@mearns can tell you! [quote=“Chen_Susanne, post:19, topic:4319, full:true”]
Können Sie mir bitte sagen wie heißt der Ding, um das Warmeswasser in der Dusch für 4 Minuten halten?
[/quote]
Thank you all the same!
So, I’ve been surprised to see a lot of mean comments, here, and felt compelled to say, there are lessons we learn while hosting on Airbnb, and they’re not all easy. I’d like to think we’d be supportive of new hosts who run into surprises, even if they’re not the most gracious in relating their experiences. Certain guest behavior can be startling, discouraging, even shocking, at first. Hosts come to this experience expecting that travelers will respect the fact that we’re graciously accepting strangers into our private homes, and will at least try to be respectful. My advice to Chen-Susanne is, people function best when the expectations are very clear; when there’s room to negotiate needs, if needed; and when you communicate the boundaries consistently and often. I’ve been hosting five years, and I learned, right away, that I needed detailed rules. I needed to communicate them in my listing, in a followup message after they booked, in person at the check-in, and sometimes, in posted notes and as polite reminders during their stay. Once I did that, 99% of my guests have been absolutely lovely (and many have said how much they appreciate that the rules are detailed and clear). We have to bear in mind that this is still a new and different lodging scenario, and many new guests will naturally draw upon their experiences with hotels as their framework; or, those that don’t may feel really lost in terms of what to expect. Rules/guidelines help them feel more confident about how to show up in your space. They will learn how the Airbnb culture and etiquette differs from hotels only through repeat experiences. The same goes for hosts. Yes, some people are more selfish than others, and they will be annoying & frustrating to people in every circumstance of their lives. But if you calmly and consistently set boundaries, people who respect others respond well, and those who don’t may decide it’s just not worth the effort of having to talk to you about it, so they stop. LOL. People who don’t respect others will be difficult to deal with, regardless, and you’ll usually notice it early in the communication, in time to decline their booking. People who don’t respect others will also tend to avoid your place if you publish detailed rules; people who respect others won’t be put off by your detailed rules. Now, this may be the most valuable bit of advice I have to offer: if something really bothers you, and keeps happening, attach a surcharge to it. Money talks, even tiny amounts of money. For example, I used to have guests leaving dishes in the sink quite often, and when they did, the dishes would multiply because other guests would think they’d remembered the rule wrong, or maybe it wasn’t one they needed to observe, since clearly, other people weren’t. The instant I attached an extra cleaning fee for leaving dishes in the sink (to pay a housekeeper to wash dishes), it stopped. I can count on one hand the number of times a guest has left a dish in the sink since that day. The same strategy has worked for other problems: late check-in/no-show fee ($50); late check-out fee ($25 per quarter hour); overnight guest without asking (double the extra person fee), etc. I’m willing to tolerate certain things I’m paid to tolerate, or can pay someone else to handle for me, and guests are either willing to pay to not have to worry about those things, or not, and in the latter case, they usually find it financially worthwhile to stop doing those things. Hope these tidbits help.
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Thank you, Konacoconutz, for calling out the meanness. The forum should be a place where newbies can openly express their difficulties without fear of being so harshly judged. I was shocked by seeing so many mean comments in reply to this host. For sure, some of her comments seemed to be stereotyping people by race or nationality, and that’s an area where she (and all of us) can grow, with one another’s support and guidance. Not everyone who hosts on Airbnb has the same privileges, education, and political awareness. Kona makes a great point: the value and cost of water (and food, supplies, etc.) in some parts of the world is very different than in others. Likewise, a guest snooping is no small matter for a woman living alone, or a home with children, and some people are more vulnerable or previously victimized than others. Let’s model the same tolerance and compassion, here, that we want to show our guests, please.
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Anyone else think this might be a tactic to goad us into attacking each other, or provoking conversation about what nationalities are not the best guests? Just thought is was interesting that the OP complained about Germans but was able to ask @konacoconutz about the water heater control in German.
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You haven’t met some asian guests. If you set rules, they say you are mean, cheapskate…They wrote just comment like" Oh, the host provide just what she listes, if you want more, you want to pay more"…they will never understand, if they are the guests, why they can not use everthing in your house for free, and they will give you very bad notes. I am a beginner and don’t want to give my guests negative comments. But after i hosting thai people, i regret…They think they are god, they should serve them for free, and let them use of your thing…when they get what you wrote on the webseite, they give you very bad notes…Anyway i am not going to host such people any more. 2hours shower per day per person, make coffee on my new wall, bagain for 6 hours and i said no, they said they wouldnt come. But next day woke me up at 6 in the morning to tell me they will come at 7…and get angry because they saw a kitching but don’t let them use for free…total crazy!
Amy, I am all in favour of tolerance and count myself as an understanding, tolerant person. I have seen very few posts in reply to the original that I would classify as mean, although some are forthrightly expressed.
However, when a poster writes to this forum ostensibly seeking advice but in reality telling everyone else whom they should accept and how they should treat them (admittedly this is from other threads) and stigmatises almost every group of people, continuing to do so even when politely told this is inappropriate, I feel that the limits of my tolerance have been reached!
So far, this poster has insulted Jews, Arabs, Thais, Chinese, old people, Americans, Germans (who may be “not real Germans”) and shower lovers. I would flag her posts except that I wait with horrified fascination to see who she insults next …!
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I have similar experiences. Read them at @airbnbcoach Ebook.
You need to accept only positively reviewed guests. I have over 100 guests. I’ve met just two of them. My places are super basic. You can’t ruin anything.
Get a damage deposit.
Raise our price.
Certain people have more questions. Maybe the farther they are away from their home country the more questions they have. Learn.
Contact me if you’d like coaching on hosting.
So far, this poster has insulted Jews, Arabs, Thais, Chinese, old people, Americans, Germans (who may be “not real Germans”) and shower lovers. I would flag her posts except that I wait with horrified fascination to see who she insults next …!
@Malagachica RIGHT.THERE. WITH. YOU 
There are groups most hosts, probably, tend to shy away from Stag/Hen dos, 10+ guests sub 21, kids coming to party, etc are the ones for us. But this has nothing to do with nationality or race. I could give a crap if 10 people under 25 are American, German, Spanish, Etc, because I will most likely decline them. We have a zero tolerance for partiers regardless of race. 
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Susanne Chen - I am just curious about your kitchen arrangements, and how you can remedy your problems. Do you not allow the guests a use of your kitchen? Do you not allow them a coffeemaker? I would not even show a photo of a kitchen if the guests have no access to it. (I could be mistaken on your kitchen rule, but I could not quite understand) If you do not want them to use your kitchen at all, then I would advise you to make this very clear in the first few lines of your description, and additionally in the “house rules” and “guest access”. Personally I would not stay in a place with no kitchen area, or at least the basics AND a coffeemaker and microwave. But, there are people who think differently, and that is fine.
The shower issue has been address several times and I think all touch on the same important concept - spell out the rules clearly, often and firmly. To specifically list different nationalities or races here as people you would not rent to is bordering on zenophobia.
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I think you don’t understand what happened…There are some big cities, they are very expensive, especially in the peak season. Many people can not efford one night in hotel. So they prefer to sleep on the floor. They bet you to let them to sleep on the floor of your home. They said what they need was just one bed to sleep. But when they enter your appartment, they see you have very good equiment. They turned to be excited, and think they are the host of the appartment, coz "Airbnb says “The guest will feel like at home”.(I hate this slogan actullly. That is not realistic. You will never be like at home if you don’t. At lease you should buy an appartment. This stupid slogan drives the guest having crazy and extremly greedy asummption).
House rules? You must be joking? Asian people don’t like to obay rules. Rules will get them angry. The thai girl who took 2 hours shower one day in my home and after having warning her 2 twices not to go to my private area and using my privites things. She got angry and gave me 1 star for every comment saying: i think you are too strict, i don’t feel like at home. And I swear next time when i met such people i raise the price 3 times!
Is it 10 euros for a 30 minute shower where you live? I don’t see how you can make any profit with expensive water. Do hotels in your area have limited water usage? What about the other Airbnb listings in your area?
I read that Thai people often take 3 showers a day, and at the minimum 2 showers. And it is not considered excessive if they take 4 showers.
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@cabinhost - it’s common to have two showers a day here in sweaty Florida too. And I just saw that @Chen_Susanne complained that guests turned on the heating because it was 22C. That’s only 71F and when it’s that temperature here I have the heating on, plus socks and a sweater. 
I live in west europe, water is very expensive, 5 minutes 2 euro. She took 30 mins shower each time, every day 4 times, totally crazy. People who have appartments don’t rent to foreigners…so many foreigners can not find an appartment. A host in my building rent his appartment to a german young guy. You know what, that guy invited 100 people at the first day to celebrate the moving in…I think the host is very poor. But I am sure not all germans are like that. But as a host i will not just leave a key to the guest and let them do what they want. Imagine you have to pay for the maintance fee for everything. If more people come, the maschines, toillets go bad quickly, you need to pay more.
jaquo - When I spent a few months in Leon Spain it was so funny to see people walking around in their heavy winter coats and the dogs in their cute sweaters…couldn’t believe how well dressed the dogs were in Spain…lol.
They always looked at me like I was crazy walking around in only a sweatshirt. I was born in New Orleans and did live there later as an adult for a short period, and visited many times…I cannot bear the humidity. I imagine it is similar to where you live? Are you wearing socks and sweaters in 71 degree no humidity or with high humidity? Phew…it would take my body so long to adjust to that. But I despise humidity. It’s really sad because I love, love, love New Orleans and would love someday to be wealthy enough to purchase a vacation rental there. But could I stand it in the off season? - lol.
@cabinhost - I love New Orleans too! I’ve only been twice but I’m longing to go there again. The first time was for Mardi Gras and although I’d taken sweaters (no jacket) I was freezing.
My other half thinks I’m bonkers because my body seems to have no humidity-meter. When people say that the weather is humid, I can never feel it 
Here in Florida, it’s easy to tell the locals from the tourists when the weather dips into the low seventies (or worse). The tourists wear shorts and t-shirts and the locals are bundled up and look as though they’re going skiing!
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Humidity is definitely something some love and others cannot stand. My friend and I are both from Virginia Beach. Grew up in the same area. She moved to central Texas and I moved to North Carolina. Where I live in NC is about the same weather pattern as Va. Beach. I still hate humidity. But what is interesting is how hot she says it is where she lives in Texas.
I went to visit her once in over 100 degree weather and I could actually sit in her car with the windows up…not a problem. I did live in New Mexico for a few months and people warned me about the heat…no problem. Anytime I go to California or Arizona…no problem. Only because there is hardly any humidity. So 100 degrees there almost feels like 75- 80 degrees to me.
But my friend from Va. Beach said when she visits me in NC (even when it is humid) that it feels cooler. Isn’t that funny? I guess certain bodies can withstand humidity. Maybe I would have to spend more time in the pounding heat. But phew…I remember walking down the French Quarter on Bourbon Street…long black jeans and T-shirt as my work uniform - and by the time I got two blocks down to the restaurant I was sopping in sweat…I just can’t breathe…lol
I was born and brought up in England and lived there for many years. Now that I’ve been in Florida for 22 years I am a complete Floridian where temperature in concerned! I’ve visited England in the summer and when everyone has been walking round in short and t-shirts I’ve been wearing a coat
When I lived in England I had often had my heating set at 90 degrees so you can see why I love Florida!
I find that it’s the same with guests. As soon as they leave the apartment I go to check it out. Some guests have left the AC at 60-something (brrrr!) others at over eighty degrees. It’s completely reflected in our electricity bill. Some months it’s under $50 if we’ve had guests who love to be warm but the highest we’ve had was over $270!
We’re very lucky in Hawaii to have one of the most temperate climates in the world. Kona’s well known for its summertime humidity (maybe one reason why bookings go down here!) but it’s really not unbearable, as the temperature rarely rises above 90 degrees F anywhere in Hawaii. Last year, with the wicked El Nino we had, was somewhat of an exception. I live at 750 elevation on a steep slope, right over the ocean. So am fortunate to have cool elevation just minutes from the beach. No AC in these parts. Heating either. Ocean breezes prevail during the day, trading places with mountain winds at night.
I lived in Oahu as a kid going through pre-school and Kindergarten. Never remember the climate at all. I wish I could remember it now. I wonder if I would be “hot” - considered by me…lol. Oh how my mother wished to continue being stationed in HI. I sometimes do too. Even if Howie day caused my Dad a bruised up beating. I miss the Lumpia from my Phillipine neighbors.
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