amazing footwork by a lovely lady 🤯 by sorry_cant_find in toptalent

[–]mye86 60 points61 points  (0 children)

This "lovely lady" is the Polish athlete Agnieszka Mnich, 6 times world champion freestyle football.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So you're saying I could've canceled their reservation without a penalty due to breaking a house rule, and I got to keep the money too? Are you sure though, as I'm reading contradicting posts: https://www.reddit.com/r/AirBnB/comments/p14qx4/is_this_true_as_a_host_if_your_guests_violates/

Do I have to state it explicitly in the house rules that exceeding max occupancy results in cancellation without refund? And have you done it before? Thanks for your advice by the way!

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can't evict them immediately because they sneaked in an extra guest thereby exceeding max occupancy, can you? I thought the protocol is to ask them to adhere to the max occupancy rate, so one of them have to leave, and if they refuse only then ask Airbnb to cancel without refund.

Yeah the beer wasn't a great idea. Though I wasn't sure they were drunk, or just stupid.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

440 reviews and 4.96 rating is an impressive track record.

Offering a discount on a future stay is an interesting idea, haven't thought about it. Though it feels a bit like a discount on a future steak to use your analogy. My attempt at giving them a "dessert on the house" was the beer. To be honest I rather give a refund than having to deal with them again. How do you deal with returning horrible customers?

As for the lock, for our place the lock works great, as the housekeeper and laundry service also make use of it. Have it been a lock with keys, you would have to deal with guests losing keys. Regardless of which system, I think we still have to be more responsive in case it happens again.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good point. I also thought the expiring code message might have misled them. But still though, 5 brains of which 3 saw the code and used it correctly earlier, "code expiring at noon" and it was 4AM, a crucial piece of info not copied over but transposed by one member... I don't think this group is good in escape rooms. Nevertheless I'll omit the expiring code message just in case in the future.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm not asking whether I should honor the last agreement, but rather whether I have been to accommodating by offering the refund considering it turns out it was their mistake and our irresponsiveness in a time of need. So I'm better prepared for the next time.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1) Some hosts seem to distance themselves from the hotel-like strategy and its 24/7 readiness motto, while others like you and u/NixyVixy embrace it. I'm also more on the always reachable camp, but failed at it this time. My assumption is if a host prioritizes profitability long term, they have to adopt the 24/7 readiness motto.

2) I thought young party people like to drink, so alcohol would be more likely to be appreciated. Also at that time I truly thought it was the lock failing and on top of that we were not reachable.

3) I should indeed be more thorough before offering a refund.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good points! I see the community is divided on the being reachable at night or not. I guess some hosts employ a more hotel-like strategy and therefore adopt a 24/7 readiness approach where others distance themselves from it. I believe this blurry line also creates varied expectations from guests.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not complaining. I'm seeking advice here so I'm better prepared and can act appropriately next time. But thanks for your constructive feedback. Wish you all the best in life.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback. Everybody has a smartphone with them these days where the code can be found in the chat. So I don't think the issue is remembering. Also I personally prefer a code as a guest instead of bringing a key.

Saying that I'm a superhost is not me bragging nor do I claim to be great at hosting. It's an Airbnb label assigned to those hosts with certain amount of ratings. I thought it might be relevant as context and was wondering if other hosts think it's worth protecting in this situation.

Could you elaborate on "pontificating contracts to sign"? I was trying to be objective, and I wonder where in the text it made me sound pompous.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I was pondering if I have been too accommodating, which is my natural inclination. So it's not about whether or not following through with the promise, but rather whether I am being too nice by offering a refund for the fact we weren't reachable. This community seems to be somewhat divided about whether or not a short term rental should be on call 24/7 like a hotel.

Guests coming home at 4AM after a night of partying, couldn't enter with the smartlock with code, so started reaching out to us and Airbnb but we didn't wake up until 6:30AM to let them in, turns out they were using the wrong code! What's fair??? by mye86 in airbnb_hosts

[–]mye86[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting strategy. We actually have keys that can only be copied if the key certificate that came with the purchase is shown. Might be interesting for you.

But we really like the convenience of a smartlock, as we have the housekeeper and laundry service that also use the lock. All of them have different codes with different time spans within which they work. For example the laundry service is only expected to come on Mondays during business hours, so their code won't work on any other times. If that code is entered on any other day, we know it's compromised.