“Why Do Guests Always…?”

If you’re an STR host have you ever found yourself wondering “why do guests always…?”

Whatever that ‘always’ thing is will vary from host to host. With some hosts, they find that guests are always arriving well after check-in time without any contact. Others find that guests always leave the AC on when they check out. Or they always leave dirty dishes. Or they always leave used towels everywhere.

Maybe they never manage to find your rental. Perhaps they never turn off the lights when they go out. Or they never leave good reviews. Or they never use the beach towels provided. Maybe they never take the garbage out.

There are plenty of others.

But if you tend to get an ‘always’ or a ‘never’ have you ever considered that you’re actually seeing a pattern? You see, your ‘always‘ might be something that has never happened to other hosts. Something that your guests ‘never‘ remember to do might be really rare for other people.

If you find that you repeatedly get guests who ‘always‘ or ‘never‘ do the same thing over and over then it’s well worth taking a look at the accommodation and the amenities you offer to see whether the reason could actually lie with you.

Some of these are very easy to check for and the crazy thing is that the solution could be something really simple. Those simple but essential touches are very easy to overlook with all the other things we have to think about as STR hosts.

There are some obvious, but sometimes overlooked solutions:

• Do remember that your guests will need ‘the tools of the trade’ to perform the cleaning chores you might require of them. For example, if guests ‘never‘ run the dishwasher, are you sure that there’s a good supply of detergent pods? If guests ‘always‘ leave their garbage in the rental, be sure to check that there are plenty of garbage bags available.

Yes, these things are obvious but they are a great starting point to go through your rental making sure that you make it easy for your guests to rectify those issues that they ‘always’ or ‘never’ do.

• If your guests ‘never‘ park where they should or ‘always‘ block the neighbour’s driveway, consider how you can make sure that they know exactly where to park. Deal with the problem
• If they ‘never‘ manage to find your place – and thus arrive in a grumpy mood – make sure that they know their way and that you send them excellent directions and a simple map
• If guests ‘always‘ break your house rules then check that every guest is fully aware of them and what you require. Or maybe revise your rules?
• If they ‘never‘ leave you a review, ask yourself why. Many guests believe the old adage that if you’ve can’t say anything good, say nothing. What would YOU say about your place? Whatever is great about it, accentuate it
• If guests ‘always‘ do something that costs you money,(such as leaving the AC on) put up your prices! You’re not a charity
• If guests ‘always‘ sneak in an extra person or pet that they haven’t paid for, consider why this may be. Are you attracting people who are so cheap that they’re not prepared to pay your pet fee? Or is it that the pet fee is too high?

You know that I could go on and on and on and on – and on – with lots of examples but I really could have condensed all this thus:

If you’re having a problem that always or never happens with your guests, then it’s time that you took a look at your own hosting style. Remember that the chances are that there are many, many hosts who don’t have the same problem. Figure out why.