Read These Tips, or Nobody Will Ever Let You Be an Airbnb Guest Again

Since being forced to suspend my AirBnB’ing of my apt in NYC, I don’t really have to take these pointers into account anymore, they’re still good to know. In my time hosting AirBnB guests at my apartment, I’ve seen a seriously wide range of interesting people and strange behavior.

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The list in short, with my comments on personal experiences:

BEFORE BOOKING:

  • Don’t ask to see the place.
    • Yep, this has certainly happened to me. People wanting to check the place out for their parents booking, or whatever reason. Way too much time involved in this. Are my 20 professional photos and numerous reviews and extensive description not enough?
  • Don’t ask to pay in cash.
    • Has definitely happened to me. And no, I will not accept cash. That’s the whole reason I like using AirBnB – they handle the payments.
  • Don’t ask what it will cost.
    • Use the website, it calculates the cost for your automatically. That’s why the website is there. Use it.
  • Don’t ask questions the listing already answers.
    • See that extensive FAQ section in the description? Read it. It has all of the answers. Out of all of the questions about my place I’ve gotten, only about 5% of them have been legit questions that were A. Important and B. Not covered in my description.
  • Don’t flirt.
    • Yeah, French girls coming to NYC on holiday? Don’t flirt with me, I’m not going to give you a discount. Has happened twice.
  • Don’t ignore your email.
    • Waiting to respond to my requests for confirmation, or other info from you until the day before your arrive is not ok. That’s why I didn’t have the air mattress set up for you – because I left town 3 days prior to your arrival, but you didn’t bother answering my email regarding the air mattress until right before you got on the plane. Fail.
  • Don’t miss arrival and departure times
    • If you show up 3 hours early, I’ll still be trying to get out of the apartment. Has happened to me numerous times.

DURING AND AFTER A STAY

  • Gifts aren’t necessary (but they are appreciated!)
    • I’ve never gotten a gift from a guest, but I have always left my guests with gifts of wine and chocolate.
  • Be considerate with company
    • I had two drunk french guests go into the wrong door – at the building next to mine which looks almost identical except for the number. They went up to the apartment with the same number as my own, and when their key naturally didn’t work in the door, they started pounding on the door and yelling. At 4 in the morning. Not ok.
  • Ask about the bathroom schedule
    • Actually, hasn’t been an issue.
  • Go out and have fun
  • Clean up
  • Communicate problems or questions
  • Respect the review
    • If you’re disappointed in the apartment because you didn’t read the specific description, don’t take it out in the review. Know what you’re getting, and be reasonable about your expectations.

The full list:

Read These Tips, or Nobody Will Ever Let You Be an Airbnb Guest Again.