Post by High Priestess on Oct 5, 2015 2:56:11 GMT
Kay asked:
Language barrier
Hello, fellow hosts. If you receive an inquiry in a language you don't understand, would you decline? Communication between host and guest is so important that I afraid the language barrier would cause some misunderstanding.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Keith:
I've had guests here who didn't speak english (only a few times). it was ok. I used google translate for written communication and I have a translator app on my phone.. you speak it types, they speak, it types...
gets the job done.
honestly once a guest has arrived and is settled in, my experience is that few need lots of attention.
if someone traveling knows they dont speak the language, they're likely prepared to fend for themselves.
Kay:
Thank you, Keith.
Any other comments from other hosts ?
Deborah:
I would consider it quite presumptuous for a guest to write to me in a language that I didn't speak. I would view that as an indication that the guest would be likely to have much more interest in their needs than my needs, and that they would difficult guests who not only were unable to understand what I said, but didn't care to understand what I said.
Kay:
Thank you, Deborah. I did the translation and decided not to accept. It's still in the inquiry stage, but Airbnb wants me to accept or decline. Declining would affect my rating, wouldn't it? If I don't feel like a potential guest would be a good fit, I just respond to their inquiry to let them know why, but I don't decline them if it's just an inquiry. If it's a booking request, I would decline.
Btw, the guy was enquiring for his elderly parents, so that alone would make things more complicated.
Alexina:
Third party reservations are against Airbnb's Terms of Service, and are not allowed. CX advised me that when I receive those inquiries, I should use their drop-down menu to indicate that on "Reason for Decline," and it would not be held against the host.
Kay:
Thanks, Alexina! Good to know.
Language barrier
Hello, fellow hosts. If you receive an inquiry in a language you don't understand, would you decline? Communication between host and guest is so important that I afraid the language barrier would cause some misunderstanding.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Keith:
I've had guests here who didn't speak english (only a few times). it was ok. I used google translate for written communication and I have a translator app on my phone.. you speak it types, they speak, it types...
gets the job done.
honestly once a guest has arrived and is settled in, my experience is that few need lots of attention.
if someone traveling knows they dont speak the language, they're likely prepared to fend for themselves.
Kay:
Thank you, Keith.
Any other comments from other hosts ?
Deborah:
I would consider it quite presumptuous for a guest to write to me in a language that I didn't speak. I would view that as an indication that the guest would be likely to have much more interest in their needs than my needs, and that they would difficult guests who not only were unable to understand what I said, but didn't care to understand what I said.
Kay:
Thank you, Deborah. I did the translation and decided not to accept. It's still in the inquiry stage, but Airbnb wants me to accept or decline. Declining would affect my rating, wouldn't it? If I don't feel like a potential guest would be a good fit, I just respond to their inquiry to let them know why, but I don't decline them if it's just an inquiry. If it's a booking request, I would decline.
Btw, the guy was enquiring for his elderly parents, so that alone would make things more complicated.
Alexina:
Third party reservations are against Airbnb's Terms of Service, and are not allowed. CX advised me that when I receive those inquiries, I should use their drop-down menu to indicate that on "Reason for Decline," and it would not be held against the host.
Kay:
Thanks, Alexina! Good to know.