So wondering if most people will leave accommodation feedback in reviews, or will send it as a private message. We are on a very decent sit, but there is some info I think another sitter should know. Two main items, one which could be corrected and one which could not. We are here for a week and the sitter accommodations are in a mostly finished basement. We are totally fine with it, but there are some quite steep (interior) stairs that have to be navigated to get to the basement. The basement also has low beams which if I were 2 or 3 inches taller (I am 5ā8") would be a constant issue.
The other issue is the total lack of any drawers or hanging space. It is 10 days out of a suitcase. This could easily be solved with a portable hang rack and a dresser, for which there is plenty of space.
The HO have been very friendly, and the neighbors very nice, so overall, a good sit. But when you send a private message, there is no real way to know if they will reflect the info in the listing. So I donāt want it to sound negative, but want the next sitter to be properly informed.
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You can just word it positively.
This sit will be a good fit ifā¦ or
the accommodations are in a mostly finished basement, which is cozy and comes with steep stairs and a few low beams (Iām 5ā8ā). Thereās no drawer or hanging space, so plan accordingly. That said, thereās plenty of room for a temporary setup, and overall, itās been a very positive experience!
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The information you would be sharing about the sitterās space is not critical in any way, it is simply stating facts that could be helpful to know.
It would be like mentioning certain aspects of a petās routine that is just pure fact and not a criticism of the sit, like a dog being used to early morning walks, which wouldnāt suit someone who prefers to sleep in.
As for the space for clothing, I would probably share that privately as a tip for future sitters. I feel like hosts can sometimes overlook certain thingsāno matter how obvious they may seem to a sittersāand it isnāt intentional in any way. I have done some sits where there wasnāt a lot of space to put my clothing and while a bit inconvenient maybe, it really wasnāt that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
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Honestly, if the sit has been good, Iād tell the owners privately. I really dislike that folks get docked on reviews for something that can be said and fixed in a text. Ths and hosting in general have learning curves. If they seem like people who āget itā Iād just say it privately.
Nowā¦ if they were dismissive of your attempt to make them prepare to better host sitters, theeeen Iād post it in the review.
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Outside of pet care issues, I never provide feedback to hosts unless specifically asked. If, for example, one of them said, āWe just redid our guest room - did you notice anything missing you think we should add for future guests?ā I might say, āOh the bed was so comfortable and a luggage rack would have been helpful to keep my clothes more easily accessibleā. But thatās it - I wouldnāt provide an extensive list of āfixesā.
I donāt think it is appropriate to provide unsolicited advice on āimprovementsā when visiting someoneās home - itās not a hotel chain.
Putting FACTS in the review, as @Garfield suggests, is perfectly fine - the owner knows youāre going to do a review. Iām on a sit now with steep stairs and I truly wish the previous sitter had mentioned them in reviews.
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I think itās worth mentioning the stairs in a review, but the lack of drawers/hanging space directly to the HO, since itās an overall good sit. The difference between the two is that there isnāt a lot the HO can do about the former, outside a significant project, while the latter could be easily fixed to improve the situation for sitters. Iām guessing the HO just doesnāt realize the importance of unpacking space, and it can be brought up in a very friendly positive way.
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I suppose one way of doing it politely could be to ask, āWhere do your sitters typically put away their clothes?ā
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Yes, Iām with @belluca - mention the stairs and low beams, as this may be important to a less mobile or very tall sitter. Mention the lack of space privately to the home owners - as this is not critical, but say to them, for future sits, you recommend they create some space for sittersā stuff, as it signals a warm welcome.
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I describe my sit experience in detail in the review especially if Iām their first sitter it helps all following meā¦.why hide anything.
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I think it is important to provide them information to allow them to be more successful as Hosts. Something that would get them from Positive Review to Glowing Review. I would for sure want a guest to mention a simple thing I could do to make their stay nicer.
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I had a great first sit and privately suggested that the owner get some kind of clothing storage for sitters and add nightlights, because the guest room was on another floor from the bathroom. He had asked for feedback (first time hosting) and was happy to get it, because he could easily do something about both things.
I live out of my suitcase and donāt need storage, but I figured many other sisters would care.
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I wouldnāt ādockā them per se, just mention it.
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Based on this entire thread, I think a great practice for serious hosts would be to wait until the 14-day review deadline has passed (so the sitter wonāt worry it will impact their review), and then send a text to the sitter saying, āWhat could we have done differently to make this an even better sit for you? For example, anything that would have made the guest room more comfortable?ā
If a host HAD ever asked me, here is some feedback I would have given:
Provide a toaster (I made toast over their gas flame with a fork)
New and a variety of pillows would be divine (theirs were probably 30 years old and smelled awful)
A drying rack for air drying laundry would be helpful (I had to use their exercise equipment and oven rack instead)
A nightstand is quite helpful for a sitter to keep their phone, a book, and a glass of water next to the bed (I moved a stool from the kitchen next to the bed and replaced it when I left)
Enough hangers for a weeksā worth of clothes for a couple, and a place to hang them, would be great (since there were none, we took the coats off the hangers in the hall closet, used those, and replaced them before we left)
You might want to have the electrician check the fan in the guest bath (which didnāt vent at all and there is a mold problem in there as a result)
Clean underbed storage could be helpful (which is a polite way of saying, CHECK UNDER THE BED before the sitter arrives, you will be shocked what you find under there. And the sitter WILL look under there, for the cat. I donāt really want underbed storage but I also donāt want most of the things that Iāve found under those beds)
Thereās more, but you get the idea. All of the above are real examples from real sits, and I never said a word - because the host never asked. If they DID ask, I would have told them.
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The 2 items mentioned arenāt personal stuff and donāt have to lead to any kind of deduction on the review. You can still give them a great review in terms of hospitality and everything else, and you can still give them 5-stars, but if they donāt mention the steep stairs in the listing (or even if they do) mention it please in the review as it could be a deal breaker for some sitters ā and thatās fine. Not every sit fits every sitter! The low beams are very unusual.
It woud be a shame for someone to arrive and then realize this wontā work for them!
Also the lack of space for luggage or drawer space also could be mentioned because itās easy for homeowners to overlook that. Just mention as one small suggestion that homeowners consider getting a suitcase rack and/or a small dresser or table for sitter stuff. It could be couched in the same sentence that mentions something good about the room.
Iām on a sit now where the stairs could easily be classified as a ladder! 
It was disclosed in the listing and they did offer a ground floor alternative. 
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