Example of a good host — what signals do you look for?

Owner Questions, Advice & Chat
21

Mine have all been fine, tbf — even the one(s) I described. I really haven’t had a bad sit at all so far. I reminded myself one was getting ready to travel to her child’s destination wedding; another is a working mom who also had to get her young child to family the day before she left. (All of that on top of cleaning up & organizing in preparation for ME lol.) My personal lesson is either to not mention the hotel, or don’t upgrade to the one with the pool. :winking_face_with_tongue:

That said, if there are/were red flags already, that’s a good reason to reconsider — so I’m glad you came to a conclusion that relieved you!

There’s a saying: if you’re not sure about a decision you need to make, flip a coin. If your immediate reaction to the toss result is dread or disappointment — go with the opposite choice!

22

We’ve also had great experiences - not one bad one! Good advice - thanks for your input :slight_smile:

23

Happy to hear that @Globetrotter, it was exactly that “oh can you be here at 0730 then, as I can leave earlier” bit that grated. You paid for the hotel, you made mid morning work and it was still all about them. #sticktoyourguns :raising_hands:t3:

24

But the simple answer to that is ‘No, I’m sorry, I won’t be able to get there any earlier.’ Your time is no less valuable than theirs and they also need to understand that you will put boundaries in place if they try to move the goalposts on other aspects of the sit.

25

That’s really good advice thank you. What kind of signals of reciprocity and hospitality are you referring to? I’ve had some annoying surprises on most of my sits and I don’t know what I could have done to prevent them. About the welcome guide, not one pet owner has ever provided one to me. When do you ask for it? Before the Zoom call or once they offer you the sit? Thanks.

26

yes exact arrival times is key because in my experience, HO will say that a sit starts on the 25th (for example) but actually they are leaving super early and want you there on the 24th evening. Same for the return. They might be returning late at night and would like you there until they get home meaning an extra night that was it noted on the listing. However, I’m surprised the HO didn’t offer for you to stay the night before rather than have you pay for a hotel since they’re the ones that wanted you mid morning. Unless perhaps the home is too small to have you both there at the same time?

27

@traveltails I am always amazed when sitters say they have done a sit without a WG - but I know that many do . Do you have a least a written note of the vets details, emergency contact , Wi-Fi code etc ?

We ask if they have one prepared during the zoom call . We emphasis that we want to read it over as soon as sit is confirmed and have not had a problem in getting it . We don’t insist on the THS one , we are happy with an e-mail document or whatever is easiest for the host.

This is all done in a friendly conversation eg are the pets registered with a vet ? Are the vets contact details in the welcome guide ? Who is your emergency contact , are their contact details in the WG ? Is the wi-fi code in the WG or is that written somewhere else ? What days to the bins go out , is that written in the WG or should I make a note of that ? Etc etc

Even hosts new to the platform have provided us with a thorough WG in one form or another . I think they can see from our questions that it’s needed for a smooth sit .

If there was any reluctance, I would likely send a long list of questions for them to answer and the answers would form a WG . Or if the hosts were being evasive about providing the information we need for a good sit, we wouldn’t go ahead with the sit.

28

It’s so GOLD when you get to collab with owners like this. I had one a few months ago - they baked bread, offered to buy me my first purchase of groceries for over a hundred dollars, cooked me dinner, cleaned their house top to bottom, then told me to eat anything I wanted and drink the alcohol too. And - they were not super duper wealthy. They were just goddam good people who understood the value of a free pet sitter, vs. setting their furballs to the kennel. I wish we had an owner’s hall of fame. I would totally put them there.

I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU THAT YOU FOUND ONE!

29

Examples of hospitality and reciprocity in listings:

• Descriptions of things to sightsee in the area.
• Details about groceries, restaurants, cafes, public transit, etc.
• Specifics about where the sitter would sleep / stay.

I also look for friendly, welcoming wording and tone.

And avoid all listings where the host focuses only on what they want for their home and pet(s), because that indicates they’re self-absorbed and don’t give the sitter a thought, don’t understand the concept of an exchange. Also pass on any listing that sounds like they think they’re hiring an employee.

As for the welcome guide, it’s been dead easy for me to get them (I don’t care about the format) — I just look for robust, welcoming listings (those hosts tend to get the idea of an exchange and want the sitter to enjoy the sit and do well) and I mention during our video call that I’ll need their travel details and the welcome guide before I make travel arrangements. I say all this in a friendly way, of course.

Well, guess what, hosts are then motivated to give me travel details and welcome guides.

Some sitters don’t care about welcome guides, which I don’t understand. Because why wouldn’t I want vet information, emergency contacts, details about spare keys, etc.?

Some sitters instead IMO waste a bunch of time asking needless Qs, which all should be in the welcome guide. And they risk not getting things in writing. For me, video chats are to get a read on the hosts, to check whether my impressions of them still hold from the listing — not to waste time asking about welcome guide-type info.

Of course, every sitter or host should do what works well for them. So far, across 24 sits, with more scheduled, I’ve had nothing but kind, reasonable hosts. And I don’t want hosts who can’t be bothered to produce a welcome guide (or are too technically inept to produce one).

30

I guess I’m lucky. I’ve had 2 or 3 ask me this!

31

Or just make a decision, one way or the other, and then see how you feel. Relief or dread, etc. But usually if you just force yourself to choose one outcome, you’ll jump for the right one.

32

An otherwise nice HO once said at the end of our video interview and after we’d agreed to the sit, “and I’ll expect you to drive me to the airport.” (A long drive from her house, the day after a long drive to get there.) I was stunned and said nothing but later messaged that I couldn’t do it. She was fine with it and said “No is an answer” to suggest I could have just said that immediately.

33

I agree. In over 60 sits, the vast majority being fine to wonderful only one HO has ever asked what could they do better. I was honest and told them their guest room needed a new mattress.

34

We send the Welcome Guide within a few days after the sit the sit is confirmed by the sitter.

35

I include the arrival date and the date the sit ends with the sitter knowing that spending the night at both ends are included, (we usually leave very early and arrive very late). I’ve started to include our flight times on the listing so sitters know before they apply.

36

@Globetrotter just curious if on your review you deduct a star for something like that where they changed the time on you.

37

I cancelled this sit so won’t be reviewing. First time ever cancelling a sit in the ten years of being a member. I’m a very easygoing person and have never once given a homeowner a bad review. It’s been a great experience all around. It’s unfortunate as this homeowner had over the top reviews and so do I but something just didn’t feel right - gut instinct I guess!

38

You’re an experienced sitter so if you cancelled, it probably means your gut instincts are correct. There’s so many other listings to choose from anyways.

39

These are examples from a well filled out welcome guide.

This one is for two sits away and I did not need to nudge or bug the host for it, either, because we discussed during our video chat that I would need it well ahead of the sit.

I ask few Qs during video chats or otherwise. I can gauge by the listing and video chat whether the hosts will be good partners. And what shape the welcome guide comes in helps a lot to signal that as well, in content and tone. If any of those give me concerns, I will not do the sit. Like if a host surprises me with dealbreakers or gives off red flags, no one at THS nor the host could get me to sit.

This host is newish to THS and I could tell from their listing and video chat that they easily grasped the concepts of hospitality and a fair exchange.

The WG also includes vet info, emergency contact info, entry info, security needs, garbage and recycling details, specifics about a couple of plants to water, mail details, etc.

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40

I don’t sit if hosts won’t share their travel departure and return details. I ask during video chats that they follow up with their flight info or other travel times in writing if we mutually decide to move ahead with the sit.

I won’t make travel plans without the written specifics, because those allow me to book the right travel. And writing means less risk of mistakes on my bookings. Plus, I send them tentative booking info to review, so I have backup in case I goof something. They can help catch me if so, before I purchase.

Based on their travel times, I ask when they’d like for me to arrive and depart ideally. Note: I say “ideally,” because I’m not agreeing to whatever hosts want, even if it creates difficulties for me. If they say X time and I don’t want that, then I say, unfortunately I can’t do X, but I can do Y. … And then based on that line of discussion, they usually invite me to stay the night ahead of a sit if that makes sense. They usually invite me to dinner then as well, whether they cook, get takeout or delivery.

Over 24 sits total, I have never been surprised by any host’s departure or arrival times. They tell me specifically, even when they drive or they fly their own plane.

Even in the case of two legit emergencies (host’s major accident and a pet’s catastrophic illness), when hosts had to rush home unexpectedly, they updated me on when they’d return, down to the hour.

For my upcoming sits, I also know my hosts’ flight times — departures and returns. And we’ve agreed on specific hours for our overlap / handoff.