Reservation Request -- clock is ticking, guest doesn't reply

Maryvonne and Tony shared on Anecdotes June 2014

www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-90487

Reservation Request Question

HI all,I'm really new to this and for the second time I've had a reservation request with no message or details included. Since this last request is for tomorrow and I was out all day today, I only saw the request with 4 hours left to reply. I have plans for the evening requested but can host that day if the person is arriving early afternoon or late evening. I messaged them but have gotten no reply so far and the clock is ticking. Is it better for me to decline the request even though I said in my message that I could host depending on their time of arrival? Should I not have written that? I'm never sure what to do when no details are included in the reservation request.Also, is it possible to set up your bookings so you can require at least a two day notice before the people can put in a request? I'm probably not explaining that right, but when I don't have a known booking, I usually make plans, so I'd like to be able to not have to decline people from last minute bookings. Any help you can give would be really appreciated. I'm amazed at the experience you all have in this group. Thanks!Maryvonne
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Harry & Phoebe
Harry & Phoebe2 years ago
Were brand new to this (joined a week ago) and within half an hour of listing our house, had a request but had no other details than that we had a request awaiting verification/acceptance (or whatever it's called). About an hour after that though, an email came through. It was totally confusing to start with though! I don't find the navigation fabulous on this thing so far... I'll get the hang of it I'm sure!

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
OH boy I hear you! Two of mine have been like that with no emails following even after I sent one to discuss. One I accepted, last night's I had to decline. I need to find a way to have people reserve the day at least a day or two in advance. Have you read about that anywhere?
I agree with you on the navigation too. On last night's request, I never got an email until the time was almost expired. I thought I would see it somewhere else besides Dashboard. This is nerve wracking!

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Gordon
Gordon2 years ago
'Cold' requests are highly unlikely to get accepted by me. No verifications/feedback/profile takes the likelihood down to less than zero.

Our anxiety due to a 'quiet period' may cloud our judgement on this but I try very hard to stick to my instincts.

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
I did wind up declining them but as it was only my third request and we are off the beaten path for most, I was very hesitant to do so. It worked out fine though because I sent a nice note along with the "decline" option and the woman very graciously told me she had decided to change her dates anyway and perfectly understood our dilemma.

Salvia
Salvia2 years ago
I second Gordon! Accept only if you CAN and WANT to accomodate people on short notice.!
E.g. I offer flexible check-in times but I state clearly in my description that a MUTUAL agreement on arrival is indispensable otherwise I might be not at home to welcome them. As "of course" a lot of guests miss that I repeat it in my replies ESPECIALLY to those cold requests. If there is such a time pressure I refer to this fact but state that I would accept the booking if a) confirmation of arrival and/or b) other information needed) is made by xxxx hrs and booking is finalized by xxx (I give them a Clear deadline then). If deadlines are missed I decline politely.
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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
This is a good compromise. I will definitely add it to my listing to give them a heads up! It's funny how when you start on airbnb questions seem to come up about every situation. I thought I had done my homework before I got on, but I'm still having questions. Thanks for your reply.

Nicole
Nicole2 years ago
I recommend the airbnb app for your phone and to set up text alerts for messages. It helps to keep your reply times down. I get texts almost immediately on my phone when I have a new message or reservation request.

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
A great idea but I have no mobile phone! I guess we're the only dinosaurs on here!

Nicole
Nicole2 years ago
It may be difficult to manage a listing without a mobile phone.... But many in these forums told me I wouldn't be successful unless I offered wifi and I've been quite successful without it so good luck!

Melissa
Melissa2 years ago
I recommend contacting airbnb on the telephone. Lately the wait time for getting someone on the phone has dropped considerably. I just had a sort of similar situation. The guest made a booking request, which I accepted, but in the note section with the request he was inquiring about the rates for that period....So I was not 100% sure that this guest was aware that he actually booked it. I saw that they had just joined airbnb...Most of the confusion I have with guests is from newbies who don't understand yet how the site works fully. I called customer service to have them intervene and verify (after one unanswered email) with him that he in fact did book those (email hidden)ust your instinct. Noone likes to turn down revenue from a booking but as a host you also have to factor in what your time and inconvenience is worth dealing with it as well. Good luck. Melissa

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
I'm still having trouble navigating the site and never can find a number when I need it. I finally declined ( after staying up many hours past my bed time waiting for a reply, lol) but it did all turn out alright anyway.

Rosemarie
Rosemarie2 years ago
Hi, Maryvonne and Tony - Welcome to hosting! It takes a while to get the hang of how to price, set terms, etc. First, I echo Nicole's suggestion: get the airbnb app for your phone and set it so you get a text when someone makes an inquiry.

In your listing, you can:
a. Set your requirements for how far in advance you will accept bookings.
b. the conditions under which you'll accept bookings, etc.
Go to this page. It will be helpful www.airbnb.com/help

I'm with Gordon, I won't accept bookings for someone who doesn't have a profile photo and is verified by airbnb.

Good Luck! The bookings will come!

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
Hi Rosemarie, I have read the "help" sections over and over and have not been able to find anything that states the conditions you say and yet I know I have read it somewhere before. After contacting airbnb by mail, they said if I enable "instant booking" I can state my requirements for how far in advance I will accept bookings, but I am hesitant to do that. I much prefer the advice given in this forum about putting it in my description. I'll start reading "help" again and see if I can find it. Thanks for your help!

Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
For any reservation request, "decline" is the default option when you don't get the information you need by the time that YOU need to either accept or decline. So, you send a message to the guest saying, "I am required to accept or decline your reservation within 24 hours. Based on my own scheduling needs if I don't hear back from you with the information I need by X time today/tomorrow, I will have to decline your reservation. (eg, if there are only 3 hours until you go to bed and the 24 hr limit would expire before you wake up, then you tell the person they need to respond in 3 hours) THen, also tell them, "if I am forced to decline only because I haven't heard back from you yet, then you can certainly submit a new reservation request and this will give both of us another 24 hours, and if I have the information I need from you then I can accept your reservation then."

This just makes things clear to the guest. Many guests have no idea that the host is operating under a deadline. It helps to let them know not only that, but also that they can re-submit a request after a decline if the decline is only due to a delay in responding on their end.

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
Thanks Deborah, this is a great idea. Very clear to the guest what is required and also helpful to me who sometimes doesn't get email right away. I have no mobile phone, so that option is out. Thank you again.

Sheryl
Sheryl 2 years ago
Maryvonne, I see that you have "Instant Book" enabled. This feature allows/encourages guests to book instantly! It assumes that you are always ready to accept guests with no minimum of notice. If that is not the case, you should disable it. I don't use it and prefer hearing from guests first with either an inquiry or reservation request to which I can respond with either questions of my own or approval.

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
Hi Sheryl, I can't believe it! This must be the source of my problems! Every time I go to my dashboard I see a notice saying "New Feature", and then "Configure Instant Booking." I thought that meant that it hadn't been activated yet. Good thing you told me it was. I have disabled it and maybe now I will get inquiries instead of requests with no info! Can't thank you enough for alerting me to this problem.

Sheryl
Sheryl 2 years ago
Or you can use instant book but set a 2 day minimum advance for any booking. Use the "edit listing" feature to make that adjustment.

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John
John2 years ago
Be careful and cautious and verify all enquiries is my advice to all. I have a little notice in my listing that says: no pic + no profile + no good references = no staying with me. Those who don't like it, I don't miss, and I've had really great guests who value my ethos, and have left me 100% 5 star reviews. Deter the disorganised idiots, scammers and "needy" nerds, and enjoy your hosting.

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
Thanks John. Good advice, especially for a beginner. I think I'm always afraid if I make too many conditions, no one will stay here, but I can see that after you've hosted for awhile you get to know how to weed people out and like you say"enjoy your hosting". I've already changed my conditions several times on account of this forum and things I hadn't thought to consider. I really value your experience. Verifying the ID of my guests was one of the first things I changed, but getting them to tell me the arrival time BEFORE I accept or decline has been problematic.

Tara
Tara2 years ago
"Also, is it possible to set up your bookings so you can require at least a two day notice before the people can put in a request? I'm probably not explaining that right, but when I don't have a known booking, I usually make plans, so I'd like to be able to not have to decline people from last minute bookings."

You can set an advance notice requirement in the settings when you have Instant Book enabled, but not otherwise.

If you decide to disable Instant Book, and if, for example, you can't accommodate a booking tomorrow night, then simply to mark tomorrow as unavailable in your calendar!

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
Thanks Tara,
I really don't think I want instant booking yet and closing off my calendar seems like not a good option either because lots of times I can host if I only know the arrival time of the guests beforehand. I see now because of Sheryl's post that I had "Instant Book" enabled which I wasn't aware of. That's why most likely I wasn't getting any inquiries and just getting reservations. Hopefully, putting some conditions in my listing will clear this up for people and be more helpful to me too.

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Maryvonne and Tony
Maryvonne and Tony2 years ago
A big thanks to everyone who responded to this post. You were a great help to me!

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Rosemarie
Rosemarie2 years ago
Hi, Maryvonne and Tony - I read through all the back and forth up to now, and it seems like you're on your way. This is an excellent forum to get ideas/advice/feedback, and great stories. Bottom line: Do what you're comfortable, get lots of info from guests before they arrive. I find that guests are more than willing to give info. For example, I ask for first and last names of all members of a group and for them to read through my house rules and description before arrival, and so far all have complied, happily. Happy Hosting!