Suggestion for Secondary Residence Amenities

I’m sure there are many other members who’ve experienced this issue. Secondary residences can be either vacation/weekend getaway homes where the member actually resides there part-time…or…it can be a property used as a rental such as an Airbnb. In the latter, the member doesn’t use it as a residence, part-time or otherwise. In those cases, it’s all too common to experience a lack of common amenities found in ā€˜homes’. Empty refrigerators (ie; no condiments such as mustard, mayo, ketchup, etc), no salt/pepper/spices, no cooking oil, no cleaning supplies, no paper towels, no hand or dish soap, etc etc. In these situations, the guest is left to buy these things (ie; full bottles of mustard/mayo/oil/salt/pepper) then leave them all behind (slightly less than full) when they check out. Another example…they say there’s a washing machine but don’t provide laundry soap (as if they don’t want you to use it), so you have to buy a full bottle or tub of pods. This is unfair. Suggestion: If the Host indicates the property is a secondary restaurant, enable additional amenity checboxes to select (or yes/no) such as ā€˜Condiments/Spices/Cooking Oil’, ā€˜Cleaning Supplies’, 'Hand/Dish/Laundry Soap (if applicable).

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Thank you for your thoughts on this. I feel like the listings are quite clear when it is a secondary home. You can even filter out secondary homes if you would prefer to exchange only with primary homes. I think perhaps one should assume that when exchanging with a secondary home that there is unlikely to be items such as condiments.

I have to disagree. Many secondary HOMES are just that…another place the host owns for a getaway…such as a beach house, cabin in the mountains, lake house, city apt but they live in the country, or vice versa. The problem is you can’t tell unless the guest specifically asks the potential host in every case. It would better serve the members to have it pre-defined.

You’re right to say that there are secondary residences, dedicated to renting, where the basics are missing. I would even add that, in these cases, the kitchenware is scarce and generally of very poor quality (scratched pans, tiny pots, very few utensils and plates, etc.). But spotting them isn’t that difficult: the furniture you see in the photos is usually simple and very standard, and the decoration is impersonal or non-existent. Then it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it anyway because it’s located in a place you’re really interested in (for example, coastal or ski apartments), or if you just don’t contact them at all.
I understand your point of view, as it’s certainly not fair, and I also believe they should receive fewer GP. I also see it as complicated to make a list of all the details of a house. Personally, I suggested the idea that houses that systematically don’t provide sheets and towels should receive fewer GP, but I was told that this would only encourage other families to stop offering them. Anyway, HE is a business and, like all businesses, it seeks profitability, so if they started cutting points for families with rental houses, their market would probably suffer.