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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How would you review this airbnb guest

67 replies

Ihadashittyairbnbguest · 24/12/2021 15:33

We rent a room in our home on airbnb. Over the last 6 years we've had some lovely guests, some ok guests and everything in between. But we've just had a guest who was so rude, antisocial, uncommunicative, surly and abrupt, it’s really taken us by surprise.
Anyway, we would like some advice on how to review her. In the past she has been both a host (not at the moment though) and a guest - before she booked we could only see her guest reviews which were positive and once she finalised her booking we could then read her host reviews which were varied to say the least, ie mostly ok but one or two very harsh about her behaviour as a host.
Her behaviour and attitude to my family while staying here was chilly, surly, mildly unpleasant, anti social; she had her own room and facilities and a key to the front door so we had no need to interact daily, plus covid precautions meant we mostly kept to separate parts of the house.
Our reviews are really good and we've been a super host for ages. This guest even came to see the room before booking so she knew what she was getting and our photos and listing tell it exactly like it is. No nasty surprises when you get here.
Throughout her stay she left quite a mess to clear up, didn’t keep her food prep area clean, lots of rubbish to throw out and food left to clear away; she cleared out one of our cupboards and left the contents on the floor even though there was loads of other shelf space she could have used, left dirty dishes on the floor for us to pick up and made various demands which we were unable to meet. After 5 days she threw her bedding into the hall as an unspoken message that she wanted clean linen (I offer fresh linen and towels every 7 days). There are loads of other things, these are just a few examples.
We could give her no review, but feel we want to let future hosts know that this lady was an unsatisfactory guest. How can I word a review that makes it clear this wasn't a good hosting experience without listing the unpleasant behaviours – as I’ve done here. She didn’t really break any ‘house rules’, but she was hard work, unpleasant and we wouldn’t have her back.
I was thinking something like this ... “the lady stayed with us for several weeks; she was quiet; she might have been happier with a sole occupancy arrangement”
I don’t know …. I’m stuck.
BTW we work very hard to look after our guests and make them comfortable and welcome, we need the money we make on airbnb, and we've never had any guest treat us like this lady did.
Any suggestions welcome. Thank you.

OP posts:
Dillydilly01 · 24/12/2021 15:37

Can't help with wording but whatever about changing bed linen after seven days, surely you should offer to change towels after three days, at the least ?

TheCatWearsPrada · 24/12/2021 15:39

Guest would be better off in a 5 star hotel

Warmduscher · 24/12/2021 15:39

I think your suggested review is perfect. It leaves enough unsaid to alert people to potential problems.

Warmduscher · 24/12/2021 15:40

Have to agree about the seven day linen change, but she could have been more polite about it.

MirthlessChuckle · 24/12/2021 15:44

All that message would say to me is that she was quiet and hadn't been problematic at all - perhaps even staying with a bunch of extroverts who hadn't been very kind or understanding of her wanting her own space. Which doesn't seem to be the case at all here!

I think if I were you I'd either be blunt and write a descriptive review to warn others, or don't write anything at all. Little hints won't help people.

daretodenim · 24/12/2021 15:48

the lady stayed with us for several weeks; she was quiet; she might have been happier with a sole occupancy arrangement”

This is enough to alert anybody to the fact it wasn't all plain sailing. Although I would try to change the bit about "quiet" as that wasn't really the issue. Maybe something more like "she appeared to want to be alone" or similar.

mumda · 24/12/2021 15:49

If your listing shows clean bedding after 7 days only then I'd really be brutally honest about every aspect of her stay.

Aprilx · 24/12/2021 15:50

I am not experienced in Airbnb, didn’t even know guests got reviews. Anyway if I read what you are thinking of putting, I wouldn’t for a second think she was a troublesome guest, I would actually be more put off you as I would take that to mean you are very loud and full on and some people might prefer to be elsewhere.

Rogue1001 · 24/12/2021 15:50

@Dillydilly01

Can't help with wording but whatever about changing bed linen after seven days, surely you should offer to change towels after three days, at the least ?
Hourly at least
BorsetshireBanality · 24/12/2021 15:52

I take it you wouldn’t welcome her back!

Reallybadidea · 24/12/2021 15:56

Is there any particular reason you don't want to say what you've posted here?

Bunnyfuller · 24/12/2021 16:02

Post what you’ve written in your op!

Ihadashittyairbnbguest · 24/12/2021 16:02

thanks for replies so far.

Actually our listing does say weekly linen change. In any event (bit of a drip feed I suppose) she did help herself to towels without asking and there were several bath sheets and hand towels in use when she left. We were aware of this but chose to let it go for the sake of .... I don't know .....keeping the peace I suppose. It was annoying she helped herself but not enough to have an argument about, though it all adds up to general unpleasant behaviour doesn't it.

If a guest asked for an extra towel, pillow, blanket, more regular linen changes of course I would (within reason) but I think for most people once a week is fine. We're not running a boutique hotel, it's a spare room in a family home.

OP posts:
Ihadashittyairbnbguest · 24/12/2021 16:03

@BorsetshireBanality

I take it you wouldn’t welcome her back!
hell no, I wouldn't have her back and I want to warn other hosts about her.
OP posts:
Offmyfence · 24/12/2021 16:06

It's a tough one, it could look like you're unreasonable? Could it prompt a counter bad review from her?

SouthOfFrance · 24/12/2021 16:06

I don't know the ins and ours of air bnb but why can't you just write an honest review? Would your super host status be at risk?

I think your review sounds too subtle too.

Squills · 24/12/2021 16:09

I agree with the previous poster... I think you need to be specific about how the stay went or say nothing at all.

I don't think it's fair to pre-suppose what your guest might have been happier with and saying she was quiet is odd and nothing to do with the issues you had with her.

You say that she didn't break any house rules but surely leaving a mess, emptying your cupboards and putting things on the floor would have been a no, no?

Ihadashittyairbnbguest · 24/12/2021 16:10

@Reallybadidea

Is there any particular reason you don't want to say what you've posted here?
I guess we don't want to post a long list of complaints but want to make sure other hosts get the message.

When hosts and guests leave a review they only see the review left about them when both have been posted, and then they have a right of reply. So there would be some tit for tat if you see what I mean. It's undignified plus our future guests can see the tit for tat and might think we are very judgy and difficult. We're not, we live and let live.

If she hadn't left such a bloody awful mess to clear up when she left we would have left a bland review and left it at that, but it was just another insult heaped on after all the shitty behaviour while she was staying here.

OP posts:
H1Drangea · 24/12/2021 16:12

We’re super hosts too , and I’m on a Facebook group of U.K. hosts
The code for bad guest is
Whatever Her Name would be better suited to a hotel

Mark her down for not following house rules and leaving the place clean and tidy
Say that you wouldn’t welcome her back

Ihadashittyairbnbguest · 24/12/2021 16:13

@Squills

I agree with the previous poster... I think you need to be specific about how the stay went or say nothing at all.

I don't think it's fair to pre-suppose what your guest might have been happier with and saying she was quiet is odd and nothing to do with the issues you had with her.

You say that she didn't break any house rules but surely leaving a mess, emptying your cupboards and putting things on the floor would have been a no, no?

house rules are things like no smoking, no pets, no guests, no parties.

I wouldn't ever have thought I'd need to add - no tipping out hosts cupboards !!

OP posts:
Ihadashittyairbnbguest · 24/12/2021 16:15

@H1Drangea

We’re super hosts too , and I’m on a Facebook group of U.K. hosts The code for bad guest is Whatever Her Name would be better suited to a hotel

Mark her down for not following house rules and leaving the place clean and tidy
Say that you wouldn’t welcome her back

thanks for this, I'll use that phrase (better suited to a hotel) and she's getting lowest possible marks for communication, cleanliness etc.

I need to join the facebook group for UK hosts.

OP posts:
GreenOwl · 24/12/2021 16:16

@MirthlessChuckle

All that message would say to me is that she was quiet and hadn't been problematic at all - perhaps even staying with a bunch of extroverts who hadn't been very kind or understanding of her wanting her own space. Which doesn't seem to be the case at all here!

I think if I were you I'd either be blunt and write a descriptive review to warn others, or don't write anything at all. Little hints won't help people.

I agree with this. I would also think it rude to dictate what sort of accommodation someone should book so I would be less likely to stay with you in case you judged me in this manner.

I think you need to highlight the leaving the cupboard contents and plates on the floor so that people can see you're not just being judgemental.

unname · 24/12/2021 16:17

I would write

“This guest created quite a mess of rubbish and dirty dishes throughout her stay. We ascertained she wished for more amenities than our listing indicates we provide and despite seeing our space in person before booking. I would not host this person in our home again.”

Howareyouflower · 24/12/2021 16:17

I'd suggest you put something like "I let a room in our family home. I think this guest would have been much happier in a hotel, with the services they are able to provide. My guests have all been considerate in the past, and perhaps I have been spoilt."

Getyourjinglebellsinarow · 24/12/2021 16:22

"Not a pleasant hosting experience, would not welcome again."?

A week is perfectly acceptable for linen changes. Who changes their bedding more than once a week? Who has the time?

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