Halloween 2024 is fast approaching, so let’s talk about what can and will scare any vacation rental owner! These stories from the world of short-term rentals might just terrify and petrify you. Discover seven terrifying stories from the vacation rental industry and how you can avoid them with the help of Smoobu!
8 Horror Stories From Airbnb & Vacation Rentals
What are the scariest things that can happen to any vacation, Airbnb, or short-term rental owner? Given the time of year, we decided to delve into the world of scary and horror stories here, but have no fear; we also have some advice on how you can avoid becoming part of a new online thread entitled ‘Airbnb horror stories.’
1. Double Bookings
If we rank the most horrifying stories from property owners and managers, double bookings would certainly occupy first place. As well as causing you stress and costing you money, they can tarnish your online reputation on booking platforms and jeopardize the future of your business.
Solution
To reduce the risk to zero, consider opting for a Channel Manager that will enable you to connect your Airbnb, Booking.com, and other listings sites and thus synchronize your booking calendars automatically. Luckily for you, Smoobu’s free 14-day trial comes with this exact feature in the hopes of avoiding bad experiences.
2. Panicked Guests
Check-in day is finally upon you, and in an ideal world, all will go smoothly, and guests will be able to get into their accommodation and begin to enjoy their vacation. What a shame this is a horror story filled with frantic emails, missed calls, and messages to Airbnb hosts or customer service.
Traveling, even at the best of times, can be a stressful process, and checking in to accommodation often ranks as one of, if not the most, anxiety-inducing part of the whole experience. This goes for both guests and hosts, so what exactly can you do to combat this?
Solution
Make sure all communications with your guests are comprehensive and include all of the most vital information, such as:
- Contact details such as your current phone number or email address
- Exact address
- Number of the building, apartment, room, etc.
- Information on finding the property and the accommodation itself
- Clear instructions about entering the property
- Precise lockbox location or detailed instructions about smart locks.
Sending all of this info in a welcome message or booking confirmation email goes without saying, but think about how else you can make things as clear as possible. If including photos with instructions about lockboxes, then be sure to use an up-to-date photo.
Also, know that it is always a good idea to have a backup plan – a spare set of keys, someone on-site who could help them, etc.
3. Bad Ratings
Another rational fear of vacation owners and managers is getting bad reviews from travelers online, as they could negatively impact your reputation and future bookings. Negative reviews can happen, but it’s best to avoid them whenever possible. They could cause your listing to drop in the rankings and, in particular, cause you to lose visibility.
Solution
To combat this and ensure positive reviews for your vacation rental, you could:
- Guarantee a smooth travel experience to earn your guests’ trust and a positive rating.
- Set up a cleaning protocol to make sure the property always looks its very best.
- Add a unique and personal touch like a welcome gift or simply by writing a personalized welcome note.
- Create a complete Traveler’s Guide with all the practical information you need for a successful stay in your rental, as well as personalized advice for a unique experience!
- Responding to your negative review on the platforms will allow you to clarify the situation and rectify the situation if necessary.
- Set out clear house rules so guests know what to expect and what is allowed at your rental property.
4. Poor Housekeeping
Another pet peeve of property managers, with a direct repercussion on the travel experience, is unsatisfactory cleaning and poor maintenance of your vacation home. Finding a sock under the bed, a squeaky door, a dripping faucet, or no toilet paper would reflect badly on your business and give off an unprofessional vibe.
Solution
The devil is in the details, and cleaning and maintaining your rental property is no exception. If you’re working in a team, consider following a housekeeping task list to ensure consistency in your experience, no matter who’s doing the cleaning.
And don’t forget to check your plumbing, heating, and bedding regularly for bedbugs, which would be a real horror movie.
5. Untimely Cancellations
Oh no, another cancellation! This can be one of those things that keep you up at night or cause panic to set in when you get the cancellations notification or email. Unfortunately, a last-minute and unexpected cancellation could lead to teams without anything to do, a loss of income, and a lower occupancy rate. At the end of the day, untimely cancellations have the potential to spell doom for your business.
Solution
When setting up and managing your Booking.com or Airbnb listing, you can set your cancellation conditions. Weigh up the pros and cons of your various options and make an informed decision to keep your booking schedule afloat and limit the impact on both your brand and business.
In the case of direct bookings via your website, clearly announce your cancellation conditions and the financial impact for the traveler in the event of cancellation a few weeks, days, or hours before their arrival. Explicit cancellation conditions will avoid any misunderstanding between you and your guests.
6. Ransacked Apartments
Finding a room or a full apartment in complete and utter disarray after guests check out is the stuff of nightmares. If you are in charge or own multiple properties, one small mishap or issue can snowball, and then it’s drama! The worst-case scenario could see significant damage, cleaning fees, and even forced cancellations of future bookings.
Solution
- Investigate other potential insurance policies you can take out to cover damage.
- For Airbnb reservations, the platform offers owners Airbnb AirCover insurance to cover them in the event of property damage.
- Get in touch with your future travelers as soon as possible.
- Draw up well-documented and explicit rules and regulations.
- Take out insurance to avoid unpleasant surprises resulting from bad behavior.
7. Forgetting a Reservation
Isn’t it said that ‘To err is human?’ Many property owners run their businesses while also working another job, so it’s easy to forget something in the throes of your busy schedule. It’s unfortunate, but these simple moments of forgetfulness can lead to unnecessary stress, dissatisfied travelers, and poor reviews.
Solution
Look, we are all going to forget things or procrastinate at some point. So, knowing this, why not put a plan in place to avoid these potential oversights and automate your operations? A dedicated vacation rental management software like Smoobu can help avoid any potential disaster. You’ll be able to view all your reservations and traveler information in a single dashboard, making it easy to manage information and keep an eye on everything! Find out more!
8. Broken Rules
As a vacation rental owner, you want your business to run smoothly and your ground rules to be respected. Naturally, there will be some guests who may attempt to take advantage of ambiguity or lack of information. Others may, unfortunately, not care that you have set rules and will behave however they see fit.
If you don’t have a set list of rules and guidelines for your guests, here are some good starting points.
- Define clear check-in and check-out time. The latter is incredibly important to decide upon and communicate as breaking it may jeopardize the arrival of your next travelers. You may offer late checkout, but be sure to make sure you have enough time between bookings.
- Don’t make too much noise at certain times of the day or night, and avoid noise pollution.
- No causing problems in the building or neighborhood
- A ban on illegal parties
- Specific house rules such as how to take out the trash, no smoking, etc.
Solution
It can be a good idea to draw up a clear and explicit rental contract and have it signed by your tenants on or before their arrival. This should help mitigate against many of these potential problems. Be sure to be clear about these rules in your booking info also, and even highlight it again in your initial booking confirmation message. The earlier you set out these rules, the better.
Another point to consider is to know your rights with the various rental platforms and be ready to get in contact with them in the worst-case scenarios.
No more vacation horror stories – Smoobu to the rescue
Don’t let any vacation rental problems turn into a horror movie! Test Smoobu, the vacation rental management software, and synchronize your reservation calendars automatically, personalize and automate your travel communication, and much more! Any property manager can turn their business into a fairy tale!
