If you have been hosting for a while, there is no doubt you have encountered "that" guest. If you are new, just expect them to come along sooner or later. They are just known as a bad guest
They are very cordial and polite with their booking message, responsive in communication and may even seem friendly. They have a couple requests from the start. Sometimes these requests are no big deal. Other times, they make you pause and have to think through the logistics to make it happen. But you want to be a great host. You want them to feel comfortable and at ease and enjoy their stay. So you make arrangements to make their request a reality.
The guest arrives. Everything is great (so they lead you to believe).
Then ping!
A message comes in with another request. No biggie. We can handle that.
Ping! Um. Its 11pm and its not an emergency...I guess we'll let that slide?
Then ping! again. What is it now?
Ping, ping, ping!
Notifications feel like they are blowing up your phone. (When the reality is, it is your brain that feels like it is being blown up.)
Requests are now complaints. But you are perplexed because you have hosted guests at this listing for a considerable amount of time, years even, with amazing 5 star reviews! You are responding to every message they send with urgency. You meet them in person. You do anything you can to accommodate...but no matter what you do it feels hopeless.
We have been there. Usually we got "that" guest about once or twice a year when we had 5 listings. But now we have 10 and now we get a few more each year.
One time we even offered to fully refund a cleaning fee (though the home was professionally cleaned). They refused to accept it and instead proceeded to bully us for the remainder of their month long stay. A window wouldn't close just right. The wife wanted a different type of floor mat, so they bought it themselves...and had to let us know. They wanted a four slice toaster but the listing had a 2 slice, the water pressure isn't good enough...and so on.
"That" guest makes you question everything about what you do.
Am I a good host?
Does my listing really suck?
Were the previous guests just lying in their reviews?
Should I redecorate or refurnish?
Is hosting really worth this incredible increase of stress due to this one guest?
Do I need to supply more (fill in the blank)? But why haven't the last 10 guests mentioned this?
Are all these phone calls to Airbnb support ambassadors worth my time?
"That" guest has weaseled their way between Nick and I a few times as the stress rains down trying to appease them. Some requests legitimate, others are absurd. We have most definitely been challenged to tame our inner lion that so desperately wants to ferociously roar at their pettiness.
Solution? First take a deep breathe. Nothing can be resolved when emotions are in the way.
Here are some valuable things we have learned from "that" guest:
1.) A lot of times, these are the guests that have not fully read the listing description. They book quickly without reading the house rules or important notes fully disclosed prior to cooking. Then they want to make you as the host pay for their irresponsibility.
We have a property that is divided into two listings with private entrances and spaces. But the guest, when they pulled up to the home, obviously did not read the listing description or checkin procedure and messaged us completely upset that they couldn't get into the listing. They were trying to enter through the wrong door!
2.) We must do our very, very, best to accommodate, disclose, and politely communicate. But we cannot control their preferences nor their perceptions.
3.) Know the booking platform policies inside and out. This is to help you prevent situations and also know how to navigate them when they arise. Here are some important notes on that:
Never cancel a booking, especially when a guest asks YOU to when they are the one wanting to cancel. Canceling on a guest is like host suicide. Unless you have an emergency situation, do not ever do it.
Do walk throughs of your listing to ensure everything is absolutely clean and ready for your guests. Especially ensure the space smells clean, fresh etc.
Take pictures of everything when a guest has checked out if you find anything out of place, damaged or if they did not follow your checkout procedures. This is necessary if you need to add charges.
Watch out for false claims. There is a trend that if a guest wants to get out a booking and they claim within the first 24hrs of arrival that the listing is not clean, smells bad, or if there is mold - then Airbnb in particular will refund them without questions asked. In a situation we endured with a guest (who was also a host and thus was well versed in Airbnb policies), Airbnb didn't even check with us first to see if the claims were true. They just took the guest's word for it and we lost out on not only the booking itself, but the days from the moment it was booked ahead of time to through the end date. All of this adds up to a loss of over $5,000. Once they canceled, our calendar was open but we had lost significant time it could have been booked by someone else.
Keep record of all communication through the platform. Everything needs to be written - you need a record. Sometimes you do need to have a phone call or talk face to face. But always recap your conversation in the app and have them confirm, in the app conversation, that they agree to your recap. If they do not, then according to Airbnb's policies and other hosting platforms, it didn't happen.
They may be going through something personally (which you have no control of) and unfortunately you are the target of their frustration. I know this to be a fact for one of our guests. The wife was under a lot of stress after they had just moved back from living overseas. They had a toddler in tow, and other logistics in their life were not playing out to her liking. She did NOT want to be here. With that mentality, we could not win. Just understanding this, helped physchomogically at least as we endured her emotional storm.
If you are new to hosting, we certainly don't want to scare you away from it with all of these uniquely crazy circumstances. The amazing guests outweigh the rediculous ones by far. But just know, every human is unique with their own preferences and personalities. It is a beautiful thing.
However, be warned for when "that" guest comes along. Take a deep breath...you cannot please everybody. That's life. And if you have a wonderful track record with superhost status, then the platforms will have your back (most of the time), and you can take that deep breath knowing you really are a super host.
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