Tag Archives: airbnb host advice

Hope Making Good Curry was Worth it

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I’ve been a host with Airbnb for years and found with solid house rules, filtering guests with no government ID through using Instant Book and reminding guests using a house manual including rules, I’ve had no problems.

I recently had guests who cooked curry every night for a week and the cleaning was a nightmare. I hadn’t thought to put “no cooking strong curries” in my house rules. The whole guest suite needed cleaning, including the walls, curtains, verticals, lounge and I had to hire an ozone machine to do the rest.

One week later, the smell had gone. This could happen with any rental, so it’s important to add this rule into a contract or house rules list.

Even though the guest was non responsive to my request for payment, Airbnb followed up immediately (after their 72-hour wait for guest to respond time), and refunded the costs of this incident. So even though my curry nightmare was not good, Airbnb was responsive, positive, caring and great.

Many of the things I’m reading on this site may be due to hosts not choosing to set firm enough boundaries and house rules. Those who choose anyone as a guest over filtering guests with ID, are always running a risk no matter which platform they choose to list their property on. I’ve found Airbnb to be nothing but wonderful.

AirbnBS: Customers Want the Cheapest Option

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I had several listings in central Sydney. The idea was to ‘test’ Airbnb at a few different market levels ranging through cheap, mid-market and high end. My experience has been that the only successful listings are the cheap ones. The reason for this is because Airbnb guests are inherent cheapskates.

Listings at the cheapest end of the market (a share room, backpacker style dorm) show a constant demand and high occupancy and as long as the photos and description are accurate and specific, the guests do not have any grounds for high expectations and, equally, any sustainable grounds for complaint. Alternatively, the opposite is true of mid-market and high end listings.

To attract bookings you have to be highly competitive and provide a full range of amenities, all of which are grounds for some kind of complaint by an asshole cheapskate trying for a free nights accommodation. My advice is keep it cheap and keep it simple and decline any guest who asks any question to which the answer is detailed in the listing preview. The enemy of profitability is time – don’t waste it. Stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap and don’t take any shit from guests or management.

I’m Sorry: Advice from an Long Time Airbnb Host

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I just wanted to apologize for the rude behavior from other hosts. My hosting style is super casual and my only desire is to make my guests feel like they are welcome and wanted here at my cottage on the lake. I have come across other Airbnb host sites and I have read some very negative things other hosts say about their guests that are shocking and disturbing to me. They run their Airbnb rentals like jails and they are very rude and controlling. They are rigid about check-in and check-out times, some demanding guests arrive within five minutes of their scheduled time. Some want proof of a flight delay, and so forth. They complain about guests using the kitchen and taking the shampoo provided for their guests. Not every host is like that. Ideally, you are a guest and should be treated like one since you are paying for a room, or a house during your stay. My only advice is to leave a negative review, since this hurts them the most. The host should be reported to Airbnb also, so that you can get a full refund. From my experience, Airbnb usually sides with the guest. Thank you, and safe travels.