Ooh - glad to see some of us have posted!
Lovestea - was wondering how you were getting on with your tricky guest...
Pigeon - I totally recognise and identify with all of the issues you post about...
Early check in: I have this a fair bit and try to be flexible where I can but it's hard. Normal check in time is 2pm onwards and to be honest, people who turn up when they say they're going to turn up are easier than people who are hours late and not letting you know. I've said to a few people yes you can come and drop your bags but the room won't be ready, but to be honest, I feel really uncomfortable letting guests anywhere near a room that's not totally ready as I think it means they will be underwhelmed.
Tricky guests and instant booking - instant booking would send me over the edge and anyone asking these questions would cause me to say sorry you're not a good match and decline them. You don't need to worry too much about bad reviews as if it doesn't go well, you simply don't review them! Or, alternatively, seek advice from Airbnb so at least there's a record of your unease at the very least, should they do a bad review.
Rivals - TONS of people around my neighbourhood do airbnb. One couple have been doing it for years (and seem to be running it as their main business now) and it kind of put me off for ages as I always worried I wouldn't be able to offer anything like what they have. But now I see it differently. We may have similar houses and similar prices, but my rules are a little more relaxed, my rooms are quirkier and more stylish and I offer living areas in the rooms too, whereas theirs are more bedroom-only. I get a bit funny when people get higher star ratings than me - silly really, but you just have to suck it up and do more hoovering
My last guests left over a week ago and am now enjoying a fortnight of no guests (but actually having a lot of family stay instead!). If I'm really honest, I'm really tired of it now and grateful I only have 3 more bookings this year. There is a bit of a spanner in the works though - I may have a job interview this week and if I got the job I would start quite soon, well before the guests leave and it's stressing me out a bit as have enough on my plate already (it would be f/t work, I have a toddler, plus DP works away). Time to start looking for a cleaner!
One gripe regarding recent reviews... remember the German family who arrived late a couple of weeks ago? They were fine while they were here (although did seem to play up to a lot of the national stereotypes). Just read their review - had to auto translate it from German and while they liked me and my garden they felt the room was most unsuitable for 3 persons. They complained the bed was too small and I think they were saying that 3 people should be hosted across the two rooms I let out. Bizarrely, virtually every other review has said the room is really spacious, even for 3 people and while the bed is non-standard as it's under the eaves of the roof, tall people have remarked that it was fine and very comfortable.
Part of me doesn't want to do airbnb again but then I think about how it let me have time to spend with DD this summer, to grow veg on my allotment, to feel the sun on my skin and all the lovely people I met who I still keep in touch with 