-And-Kunj0]

@Suzanne302 the best part of being a host for me is the look of amazement on the faces of our guests and the compliments we get when our guests first arrive at our home. The pictures of our home are nice but they don't do it justice and don't really show the exact size or the details of the apartment and furniture. So they are always are bit surprised and a little stunned at the beauty of it.  The second best part is the money.. It pays for our vacations...