As I scroll through the Amenities sections of the listings, I find it is difficult to spot omissions. For example, “Beds” are usually listed, but “Bedding and pillows” are not always included.
If the absence of “Bedding and pillows” is intentional, perhaps there can be a special symbol in front of “Bedding and pillows,” such as
Otherwise, I might miss that point.
I noticed one listing in which the entire “Heating and cooling” section was missing. Did this mean that the home had no heat at all?
It is difficult to spot omissions. Maybe all of the amenities should be listed in every profile, with different symbols for what (+) is included and what is not (-) included.
If Owners have a clothing dryer, but they do not want the sitter to use it, the dryer should have a (-) symbol in front of it.
This is a really good suggestion. I think it would be clearest if all the amenities were listed but those not available were crossed out. I know of an apartment rental site that uses this format and I think it’s very clear:
@PVGemini, showing Yes / No toggles for each amenity is an interesting idea.
Must confess that we focus our attention on a subset of amenities in listings - items that are more variable but important to us. If it’s a nice enough property then we trust that basic amenities are provided.
From our experience, this is a lesser issue than mandating that all new listings - regardless of when pet parent joined THS - reasonably complete the amenities section. Plenty listings show zero amenities or just equally pointless ‘basic wifi’.
I like this option, as an HO who does not own a television, a dishwasher, or a microwave. A lot of people find those standard and aren’t going to notice that I don’t have them in the amenities (I do mention the lack of dishwasher and microwave in video calls).
Several years ago I stayed at an Airbnb that was very budget. Learned on arrival that TP was not included!! Sure enough, it wasn’t listed on the profile but it never occurred to me that someone would not offer TP Fortunately I was on a year-long backpacking excursion and was used to having tissue packs with me at all times.
I agree that folks may not notice those items as not being listed in the amenities. I have found it very helpful when the owner lists particular items as NOT being in a home, in the actual body of the post, under ‘Home & Location.
Yep, we are kind of used to most people having microwaves and ready meal quality in UK is high. Then sat in a house without one, and had to rethink.
Amenity deal breaker for me these days is anything less than a queen size bed and space on each side of it. We don’t sleep well in a double and hate being jammed against a wall. Not everyone has the space, but comfortable sitters are happy sitters.
One horrendous experience for us (other issues took it from awful to horrendous!!)were the multiple amenities that were ‘officially’ listed but actually denied for Sitter use, discovered after Sitter arrival! For example; use of firebox/heaters ( was a cold spring too!) with no alternative heating, certain kitchen utensils and cooking gadgets, barbecue, heated pool, use of their car for their dog transport ( dogs were never to be left at home alone and we had a rental?!), outdoor terrace and dining area, toiletries (no bathing items at all, 2 rolls Toot paper for a 3 week stay, limited cleaning products (we found them hidden when looking for toot paper!), clothes dryer, plus many more. We base our applications on comfort as well as location, naturally the pets to be cared for but certainly, honesty from the Hosts. If it’s not available, don’t tick the box that it is. The previous comments are very relevant.
Hello ‘Maggie8K’…. husband and I are pretty resilient so took the approach “It’s only 3 weeks(!)”….we couldn’t abandon the pets, dogs, cats (shut in a room), chooks. The Hosts were on long flight so no contact anyway and us finding accommodation, etc. for 3 weeks in a ‘touristy’ area would have been prohibitive.
To ‘Silversitters’ and ‘Idocsteve’…..yes, absolutely YES. Our review was so specific and true, the Hosts pulled their post using the Privacy/Identity Protection Rights Policy so all comments/ information/reviews from them, and about them, and for us and the two previous Sitters, disappeared! I’m sorry the previous Sitters lost their rating comments although they maintained their star rating, but future prospective Sitters needed to be warned!
A sitter is going into someone’s home to look after their pets and they would not provide bedding? I understand if there is no microwave, dishwasher or air conditioning. Some people can live without them. But we all need bedding of some sort.
If something is important to you ask at the video call. In UK, people usually switch off their Agas in warm weather which means cooking facilities are reduced. One of my questions is how they cook in the summer? I enjoy cooking and a two ring hot plate and stand alone grill doesn’t really fit my expectations. This is important to me so I ask.
We all have different expectations so ask about what is important to you. A check list would work but where does it end? Bedding, towels, streaming services on the TV, how many plugs are in the kitchen …….
FYI.
2 Stars for general, 1 for Hospitality, 2 for cleanliness, 1 for accuracy of listing, 2 for communication, 1 for pet behaviour.
Hopefully they will not relist under a new name, identity etc.
I agree that it seems strange that a host might not supply bedding. I find it equally strange if they don’t supply towels, soaps, salt/pepper. I could go on…
When hosts create their listings, they must tick boxes, to indicate what they are offering the sitter.
I looked through several listings and observed quite a bit of variability in what hosts offer. Some do not check “Bathroom essentials.” Some do not check “Cooking basics.”
I like clarity and good, direct communication. Hosts have a great opportunity to be clear in their listings. I applaud those hosts who make the effort to create an accurate listing AND those who truly understand the exchange concept. It really is a win-win-win (pets, hosts, sitters).
Some do not even note the bedroom, I always check for the size of bed. Amazing to me how many listings don’t have this mentioned, I mean we all need a bed!
Fortunately I was on a year-long backpacking excursion and was used to having tissue packs with me at all times.