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Don Burns
I am a retired newspaper editor and publicist. My wife and I have converted our mountain home's unused lower-level into a rentable guest space for weekend tourists since June 2018. Our downstairs suite features two bedrooms, TV lounge, full bathroom and a private balcony overlooking a pine forest. We do not rent the unused second bedroom, unless they are friends and/or family of the renting guests, as we value their privacy.
I made the decision to cancel a March 14 booking with us, four days before a couple from Brazil were to have arrived at our home. They flew to the USA on March 9, when many infected airline passengers were carrying the deadly virus.
The Booking,com telephone agent was very helpful and understanding. The agent asked if I could message the couple with the names and telephone numbers of the nearby hotels where they could stay instead.
The couple nor I were charged a penalty fee for the March 14 cancelation.
The problem was, the Brazilian couple only speaks Portuguese and not English. I was able to translate my cancelation message using Google's online English-to-Portuguese free web service.
This was my first guest cancelation, since I started to rent my California, USA home's downstairs guestrooms in June 2018.
My wife and I were looking forward to meeting this couple. But we are older people (ages 64 and 69), who are prone to getting sick easier.
For my first time, as a property owner, I canceled a reservation due to the coronavirus. A couple traveling from Brazil were to have stayed in our Northern California, USA home's downstairs guestroom on March 14.
Our small town's March 21 street festival and parade have been canceled, because of the coronavirus fear.
The Booking,com telephone representative was very helpful and fully understood the situation. I will not be charged a penalty fee, as the cancelation is not within 48 hours of the guests' arrival date.
Not knowing if the Brazilian guests speak English, I also sent my cancelation message to them in Portuguese. I was able to use Google's English to Portuguese online translator. I gave these traveling guests the names and telephone numbers of the nearby hotels, which are accepting new guests.
My wife and I were looking forward to meeting these South American guests, but we cannot risk the health chance.
We help make our guests' stays the most personalized and enjoyable by providing as much helpful community information as possible:
Printed take-away lists of area restaurants that include each restaurant's basic food menu items (steaks, pasta dishes, seafood, vegan/vegetarian, lamb, large salads, chicken, etc.) and each restaurant's telephone number for guests to make a dinner reservation.
Printed take-away lists of regional tourist sites, with listed miles/kilometers from our house.
Take-away business cards of our local taxi service telephone number.
Framed wall map of our area.
Printed take-away list of local festivals and concerts (with date, times, activities, admission cost, etc.) scheduled during each arriving guests' stay.
Rack of numerous take-away tourist-activity brochures, which are provide free by our local tourism office.
TIM: You likely must add your "fourth-night free" offer in your property description.
However, this can cause future reservation calendar problems; as you must rely on your guests to message you they wish to stay four nights. If they don't, then another guest might book that fourth-night date, instead.
Barry: Please send me an e-mail and I will give you the weblink to his personal video review of my website.
My AOL e-mail address is on my personal website, which you can see when you click my property page.
Thanks.
I made the decision to cancel a March 14 booking with us, four days before a couple from Brazil were to have arrived at our home. They flew to the USA on March 9, when many infected airline passengers were carrying the deadly virus.
The Booking,com telephone agent was very helpful and understanding. The agent asked if I could message the couple with the names and telephone numbers of the nearby hotels where they could stay instead.
The couple nor I were charged a penalty fee for the March 14 cancelation.
The problem was, the Brazilian couple only speaks Portuguese and not English. I was able to translate my cancelation message using Google's online English-to-Portuguese free web service.
This was my first guest cancelation, since I started to rent my California, USA home's downstairs guestrooms in June 2018.
My wife and I were looking forward to meeting this couple. But we are older people (ages 64 and 69), who are prone to getting sick easier.
This is another example of why hosts (like us) want to write online reviews of Booking,com guests after their departure.
Barry: A host can tell the guest's originating country by looking at their telephone number on their Booking,com reservation page.
The telephone number's country and regional code can be found through a simple Google online search.
For my first time, as a property owner, I canceled a reservation due to the coronavirus. A couple traveling from Brazil were to have stayed in our Northern California, USA home's downstairs guestroom on March 14.
Our small town's March 21 street festival and parade have been canceled, because of the coronavirus fear.
The Booking,com telephone representative was very helpful and fully understood the situation. I will not be charged a penalty fee, as the cancelation is not within 48 hours of the guests' arrival date.
Not knowing if the Brazilian guests speak English, I also sent my cancelation message to them in Portuguese. I was able to use Google's English to Portuguese online translator. I gave these traveling guests the names and telephone numbers of the nearby hotels, which are accepting new guests.
My wife and I were looking forward to meeting these South American guests, but we cannot risk the health chance.
I agree!
A recent guest was a germaphobe (a person who has an extreme fear of germs).
Although our rental guestrooms are spotless and immaculate, this guest gave us a low rating for cleanliness.
Other hosts should know this before renting to this person.
We help make our guests' stays the most personalized and enjoyable by providing as much helpful community information as possible:
TIM: You likely must add your "fourth-night free" offer in your property description.
However, this can cause future reservation calendar problems; as you must rely on your guests to message you they wish to stay four nights. If they don't, then another guest might book that fourth-night date, instead.