10/27/2026
❤️ Well… WOW. Our last post went viral! 🤯😂
Over 191,000 views, nearly 29,000 engagements, 900+ comments, and SO many opinions!
First, THANK YOU to everyone who engaged with our post, whether you agreed with us or not! ❤️
I’ll be the first to admit, I haven’t read all the comments. I’m a pretty sensitive person, and honestly, I can only read a handful at a time before I have to put my phone down. 😅
I actually considered turning off the comments Friday when things started getting ugly, but then I remembered I’m apparently a greedy Airbnb host, so naturally I kept them open and made approximately $38 off the whole thing. 💰😂
Maybe I’ll use it as a down payment on another vacation home to keep away from the less fortunate. 🤣 KIDDING, PEOPLE. KIDDING! Please don’t come for me again!
Seriously though, who knew SO many people had such strong feelings about Airbnb checkout requests?! At this point, I’m half expecting to find out the hotel industry has an entire department dedicated to laughing at Airbnb hosts on Facebook. 🤷♀️😂
But in all seriousness…
What started as a heartfelt post hoping to bring awareness to the people working behind the scenes of vacation rentals somehow turned into a massive hosts vs. guests debate.
And that was NEVER the intention. 💔
Rather than repeat everything from our original post, I wanted to share a few additional thoughts and clarify some things based on the feedback I’ve seen.
Not to argue or convince anyone that I’m right and they’re wrong. Just to offer another perspective, because I genuinely believe there’s room for understanding on BOTH sides. ❤️
First, we’ve been hosting for EIGHT years, and not all Airbnbs are created equal!
We operate two completely different types of properties.
One is a vacation home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where families come to make memories.
The other is a furnished mid-term rental in Burlington, Massachusetts, serving people needing temporary housing, extended stays, or work accommodations.
Different guests. Different needs. Different expectations. Different procedures.
And THAT is the beauty of Airbnb!
Some guests want a luxury vacation home. Others need a simple apartment for a work trip, a cozy cabin, or furnished housing for several months.
So why are we trying to force every property into the same box?
Why can’t Airbnb simply disclose checkout requests on a listing and let guests decide what’s right for them?
A little note saying “This host may request that dishes be washed before checkout” doesn’t seem like the end of the world.
Guests should have options. Hosts should have options.
Second, let’s talk about these supposedly outrageous checkout requests. 😂
I’ve stayed in dozens of Airbnbs, hosted hundreds of guests, and connected with hundreds of other hosts over the years.
And personally? I’ve never stayed somewhere with an outrageous checkout checklist.
Do those properties exist? I’m sure they do! And I absolutely agree that guests shouldn’t be expected to complete unreasonable cleaning tasks while paying a cleaning fee.
But shouldn’t Airbnb address those specific hosts rather than restrict reasonable requests across the board?
We’ve received over 400 reviews, and not ONE has complained about our checkout requests. We’ve never even received a private message saying they were unreasonable.
Our guests have overwhelmingly been WONDERFUL. ❤️
Just last week, someone messaged to say they had an early train and wouldn’t have time for our requests.
My response? No problem at all! Don’t worry about it! Safe travels!
And I meant it!
But because they communicated, I could give our cleaners a heads-up so they could plan accordingly.
That’s mutual respect. We ASK. We don’t demand.
Third, and MOST importantly… THIS IS ABOUT OUR CLEANERS. NOT US. ❤️
Our cleaners are paid a flat fee per turnover. Whether they walk into an easy clean or a difficult one, they earn the same amount.
They’re often working weekends, holidays, and summer vacations while everyone else is enjoying time off.
And unlike larger hotels, many vacation rental cleaning teams are small operations juggling multiple properties during very tight turnaround windows.
When we ask guests, IF TIME ALLOWS, to start the dishwasher or a load of laundry, we’re not trying to avoid paying someone to clean.
We’re trying to save our cleaners TIME.
Maybe that means getting to their next property without rushing. Maybe it means not having to take bags of laundry home to wash after hours. Maybe it means getting home to their families a little earlier.
If pushing a button on a dishwasher can make someone else’s day easier, why wouldn’t we want to encourage that?
And YES, we have backup linens. Four sets, actually! 😂 But having backup sheets doesn’t make a washing machine run any faster or eliminate the work that still needs to be done.
We pay our cleaners what they charge, and we value the work they do.
Fourth, these changes could eventually impact GUESTS, too.
We can adjust. We can purchase more linens, hire additional help, pay for laundry services, and change our procedures.
But those changes have costs and consequences.
Longer turnovers could mean fewer early check-ins or late checkouts. Additional labor could mean higher cleaning fees. Hosts might reduce amenities to make turnovers more manageable.
And if guests are increasingly told they have no responsibility for how they leave a property, could that lead to more excessive messes or sanitation concerns?
I hope not!
Because in eight years of hosting, our guests have overwhelmingly treated our homes with care and respect, and I would hate to see that change.
It’s not about the dishes or the sheets. It’s about the ripple effect on everyone involved.
And finally… what happened to supporting small businesses?
We hear it all the time. Shop small! Support local! Support hardworking families!
But the second someone owns a vacation rental, they’re suddenly a greedy millionaire? 😂
Not every host is a wealthy investor. Some of us work full-time jobs, carry plenty of debt, and put just about everything we earn back into creating something special.
And the people we employ? Local cleaners, landscapers, maintenance workers, electricians, plumbers, and other small businesses.
When you support a vacation rental, you’re often supporting far more people than just the owner.
At the end of the day, this was NEVER supposed to be HOSTS VS. GUESTS.
That’s honestly what has disappointed me most about the response.
Why can’t a guest say, “I never realized how much work goes into preparing a vacation rental”?
Why can’t a host say, “I understand why guests are frustrated by excessive checkout demands”?
Why can’t BOTH things be true?
I believe guests deserve a wonderful vacation without unreasonable cleaning expectations.
And I believe hosts should have the flexibility to make reasonable, optional requests that help their cleaning teams.
Those things shouldn’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Behind every vacation rental is a story. And behind every reservation is another story.
A family reunion. A wedding. A birthday. A work trip. A much-needed vacation.
That’s what I love about this industry. The people, the stories, the memories, and the connections. ❤️
We don’t expect our guests to clean our homes. We simply ask them to care about them. And we care just as much about making those homes wonderful for them.
A little kindness, communication, and mutual respect can go a long way.
❤️ The Crimson Cocoa Chalet 🤎
