There's a snake in my boot...

...well, not quite in their boot, but it was in the laundry room.

At 4 am this morning, I was contacted by a guest (3 days into a 33 day reservation) that there was a snake in the laundry room. The picture she texted me seems to indicate that it is a small snake, about 20" long.

Alarming? Absolutely.

Fortunately, I have a local contact (my parents) that responded in less than 10 minutes. They were not able to locate the critter; it most likely scurried out the same way it came in. My parents headed to the local Home Depot and picked up snake repellent spray that they promptly sprayed around the house. I am going to have give them a raise.

The guest is inconsolable. She is a city girl that rented a log cabin on top of a mountain. Although we have never had snakes in the house before, it is reasonable that wildlife lives on the mountain.

What to do as a host?

--I have asked the guest to take some time to consider the situation. It is understandable that my guest would be surprised (and afraid) to see a snake in the house. Time is needed for her to come off her adrenaline so she can think rationally and consider options.

--Since she stated many times that she is "uncomfortable" in the house, I asked "what would make you feel comfortable to stay in the house?" By doing this, I have acknowledged and repeated back her main concern, and I am seeking solutions to her perspective of the issue. I have offered to call an exterminator.

--I have offered her a discount if she would like to complete her reservation.

--She had indicated that she wants to look for other places to stay. That is her prerogative. If she finds alternative lodging, I will (as much as I hate to lose the income!) refund her the unused nights minus a cleaning fee and a pet fee (because, ahem, we discovered today that she failed to disclose that she brought her dog).

!!VERY IMPORTANT!!

Because much of the above information was relayed via phone call and direct text messages, I followed up via the Airbnb messaging portal with a summary of what occurred this morning, what we talked about on the phone, and the options that I have expressed to her. It is VITAL as a host that you have a timely record via the official hosting platform of your conversations and interactions. This will help when you interact with customer support, if that becomes necessary.

As a host, I hate to lose a reservation. I love my home, and I take good care of it so that other people can enjoy the tranquility and view just as much as we do; I want guests to enjoy their stay. Also, you can never make up the financial ground lost by having your calendar blocked for months by a guest that does not complete their reservation.

This interaction with this guest foreshadows that if it's not a snake, there may be other things that upset her. Our home is not a good fit for her, and despite my best efforts with photos, descriptions, and instructions, she booked with us anyway.

At this point, I am just waiting for her decision and then hoping if she cancels, that I can find some new guests soon!

Update: the guest sent me a long message letting me know that she was leaving right away.

Important Host Tip:

A good rule as a host is to avoid cancelling a reservation. Since the guest is the one who wants to cancel, they should initiate the cancellation. The guest is responsible for their stay, plans, and reservation; I cannot read their mind or know the specifics of their timeline.

I ask the guest to go immediately (give them a timeframe so your calendar can open right away!) into their reservation and to hit "cancel." Once they have cancelled, I receive an email that notifies me of the cancellation and lets me override my cancellation policy in order to authorize a refund.

In this case, I authorized a full refund MINUS her 3 nights stay, a cleaning fee, and the pet fee (because she did not include the pet in her reservation, in fact she stated specifically that she was NOT bringing a pet).

Interesting note: I thought that Airbnb would not support my strict cancellation policy since a snake is more of the exception, rather than the rule. My experience with customer support (CS) is that they are inclined to favor the guest, especially a guest that IS VERY UPSET. CS said that they do look at the listing, and that they would have supported my strict cancellation policy because bugs and snakes and other animals are expected in these types of listings.

Who knew? Now you know.