Community Spotlight

[Lizzie]

Hello Everyone,

In February we launched the first Community Spotlight, where we got to know a little more about fellow community member @Andrea9,which was fantastic.

This month, we have been speaking with.....Gerry 🙂

@Gerry-And-Rashid0

London, United Kingdon

How long have you been hosting for and why did you first start?

We have been hosting for about a year and a half, but had created our listing about 6 months earlier. Like many people we were a bit nervous about the idea of people sharing our home: what sort of people would want to stay, would we feel comfortable having people we never met before in our home? We decided to take the plunge as Rashid was going back to full time acting, which as most actors know is a life style choice rather than a way of earning a good living. So, it offered the chance to bring in a fairly regular income to support that change in his working life.

Tell us a little about your listing

Our apartment is not that large, but probably by London standards bigger than many. We are lucky to have views from our flat across London and that’s one of the things that our guests love. It’s also incredibly quiet for London and in an area that has a great variety of people, shops, markets – many of which even Londoners have not visited!

What are the most important things you have learned about hosting?

First, your guests are just as nervous as you – they are coming to a stranger’s home and just want to see a friendly face, someone who will help them with their plans if they are new to your area. Make them feel welcome and relaxed.

Second – remember you need to take time off. As great as it is meeting people from all over the world, sometimes you need your peace and quiet. That’s why we usually only take guests Thursday to Monday. It can be tiring…

Finally – describe yourself and your interests, and include a few photos. You will tend to attract people who have a similar type of outlook and interests. It’s particularly important if you are just renting a room in your own home.

How long have you been part of the Community Center and why did you join?

We joined the Community Centre from the moment we started listing. We liked the idea that there were other people out there with the same concerns, questions and challenges who could help us. It was great to be able to read about some of the common questions that come up, particularly with regarding helping guests feel comfortable when staying with you. You also read different views – sometimes there is no right or wrong answer to a question and that’s what makes the individual contributions so helpful.

What is your favourite thing about the Community Center?

It’s great that people are willing to share their time and experiences with new hosts. Over time you also get a different perspective as to why people host and how they manage their time, their listings and make it enjoyable rather than stressful. You also learn about balance – not sweating the small stuff: accidents happen and it’s part and parcel of hosting.

What would be on your menu if cooking for a dinner party with friends?

If I am cooking then it’s Italian – or at least my take on it! I love cooking different types of risotto – some Italians have even been impressed… When Rashid cooks, then it’s Uzbek food – of which a rice-based dish called plov is the central focus.

If you could live anywhere other than the UK, where would it be and why?

Outside of the UK we love Spain: cities like Grenada, Madrid, Seville, and in particular, Palma. The food is wonderful and the culture is amazing. There is also so much variety in scenery and geography as you travel through Spain. So, that would be our number one location for a second home. However, there are so many interesting cities in Europe - we visited Lisbon last October and loved it from the minute we arrived. 

What activities would make up your ideal weekend away? 

Our ideal weekends away are spent exploring new cities – we love city life, the variety and history and the mix of people. You can walk for hours in a city and discover new things around the next corner. Cities are great at hiding new experiences that you will never find listed in any guide book. Perhaps growing up in the countryside means we go for the opposite experience when we go on weekends away.

Thanks you so much Gerry for taking the time to share a little about you. It is wondeful to read.

Feel free to ask any follow up questions of your own or leave any nice comments you might have. 🙂

[Lawrene0]

Nice comments about @Gerry And Rashid are easy! Always great advice, clear and concise and compassionate. It was good to hear a little more. Really appreciate this, Gerry. 

Thanks for these, @Lizzie.

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

There's a reason @Gerry And Rashid are well respected members of the community. 🙂

We agree - downtime is SO important.  We're always relieved when there's a couple nights break between reservations.

[Karen-and-Brian0]

When I see a response from @Gerry And Rashid, I know it's the one to read - always spot on, sensible and to the point advice, never sarcastic, impatient or snippy. I highly value them as members of this community & I've learned so much from them here. Keep up the great posts guys! - Karen

[Dieneke0]

Thank you @GerryandRashid  

That is so nice to hear and great you took the plunge in the end. And yes it is o so true, guests are also nervous and need to be feeling welcomed and reassured. 

Dieneke

[Rachael26]

I think of Gerry & Rashid as the Wise Men of Airbnb (and no religious connotation meant!). As a new host last year I personally spent lots of time reading through posts and problems to learn and perhaps prevent issues in my own listing and experiences.

I noticed that every post from Gerry & Rashid was not only informative, but supportive and always suggested a workable solution. That is what most people want when they write into the Community Center and the boys alway deliver, and with a good dose of level-headedness included.

I liked the interview and would love Gerry & Rashid to share some recipes! Rashid's Uzbek rice-based plov dish sounds really interesting. Perhaps there could be an internal link to a host's favorite or most meaningful recipe to share with readers in future Spotlights?

And I really like their advice to take a break from hosting - and the idea of only hosting Thursday to Monday is an excellent discipline.

Great article about two great hosts - Thank you!

Best Wishes.

Rachael

[Dieneke0]

Hi @Rachael26 some good points you are making. I second the idea of getting the recipe or maybe a picture of the dish. There should still be a strand related to food. But @Lizzie can fill us in on that.

[Annette33]

Hi @Gerry And Rashid, (how do I highlight your names here??) - love your presence here in the forum, thanx for always being so spot on with great advice and commentaries. It is so fun to get to "meet" other hosts from around the globe here in the spotlight, just wish we could all get together for a great party - with Rashid cooking! 

[Helga0]

Hi @Gerry And Rashid,

thanks for the portrait ! It surprised me that you are hosts for not that very long. I remember your first posts and always imagined that you are doing this for a long time. You must have found out very quickly, how important it is to protect your private life and your couple by having some time off. Whenever I saw your name on a comment, I knew it would be relaxed and friendly advice. 

Good luck for the acting career ! Do you add films where Rashid is acting to the guest's library? Or is he a theater actor? (the limits of my English).

I second the plea to get the recipee for the rice dish! 

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Hi @Helga0

Thank you - and Rashid will be adding a link to a plov dish over the next couple of days.

Never thought of adding DVDs of his films - in the UK he usually an extra on film, so you have to be very keen-eyed to spot him. But in the last two years he has done 2 x Star Wars films, Bourne Identity, Mission Impossible, Wonderwoman (coming soon), Jame Bond - Sceptre, Sence8, City of Shining Lights, Now You See Me 2, and so on....plus adverts, TV etc..

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

So wonderful to get to know more about @Gerry and Rashid!  While our opinions sometimes differ, seeing their perspective is an opportunity to view the nuances of successful hosts like them and consider incorporating it into my own thinking.   It was a surprise to learn that they've only been hosting for a year and half because they provide sage advice like hosts who have been with Airbnb for ages.  They take a no nonsense approach that is appreciated and admired.  It's great to have them here on the forums and you can't go wrong in implementing their excellent suggestions - I know I try to as often as possible.  

[Dev4]

@Gerry And Rashid

Good to hear your story. You guys are perfect as hosts for Airbnb as you enjoy traveling and can easily appreciate what a guest goes throw when they enter a new city, despite all the information available online and apps. 

Its interesting that you only host on weekdays and not weekends. Do you accept stays longer than 4 days, may be a week? 

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Dev4

Hi there...we decided from the start that we wanted to keep some time private for us,friends and family - so restricting the number of nights seemed to be the best way. We are lucky that in London you can be full all year round with people just here for a few days sightseeing. From time to time we have taken guests for about a week, but it's rare that we do that.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Gerry-And-Rashid0 thank you for sharing your experience with other members of community. I always read your advices 🙂

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments - we take inspiration from so many of you and learned what we do and how to do it from the 'old masters' on this site when we were starting out. So it's good to be able to help others and hear that our thoughts and comments (while sometimes different to others views) are of use to people. Good luck and greetings from a saddened but not afraid London this morning. Rashid and Gerry