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Compliments & Suggestions

Welcome to our feature based on Jeff’s actual travel experiences as a guest at vacation rental properties. Here we review the places we stayed and with compliments followed by suggestions. Both categories of review are broken down the 10 STEPS TO HOSTING SUCCESS. We do not give a rating here in these articles; the point is not to judge but to give positive reinforcing feedback for the pluses and recommended suggestions for any perceived minuses.

Stay in Austin, TX

Compliments

Step 2: Innovative Improvements

• The decor was definitely helping the cause! As the bumper sticker says “Keep Austin Weird” – your cool signs and collections are certainly keeping it weird – in a good way of course. The place was delightful! 
• All the touches, from the cool and quirky knickknacks and humorous artwork (“Bed and Breakfast – you make both” sign in the kitchen) made the space interesting. Your well thought out attention detail showed that you have a sense of fun and care for your guests. 

Step 6: Clear Communication

• Thanks for the detailed house manual as well as instructional signs about the bikes for guest use. The major attractions and local suggestions were helpful and very much appreciated! I especially loved the ‘to-do’ list on the side of the fridge that said “Smile. Bike. See Bats. Eat Tacos. Hike. Smile.”
  

Step 7: Special Service

• Coffee, half & half, ½ dozen eggs, a few beers, & a bottle of local wine was a supreme blessing considering I arrived very late at night. Great supply of crackers and condiments as well as butter too. I returned the favor with an unopened Malbec and a ¼ gulped high-quality cab. I personally wouldn’t provide any alcohol as my rentals are in California and it might ‘upset’ someone somehow and I’d be liable if the guest downed the whole bottle on an empty stomach and drown in the pool after running down a child with their rental car.
• The small blackboard at the front door with my name and my travel companion on it welcoming us was so sweet! I’m a sucker for this stuff – how did you know!
• The air scent machine was a nice touch with an assortment of oils – the ginger was my fave.
• Providing bicycles and route suggestions for guest use is just fantastic and very kind of you – thanks for suggesting guests wear helmets. 
• The late, late checkout was MOST appreciated. I volunteered to pay an extra day since I wanted to stay until 3pm but you vehemently insisted that it wasn’t necessary. I really would have paid. Your rates are more than fair and I feel good compensating wonderful hosts such as you guys. 

Suggestions – please remember that the items we highlight with a higher step number are much easier to remedy the lower step number – for instance, acting on communication items (Step 6: Clear Communication) is easier than minor construction items (Step 2: Innovative Improvements).

Step 2: Innovative Improvement

• Get some ventilation in the bathroom, i.e. a normal exhaust fan. Not because I had too much Texas chili but because the towels in the cabinet and the whole room had a musty odor. Don’t fret – y’all live in a huuuuumid environment. I’ve stayed at other private residences with the same issue.

        Step 6: Clear Communication

• Sometimes its easier to just repeat yourself than direct someone to data that can be referenced. You wrote to me to see the ‘itinerary’ for check in instructions. Well, after digging into my emails and the Airbnb site, I found the ‘itinerary’ and the check in section was blank. So I messaged you via the app since it was still a few days out and I didn’t feel it was that big a deal to text. Well something really strange happened – I received a call from Airbnb about the reservation, at first I thought they were calling me in my host capacity and I was thinking, OMG, now what????? They read my message to you and were proactively reaching out to tell me that they contacted you and that you would related the instructions shortly. Hmmmmm, this is a lot of communication to find out a lockbox code. In the end, you told me the instructions but had you simply put the very simple entry instructions in your in app text to me, all this would have been averted. In your defense, it does seem that something was amiss on the Airbnb side where your check-in instructions got lost or something from your itinerary info….. Also, you may want to put your checkout instructions in your awesome house manual. Please don’t take this the wrong way – your place is ideal and you and your partner are most accommodating!!!! Would/will stay again ?