Tag: Airbnb

Posted in Travel

A week in a 19th century Airbnb

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We just got home from a trip to Bangor, Maine where our Airbnb was half of a double house built in 1874 by Captain George Poole but designed by George W. Orff.

I tried to research the history of the house, but there’s little online. It’s a blend of Gothic revival and Italianate architecture from the late 19th century. It no longer has a slate roof, but the granite foundation remains. I believe many of the wood floors are original.

The right-hand side of the house is divided into two long-term rentals. The left side, where we stayed, is an Airbnb.

When we arrived, we discovered that the house keeps going and going. From a front sitting-room, you walk through to a living area, then into a dining room, back into a galley kitchen, and even further to a laundry/bathroom. It reminded me of a Baltimore row home where we lived for a year (a long, long time ago).

A long staircase just inside the front door takes you up to two large bedrooms, a bathroom, and a drawing room. (The empty back bedroom had a drawing pad on an easel!) I suspect that a locked door led to a full attic or perhaps a third floor.

The fireplaces that ran up the center of the house between the front rooms and the bedrooms had been sealed off.

I did explore the spooky basement, which was only about 6 foot high. The furnace was new, as was the shiny copper maze of plumbing that supplied hot water to all the modern looking radiators in each room. I can’t even imagine what all that new plumbing cost.

I was impressed by how quiet the house was. Three-quarters of a mile up the hill from downtown Bangor, there was little traffic. As I sat looking out the front window early in the morning, I enjoyed the silence.

I only heard from the adjoining neighbors one morning when they chased off a homeless person off the property with some vivid language. Other than than, I never heard a peep from them.

Here’s the listing if you want to learn more.

Posted in Travel

My Recent Airbnb Experience: Lessons Learned

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Andrea Davis on Unsplash

I prided myself at picking decent Airbnbs for our trips. After booking a dozen locations over the past five years, I thought I had it all figured out. This current trip to Texas had me agreeing, “We need to figure out how to choose better places.”

Here’s a description of the two homes we stayed at this current trip to visit my son and his family.

It was cold!

We arrived on the coldest February day of the season, with lows dipping into the teens. When I walked into the first home, the heat wasn’t on and the thermostat reported an indoor temperature of 38 degrees! I turned it on, but it took an entire day to get the home up to the mid-sixties. The checkout instructions read, “Turn off the thermostat before you leave.” I texted my host, “Are you sure?” and set it down to 60.

Because we drove out a few days earlier than planned, we only stayed in that home a couple of nights. When we arrived at the second home, where we would spend the next week, guess what? The heat was off. It was 47 in this home. I turned on the heat and we went to a coffee shop. My host replied to my text about this, “Some of our guests get claustrophobic when we leave the heat on.” What’s that supposed to mean?

A minimalist’s dream

Both places looked just as pictured and were very clean. But both were very spartan. Not a dish towel to be found in the kitchen. No hand towels or washcloths in the bathrooms, just bath towels. No side table lamps in any of the rooms, only bright overhead lighting. No ironing board or iron. No instructions for the television and no binder with information about local places to eat or shop.

To the hosts’ credit, each place was exactly as pictured in the listing. They were clean and the beds were comfortable. However, each was located in neighborhoods with older homes, some in disrepair. Since I don’t get the location until I book, I had no way of evaluating that community. Both looked a little sketchy when we pulled in, but turned out to be safe.

A flawed review system

What about the reviews from others who stayed there? They were almost all five (out of five) stars. Everyone found them clean, comfortable, and convenient. Who wouldn’t want to stay there?

By the same token, I usually give a place five stars, four at the very least. If I have suggestions for improvement, I send them privately to the host rather than griping in the public review. Why? I don’t to jeopardize getting a good review from them. I guess that makes the reviews pretty much useless.

I’ve resolved to be a little more honest in my reviews. I am going to express the realties of a place in the best way I can, helping others who might be considering staying here in the future.

I’m going to expand my price range, too. Lately I’ve been searching for places to stay that cost less than $100 per night. I get what I pay for. It’s a good deal, but I’m not going to get as many amenities as a $150 or $200 dollar-a-night home.

So here’s a few tips and tricks for picking or passing on your next Airbnb.

  • While the insides of the homes have been nicely remodeled, the outsides will usually be a little worn. Don’t be overly concerned when you pull up for the first time. Go inside and give it a chance.
  • Most of the pictures will make the insides look much bigger than they are in real life. It’s all about the camera angles.
  • I don’t spend a lot of time in the Airbnb. We use it mostly for relaxing in the evening, sleeping at night, and breakfast the next morning. I can overlook a lot of shortcomings when I’m not there much of the day.
  • Scour the pictures of the kitchen to learn what kind of coffee maker is in the kitchen, and then bring the appropriate coffee with you, along with filters. A host might give you a few pods or a few pots worth of ground coffee, but I always need more. And it’s usually one of the cheapest ones you can buy, so don’t expect too much.
  • If you plan on doing any cooking, bring cooking spray and seasonings. Sometimes you’ll find salt and pepper in the cupboard, but not always.
  • Generally, the ice makers in an Airbnb do not work. But they always have ice trays to make your own.
  • Bring a sponge pouf along with your own soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Those pretty wall pumps generally don’t work well.
  • As soon as you book a place and get a street address, check out the street view on Google Maps. If it looks a little too sketchy, you should be within the cancellation window.
  • Check the cleaning fee before booking. A cheap daily rate is often accompanied by a hefty fee for cleaning. That, plus Airbnb fees and taxes can double the price of your great deal.
  • If you follow the check-out instructions, you’ll get a good review. Take out the trash, don’t leave anything behind, and don’t break anything, you’ll be in good shape.

On this most recent trip, I’ve wanted to ask each host, “Have you actually ever spent a night here?” I suspect not. I truly believe someone else manages the property for them, which means they don’t necessarily know what’s lacking. So I’ll be more honest in my reviews to help them improve.

Posted in DIY, Home improvement

The real never-ending story: home upkeep

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We recently stayed in an Airbnb condo just outside of Dallas, Texas. It weighed in at just under one thousand square feet, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, and a really comfortable living room. It was part of a four-plex that this owner had remodeled with nice wood-inspired flooring, new appliances, and a nice deck out back.

As one who does a lot of my own home upkeep, I immediately noticed that all the rocker-style light switches worked, but were incorrectly installed. Some pushed in too far. A few were upside down. Others were crooked. A couple were beginning to crack.

On top of that, a number of the wall outlets were upside down, too. This is easy to spot because the ground is at the top rather than the bottom of each plug outlet. Not a big deal until we moved a nightlight/scented wax plug-in. Upside down, it left a little puddle of wax. Not cool.

Every time I walked in and switched on a light, I thought, “If I had my tools, I could fix this.” I would never start working on someone’s house unless I had broken something. But it would be tempting.

In the master bedroom, the ceiling fan was blowing upwards rather than down. This is great in the winter when you want to circulate hot air down in the room. But not so much once the weather turns warm and you want to feel some breeze. No problem. I stood up on the bed and searched around for the switch that changes the fan direction. No switch.

I saw the remote control on the wall and thought, “Oh, there must be a way to change the direction with that.” I jumped down and fiddled with that for a while. No luck. I looked up the remote online. There was supposed to be a little button on the back to change the fan direction. Nope. Maybe it’s under this little sticker. Nice try. But no button. I gave up on that project.

I always notice these little things. I figure, if you’re going to spend the time and money to remodel a place, you might as well do it or get it done right. The new floors and baseboards were all nicely replaced. The walls were professionally textured and painted. The appliances, fixtures, furniture, and decor was all nicely put together. Why not finish the job?

I’m going to quit now because there is always something in my own home that needs to be cleaned, touched up, straightened, or replaced. Home upkeep is the real never ending story.

Posted in DIY

An easy AC fix (this time)

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Does it feel hot in here?”

Three days into our five day stay at an Airbnb in Rowlett, Texas, the air just didn’t feel right. It wasn’t that hot outside. Highs in the seventies. And I could hear the air conditioner running. But I could tell something wasn’t right.

Last night was uncomfortable. I kicked off the covers several times. A quick glance at the thermostat confirmed my suspicions. The temperature was set for 72, but the room was at 76.

What should I do? I could call the host. It’s their place, their problem. But I wasn’t that uncomfortable. Maybe there’s a simpler solution.

I went out back to see if the compressor was running. It wasn’t. I know enough to know that’s a problem. Next stop: the circuit breaker panel. I walked out into the garage, but found no breaker box. What about the closet where the hot water heater was? Nothing. A storage closet. Nope. Hallway closet? Bingo.

I opened the door to find labels on all the breakers. How nice. And sure enough, the compressor breaker was tripped. When I reset it, I heard the compressor kick on. Yes!

I listened closely over the next two days, and was thankful that everything worked as it should. I let the host know so she could have it checked out.

I love troubleshooting and fixing problems like this in the places where we stay. I’ve fixed gates, windows, and toilets in the past. I want to be the kind of guest you want to have in your short-term rental.

Posted in Life

Sleeping with the horses

Posted on by William Douthwaite

While visiting our Rowlett, TX family, we stayed in the loft of a horse barn that we discovered on Airbnb.

So some travelers might think, “You stayed in a horse barn?” Kind of. The loft had been remodeled into a very nice 600 square foot efficiency, more comfortable and equipped than some of the whole houses we had rented before. When I told three-year-old granddaughter Josie, “We’re sleeping in a horse barn,” she said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. The horses will chew you up!”

We were in no danger of bring chewed up by the two horses who lived in the barn beneath us, Proton and King. They were all about the fruits and veggies we brought. As soon as we pulled up into the small parking area, they ambled over. We thought they were just being friendly. They wanted to see what kind of snacks we brought for them. Every time we left for the day or came home at night, they came over for carrots and apples. If we had none, they quickly went back to whatever they were doing, which was mostly foraging around the yard for food.

The neighboring corral was home to some Shetland ponies. As soon as they saw us feeding the big horses, they came over to the fence, knicker it a soft, “Don’t forget about us.” We didn’t, and they were more friendly when all the produce had been eaten.

Late at night, if I woke up and rolled over, I listened to the night sounds. The heater fan and the refrigerator robbed the night of its silence. Plus, I heard some other sounds. Water dripping? No. Wind outside? Sometimes. Then I realized the other sounds were the horses in their stalls right beneath us. They were snoring or eating or moving around or whatever horses do at night.

We’ve stayed in eight short term rentals in Rowlett and Garland. Some were newly remodeled and very nicely decorated. Others were spartan. One had four bedrooms with a TV in each. This one was a single room. When we come, we really don’t spend a lot of time in the rental other than to sleep.

The horses really make the loft stand out. I know they are fair weather friends, more interested in treats than in me. But they always welcome us home after a day of negotiating Dallas metro traffic to go anywhere or do anything.