We all look forward to those amazing guests, who do not even bother you and leave without those damaging any items in your listing or flout any rule. However, once in awhile those types of guests pop up and they what we like to call” difficult” guests. Where you truly earn your bucks as a host is how you handle these guests that’s why we have come up with different ways for dealing with a difficult guest. Here are our top tips:

1. Keep Calm and be patient

When dealing with difficult guests the most important thing is to keep calm and be patient. It is not a good idea to get angry at the guests or show emotions. You are in the hospitality business after all, and you need to stay professional. Take a deep breath, do not raise your voice and always address your guests in a calm manner. Getting mad never solves anything!

2. Don’t Take it Personally

If guests caused damage or trouble in your home, don’t take it personally. As hard as it may be, don’t let it get to you emotionally. The guests didn’t cause all this to intentionally hurt you. They are just difficult guests and see it as harm to your business and not you personally.

3. Think Twice Before Giving them a Second Chance

If a guest was difficult, e.g. they smoked in your rental when they weren’t supposed to, and after some time they book with you again, think twice before allowing them to stay again. Determine whether you really can trust them and if it’s worth the money. Even if the guest has apologized, have a good think about it. What if they cause more damage this time than the previous time? It may not be worth it to let them stay again.

4. Turn the Negatives into the Positives

Take this opportunity to seek feedback from your guests. Perhaps your guests were unsatisfied with the service you provided or feel that the price didn’t match the experience. Whatever the reason behind their behavior and actions, try and find out why and use it in the future. 

Although sometimes there is no reason to justify their actions, but you can take other measures. For example, if your guests smoked, install a smoke detector alarm. That way, next time guests smoke in your rental, they’ll have an unpleasant loud sound to listen to and won’t light up again.

5. Plan Ahead

There are many measures you can take even before your guests have arrived. Implement the following before any damage is done:

·        House rules

·        Inventory checklist

·        Having insurance

·        Screening the guests before check-in

·        Rental agreement 

·        Damage deposit 

Giving people you don’t know the leeway to stay at your property is always a risk. Remember that minor problems such as noise or small accidents can always arise. You can never know what’s going to happen with each guest, you just need to be prepared beforehand.