AIBU to ask you to read a host’s description before you book on Airbnb?

[Frannyhy]

We’re not hoteliers. If we say check in is until 9pm, it’s because we work outside the home in the day. Planning to arrive after midnight is not acceptable. I won’t get up and come to the door. If you know you have a late flight arrival get a hotel for the night. (Transport does get delayed, I know that and will suck it up. But if possible let me know.)

If you book a room in someone’s house, kitchen use is a concession not a right. Despite me saying my kitchen is to be used to make a hot drink only in my house rules, every other person wants to cook.

I have cats. I have pictures of them on my description with photos. I still get people coming here and whining that they are allergic to them.

Don’t bring extra people or children if the accommodation is for a single person. Hosts will turn you away.

Yet again a guest has asked to move because of my cats. Yet again she has lost her money (over a hundred quid) because I clearly say I have them. Airbnb sided with me and wouldn’t allow them their money back.

Read the whole listing and house rules please. I say won’t tolerate smoking or a stranger in my house and I mean it. If you pick up a fucking partner and bring him or her back here and I wake up, I will kick you out no matter what time it is.

On the whole airbnb has been a positive experience. Thanks to the lovely people who do read the details before booking, you’d be welcome back anytime.

The reality is many air bnbs do let you use the kitchen to make simple meals

But that has literally no bearing if it’s made clear in the listing that any given one doesn’t allow use of the kitchen.

I know it has no bearing. But people are saying why assume you can use the kitchen when bnbs and hotels don't let you use the kitchen. That is irrelevant. Many air bnbs do let you use the kitchen. So people are not reading the listing properly and just assuming like many other air bnbs you can use the OPs kitchen.

I know things have changed a lot

And there you have it.

There is no such thing as ‘an AirbnB’ it’s an advertising and booking facility showing different types of accommodation options.

Jenny you say it is very rare for an Air BnB to offer a cooked breakfast, but I’ve never stayed in one that didn’t 🤷🏻‍♀️

It only underlines the OP’s point about understanding what you’re booking.

So people are not reading the listing properly and just assuming like many other air bnbs you can use the OPs kitchen

So in which case the OP isn’t being unreasonable. People should read the info readily available to them.

I mean who is stupid enough to book a holiday without reading the listing and then complain that various things aren’t how they want them.

The lady who had paid me £100 had booked for four nights - not one night as some people seem to think.

My cats are always kept out of the guest room. Some of the ladies do want them on the bed, but I say no. If they want to cuddle them, they can do that in the lounge.

Who is stupid enough to not read the listing properly and then complain when it is not what you expect?
Honestly this makes me laugh. You don't understand anything about working with the general public.
When you run a service you either complain about the general public and how many do not read your rules or terms and conditions, or you accept that is the case and if you have less usual ones do things over and above to make them crystal clear.

@StarJumpsandaHalf I suspect then you are staying in bnbs that advertise on air bnb. This has become quite common. The staying in a spare room type of airbnb IME involves being pointed in the direction of cereal bowls and some cornflakes.

Honestly this makes me laugh. You don't understand anything about working with the general public.
When you run a service you either complain about the general public and how many do not read your rules or terms and conditions, or you accept that is the case and if you have less usual ones do things over and above to make them crystal clear

Yeah, I market an Airbnb for a client

Any listings are 100% Crystal clear and people still complain. So we don’t refund, we don’t cater for stupidity.

I don't know but maybe you should have sent this to whoever upset you because it sounds like you shouldn't be hosting 😂

I've been a host for years.
Your tone is very inhospitable.

@Frannyhy If you are charging £25 a night then that is cheap. Sounds like the kind of places I have booked when working and just needing a bed and access to wi fi. In that case it is simply that some of the public are unreasonable. It comes with the territory.
Although you might find people booking a cheap place are more likely to push for access to the kitchen as they will be unlikely to be able to afford to eat out. Not your problem, but I can understand why they would try their luck.

@JacquesHammer of course some people still complain. That is what happens when you work with the general public. And you obviously do know that. Of course people can vent about it, but I think life is easier if you come to some kind of acceptance that it comes with the territory.

Re cooked breakfasts: if you are preparing food for paying customers, you are supposed to register your kitchen and allow inspection by an EHO. You should also by law take a food hygiene course. I doubt if many UK hosts renting a private room would do that.

Hosts are also supposed to have gas and electrical safety certificates - I get my boiler and fire checked every year. I also have working CO2 detectors, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit.

There’s a lot more to it than just listing a room on airbnb.

Of course people can vent about it, but I think life is easier if you come to some kind of acceptance that it comes with the territory

Generally I assume that pretty much everyone I come into contact with is utterly brain dead. It’s much easier.

@frannyh And that is why people on airbnb don't tend to offer cooked breakfasts unless they are an actual bnb advertising on there.

@JacquesHammer In fairness after a long day of work and then checking into an airbnb, or a long flight and checking into a hotel, I am usually pretty brain dead by that stage.

@jennymanara, yes I am sure some hotel rooms are amazing but, sadly, they are out of my budget.

A Travelodge is about my level of affordability and they certainly are not amazing rooms. Not saying there is anything wrong with them and they are clean with comfortable beds but that is it.

We have stayed in some really great Airbnb places. The 4 bed detached last week was one of them. The penthouse in Canary Wharf with floor to ceiling windows at under £80 a night was pretty amazing.

I don't really like hotels at all. I don't like just having a room. I don't like usually having to sit on the bed to watch tv as it is never comfortable. I don't watch tv in bed at home so why would I want to when away from home? If a chair is provided (and there is usually only 1) it's never comfortable. The tv usually has really bad service - few channels and shit picture. Breakfast when the hotel dictates (never early enough for me and DH as we are early risers) and usually some ridiculous price.

Also, and I don't know if we are just unlucky, but 9 times out of 10 when we have stayed in a hotel there are people coming and going late at night, middle of the night, very early morning, slamming doors, talking (or rather shouting) at the tops of their voices, having really noisy sex etc. I am a light sleeper and get almost no sleep in a hotel.

In fairness after a long day of work and then checking into an airbnb, or a long flight and checking into a hotel, I am usually pretty brain dead by that stage

But by which time you’ve already booked, I presume when less tired, so there’s no issue? Or if there are they’re your fault? (Notwithstanding genuine issues, not just “I can’t be bothered to read” issues”).

I think the OP is perfectly reasonable in her requests. If someone wants full use of a kitchen, then pay for a full property! Ditto extra guests. There are no hotels or holiday rentals which allow smoking indoors, because it’s illegal to smoke inside a public place.

And if you’re going to be really late, surely you’d phone ahead anyway as a courtesy? The OP has stated that she understands travel difficulties and would make exceptions.

If you book somewhere with rules, either accept them, or book somewhere different (and probably more expensive).

I think it’s very unreasonable of you not to let the guests have the cats to sleep over though, OP .

I disagree that most Airbnb's let you use the kitchen. When we travel together me and DH always chose "entire place" but when DH uses them he only has a room and ensuite in someone's home. I can only think of once when they allowed use of the kitchen other than to make a hot drink

I don't do Air BnB but I have had couch surfers. Maybe I've been lucky but I've not had a problem.

My spare bedroom has a tassimo coffee maker and if I was signing up to Air BnB I'd probably stick a mini fridge in.

This is exactly why I don’t like using bnbs/ guestrooms. Airbnb is only valuable when renting an entire house / apartment.

@mydogisthebest sounds like we have had very different experiences. I am not talking about the room, but a lot of hotels have swimming pools and nearly all have at least a gym. And nearly all bnbs I have stayed on have a lovely lounge. I really enjoy having a proper cooked breakfast in the morning, and at the help yourself type, we find we don't need to eat anything till dinner.
I have stayed in some nice air bnbs, but I do find them much more hit and miss than other type of places. The room only ones are fine for basic sleeping over, but they have to be very cheap. For a holiday I have stayed in too many disappointing air bnb houses and flats to be a fan. Too many that are only superficially clean, don't provide enough towels, etc. And I do think it is because the owners are amateurs that don't know what they are doing. I have also booked whole cottages on air bnb where it is clear they are running a number of places and they are always fine as they are running an actual business and generally are more professional.

@that25cUKHeatwaveof2019 what's ridiculous about stating no late arrivals? OP isn't running an obligatory service here, she specifies clearly in the rules on Air B'n'B. You don't HAVE to stay there - if your travel schedule means a late arrival then I'm afraid you'll have to fork out for a hotel. OP and other hosts don't owe you anything

And as for the fecking eejits saying they'd rather stay in their car - FFS Using a kitchen to cook and arriving after 9pm are SO important to you that you would really stay in a cold and uncomfortable car (which presumably is sans kitchen ) than a nice warm bed?

But I know I have high standards of cleanliness. So I do expect cutlery drawers for example to be clean and not have breadcrumbs in them. And for fridges inside to be totally clean.

@jennymanara, I don't think I have ever stayed in a hotel in the UK that has a swimming pool or gym (not that I would use either). I just can't afford those hotels!

I do think hotels abroad tend to be better and cheaper. We stayed in a couple of hotels in Sweden and they were much cheaper than hotels here and had massive bedrooms, king size beds, comfortable armchairs. They also provided fantastic buffet breakfasts that didn't cost the earth.

Buffet breakfasts in hotels like Travelodge are just not worth the money. I don't eat much for breakfast anyway so not interested in cooked breakfast and, as I said, they never start breakfast early enough.

We stayed in a hotel for a wedding last month (booked for us by bride and groom). The room alone was £250 a night - nothing special at all. In fact the bed was uncomfortable, nothing to sit on but the bed and the shower wasn't great either. There was a gym there and a spa (may have been a pool too) but we were not interested in that. Breakfast was £19 a head and was honestly one of the worst cooked breakfasts we have ever eaten. How do they even justify £19 for a veggie sausage, fried egg, two hash browns (hard and dry), half a tomato and a few beans?