W.A.R. Strategy Consulting LLC

🧨 3 Types of Guests That Are Killing Your Business (and How to Avoid Them)

May 09, 2025By Andrés Romero
Andrés Romero

Not all bookings are good bookings. Learn which types of guests are silently destroying your Airbnb business — and how to stop attracting them.

🟦 Introduction

Not every guest is worth hosting.
Yes — even if they pay on time and don’t break anything.

As a short-term rental host, you’re not just managing properties — you’re managing risk, energy, and reputation. And sometimes, the wrong guests cost you more than empty nights.

Let’s talk about the 3 guest profiles that silently hurt your business — and how to filter them out before they even book.

đźš« 1. The Review Bombers

These are the guests who seem “okay” during their stay — but leave a passive-aggressive 3-star review that damages your score without warning.

How they hurt you:

  • Lower your average rating (Airbnb starts punishing you under 4.7).
  • Kill your credibility with future guests.
  • Cause emotional burnout.


How to avoid them:

  • Use automated pre-check-in messages that set clear expectations.
  • Include “soft filters” like: “Let us know if you’re celebrating something!” to gauge intent.
  • Over-communicate on check-in day. If they feel seen, they’re less likely to surprise you later.

🧽 2. The High-Maintenance “Hotel Guests”

These guests treat your Airbnb like a full-service resort — messaging at midnight about extra towels, or leaving you a bad review because they didn’t find oat milk in the fridge.

How they hurt you:

  • Drain your time and energy.
  • Increase your cleaning and turnover workload.
  • Often tiptoe on the edge of leaving a 4-star review "because of service."

How to avoid them:

  • Your listing description should set boundaries clearly: “Self-check-in, no daily housekeeping.”
  • Add FAQs in your welcome guide to reduce repetitive questions.
  • Use check-in messages that reinforce autonomy: “You’ll find everything you need waiting for you!”
A cleaning professional wipes a nightstand in a bright, modern bedroom with a spray bottle and cloth, emphasizing hospitality and upkeep in short-term rentals.

đź’Ą 3. The Party Planners in Disguise

They book quietly. Seem normal. But then you notice 7 people coming into a one-bedroom unit.

How they hurt you:

  • Disturb neighbors (and put your license at risk).
  • Leave your place trashed.
  • Force last-minute cancellations of future bookings during cleanup.

How to avoid them:

  • Enable ID verification and reservation screening in Airbnb settings.
  • Set smart rules: “No unregistered guests, no events, no smoking.”
  • Monitor entry smart locks with codes per guest — and check guest profile photo matches.
A group of young adults wearing party hats laugh and celebrate with drinks, pizza, and a guitar in a bright, modern living room, illustrating the issue of unauthorized gatherings in short-term rentals.

✅ Bonus Tip: Trust Your Gut — But Verify with Systems

Your instincts are valid… but systems protect your time. Automate your filters. Review guest history. And if it feels wrong — don’t accept the booking.

A focused man in a light blue shirt speaks on the phone while using a laptop in a modern, softly lit living room, reflecting a professional short-term rental host managing bookings or guest issues remotely.

🚀 Want Us to Audit Your Guest Screening Process?

At W.A.R. Strategy Consulting, we help hosts across Colorado optimize not just listings, but the entire guest journey — including the part most people ignore: filtering the wrong guests before they book.

📅 Schedule your free 45-minute strategy call here — and start hosting smarter, not harder.