AirBnB Guest terminal illness

[Zazz101]

Hi, I am looking for suggestions. I rent out my house on airBnB and I have just found out that my next guest has a terminal illness.

They have organised a family get together. I would love to do something to make this an extra special time for them all. I know I could just knock money off the house, but they are wanting to make memories, and I would like to do something to ensure it’s a lovely holiday for them.

My only contact is the person that is ill, so I cannot ask them for any ideas.

so please, if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

We had something similar with our AirBnB - but in this case the guests were staying to attend the funeral of an immediate family member. We gave their stay free of charge. As others have said, I would keep it simple - they probably have their own very clear idea about how they want to use this time and what they want to do. Cooking or providing meals would be intrusive (their stay is planned, so I am sure they will have planned dinners etc.). Different to a last minute emergency where people don't have time to consider meals etc.

Tasteful but not over the top Christmas decorations. A welcome parcel of treats. Staying away - from my experience of times like this is you don't really want strangers being around however well meaning.

oi! With your generational thing! 😅

Agree with not offering a 'discount' you either comp it entirely or charge normal price. A discount is a bit weird. I would also find leaving camera's etc a bit strange - a lot of people hate having their photo taken. It feels intrusive - as though you want to influence how they should spend and document this time.

People book self-catering accommodation because they want to do their own thing. They would book a cruise or a hotel if they wanted services or help of any kind.

Dependant on your budget I'd do either private chef for the evening or hampers one with food and drink and another with pamper things and a couple of card or quiz type of games

My parents had rented a house for a big family get together to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Sadly my mum died very unexpectedly a few months before. We decided to go ahead anyway and celebrate her life and their life together. The hosts left a lovely homemade cake and some beautiful flowers. I'm not sure if they did that for everyone or if it was a special touch given the circumstances but it was a lovely gesture and very much appreciated.

And there was I thinking that Air BnBs are run as businesses.

Would Claridges have done that? Would Premier Inn? Or any other hotel or B+B in your town? No one in their right mind would expect special treatment.

I've learned a lot. I now know exactly what to say when I book an Air BnB and want a fancy hamper and extras thrown in for free.

Dependant on your budget I'd do either private chef for the evening or hampers one with food and drink and another with pamper things and a couple of card or quiz type of games

threads like this remind you how batshit a lot of the world is.

Do the people suggesting things like handmade books of vouchers and offering private chefs actually do this stuff in real life?

In your shoes OP I would do what you normally do for guests. Email a week before the stay to confirm the booking and ask if they require anything else.

Maybe, maybe go with a basket with biscuits, tea or coffee but definitely nothing home made.

This isn't about you and you bringing a heart felt moment generator for your customers. So just don't involve yourself in their lives other than make sure the property is clean, is as decorated as it would usually be for christmas, and with whatever welcome food you normally provide.

🤣 I hope they were joking

I know, very strange and also somewhat excessive.

I've never stayed in an Air B&B. Is this the kind of thing that happens?
It puts me right off.

I've never stayed in an Air B&B. Is this the kind of thing that happens?

No, it isn't.

Thanks. I did wonder what the hell was going on.

I think some people just get a bit over-excited on MN and wouldn't do this stuff IRL. Or maybe they would do it for family/friends - but surely not for complete strangers who may absolutely loathe this kind of thing. If I got somewhere and found all this hoo-ha, I'd turn round and go straight back home!

Discounts/freebies are unnecessary. The guests know what the price is when they book a property, and they are happy to pay that price. The only rare exception is when a guest is inconvenienced by something beyond the owner's control - in which case it is only fair to offer some kind of compensation.

Anyone running an actual holiday lettings business (as opposed to occasionally letting out their house/a room - holiday lets are not "an Airbnb", even though people on MN often refer to them in this way: Air BnB accounts for only a tiny proportion of my bookings) would know how to handle this - and it would not involve any kind of fanfare.

So you can go ahead and book something nice without worrying that you'll end up wearing a feather boa while being served dinner by the owner.

OP, I would have loved to have had a trip like this with my dad and our family. It is lovely that you want to do something nice to make their stay memorable - the most memorable thing for the family though will be the time spent together.

I think the idea of leaving a few goodies is great. Depending on the condition though, people might have totally different dietary requirements. A PP mentioned their friend switched to a super healthy diet, whereas with bowel cancer, high fibre foods, certain veg (onions) and spices may be off the menu. You probably can't go too far wrong with tea, coffee, milk and a box of biscuits / tub of celebrations though - someone in the group will surely want them and it is low key enough to not feel OTT if they don't want them. A poinsettia / flowers in a vase / tastefull decorations would also be a nice touch. As PPs have said, do too much and some guests may complain that they didn't receive the same.

In terms of cooking a meal etc. it may change the dynamics of the evening having a stranger there. It is also worth bearing in mind that there are still loads of colds, viruses and covid around so the family may want to limit contact with others. That might be the reason they have chosen an Air BnB over a hotel.

Making sure the stay goes smoothly with late checkout, well stocked loo roll etc. will help make sure the trip is less stressful.

If you buy extra blankets or games, I suggest not giving them as gifts but making sure they are available for future guests. The family still get to benefit first, but so will future guests.

Disposable cameras? They will all have phones. If you buy them cameras they will have to pay to get the photos printed.

Thank you, @HolidayLetter - you make good points. I'm quite a private person, so all this would fill me with horror. I know it comes from a good place, and people want to be kind because of the sad circumstances, but it's just so intrusive and over the top.
Plus - expensive!

This thread is bonkers, is it really so hard to fathom that the guests have booked what they need as a family and don’t need the OP to supplement with disposable cameras, feather boas and a private chef?

They're not her guests! They are staying in her AirBnB - she doesn't know them at all.

Are you insane? The OP is running a business, not having loved ones to stay.

@Precipice there would have been a much better way to phrase this on such a warm hearted thread. I can't imagine calling others' festivals "obnoxiously unavoidable" if I don't celebrate them.

@MaisyAndTallulah I would hate to have someone cook a meal for me, too. The people are not going to turn up without a plan of what they're going to eat. They'll have food with them. They have no idea how clean the OP's kitchen is or whether she actually can cook well. One of them is very ill. Would you really risk eating a stranger's food in those circumstances?

@Fraaahnces I think a deliveroo type Boucher is a great idea!

I'd feel the same. I don't think you can ever assume that holiday guests would share your enthusiasms, and there's endless scope for one person's kind gesture to be another person's nightmare (again: we know nothing about the people who come to stay, other than the little fragments they tell us).

However, I think every single person who books a holiday property expects it to be spotless and to have decent free wifi (unless they've specifically booked something remote in a 'digital detox' type way), so you can't go far wrong if you can guarantee that those two things are in place.

Several people have suggested late checkout being a nice gesture. It is - but it is often not possible as the cleaning rotas are set well ahead of guests' arrival/departure, and it's sometimes just not possible to get cleaners to bend to a changed schedule. It's also worth bearing in mind that the time between guests can often be completely taken up (I have 6 hours between guests under normal circs) if they have left a property in a pig-sty state!