Post by High Priestess on May 27, 2016 6:02:07 GMT
Michael shared on Anecdotes Jan 2015
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-100652
What is AirBnB to you?
Dear Hosts/lodgers!
I'm Michael, I'm a writer in rural Northumberland, England.
I had my first airbnb lodgers last night! and its a great experience but also very strange!
The area I live in is very rural (Great for writing/exploring/painting) but hard to get around so today I'm taking them on a tour of the area which has beautiful scenery and spectacular beaches.
I'm wondering hosts, when your Airbnb'ers come do you engage with them or is AirBnB more of a way of making money?
I feel that AirBnB is more than just way of renting out that spare room, its where you meet likeminded great people who appreciate the space you live in the same as you do.
what do you think?
7 comments
Following
Like
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
If I were to take all my guests on a tour, or spend a lot of time with them, I would either go broke or have to charge much higher rates, and either way I would no longer be able to have enough time to do my own things and live my own life. I am an introvert and it would be damaging and draining for me to have to spend a lot of time with people during the day -- it just isn't natural to me. This doesn't mean though that I don't enjoy my guests and love meeting them. I am having such fun being a host and I am delighted by my guests and what they all bring to my house. I consider them a treasure indeed.
I do enjoy meeting likeminded people, but not all my guests are people I would choose as close friends. I am delighted at the conversations I do have with guests, and the great energy often exchanged, but because I am an introvert, there is only so much outward directed energy I have available for one day and then I have to go and recharge.
THis is one of those kinds of things where each host will have their own way, and their own approach to this matter of how they relate to their guests. I have a friend, for instance, who seems often disappointed that her guests don't want to spend more time with her. She is opposite me, is very extroverted, and she really NEEDS interaction with others. Yet, it would be imposing upon the guests to demand more from them than they want -- really the host is there to provide for the guest, not the other way around. So my friend sometimes gets the amount of interaction she wants, but often is disappointed. "I saw him once, when he checked in, and then not again for 2 weeks" is one of her biggest complaints. Well, you can't force friendships...either it happens naturally or it doesn't.
Reply Like 7 replies
Michael
Michaela year ago
It's a very good point and I completely agree! It's just because I had the spare time today! And all guests are different I'm just new to this and completely taken back by the whole experience
Leanne
Leannea year ago
I find the guests are different as in some like to talk and get to know you and others like to keep to them selfs I like to treat them as I like to be treated. I like to leave them alone how ever if they want to be friendly that's fine and I try to help them out as much as they want
mark
marka year ago
Deborah, to hear you say you are introverted surprised me a little. It is the opposite to my preconceived idea of your personality, as you are so giving of your time and energy on these (new host forum especially).
(I didn't even see Mark's reply here until over a year later....
-- nice to be appreciated!!)
Rick
Ricka year ago
Mark: there are lots of us introverts who are very very good on paper....it's when we are face to face with people that we are stymied....Deborah's reasoning & writing skills are excellent, as is evident!
anna
annaa year ago
We have had four bookings now, and we interact with our guests as little or as much as they like ( depending on our own free time) Most have been very friendly and wanted to learn about life where we live ( we are in Shetland) The last guests we had were Chinese students and we did all we could to put them off coming so close to Christmas when the weather in Shetland is so unpredictable and they could potentially get stuck on the island. But they came anyway and realised what we meant. They cut their trip a day short and flew back, they were so lovely we didn't mind helping them and gave them a lift to the airport ( they would never have made it in time by bus) Usually we wouldn't be so generous but we play i
anna
annaa year ago
it by ear. They were probably the loveliest guests we've had, it felt like we'd known them years and are going to keep in touch. So it really depends, we try not to be in guests personal space as some do prefer privacy.
anna
annaa year ago
We have decided to get TV's for the bedrooms as we say guests are welcome to use our living room but one set of guests ( business men) said they didn't feel comfortable with that and it was the first place they had stayed with no TV in the rooms. ( even though we say that in our listing)
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
Deborah has really pretty much covered how we feel. Since we prepare and serve breakfast to our guests that is the time we generally interact with them and have great conversations. We do not allow the use of our kitchen so the next time we might interact is when they return after dinner in the evening. And, it is important to find the balance between letting the guest set the tone and recognizing what that tone is - be friendly and open but not imposing.
Reply Like 1 reply
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
One other point - we would not offer to show guests around the area - if we decided to do that as part of our offering, we would charge extra for that service - for time and gas and any other out of pocket expenses. We don't see ourselves as tour guides but we do offer information and Bill has spent lots of time with people with maps etc helping them to understand what is available.
Sonja
Sonjaa year ago
Wow your place looks ideal for a writers' retreat!
I enjoy meeting new people and also the company/entertainment they can provide, however I'm often quite tired in the evenings so it's lovely to have a relaxed chat in the morning. I've only just started hosting a few
Months ago but I've always had lodgers in the past and used to get to know them quite well. I felt a bit cheated by my one guest who didn't chat much and almost took it personally, until she told me she's a bit shy
everyone's different I guess so you're bound to get guests you click with more than others...
Reply Like 2 replies•1 like
Michael
Michaela year ago
Thank you! It's so peaceful and lovely! You should come visit! Yeah I see what you mean! I just suppose when I have such a strong passion about the area I live in I want to share ot
Sonja
Sonjaa year ago
Thanks yeah I feel the same about London but I also got to accept that some people have their own way of doing things... For example I suggested the best (quickest/cheapest) route to my place from the airport to guests and they answered with 'but we wana travel our way' ah well, it's up to them 
Leah
Leaha year ago
There has only been one guest where we took all over the place as if he was a member of the family. Some guests you get to connect with, others are just bodies in a bed making me money.
Reply Like
Salvia
Salviaa year ago
Wow! What a wonderful, special location and place you have! I hope that you get many guests who appreciate and love it as you do! With the ones you "Click" you will most likely engage sort of naturally and I envision relaxed and cheerful gatherings and chats in front of your fire place. I don't have one but like and enjoy having guests I Click with at the table for a nice dinner (sometimes they cook it together with me) or chat with them on my balcony. If time and my schedule allows it I go for a walk with them or give them also a quick tour by car to point out some special locations to them. But all that according to my convenience. That often creates an atmosphere like having friends over which makes it easier for me to put up with certain hosting things...
Reply Like
Salvia
Salviaa year ago
Maybe you want to join also the Hands-on Host Forum which is formed
by live-in hosts who share their listing / living space with the guests.
Reply Like 1 reply•1 like
Michael
Michaela year ago
That's very help ful thank you
mark
marka year ago
This is an interesting question - I have often thought about it myself. I think there is a very clear division in the types of hosts. There are those who are commercial and run their listing as a businesses focused strongly on the income and profit. They are driven by the need for high occupancy rates - taking and rotating larger numbers of guests. Excellent.
Then there are the more casual/from time to time hosts who are perhaps not as driven by the bottom line. We fall in to this category. We like to get a feel for our guests with a lot of communication before they arrive ensuring they are a good fit for us. (Usually tourists from abroad). It is unusual if we don't dine together at least once with our guests. We will often share a wine/beer and chats in the evenings. I guess we are more hands on because of language and a cultural differences our guests experience. We have a lower acceptance rate because (to use your words Michael) we like to " meet like minded great people who appreciate the space we live in the same as we do." This is what works for us.
Reply Like 3 replies
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
Mark - Great assessment of the different types of hosts - with no right or wrong or good or bad - just about choices. It is really one of the things that makes Airbnb so unique.
mark
marka year ago
Agreed, it's a big tent, plenty of room for everyone. Plenty of choices of styles for guests. I have often wonder at the % of commercial (?) versus laissez-faire (?) hosts. Any guess?
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
I would not have a clue regarding the %'s - we consider ourselves a mixture of the 2 types - we love the experience of hosting (we would not be doing it if we didn't enjoy it) and we treat it as a business as well. We find that the 2 types are compatible as a mixture and our guests seem to respond positively as well.
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-100652
What is AirBnB to you?
Dear Hosts/lodgers!
I'm Michael, I'm a writer in rural Northumberland, England.
I had my first airbnb lodgers last night! and its a great experience but also very strange!
The area I live in is very rural (Great for writing/exploring/painting) but hard to get around so today I'm taking them on a tour of the area which has beautiful scenery and spectacular beaches.
I'm wondering hosts, when your Airbnb'ers come do you engage with them or is AirBnB more of a way of making money?
I feel that AirBnB is more than just way of renting out that spare room, its where you meet likeminded great people who appreciate the space you live in the same as you do.
what do you think?
7 comments
Following
Like
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
If I were to take all my guests on a tour, or spend a lot of time with them, I would either go broke or have to charge much higher rates, and either way I would no longer be able to have enough time to do my own things and live my own life. I am an introvert and it would be damaging and draining for me to have to spend a lot of time with people during the day -- it just isn't natural to me. This doesn't mean though that I don't enjoy my guests and love meeting them. I am having such fun being a host and I am delighted by my guests and what they all bring to my house. I consider them a treasure indeed.
I do enjoy meeting likeminded people, but not all my guests are people I would choose as close friends. I am delighted at the conversations I do have with guests, and the great energy often exchanged, but because I am an introvert, there is only so much outward directed energy I have available for one day and then I have to go and recharge.
THis is one of those kinds of things where each host will have their own way, and their own approach to this matter of how they relate to their guests. I have a friend, for instance, who seems often disappointed that her guests don't want to spend more time with her. She is opposite me, is very extroverted, and she really NEEDS interaction with others. Yet, it would be imposing upon the guests to demand more from them than they want -- really the host is there to provide for the guest, not the other way around. So my friend sometimes gets the amount of interaction she wants, but often is disappointed. "I saw him once, when he checked in, and then not again for 2 weeks" is one of her biggest complaints. Well, you can't force friendships...either it happens naturally or it doesn't.
Reply Like 7 replies
Michael
Michaela year ago
It's a very good point and I completely agree! It's just because I had the spare time today! And all guests are different I'm just new to this and completely taken back by the whole experience
Leanne
Leannea year ago
I find the guests are different as in some like to talk and get to know you and others like to keep to them selfs I like to treat them as I like to be treated. I like to leave them alone how ever if they want to be friendly that's fine and I try to help them out as much as they want
mark
marka year ago
Deborah, to hear you say you are introverted surprised me a little. It is the opposite to my preconceived idea of your personality, as you are so giving of your time and energy on these (new host forum especially).
(I didn't even see Mark's reply here until over a year later....
-- nice to be appreciated!!)Rick
Ricka year ago
Mark: there are lots of us introverts who are very very good on paper....it's when we are face to face with people that we are stymied....Deborah's reasoning & writing skills are excellent, as is evident!
anna
annaa year ago
We have had four bookings now, and we interact with our guests as little or as much as they like ( depending on our own free time) Most have been very friendly and wanted to learn about life where we live ( we are in Shetland) The last guests we had were Chinese students and we did all we could to put them off coming so close to Christmas when the weather in Shetland is so unpredictable and they could potentially get stuck on the island. But they came anyway and realised what we meant. They cut their trip a day short and flew back, they were so lovely we didn't mind helping them and gave them a lift to the airport ( they would never have made it in time by bus) Usually we wouldn't be so generous but we play i
anna
annaa year ago
it by ear. They were probably the loveliest guests we've had, it felt like we'd known them years and are going to keep in touch. So it really depends, we try not to be in guests personal space as some do prefer privacy.
anna
annaa year ago
We have decided to get TV's for the bedrooms as we say guests are welcome to use our living room but one set of guests ( business men) said they didn't feel comfortable with that and it was the first place they had stayed with no TV in the rooms. ( even though we say that in our listing)
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
Deborah has really pretty much covered how we feel. Since we prepare and serve breakfast to our guests that is the time we generally interact with them and have great conversations. We do not allow the use of our kitchen so the next time we might interact is when they return after dinner in the evening. And, it is important to find the balance between letting the guest set the tone and recognizing what that tone is - be friendly and open but not imposing.
Reply Like 1 reply
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
One other point - we would not offer to show guests around the area - if we decided to do that as part of our offering, we would charge extra for that service - for time and gas and any other out of pocket expenses. We don't see ourselves as tour guides but we do offer information and Bill has spent lots of time with people with maps etc helping them to understand what is available.
Sonja
Sonjaa year ago
Wow your place looks ideal for a writers' retreat!
I enjoy meeting new people and also the company/entertainment they can provide, however I'm often quite tired in the evenings so it's lovely to have a relaxed chat in the morning. I've only just started hosting a few
Months ago but I've always had lodgers in the past and used to get to know them quite well. I felt a bit cheated by my one guest who didn't chat much and almost took it personally, until she told me she's a bit shy
everyone's different I guess so you're bound to get guests you click with more than others...Reply Like 2 replies•1 like
Michael
Michaela year ago
Thank you! It's so peaceful and lovely! You should come visit! Yeah I see what you mean! I just suppose when I have such a strong passion about the area I live in I want to share ot
Sonja
Sonjaa year ago
Thanks
yeah I feel the same about London but I also got to accept that some people have their own way of doing things... For example I suggested the best (quickest/cheapest) route to my place from the airport to guests and they answered with 'but we wana travel our way' ah well, it's up to them 
Leah
Leaha year ago
There has only been one guest where we took all over the place as if he was a member of the family. Some guests you get to connect with, others are just bodies in a bed making me money.
Reply Like
Salvia
Salviaa year ago
Wow! What a wonderful, special location and place you have! I hope that you get many guests who appreciate and love it as you do! With the ones you "Click" you will most likely engage sort of naturally and I envision relaxed and cheerful gatherings and chats in front of your fire place. I don't have one but like and enjoy having guests I Click with at the table for a nice dinner (sometimes they cook it together with me) or chat with them on my balcony. If time and my schedule allows it I go for a walk with them or give them also a quick tour by car to point out some special locations to them. But all that according to my convenience. That often creates an atmosphere like having friends over which makes it easier for me to put up with certain hosting things...
Reply Like
Salvia
Salviaa year ago
Maybe you want to join also the Hands-on Host Forum which is formed
by live-in hosts who share their listing / living space with the guests.
Reply Like 1 reply•1 like
Michael
Michaela year ago
That's very help ful thank you
mark
marka year ago
This is an interesting question - I have often thought about it myself. I think there is a very clear division in the types of hosts. There are those who are commercial and run their listing as a businesses focused strongly on the income and profit. They are driven by the need for high occupancy rates - taking and rotating larger numbers of guests. Excellent.
Then there are the more casual/from time to time hosts who are perhaps not as driven by the bottom line. We fall in to this category. We like to get a feel for our guests with a lot of communication before they arrive ensuring they are a good fit for us. (Usually tourists from abroad). It is unusual if we don't dine together at least once with our guests. We will often share a wine/beer and chats in the evenings. I guess we are more hands on because of language and a cultural differences our guests experience. We have a lower acceptance rate because (to use your words Michael) we like to " meet like minded great people who appreciate the space we live in the same as we do." This is what works for us.
Reply Like 3 replies
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
Mark - Great assessment of the different types of hosts - with no right or wrong or good or bad - just about choices. It is really one of the things that makes Airbnb so unique.
mark
marka year ago
Agreed, it's a big tent, plenty of room for everyone. Plenty of choices of styles for guests. I have often wonder at the % of commercial (?) versus laissez-faire (?) hosts. Any guess?
Nancy and Bill
Nancy and Billa year ago
I would not have a clue regarding the %'s - we consider ourselves a mixture of the 2 types - we love the experience of hosting (we would not be doing it if we didn't enjoy it) and we treat it as a business as well. We find that the 2 types are compatible as a mixture and our guests seem to respond positively as well.