The Secrets To Being A 5-Star Airbnb Guest--As Told By The Site's Top Hosts

As a longtime Airbnb hostI frequently find myself talking to Airbnb guests who want to know how they can be the best possible guests. This is a surprisingly loaded question, as hosts often try to entice guests to act on their best behavior via house guides and rules, but are wary of coming off as too demanding. In order to get some honest answers on what makes a five-star Airbnb guest, I reached out to a handful of top hosts from around the world. Here's what they had to say.

A shot from the Airbnb Open conference

Seth Porges

"Great prospective guests do not ask hosts for discounts prior to booking. This issue consistently comes up as a top pet peeve in numerous host groups online. It is off-putting to be asked for a discount when our homes are very often already significantly discounted compared to hotels and other available housing options. I am far more likely to decline reservation requests from those who ask for discounts. Even if the guest accepts my initial price, I can't help but think the relationship is off to a poor start and would rather not engage."

-Alice, Washington, DC

"Make sure you have a phone that can receive and make voice calls on the day of arrival. I had a guest who was visiting the US from Canada when he made his reservations. He had no phone plan to make voice calls, and could only send SMS over Wi-Fi. He was running real late for arrival and said he was going to be here on Cape Cod by 10pm and it ended up being 4am! Turns out, they were driving from Georgia that day I didn't find out they had been driving for 21-plus hrs until they arrived, and had no idea what had happened to them or where they were."

-John Hallgren, Cape Cod, MA

"Download the app on you phone so that you can receive communications from their host as your arrival date gets close. Many difficulties arise because of the inability to receive messages."

-Tanya MitchellSan Sebastián de La Gomera, Canary Islands.

"Please don't fall into a communication black hole once you have arrived. Your host may have valuable information to share. If you have a problem or issue with the reservation, contact your host and give him or her a chance to address it. We can't fix what we don't know about. Most hosts are pretty anxious to please and would much rather resolve an issue quickly than hear about it after the fact. Especially in the public review."

-Anonymous, Washington DC

"Read the house rules and the listing description, house manuals, and directions. Follow what you read! Don't ask questions already in the listing. Don't move the furniture. It might cause damage, also it would be a hassle for the host to put them back in order.

And don't make the bed! You think you are being nice to the host, but actually not. Making it clear if the linens and towels were used is important. And the host know when you checked in, and out. If you want early check in, or late check out, ask in advance. Airbnb is not a hotel, it is not like hosts have multiple listings. If you want to drop your luggage beforehand, do understand it would be a favor from the host and a little extra charge is actually fair. Again, Airbnb is not a hotel and most hosts don't have a 24-hour luggage storage service."

-Kelly Jeon, Seoul, South Korea

"Read the listing and house rules before booking to make sure the accommodations and amenities fit your needs. As an example, if a host says they can't accommodate luggage storage, don't put yourself and the host in an uncomfortable position by asking for it. Just find a place that can offer that to you and everyone will be happy. And if you've already booked and then your plans change to require a need that is outside the listing offering or house rules, when you write to your host about the change, acknowledge that you're aware it is outside what the host typically offers. Be gracious and understanding if the host can't accommodate your wish.

And let hosts know about damage, broken items or things that don't work in the house and need to be repaired. This is particularly helpful if a host has a tight turnover window. If they know ahead of time they can line up a maintenance person or bring extra supplies to replace anything damages or broken. And while most hosts don't ask this of guests, if there is a dishwasher with dirty dishes in it, it is very helpful if you start it before you leave.

-Tammi Sims, Seattle, WA

"'Location' is one of the items that guests are asked to rate in their review. Please don't complain about the location being too far away from downtown or whatever attraction you have come to visit. Every listing comes with a map that shows its approximate location before booking."

-Juliet Jones, Memphis, TN

"Make sure all guests in your group know what type of accommodations you have booked. It is uncomfortable for guests and hosts when one of the guests does not know they are home-sharing, or that there are steps to climb or that there are pets in the home. A home-share weekend is not the time to force your partner to play with pets or learn to share. - Queenie, Glastonbury, CT

"Don't complain in the public review about something which is out of the hosts control or not mentioned as being on offer in the description. If something is wrong, contact the host and give her the chance to put it right. When the host does something special like picks you up from the airport or train station, makes cakes for when you arrive, invites you to eat with them, etc... don't give details in the public review as it could become 'expected' and the surprise is spoilt."

-Elaine, Paris area, France

"Airbnb guests should be respectful of utilities, just like you would in your own home. Please, do not leave the beautiful gas fireplace on over night, bringing the temperature in the home to 90 degrees, in the middle of winter. And do not put the air conditioning to 58 degrees, in summer. You wouldn't do that at your home, right? As hosts, we want you to be comfortable and enjoy the home, please don't abuse. We, as hosts are real people with real utility bills, just like you. And many hosts have Wi-Fi enabled thermostats, so we see thermostat settings on all our mobile devices."

-Donna Boutin, Manchester, NH

"Take what your host says at face value. Don't assume you know the reason why the host has a certain rule. Don't assume they are trying to control your personal life if they have more rules than you would. Just don't assume. Keep an open mind. For instance, a lot of my prospective guests ask if they can have two people stay in the room when I only allow one, saying "we'll be quiet". It's not quiet that is the only concern."

-Anonymous from Berkeley, CA

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