Monkey Monkey Underpants*

By far, the most commonly left behind (no pun intended) item is underpants/knickers/panties, call them what you will.  Left on the floor, in the bureau, amongst the bedding.  I've also had people leave discarded jeans, blankets, electronic devices and, in one case, an entire set of their own bedding including pillows.

My policy is, if they want it back they need to come pick it up.  How do you handle situations like this?

*If you were a fan of Gilmore Girls you'll get the reference. Here's the clip:

Lockboxes

Sometimes you just can't be there to meet guest when they arrive.  Or they arrive so late that you don't want to have to wake up to let them in.  Key lockboxes are the solution.

For a long time I used the Master Lockbox. It's kind of heavy and clunky but it did the job.  The only problem was that some guests couldn't figure it out.  I'd get a panicked call and have to talk them through it.  And, honestly, the lock is a bit trickier than it needs to be.  You've got to set the numbers and then hold down the black lever next to them while you pull the lockbox door toward you.

One time I got a call from a guest complaining that they had set the combo numbers correctly but the door to the house still wouldn't open. Of course, they hadn't removed the keys from the box.  They seemed to think the house door would magically unlock itself once the numbers were set (and no, they weren't Americans.)

A few weeks ago I decided it was time to find an easier lock.  After some searching around I found exactly what I wanted. The Vault Locks 3200 Key Storage Lock Box is small and very easy to use - just set the combo and pull the box towards you. I bought 2 of them and use the other to store a spare set of my own keys.

Even though I have the option of using a lockbox, there are times when I insist on meeting the guests in person - usually when there is a large group of students staying.  My experience has been that they don't always reports the true number of people in their group.  Once they know that you will be there waiting they suddenly have another friend who decided to join them.

Oh, one other thing: I change the lock combination after every guest and set the new combo to the last four digits of the guests phone number. I thought that would help people remember but no guest has ever recognized it was their own number.

People who shouldn't use Airbnb: Craig

Every now and then I browse through the other Airbnb listings in my area.  It helps me make decisions about what to charge and is just a good way to see what guests like (or not) in other places.  Occasionally, you read a review that seems completely out of line.  Here's an example.

Meet Craig, who's description reads "My wife and I divide our time between Kent, CT and Greenwich, CT. We are semi-retired investors with a great love of travel. We are devoted parents of a 12 year old girl and 15 year old boy."

Okay, good.

Now here's his review of Affordable, Cosy and Private Escape.

"I was not going to leave a review at all because I didn't want to mess up Alicia's business, but then the requests for money for broken items started arriving. That was odd since we decided not stay in the apartment at all.

As we approached Alicia's townhouse, my son noticed signs in bodega windows notifying customers that the police would be called immediately if anyone entered the store while wearing a hood or mask. The R.I.P. gangster wall murals also created quite an impression.

Top 10 lists

Top 10 lists can be fun to read.  These two offer advice for both guests and hosts.

1. 10 Ways To Be A Terrible Airbnb Host
2. 10 Ways To Be A Terrible Airbnb Guest

I don't agree with everything in there, especially providing food and (especially) liquor for your guests, but that's a subject for another post.

Here's something I really don't care about - 

Airbnb Launches Celebrity-Themed Promotion In LA

And here's something that has the potential to turn hosts into real hospitality professionals.  In my mind, that is the real threat Airbnb poses to the hotel industry. 

Back from summer hiatus

No, I wasn't away on vacation.  I was just super busy with my full time job and having my best 2 Airbnb months ever. And by best I mean the most lucrative.  Also the busiest.

Many of the guests stayed the minimum 2 nights.  That meant cleaning every other morning.  But one great thing - 2 solid months of really excellent guests where nearly everyone exceeded my expectations. Also, at least 70% of our guests were from France.  Not sure what that's about but it's definitely been a positive experience.

I caught a break for the month of September, with a 2 week stay at the beginning of the month and a 3 week stay starting a week after the that. I've used the extra time it's given me to do some sprucing up around my own place and get some projects done.

Check out this story from Nashville Ledger correspondent and Airbnb host Jeannie Naujeck,
Want to rent your space through Ainbnb? Some tips for success
My project for the upcoming months is to download and analyze my Airbnb hosting data.  I'll be presenting that towards the end of the year when it's ready.

Programmable thermostats

One of the smartest things I did as an Airbnb host was to have a programmable thermostat installed. And not just any kind of programmable thermostat either.  First, it needs to be one that will allow you to set high and low temperature limits.  What does that mean?  It means that guests can't turn the heating above or the cooling below the limits you set. Second, you should be able to lock it using a PIN/password. This is sometimes known as a landlord's thermostat.

A regular old thermostat like this will
wind up costing you lots of money

A thermostat like this doesn't need to be expensive.  I chose a Robert Shaw model that cost less than $100. Of course, the one you choose will depend on your heating/cooling set up so check with you HVAC contractor if you're not sure.

Ok, so why do you need this? Do I really have to explain it?  Because without it guests will turn the heat up or the air conditioning down as far as it will go. And leave it there.  Even while they're out all day.  Not all guests, mind you, but enough to cost you plenty. Your current thermostat lets you set the heat as high as 90F (30C)?  Then some guest will set it there.

Before switching, the worst problems I had were with Brits who set the air conditioning to 59F (15C).  One didn't bother closing the windows either.  So while a programmable thermostat won't solve the window issue, it will at least help rein in guests and help keep your utility bills under control.

Airbnb Hell

Yes, that's the name of a new website and FB page where guests and hosts can share horror stories.

The site is new, the first entries are from early July. The underlying complaint behind most of the postings is the bad customer service provided by Airbnb.

From the site:

What happened to good customer service?

AirBNB has grown too big and corrupt to care about the guests and hosts it is supposed to be supporting. Read airbnb reviews and complaints here before using airbnb!

I look forward to watching this site and will be cross-posting when they have something particularly good.

http://www.airbnbhell.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AirbnbHell

Also worth a read is the story where I found the site, Lifehacker's "How Can I Avoid Getting Screwed on Airbnb?"

In other related news:

After Home-Trashing Incident, Airbnb Builds an In-House Enforcer Team

Airbnb Slows its Pace as it Focuses on Customer Experience and Safety