Writing a Story on What Guests do That Drive Hosts Crazy and Need Feedback!

[Amber1]

Hi everyone-

I work as a travel writer and my editor has asked that I write a piece on the top things that guests do that Airbnb hosts hate.

Yes, it's a click-bait article but it is for a major publication, so there is some potential here for it to serve as a guide to prevent some of the common things that frustrate us.

After hosting more than 300 guests, I know that NOT READING the description is on my list! 

What's on yours? Thanks in advance!!

[Brianna0]

Not reading instructions. I have a long description, and important points are all capital letters, and they still don't get it. Complaining, not locking doors, not parking in instructed places, not checking out on time.

[Amber1]

How often would you say not checking out on time happens? I don't ever run into that, but then again I have a noon check out.

Also- not locking the doors? Does that happen a lot on average? My boat is in a very safe marina/community and we don't lock anything. I do have people leave hatches open when it might rain!

[Jill64]

1. Not reading description.

2. Not reading house rules.

3. Not reading much of anything.

4. See ## 1, 2 and 3!!!!

Seriously, my listing is for a private room within our home. It is very frustrating when guests don't read the listing description. I have cats, and I mention it several times throughout my listing yet I have had people show up and act shocked that I have cats! Now I go through a very time consuming process with potential guests before I allow anyone to book; they must first acknowledge that I have cats and then agree that they are fine with it.  Ugh.

The worst experience was when a confirmed guest contacted me a couple of days prior to check-in, complaining that she just realized that my listing is for a private room and not the entire home. She wanted to cancel and expected a full refund. The subject line of my listing clearly states that it is a private room, and the first line of the description says the same thing! She was very rude and insulting and accused me of misleading her, etc. She never took any responsibility for not reading the listing description. I had to get airbnb customer service involved to help resolve it. This really soured me on the whole airbnb thing as a host. 😞 But I've moved on from it and have had mostly good experiences over the summer.

[Zappa0]

I now make all of my guests confirm that they have read the entire listing and call out a few key points (IE, Cats etc...) before accepting.

It has saved me when they call Airbnb for things that are - as you said - pointed out many times in the listing. You want a refund because you didn't realize it was five miles from the main tourism area? This is highlighted FOUR TIMES in a description which you confirmed you read. No questions asked, Airbnb takes my side. 

[Jill64]

I like that. Will do the same from here on out. 😉

[Bob39]

Bringing more people than they booked for is the #1 problem.

More people are at the check-in than what is stated at the booking. I had a guy book for 5, but showed up with 7, including 2 babies that they never told me about. Or they simply show up with an extra adult or two, and say, "It's ok, they'll just sleep on the floor (or the couch)!"

I had a lady reserve the house for 5, and there were 5 when they checked in, but 3 hours later there were 2 extra cars parked and about 25 people milling about, going in and out of my house. Most left by 10 p.m., but they made a mess of the house, leaving condom wrappers, marks on the floor, a broken chair, etc.

[Amber1]

what did you do in the situation with 25 people? Did airbnb get involved? I would have told them all to leave!

I have had the situation of extra people. My neighbor checked a two people in because I was at work. I came home late and they were out at the bar, woke up the next morning and there was someone on my couch that didn't look like the either of the people in the photo. He ended up being really nice, but the couple just shrugged it off with "our friend decided to come at the last minute and couldn't find a place so we figured he could crash on the couch."

I charge extra for that, because it is a small boat and I don't like having a lot of people.

[Karen-and-Brian0]

Stuffing copious amounts of food waste down the garburator & completely blocking the kitchen drain, not telling us about it for over 24 hours, not answering when I wanted to send a plumber, then leaving all the dishware & utensils in the place dirty & filling every pan, cookie sheet, roaster pan that I own with them. Leaving cooking mess all over the stove top. Then leaving me a note to say I have a really nice place & they'd like to come back again soon. 

Taking my phone charger, admitting to it, then refusing to pay for replacement.

Using almost every bath towel in the place after only a 2 day stay (22, over 40 towels in all with hand towels & facecloths, 7 people), leaving them laying around everywhere, throwing the bedspreads & duvets on the floor. Leaving the thermostat cranked up to 25 C.

We've only had 5 separate groups of guests so far - 3 were awesome, 1 was awful, 1 was semi-awful. 

[Amber1]

Yikes. I hear the towels.

I had store extra sheet and towel sets in the storage hatches on my boat to make it easy to make the bed for the next guests. (The boat, I should add is like camping - solar shower, porto potty etc). Nothing glamourous. 

One of the girls spotted it and asked what it was for. "I said those are for the next guests, I store them out here because I also live on a boat so space is limited." 

They checked in at 7:30pm, stayed two nights. I discovered they had torn into the bags of storage towels for the next guests, even though they were each provided a towel and I verbally told them this. It's camping! How many towels do you need for 36 hours?

[Deirdre11]

My places are in a ski village in Japan, so the instructions on the heaters are all in Japanese. People press all the buttons hoping to crank it up as hot as possible, without even waiting for a chance for it to kick in, and always end up turning it off. "It's broken" they say. "No, I never touched it". Has it even been actually broken? No, not once. Has it been turned off? Yes, every time.

[Amber1]

Hmmm...maybe an easy fix for this is to put on a sign on them that is translated into some of the languages that guests use the most. I put a "please don't put paper towels, only toilet paper in the toilet" sign on the toilet in english, french, german etc... (just used google translate). 

But I think you've touched on a point...being afraid to ASK if they don't understand how something works. 

[Kim-and-Jen0]

#1. not reading the descriptions on the listing and house rules.

#2. saying it's my room is expensive! while the cheapest dorm out there is charging around 25 - 30 euro. (im in oslo)

#3. spilling the drinks/food on the white sheets!

#4. eating my flatemate's food, where I already put and label a shelf in the fridge for airbnb.

#5. being rude just because they paid and treat my home like a hotel.

😃

[Amber1]

The complaining about the price makes me crazy as well. My listing is literally cheaper than the camp sites here, and people still try and negotiate the price. When you have the lowest rate in town (by far), why are they asking for more? 

[David-and-Victoria0]

If they are negotiating every time then you are too cheap and they don't see any value in your home. Raise your prices! Super cheap begets cheap people.