In today's episode: Airbnb Adventures by Experienced Guests, Mitch and Stephanie I decided to interview my dear friends because they are Airbnb guests, NOT hosts…

They started using Airbnb over five years ago since they travel as a large herd… They usually travel with their brother, sister, niece, and nephew…

I did say herd, right?

Well, it´s a nice big group, which any host would love to book. They take a yearly vacation together, visiting different parts of the United States. As guests, they have had some interesting challenges.

What kind of challenges?

• They have been canceled by hosts at the last minute.
• They once arrived at their carefully chosen listing only to encounter a home that wasn't ready for them.
• Another time, they booked a house with a beautiful swimming pool for the family to enjoy together…

The only thing they did together was stared at the freezing pool because they assumed it would be heated….But you know what they say about assuming… Rule of thumb …Never assume when hosting or guesting. That's just a recipe for disaster.

Mitch and Stephanie have stayed at many Airbnb over the years, and they remember them ALL…

The good, the bad, and the UGLY… Especially the UGLY… They even remember listing names from seven years ago. Seven years, my dear hosts. So pay attention. These could be YOUR guests talking… We will discuss what made some stays so memorable and why others they'd LOVE to forget.

The question is… Who’s fault? The host or the guest? We’ll see.

I also didn't read…

For this episode, I did not want to interview guests who are also hosting…because as hosts… I would hope… I mean really hope,
We take a closer look at listings we're about to book. And we read those descriptions, House Rules, and we look beyond the photos.

Even though I must confess that as an Airbnb guest myself, I've been known to book without thoroughly reading the description.
Yes, I have been that guest… and I have PAID for it DEARLY…

Carefree Host…

Mitch also uses Airbnb as a solo traveler and he discusses his experience when he encountered a ¨carefree¨ host.
What's a carefree host? Find out in today’s episode…

Airbnb Adventures by Experienced Guests, Mitch and Stephanie

Mitch and Stephanie are now experienced guests, but they still stumble…on rare occasions, they still stumble. They're planning a European Vacation… Let’s see what happens when they cross the pond…. 

And if these mishaps happen to experienced guests… Imagine those brand new guests who are trying out Airbnb for the first time? They don't stand a chance.

Inexperienced Guests

In my Facebook group, The Hosting Journey, there was a question about turning down guests who have no profile information. Of course, the hosting community replied right away. A hosting community of over 2ooo very opinionated hosts… (if it's missing your voice, you’re more than welcome to join and chime in).  

For the record… I said NO. Don’t turn them down. As you know, I'm all about Educating NEW guests.

One of the hosts even shared her well-crafted message she sends to her guests. Educating the inquiring blank profile guests on how Airbnb is different from hotels, how to fill out their profiles, what is a good profile photo, to read the entire listing, description, and especially the House Rules.

Don’t forget about those House Rules… If you have any doubts on House Rules, please listen to Episode 4… ¨He Ate My Avocado¨ because we ALL need good House Rules. It´s our listing’s foundation

After reading your listing description and House Rules, a brand new guest will either book with YOU or simply move on to a hotel, which is actually what we want as hosts if Guest and Host are not a good match… We don’t want guests who are better suited in a hotel

Why? because they will have a bad experience as a guest. Make your hosting life miserable and more than likely give you a bad review. Lose, lose An educated guest is the best thing, not just for you, but also for the entire hosting community.  

Because eventually, they will be coming to New York and possibly staying with me… or with another host.

And we all want well-informed guests. Let's make everyone’s hosting journey easier.

Happy Hosting,

Evelyn

PS: Want more…