Since Warmshowers instituted "feedback" for both guests & hosts, I have had 100% positive experiences. In fact, I would describe most of my hosting as extremely positive. Most of my experience has been as a host. My 4 experiences as a guest were all very positive, and one of those was fantastic. I've had 3 guests this year, a cycling pair and a solo cyclist. All were fantastic guests. There were respectful, extremely neat, appreciative, fun, and simply a pleasure to get to know. I recognized that all were traveling on very tight budgets. The couple stayed with me for 3 nights (I think the longest any Warmshowers guests have stayed with me), the solo cyclists for 2 nights. They weren't lounging around; they were seeing the sights in Washington, DC. Most of my guests stay for 2 nights and I appreciate when they ask to stay for 2 nights in their original request. The couple was mainly staying with Warmshowers hosts with some camping. They definitely were picking their specific route in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic USA based on where they could find hosts. I see no problem with that other than I think that parts of their route would have been more enjoyable if they hadn't relied as much on finding hosts. The solo guy was mainly camping and only occasionally staying with hosts.
It looks like there are well over 100 Warmshowers hosts in the DC Metro area, maybe even 200. Yet the number who have any feedback is quite small. The couple told me that they contacted 6 potential hosts in the DC area. I was the first who responded positively (and possibly the only one who said "yes"). They contacted potential hosts because they had good response rates and feedback, which I can't blame them for doing. The solo guy told me that he contacted 4 potential hosts in the DC area and I was the only one who said "yes". I didn't ask him how he selected the 4 potential hosts.
Several years ago, I started to get hosting requests from people who weren't cycling. I always refuse those requests. I got one really strange hosting request from someone who had just joined that day. It was the middle of winter and she didn't specify any date. She wasn't biking. And she (at least she claimed to be female) had an obviously fake name and no photo.
I always check someone's feedback, but I have never refused anyone because of their feedback (no request came from someone with bad feedback), or because they had no feedback.
Last edited by axolotl; 10-09-19 at 06:15 PM.