Our couchsurf hosting (mis)adventures thus far
Since joining Couchsurfing.org in October 2010:
That's about a 20% success rate for couchsurfers requesting to stay with us.
I am surprised by how low that percentage is, since we really look forward to reading every request that comes through. So unfortunately when it's brief and there are no indications they've read our profile (calling us 'guys', 'maaaates' or 'couple' is a huge no-no for us), it's really disappointing. Wouldn't you read through a host's profile thoroughly before sending a request to ensure they're not madman/psychos/sexual predators/insert-any-type-of-psycho-movie-thriller-antagonist-here?
Funnily enough - and it's just an observation - 4 out of the 5 requests we receive are from Germans. German isn't listed as a language we know anything about, and yet we haven't hosted a single German.
But the SO and I have agreed that unless the request checks our boxes, rejections are sent within 12 hours of receiving it. Afterall this is our home and we want to ensure anyone entering is respectful of the sanctuary we are creating. It is definitely a fine balance between meeting new (possibly strange) people and ensuring our safety/comfort.
If you were to welcome strangers to your home, what precautions would you take?
And if you wouldn't admit strangers, how well would you have to know the person before you'd allow them to spend a night on your couch?
- Our profile has been viewed 321 times
- We have received 38 couch requests and 49 unique messages.
- We accepted 8 couchrequests and 1 maybe.
- One cancelled in advance and one didn't show up at all.
- We declined 32 couch requests, mostly on the grounds of not reading our profiles.
Only about 5 declines were due to calendar clashes with already accepted requests or our own travel plans.
That's about a 20% success rate for couchsurfers requesting to stay with us.
I am surprised by how low that percentage is, since we really look forward to reading every request that comes through. So unfortunately when it's brief and there are no indications they've read our profile (calling us 'guys', 'maaaates' or 'couple' is a huge no-no for us), it's really disappointing. Wouldn't you read through a host's profile thoroughly before sending a request to ensure they're not madman/psychos/sexual predators/insert-any-type-of-psycho-movie-thriller-antagonist-here?
Funnily enough - and it's just an observation - 4 out of the 5 requests we receive are from Germans. German isn't listed as a language we know anything about, and yet we haven't hosted a single German.
But the SO and I have agreed that unless the request checks our boxes, rejections are sent within 12 hours of receiving it. Afterall this is our home and we want to ensure anyone entering is respectful of the sanctuary we are creating. It is definitely a fine balance between meeting new (possibly strange) people and ensuring our safety/comfort.
If you were to welcome strangers to your home, what precautions would you take?
And if you wouldn't admit strangers, how well would you have to know the person before you'd allow them to spend a night on your couch?