How to deal with unfriendly Airbnb guests

Bad-tempered Airbnb guests are every Airbnb host’s biggest threat and worst nightmare. Airbnb is a business, and just like all businesses, there is always a risk of getting stuck with grumpy and mood-killer people with whom you have no choice but to deal with. However, the risk of having an unfriendly Airbnb guest is not that high, and more than 95% of the guests are friendly and follow the rules. Still, to be a professional Airbnb host, you should always be ready to manage every unpredictable hosting challenge. The following sections will discuss bad-tempered Airbnb guests and how to manage and prevent the situation.

Valuable tips for dealing with unfriendly Airbnb guests

There are two points in every critical situation: how to act before the challenge and how to handle things later.

Step one: Prevention

The first action you should take as a professional host is to avoid approving grumpy guests as much as possible.

Turn your instant booking off!

But how can I lower the risk of hosting a bad Airbnb guest? I’m not a fortuneteller; I can’t predict people’s behavior; you may say. But the truth is you can find so many things about your future guest by just spending a few minutes and checking out the guests’ profiles.
Before doing that, it’s essential to turn off the Instant book option. The instant book option allows everyone to book your place immediately after pressing the button without your consultation. By turning it off, you can lower the risk of cancellation from your side (which is a negative point for Airbnb hosts and can even lead to account suspension) and give yourself a chance to check out the guests and then approve them if you’re OK.
As soon as you skim over a guest profile, you start to notice things. Pay attention to all the information, profile picture, description, etc. If there is a lack of information in a guest’s profile, you can ask them to complete theirs. If they refuse to do that, watch out! It’s the first red flag of an unfriendly Airbnb guest!
In the second step of this level, you have to read all the guests’ reviews to find out what the previous hosts thought about them and how was their experience of hosting these guests. Further, the overall rating of a guest matters too. If someone sends you a booking request with below two stars (which is an obvious sign of a bad Airbnb guest), you should reject them immediately. Cause you’re going to put yourself in trouble by accepting them, they’re below two stars for a reason, right?!

Make the Airbnb house rules clear to everyone!

Sometimes, you’re uncomfortable with the guests’ behavior and may think, “Oh God, it’s another unfriendly Airbnb guest”! But, on the other hand, you may also seem weird to your guests, and they might find you a cold fish! So what’s going on?
You’re a member of an international community; your guests can be from different races, nations, backgrounds, and cultures. So it’s common to see a behavior that is odd to you but very normal in other cultures. So it’s highly recommended to clearly outline the rules for your guests to avoid any dilemma and confusion. mention every single house rule and everything that matters to you as an Airbnb host. You should input all of them in your profile, write them down, and hang them somewhere in your place.

Step two: Crisis management!

If you did all previous actions to avoid trouble but still ended up with a bad-tempered Airbnb guest, you need to grit your teeth and handle it.

Stay out of their way.

If there is an unfriendly Airbnb guest who responds to you grumpily, the best solution is to avoid confronting them as much as possible. Some people prefer to be alone and not talk to anyone. It’s not always necessary to be chatty to your guests to show your kindness and hospitality; the only thing they want is to be left alone as much as possible. Just contact them whenever they need you and whenever it is necessary.

Consult the guest before involving Airbnb

When you encounter an unfriendly Airbnb guest who behaves poorly, it’s better to ask them about their problem and how you can help them before involving Airbnb or canceling their reservation. What’s essential in this level is not to judge and blame the guest (not at least in their face!). A bad-tempered Airbnb guest might behave like that for multiple reasons. For example, they may have had a bad experience in their previous stay, or they may currently struggle with a mental crisis, which is hard to control. Anyway, try to offer solutions to solve your guests’ problems and start the conversation by taking their side by saying sentences like: “I’m sorry that you faced this problem here, let’s talk about what I can do to help you.”

Did everything, but it wasn’t enough?!

Sometimes you perfectly do everything you can, but the problems remain unsolved.
Believe it or not, there are always fussy people out there trying to find negative aspects to nag about. Sometimes, they only do this to get a discount or free services. These are the actual instances of bad Airbnb guests. You can tell them you can happily cancel their reservation since you are not capable of doing anything else for them.

Contact Airbnb

Consider this one as the final solution when there is no other way. For example, suppose you’re dealing with a highly bad-tempered/unfriendly Airbnb guest who behaves extremely irrational, making you uncomfortable. In that case, you can call Airbnb and ask them to relocate the guest.

Final Words

As an Airbnb host, paying attention to these tips will help you manage tense situations with unfriendly Airbnb guests. Just try not to forget to remain calm, relaxed, and collected. Offer solutions to help them. By staying clear and logical, you can show them you are standing by their side, trying to help.
Have you ever had an experience hosting problematic Airbnb guests? How did you handle it?
What do you do to prevent a tense situation between you and your guests?!
Share your experiences and ask your questions in the comment section below.