All Forum Posts by: Sebastian Giraldo

Industry experts foresee domestic travelers will lift Short Term Rental occupancy throughout summer and fall.

VRBO’s most recent research shows that 2 out of 3 travelers prefer a vacation rental for 2020, and this research also shows that 24% of them will prefer to travel closer to home and 29% will prefer to take domestics trips. In 2020 people around the world are looking for a safe place to stay on a friendly budget and break the monotonous day to day routine.

This data and the booking increase in some markets make the fall and winter season highly promising. Nevertheless, Short Term Rental hosts should prepare for changes in the way they host tourists since nowadays vacations are turning into long stays.

The pandemic has definitely changed life as we knew it, and traveling is not an exception!

Tourists are now drawn to domestic destinations, particularly if they are a driving distance and avoid any being exposed to large crowds since a large part of the travelling fear is when it comes to commuting to your destination. “We just want to get away” is the common phrase and totally applies to the times of our day.

In the turistic Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and NC bookings compared to last year have increased by 67%. 17% of guests are state locals while 50% come from nearby states.

A common and important trend we are going to see in the new normal for travel is reservations being processed much closer to the planned travel date, the reluctance to book in advance is up in the air as guests fear they might lose their money since there is always the possibility of an uptick in virus cases.

This conservative attitude is a logical response to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic which has reduced American’s expenses to levels unseen since the 1980s.

New norms are needed during these times, the most important one will be: Flexible cancellation policies and cleanliness

It is well known that cleanliness will be a key feature for travelers in the new normal. At the moment, the best way to fight the virus is by adopting strict sanitizing guidelines and consistent promotion of healthy living.

High-performing listings on cleanliness will be more likely to get more bookings than those who don’t. As a result of COVID-19, 51% of travelers say they will pay more attention to the cleanliness standards of their accommodations prior to booking.

On the other hand, flexible cancellation policies will be the next trend when it comes to Vacation Rentals. According to VRBO “77% of travelers surveyed said they will be more likely to choose accommodations with flexible cancellation policies.”

But WHY are Short Term Rentals the Answer?

Because they are sanitary. That’s it I said it. Let me give you an example: contrary to hotels, Short Term Rentals doesn’t have hundreds of people passing through a common area like a lobby, a restaurant, or a pool. Which result in being exposed to high touch areas and air.

On the other hand, people want to feel safe surrounded only by the group, family, or friends they are traveling with, this is great for vacation rentals which are single occupancy, where social distancing is easier and cross-contamination of germs less likely. Another reason why Short Term Rentals are the answer in post-pandemic travel.

The challenge for the Vacation Rental market

As business reopens and society moves towards the new normality, the forecast for the hospitality industry is positive. Cleanliness and flexible cancellations will be the cornerstone of this new era, and domestic travelers the lifesavers of many local businesses.

Both guests and hosts must prepare for a new scenario where crowded spaces and human interactions will shift to intimate and private experiences. For these and many other reasons, single-family homes are the way to go since you're assured of 100% private space, no restrictions on amenities, and plenty of open outdoor activities.

We’re always looking to connect and engage in conversation about changes in hospitality and other similar industries such as services and transportation.

TELL US! Are you getting ready for the new normal in traveling? Has your local Short Term Rental market fully recovered? We’re all eyes and hears ; )

@Matt Ayoub hahah those are the ones I'd like to call and ask "how can we make have the additional .03 of your satisfaction?"

Thank you very much for sharing! Those are very smart steps to prevent getting unfair reviews, it's a very professional and polite way to earn guests trust by giving you more personal and private feedback about their stay; also it's a good way to know if it's worth to ask them to leave a public review.
Having a guest book seems like a nice way for knowing better guests behaviour!

Really nice you have all good reviews and guests!
Sometimes people don't leave reviews but it's nice to always give a try asking them very politely to give you some feedback about their stay, in this way you can know your strengths as a host but also you can take care of those things that can make the difference for providing comfort and excellence for future guests.

It's really good to have this option and fight for it when we know the review doesn't match our job as hosts.
On short term rentals, we have to keep in mind there are different types of guests and we have to offer the best for the ones we are targeting, that is why it's actually pretty functional to be able to get a fair review. 

Getting a bad review can be a way to know what things you can improve to make the stay of your guests the best!
It's all part of the growing process.
But sometimes you really know you did the best for your guests and some people just want to get their way looking for a refund even though you did a good job as host.

A bad review can prevent a guest from booking your listing, affecting directly your revenue. It’s a sign that you need to improve your operations to grant amazing hospitality experiences to your guests.

In our entire experience as Vacation Rental hosts, we’ve come across two guests that were totally unhappy. Also unknown to us is the possibility they are seeking a miscellaneous credit back. We as Short term rental hosts do the best we can to help the situation.

More often than not it proves highly difficult when the guest has other plans in mind and releases the frustration by leaving a bad review when their plans don’t go as they thought. Airbnb’s review system has worked wonders for their success and we think it is truly helpful when it is used for its purpose.

We actually love to listen to our guests for constructive feedback or ideas to enhance the experience for all the future guests checking-in. It is also important to reply to those reviews with much gratitude as it serves its purpose. One occasion, in particular, was one in which we did everything possible to satisfy the guest but it was never enough.

A guest who is hard to please

The home sits on a corner lot in a quiet peaceful neighbourhood. The previous 3 guests were truly happy, one of which stayed for over a week. The guest in this instance flew into Miami for work. The property was booked by his wife and we were delighted to have him since the home has desk space and plenty of space for him to work.

As soon as the gentleman checked in to the Vacation rental he called us and mentioned there was a weird smell in the air and he could not remain in the property. He left for the night and would return the next day.

In order to address this, we aired out the home opening all windows and had the AC technician come in and check for anything unusual in the air conditioning system, we had housekeeping come in and reclean the home. At last, we replenished all the air wicks. As hosts, we couldn’t explain it because we had guests prior to this one with long and short stays and none reported any issues.

As soon as the gentleman came back late at night he left without explanation and then the claims for refund began. After trying to do everything possible and investing time and money to salvage the situation we felt a full refund would be unfair. At last, we agreed to a $400 refund + refund of the remaining nights in the reservation but his wife was still unsatisfied therefore, the threats began with bad Airbnb reviews and a lawsuit.

Was he blackmailing us?

While we contemplated on the turn of events it seemed as outright extortion in order to give them a refund. At this point, we felt bullied and decided we would cease communication other than through Airbnb because of the lack of respect from the guests.

In the interim, we braced for impact as we felt the bad review was headed our way. This negative Airbnb review was extensive, to say the least. We immediately pondered on the possibility of having our case heard. This is when we reviewed Airbnb review guidelines and policies.

Know the rules and use them on your favor:

In essence, Airbnb reviews should follow three rules:

1. Reviews should not violate Airbnb content policy.

• Within this particular review and its extensiveness, the guest broke the inclusion, non-discrimination policy when they wrote “Contacted Stratton and it was a woman (located in Venezuela btw)”
• Extortion and incentivization during her Airbnb chat with us violated the content policy.

2. Reviews should be unbiased.

• The guest was clearly upset because he couldn’t get a total refund from his booking, exaggerating the facts on his claim.

3. Reviews should be relevant.

• In the review, the guest mentioned another property we offered as an alternative to remedy.
• She broke the relevancy rule when the guest inaccurately informed Airbnb that we did not hire an Air Conditioning company. Thankfully we had receipts from the technician to substantiate our case.

That being said… How to remove a bad review on Airbnb?

1. If there’s no agreement between the host and the guest, scale the case with Airbnb and explain very detailed why you think the review is unfair.
2. Collect all the evidence possible to back up your claim. Let’s say your guest complained about how dirty the home was. A receipt from your cleaning company would be something you would like to share to prove you actually paid a cleaning company to do the job. Other evidence like after-cleaning pictures or video recording is strong documentation to win the case.
3. Study carefully Airbnb review rules and highlight what policies endorse your cause. For this, keeping track of all your communications with the guest is the best way to go. If your guest is telling lies about your home, written evidence can help you win the claim.
4. Maintain a high standard on your customer service. Disrespecting your guest is something you should never do, even if he/she makes you lose your mind. Breathe deep and be polite all the time. Remember everything you say can be used against you.
5. Follow up your case until you get a resolution. Airbnb customer service often delays on giving you an answer. Send a follow-up email every day until you hear from them. Remember this is about your business reputation and profitability.

The difference between violations to the Airbnb review guidelines and constructive feedback

While this is an undesirable avenue it does occur and we are glad there are rules and guidelines in place to follow. If this does occur to you as a host it is important to separate the violations of guidelines and actual constructive feedback.

When it is obvious a guest has an ulterior motive you can resort back to the Airbnb rules and policies for reviews then give Airbnb a call.

Every so often we come across people that for one reason or another, no matter how much you do they will not be satisfied. There is always that one thing! Thankfully that doesn't apply to the majority of people out there.

Have you ever succeeded in deleting a bad review from your Airbnb account?
Have you faced an unfair bad review?
We’d love to hear your story!

@Shiloh Lundahl Funny you say that! We actually considered leaving a huge speaker on all day since it is a duplex and maybe banging noices her eand there. As far as having someone move in they seemed very low income therefore, I was afraid it may get violent.

@Sam Shi I feel your pain. Since I manage this property for a partner owner he had to be onboard and he wasn't okay with the more forceful alternatives. If it were my property I would have moved ALL the furniture out and perhaps spend a few hours with them there. Im not afraid of anything honestly. In my lifetime Ive had a few guns drawn at me. But we'll leave that for another conversation haha. 

@Mike S. You hit the nail on the head! That is exactly what we did Mike. They are gone now. Guess what! They stole all the furniture and left the day before court. Blows my mind how people like this exist. I'm looking into pressing charges because she will just continue with her next victim. 

Thank you very much for sharing your story, sometimes we never know what are we going to get as tenants or guests, that is the reason why is so important to be super specific with contracts and rules so we don't end up having unfortunate surprises and ugly situations...