Post by High Priestess on Oct 18, 2015 21:33:19 GMT
Here's a real life dilemma, that one host experienced. (this will be cross-posted on the new AIrbnb groups when they start up in November)
The host, let's call her Meredith, welcomed her guest, let's call him George, for relatively long stay of 3 weeks. In addition to George, Meredith had another guest staying in another room, call her Sue, who was staying for 2 weeks, and had arrived 3 days earlier.
George arrived, got settled in, and seemed to be a friendly, quiet guest who was gone each day for business during most of the day. Meredith noticed a few days later, that in the bathroom, someone had put a cup with toothbrushes, and a bar of soap, on the sink. She likes to keep the sink area clear and in her house rules states that guests are to keep their personal toiletries in the bathroom shelf space she provides for them, and not store them elsewhere. Since she didn't know whose these items were, she moved them to a place where either guest could find them. On subsequent trips to the bathroom, Meredith noticed that the toothbrushes and bar of soap were again placed on the bathroom sink, and as the soap was not in a soap holder, it created a sticky mess on the surface of the sink. Meredith provides liquid handsoap in a dispenser, for all guests to use. So she moved the soap away again off the sink. But again later on, she found these items moved back to the sink top, and again a sticky mess on the sink surface. So she realized she needed to talk to both Sue and George about this.
She ran into George when he was cooking dinner, and mentioned that she'd like no items left on the sink, but rather all personal items left in guest's own spaces for those. George wrinkled his brow and said that he and Sue had talked and had decided it was fine to put their items on the sink. He seemed surprised and there was a bit of a frown, when told not to put things on the sink. Meredith was a little taken aback, too, feeling concerned that two of her guests had mutually decided that it was okay not to follow her house rules on this issue. A dart of anger ran through her: really! as if her home were being run by majority vote, and those who were guests and staying only a few weeks, should be able to outvote her as property owner and host. At the same time as Meredith felt angry, she began to doubt her own anger, feeling that this was "only a small issue" and that she shouldn't make a big deal out of it.
Yet for the remaining 3 weeks of George's stay, in spite of the fact that she had spoken to him directly about not leaving a bar of soap on the sink, she continually found a bar of soap on the sink -- which Sue said belonged to George, not to her. (In fact that bar of George's soap ending up staying on her sink after he had left....)
About 18 days later, near the end of George's stay, Meredith was surprised and disturbed to find a large package arriving at her home for George. She had made it unmistakably clear in her house rules, (which George had stated that he had read and understood before booking) that she does not allow guests to receive mail at her home -- due to numerous problems which had arisen when she did. She expressed her dismay about this to George, and he apologized, actually quite profusely, saying that he had seen a sign about packages by the mailbox, and assumed he could have packages. Meredith was angered that George could presume that just because she herself receives packages AT HER OWN HOME, that therefore he too should be able to receive them there, taking her sign to the mailcarrier as an invitation to do so. Meredith wondered whether she needed to make a new sign, saying, for instance, "ME = owner of my house, YOU = NOT the owner of my house" and pin it on George's door!
But since George was apologetic, Meredith calmed down and gave the packages to George, instead of returning them to the postal carrier as unauthorized deliveries, as she had stated in her house rules that she would do with all unauthorized mail.
The day before check out, Meredith sent a reminder email to George, as she does to all guests, advising him that the next day was checkout day and that check out time was noon. She told him where he could leave the keys. At 1pm, she went to get the keys,and clean the room, and was surprised to find no keys there. She was about to go send George a message asking where he left the keys, but then stopped by his room to see if by chance he left them there. To her dismay, she found George still in the room, in pyjamas, with nothing packed up, his belongings spread around everywhere . She told George that he was now one hour beyond check out time and had to leave. George looked at her with a furrowed brow, and addressed her in an irritated tone, saying, "I really dont' want to be forced to rush. I want to have a leisurely day today." Meredith was appalled, and unsure what to say. Didnt' George understand that check out time was not optional , but required? Apparently not. Taken off guard, and doubting herself, wondering if she had failed to make something clear, that there had been such a great misunderstanding, she told George that she could give him some additional time, but that she had another guest arriving in 4 hours and had to prepare the room as well as go out and do shopping chores today.
George said he would be happy to clean the room for her, strip the bed, put the linens in the wash, and vacuum the room. Meredith was content that at least he was cooperative, but felt concerned about him staying late at all. She went out, and did her shopping, expecting that when she returned at 4pm (her next guest was due at 5pm) George would be gone and the room would be cleaned.
Instead, Meredith was quite upset to find that at 4pm, George was still in the room,and still had not packed up everything. Now she finally raised her voice and told him this was totally unacceptable and that he had to leave NOW!! She tried to say more,too, but George, with an irritable tone, cut her off and would not listen. By the time Meredith had finally shooed George out, she had only 1/2 hr left to prepare for her next guest. She found that the room was not adequately cleaned and had to rush to do that.
IF this had happened to you, what would you have done similarly, or differently, and at what point?
If this had happened to you, what would you say in your review of this guest?
Would you have been concerned about getting a bad review from this guest? If so how would that impact what you would do/say?
Once enough of you have responded, I will post what the host in this case actually said in her review, and what George's review of her said.
The host, let's call her Meredith, welcomed her guest, let's call him George, for relatively long stay of 3 weeks. In addition to George, Meredith had another guest staying in another room, call her Sue, who was staying for 2 weeks, and had arrived 3 days earlier.
George arrived, got settled in, and seemed to be a friendly, quiet guest who was gone each day for business during most of the day. Meredith noticed a few days later, that in the bathroom, someone had put a cup with toothbrushes, and a bar of soap, on the sink. She likes to keep the sink area clear and in her house rules states that guests are to keep their personal toiletries in the bathroom shelf space she provides for them, and not store them elsewhere. Since she didn't know whose these items were, she moved them to a place where either guest could find them. On subsequent trips to the bathroom, Meredith noticed that the toothbrushes and bar of soap were again placed on the bathroom sink, and as the soap was not in a soap holder, it created a sticky mess on the surface of the sink. Meredith provides liquid handsoap in a dispenser, for all guests to use. So she moved the soap away again off the sink. But again later on, she found these items moved back to the sink top, and again a sticky mess on the sink surface. So she realized she needed to talk to both Sue and George about this.
She ran into George when he was cooking dinner, and mentioned that she'd like no items left on the sink, but rather all personal items left in guest's own spaces for those. George wrinkled his brow and said that he and Sue had talked and had decided it was fine to put their items on the sink. He seemed surprised and there was a bit of a frown, when told not to put things on the sink. Meredith was a little taken aback, too, feeling concerned that two of her guests had mutually decided that it was okay not to follow her house rules on this issue. A dart of anger ran through her: really! as if her home were being run by majority vote, and those who were guests and staying only a few weeks, should be able to outvote her as property owner and host. At the same time as Meredith felt angry, she began to doubt her own anger, feeling that this was "only a small issue" and that she shouldn't make a big deal out of it.
Yet for the remaining 3 weeks of George's stay, in spite of the fact that she had spoken to him directly about not leaving a bar of soap on the sink, she continually found a bar of soap on the sink -- which Sue said belonged to George, not to her. (In fact that bar of George's soap ending up staying on her sink after he had left....)
About 18 days later, near the end of George's stay, Meredith was surprised and disturbed to find a large package arriving at her home for George. She had made it unmistakably clear in her house rules, (which George had stated that he had read and understood before booking) that she does not allow guests to receive mail at her home -- due to numerous problems which had arisen when she did. She expressed her dismay about this to George, and he apologized, actually quite profusely, saying that he had seen a sign about packages by the mailbox, and assumed he could have packages. Meredith was angered that George could presume that just because she herself receives packages AT HER OWN HOME, that therefore he too should be able to receive them there, taking her sign to the mailcarrier as an invitation to do so. Meredith wondered whether she needed to make a new sign, saying, for instance, "ME = owner of my house, YOU = NOT the owner of my house" and pin it on George's door!
But since George was apologetic, Meredith calmed down and gave the packages to George, instead of returning them to the postal carrier as unauthorized deliveries, as she had stated in her house rules that she would do with all unauthorized mail.
The day before check out, Meredith sent a reminder email to George, as she does to all guests, advising him that the next day was checkout day and that check out time was noon. She told him where he could leave the keys. At 1pm, she went to get the keys,and clean the room, and was surprised to find no keys there. She was about to go send George a message asking where he left the keys, but then stopped by his room to see if by chance he left them there. To her dismay, she found George still in the room, in pyjamas, with nothing packed up, his belongings spread around everywhere . She told George that he was now one hour beyond check out time and had to leave. George looked at her with a furrowed brow, and addressed her in an irritated tone, saying, "I really dont' want to be forced to rush. I want to have a leisurely day today." Meredith was appalled, and unsure what to say. Didnt' George understand that check out time was not optional , but required? Apparently not. Taken off guard, and doubting herself, wondering if she had failed to make something clear, that there had been such a great misunderstanding, she told George that she could give him some additional time, but that she had another guest arriving in 4 hours and had to prepare the room as well as go out and do shopping chores today.
George said he would be happy to clean the room for her, strip the bed, put the linens in the wash, and vacuum the room. Meredith was content that at least he was cooperative, but felt concerned about him staying late at all. She went out, and did her shopping, expecting that when she returned at 4pm (her next guest was due at 5pm) George would be gone and the room would be cleaned.
Instead, Meredith was quite upset to find that at 4pm, George was still in the room,and still had not packed up everything. Now she finally raised her voice and told him this was totally unacceptable and that he had to leave NOW!! She tried to say more,too, but George, with an irritable tone, cut her off and would not listen. By the time Meredith had finally shooed George out, she had only 1/2 hr left to prepare for her next guest. She found that the room was not adequately cleaned and had to rush to do that.
IF this had happened to you, what would you have done similarly, or differently, and at what point?
If this had happened to you, what would you say in your review of this guest?
Would you have been concerned about getting a bad review from this guest? If so how would that impact what you would do/say?
Once enough of you have responded, I will post what the host in this case actually said in her review, and what George's review of her said.
