Trials & Tribulations of BnB hosting at Lily's Cottage

Running our little bnb Lily's Cottage post-retirement has been the best job ever, and the most fascinating too!

We initially started on Airbnb as we have a two bedroom garden cottage which became empty as Mom moved up to our house and both our sons left home.

We registered with tourism bodies and got listed on other online booking sites and our little Airbnb became a full time business which is keeping us going post retirement as well as helping us maintain a large property.

We get more direct bookings nowadays but Airbnb helped set us on our way, so I would encourage anyone contemplating hosting to make this your first port of call.

As we live in the suburbs west of the popular holiday destination Durban which is known for its beaches, we host a real mix of people from all walks of life.

Business guests aplenty, sportsmen partaking in exciting sporting championships, leisure guests visiting the beaches and other attractions.

We've met the most amazing people from all over the world, and some from just around the corner too! Our lives have been enriched and we've learned how people live all over the world, and that despite our different backgrounds, we are all quite alike in many ways.

Our guests often bring us gifts from their parts of the world so we have many mementos to remind us of them; like this little wooden hand painted Dala horse all the way from Sweden that a young Swedish couple gave us.

They stayed in Lily's Cottage with their two young sons for a two month adventure in South Africa, making us their base as they traveled to the Kruger Park, the Drakensberg and St Lucia, all really special places.

The tears flowed when they left to go back home; but they promised to come back one day as they really enjoyed South Africa. They were even contemplating staying in South Africa for a couple of years!

We've had undercover policemen investigating fraud in places that should be looking after the interests of our people but sadly rather line their own pockets; a politician who made us nervous and I'll tell you about that just now; a high court judge and her family, the nicest down to earth lady; sportsmen, some who we were able to help by sponsoring part of their accommodation; entertainers and dancers with hectic schedules that made our heads spin, but were they a feast for the eyes!

The entire cottage became a dressing room with outfits and accessories laid out ready for the next gig; so on some days we were asked not to do housekeeping as nothing could be disturbed!

We were a tad wary when a very nice young lady requested to host a small bachelorette party for only six guests in the cottage, but that was the first and the last such booking as those six young ladies knew how to party - everything was sticky from shooters and the laughter got louder as the night grew darker! They did have a fun evening though, but we did not!

We have our regular guests who come to do business here, many for training or seminars as well as families coming for vacations or to visit a family member who has taken ill. Sadly they sometimes return when the sick relative has passed away, but how great to have them visit again as mom or dad is better and they're just here to visit them. We often have several generations staying over for special celebrations and those are also very happy occasions.

When a politician from up country booked and arrived with his armed body guards, we were a tad wary, and later that night when I googled him and read about the many attempts on his life, we were very alarmed and apprehensive as we would be first in the firing line;)

We were fully booked when the secretary called on another occasion ;)

Then the most annoying requests - many of our fellow bnb's in the city suburbs get asked about hourly rates; yep I kid you not!

Well, those people get the cold shoulder from me!

So yesterday I had one very persistent 'lady' sending me Whatssap messages and it went like this - edited of course.

'Hi'

So I answered 'Hi?'

'Url have a guest'

Ok, so now I'm a tad irritated as we were not expecting any new guests; everyone was happily checked in and we're fully booked for the rest of the month. What the heck, Url is not even a word, most annoying!

Most of our bookings are done via email or online requests, so walk-in guests are only accepted on referral as one hears all kinds of stories and you just never know who you're letting into your property in a country where violent crime is rife.

I must quickly butt in here and add that in this business I've learnt just how true the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' is.

Back to my story.

'How much to book?'

I don't respond immediately and she messages:

'????'

Well, my temperature went up a little at that, I was busy doing admin!

So I tell her we're fully booked for the rest of the month but then she says:

'Surely you can help me out this week, I don't need the room for a whole day, only want a couple of hours, 8:30 to 13:00, can't you give me discount for that?'

Now my blood pressure has risen to dangerous levels and I tell her in no uncertain terms that our minimum stay is two nights and we do not entertain hourly bookings and I block her on Whatsapp.

The next minute my phone rings and it's the same woman whispering the same request in hushed tones!!!

So by now I'm fuming, cut the conversation as politely as possible and block her number.

Hubby arrives back home soon after and tells me there's a car on our verge with a woman inside; he thought it was someone visiting a neighbour as does happen from time to time. It obviously was our 'would-be hourly guest' who thankfully left soon thereafter! I was ready to march up there and tell her to skedaddle!

Madame was inquiring about our lovely studio unit!

Then on another occasion we had guests who gave us a sad story that two of their friends let them down at the last minute and could we perhaps offer them a revised rate, which we did as a goodwill gesture, much to our regret.

Not long after they checked in, a large seven-seater vehicle drove in, filled to the brim with people dressed to kill!

I informed them that no visitors are allowed without prior arrangements but relent saying they could stay but only for two hours. The guests who had booked were not happy as they obviously had been planning a party even though our terms and conditions clearly state no parties/events allowed; fortunately they all left a little later to party elsewhere. These guests will not be returning to Lily's Cottage ever after trying to hoodwink us like that!

One of the booking sites we're listed on had a promotion and a young couple who booked because of their Mom undergoing a big operation won their stay and were refunded by the booking site; a real blessing as they had to extend their stay due to complications with the Mom's operation.

We hastened to complete out studio unit Lily's Loft so they could stay longer as we had a booking for the cottage. All turned out well in the end as Mom improved; they were in the process of emigrating to the UK so it was a sad goodbye when they finally left, but we still keep in touch!

We pride ourselves on personalised service with attention to detail, offering affordable and well-appointed accommodation, and have created a home away from home experience, with a few extra touches, and have built up a number of returning guests, many who have become part of the family.

I hope you enjoyed a little insight into the other side of traveling and that is from the hosts' perspective.

Original Content by @lizelle

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