We’ve all been there. We’ve done everything we can to ensure a guest has a great stay, but something goes wrong. The AC goes out, there isn’t enough bedding, someone encounters a bug or snake, the internet or electricity goes out, and so forth and so on.

Most people are understanding of these situations. Everyone makes mistakes. We are all subject to forces beyond our control and we’re all doing our best. I’ve had so many guests respond with grace, patience, and understanding to things we couldn’t anticipate being an issue with their stay. Guests are generally gracious 90% of the time when the unexpected arises.

Then there’s the soul-crushing other 10% of the time.

In my previous life as a travel agent, and now as a short-term rental host, I’ve encountered plenty of these other 10 percenters. These guests are angry. They’re convinced you’ve conspired against them and they want a resolution NOW. They’re going to leave you a bad review and nothing will ever make them happy again. They’re rude, impatient, and miserable.

Don’t join them in their misery.

Empathize.

The best thing you can do in these circumstances is resist the urge to match their tone, attitude, or anger. Instead of getting heated, you must empathize. What does empathy look like in this scenario?

1.     Keep a calm, even tone of voice.

2.     Let them vent and listen patiently.

3.     Acknowledge you understand their concern and show support for their point of view.

Empathizing is much easier said than done. There have been many times in my head I was thinking, “THIS is what is making you so upset?” or “Are you insane?” and “Who Cares?”

Clearly these thoughts aren’t helping matters.

So what do you do? You bite your tongue and remind yourself that we’re all human. You never really know who you’re hosting. You don’t know what they’re facing or what kind of day they’ve had. This isn’t about you, it’s about the guest. So quiet the voices in your head and remind yourself, “this person is my guest and because they care, I care. If they’re unhappy, I’m unhappy.”

Apologize.

Now that you’ve empathized, it’s time to apologize.

It’s important that you provide a genuine, heartfelt apology for whatever the issue is that the guest is facing. Take responsibility for your actions, the situation, even the things that are beyond your control. It’s important that your guests know that the “buck stops here.”

You must apologize, but only do it ONCE.

When we start to apologize more than once, it can start to feel a little desperate. People who can’t stop apologizing don’t always come across as the most genuine. Furthermore, groveling doesn’t inspire confidence. When you get hung up on apologizing, it keeps you from moving forward and inhibits the next, and most important, phase of handling difficult guests.

Resolution

We’ve empathized, we’ve apologized, and now it’s time to provide resolution.

This is KEY. Don’t ever respond to a guest until you’ve worked out a solution to their problem. Guests are looking for you to solve whatever is making them unhappy. Be quick to respond with how you’re going to help and then follow through to make sure that whatever the issue is, it is resolved to the best of your ability.

If you can’t solve the problem, or they’re still upset, then you’re likely going to need to compensate them. I’ve given refunds for one night and for full stays to guests who weren’t satisfied. I do this for two main reasons:

1.     Guests who receive money back are a lot less likely to leave you a bad review.

2.     If these guests do leave you a bad review, you can respond with how you did everything you could, including refunding their stay, to make them happy.

Consider it a cost of doing business. One bad review won’t make or break you, but why get one if you can avoid it? Go above and beyond for your guests. Even when they’re wrong, or rude, or impatient.

We’re all human and we’re all in this together-whether we like it or not.