Post by High Priestess on May 30, 2016 22:48:07 GMT
Avery shared on NHF Jan 2015
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-102912
How do you decline a guest?
So I almost double booked my hosting - I had two inquiries that came one after the other. Guest A was staying for 3 nights, Guest B for 7 nights. By default, I will choose the longer stay over the shorter one. But I was so embarassed to decline Guest A because we were discussing so much already (she takes time to decide, like me). Then Guest B comes in and tells me she's ready to book, with a 50% deposit on hand.
So how do I break it gently to Guest A? And If I decline her, will that affect my ratings as a host? I pre-approved them both though. Is that a mistake I shouldn't have done?
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Carolyn
Carolyna year ago
You don't have a reservation request from either? Or, do you have a reservation request at this point from Guest B?
I would not decline Guest A if her inquiry came in first. Hopefully, one of the two guests will book, and your decision will be made for you. If Guest B has booked already, but Guest A has only sent an inquiry, go with Guest B, and politely tell Guest A that you've received a reservation (rather than just an inquiry) and must take it. So really, it depends on 1) Who contacted you first and 2) who made a reservation request first.
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Carolyn
Carolyna year ago
Hopefully Guest A, if she hasn't booked, will understand that as a business person you have to go with the first person who decides they want to book for sure. Maybe Guest A hasn't even made up her mind yet.
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Glenn
Glenna year ago
Guest B's 50% deposit is irrelevant because all reservations have to be paid upfront in full at 100%. Assuming you accept a reservation request from Guest B, Guest A will get a notification that your listing is no longer available.
Be careful not to get personally or emotionally invested in a potential guest who may choose to book elsewhere.
Sure Airbnb wants us all to link pinks and sing "Kumbaya" while they operate a $10B business in the background, but at the end of the day this is your business and your money. The guest is staying in your listing because she is paying you for it, not because there's an opportunity for you to become best pals.
Guest A could have booked the listing earlier and she didn't. Sorry, but it's first come first served. There's one room. Do you want it or not?
Don't assume you are the only host Guest A is talking to. What would you have done if Guest A booked another listing instead of yours? Do you think Guest A would have messaged you and said she's so sorry but she found a listing that was cheaper with a better location? No, she would have disappeared, just like hosts write about on this board every single day.
So my advice is when you have someone who is ready to pay with a reservation request and you have someone else on the fence. You say yes to the reservation request and don't look back. Ever.
Reply Liked 2 replies•12 likes Delete
anna
annaa year ago
I agree with Glenn. Guest A should have booked if she wanted the room. If you want to make money, you can't hang around for indecision. In the future I would still be as friendly as you wish to an inquirer, but don't give them the impression you are holding the room for them while they make up their mind! I've conversed with several potential guests who have seemed positive and then disappeared, no
anna
annaa year ago
explanation , ( only one messaged to say thankyou for my help but she'd found somewhere closer to where she was studying) It's fine to be friendly but like Glenn says, you are renting your room, not looking for pals. If that happens it's a bonus but I've learnt not to get too excited until the reservation is made
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
I am not sure what you mean by Guest B having "a 50% deposit on hand." When guests book they do not make a deposit. They pay the entire amount to Airbnb. The guest doesn't need to tell you how much or how little money they have, what percentage of the total they have, because they are not paying you, they are paying Airbnb.
As far as guests losing opportunities -- first of all, I think guests need to understand that whenever they use Airbnb it is "first come first serve." It shouldn't be too hard for guests to figure out that this is how the system works, but if they don't realize it, you can let them know. Usually, depending upon the season and how slow it is or how busy things are, if a guest isn't ready to book the same day that they contact me, or shortly after they contact me, I will let them know that it is first come first served.
It is no problem at all to preapprove two guests at once for overlapping dates -- you can preapprove 100 people for the same dates if you like. It makes no difference. It is then up to the guests -- whoever is ready first, and books first, gets the place.
If you have a preference among 2 or more guests, then you might want to preapprove only the one you prefer, or, if you preapproved both, tell the one you prefer that he/she should book ASAP if they want the space because someone else has been preapproved for the same dates, and again, "first come first served."
It is important that you understand how the booking process works. Once you preapprove a guest, you cannot "decline" them. Once preapproved, a guest can book your place without any more action from you. So if you decide after you preapprove them that you don't want them, go to the message thread you have with them and remove the preapproval.
You don't want to "break it" to Guest A that Guest B is ready to book, until Guest B actually books. It would be a mistake to assume someone will book, then tell others no, only to find out the first person doesn't want to book after all. With guests you never want to turn someone away for someone else's promise. The only way to hold space is by actually booking a place, not promising to do so. Also, you don't actually have to say anything to guest A. Once Guest B books, if she does, then guest A will be unable to book and their inquiry will change to "not possible."
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Nic and Rach
Nic and Racha year ago
Exactly what Glenn said, who ever book and paid first gets it.
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Something else occurred to me --- which would be good for hosts to keep in mind --- if you ever hear a guest talking about how they have 50% ready to pay for the booking, you would do well to let them know that they CANNOT do a booking if they only are able to pay 50% of it. They may not understand how the booking process works. If they go ahead and try to book, but don't have enough money in their bank account or available on their credit card, their booking could get "stuck" in process and this could really "gum up the works", as Airbnb would be spending time contacting them and trying to work out why their payment isn't going through, and during this time the dates are being blocked so no one else could book those dates. Thus by allowing someone to try to book who thinks they only need to pay 50% up front, you could potentially lose both reservations -- theirs and the other person who is blocked by their stuck- in-process booking that never is able to be completed.
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Glenn
Glenna year ago
Deborah, are you sure about the credit card delay? It seems the payment would just decline with the CC authorization. I thought the only situation that creates a hold up is if a Verified ID requirement isn't met.
Reply Like 1 reply•2 likes Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Not 100% sure what happens in all situations -- but I have had more than one situation where a guest booked a reservation, and they didn't have enough money to pay for it. Then I got an email from Airbnb stating that they had a "problem collecting payment" and that I could cancel without penalty if I wanted to. Since I didnt cancel, and guest didn't cancel, the reservation just showed as "pending" on the calendar and the dates stayed blocked. I then contacted guest who said they were working out some issues with credit card. In the situations I experienced those payment issues were resolved every time. But, what I draw from them is the belief that yes, Airbnb works with a guest to accomplish payment, instead of just dropping them, and that the time during which this happens, the reservation status is pending and the corresponding dates stay blocked on the calendar.
Andrew
Andrewa year ago
Agree with everything Glenn and Deborah said.
I'll also add, if you've pre-approved both guests, there is nothing more that you have to do. If either party wants to proceed with booking, they can confirm it with the click of a button. (And no, there is no such thing as a 50% deposit). Bear in mind, many inquiries don't convert into bookings, so it's possible that you won't hear back from either party.
Reply Like 3 likes Delete
Deborah
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-102912
How do you decline a guest?
So I almost double booked my hosting - I had two inquiries that came one after the other. Guest A was staying for 3 nights, Guest B for 7 nights. By default, I will choose the longer stay over the shorter one. But I was so embarassed to decline Guest A because we were discussing so much already (she takes time to decide, like me). Then Guest B comes in and tells me she's ready to book, with a 50% deposit on hand.
So how do I break it gently to Guest A? And If I decline her, will that affect my ratings as a host? I pre-approved them both though. Is that a mistake I shouldn't have done?
8 comments
Following
Like
Delete
Hide
Carolyn
Carolyna year ago
You don't have a reservation request from either? Or, do you have a reservation request at this point from Guest B?
I would not decline Guest A if her inquiry came in first. Hopefully, one of the two guests will book, and your decision will be made for you. If Guest B has booked already, but Guest A has only sent an inquiry, go with Guest B, and politely tell Guest A that you've received a reservation (rather than just an inquiry) and must take it. So really, it depends on 1) Who contacted you first and 2) who made a reservation request first.
Reply Liked 3 likes Delete
Carolyn
Carolyna year ago
Hopefully Guest A, if she hasn't booked, will understand that as a business person you have to go with the first person who decides they want to book for sure. Maybe Guest A hasn't even made up her mind yet.
Reply Liked 2 likes Delete
Glenn
Glenna year ago
Guest B's 50% deposit is irrelevant because all reservations have to be paid upfront in full at 100%. Assuming you accept a reservation request from Guest B, Guest A will get a notification that your listing is no longer available.
Be careful not to get personally or emotionally invested in a potential guest who may choose to book elsewhere.
Sure Airbnb wants us all to link pinks and sing "Kumbaya" while they operate a $10B business in the background, but at the end of the day this is your business and your money. The guest is staying in your listing because she is paying you for it, not because there's an opportunity for you to become best pals.
Guest A could have booked the listing earlier and she didn't. Sorry, but it's first come first served. There's one room. Do you want it or not?
Don't assume you are the only host Guest A is talking to. What would you have done if Guest A booked another listing instead of yours? Do you think Guest A would have messaged you and said she's so sorry but she found a listing that was cheaper with a better location? No, she would have disappeared, just like hosts write about on this board every single day.
So my advice is when you have someone who is ready to pay with a reservation request and you have someone else on the fence. You say yes to the reservation request and don't look back. Ever.
Reply Liked 2 replies•12 likes Delete
anna
annaa year ago
I agree with Glenn. Guest A should have booked if she wanted the room. If you want to make money, you can't hang around for indecision. In the future I would still be as friendly as you wish to an inquirer, but don't give them the impression you are holding the room for them while they make up their mind! I've conversed with several potential guests who have seemed positive and then disappeared, no
anna
annaa year ago
explanation , ( only one messaged to say thankyou for my help but she'd found somewhere closer to where she was studying) It's fine to be friendly but like Glenn says, you are renting your room, not looking for pals. If that happens it's a bonus but I've learnt not to get too excited until the reservation is made
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
I am not sure what you mean by Guest B having "a 50% deposit on hand." When guests book they do not make a deposit. They pay the entire amount to Airbnb. The guest doesn't need to tell you how much or how little money they have, what percentage of the total they have, because they are not paying you, they are paying Airbnb.
As far as guests losing opportunities -- first of all, I think guests need to understand that whenever they use Airbnb it is "first come first serve." It shouldn't be too hard for guests to figure out that this is how the system works, but if they don't realize it, you can let them know. Usually, depending upon the season and how slow it is or how busy things are, if a guest isn't ready to book the same day that they contact me, or shortly after they contact me, I will let them know that it is first come first served.
It is no problem at all to preapprove two guests at once for overlapping dates -- you can preapprove 100 people for the same dates if you like. It makes no difference. It is then up to the guests -- whoever is ready first, and books first, gets the place.
If you have a preference among 2 or more guests, then you might want to preapprove only the one you prefer, or, if you preapproved both, tell the one you prefer that he/she should book ASAP if they want the space because someone else has been preapproved for the same dates, and again, "first come first served."
It is important that you understand how the booking process works. Once you preapprove a guest, you cannot "decline" them. Once preapproved, a guest can book your place without any more action from you. So if you decide after you preapprove them that you don't want them, go to the message thread you have with them and remove the preapproval.
You don't want to "break it" to Guest A that Guest B is ready to book, until Guest B actually books. It would be a mistake to assume someone will book, then tell others no, only to find out the first person doesn't want to book after all. With guests you never want to turn someone away for someone else's promise. The only way to hold space is by actually booking a place, not promising to do so. Also, you don't actually have to say anything to guest A. Once Guest B books, if she does, then guest A will be unable to book and their inquiry will change to "not possible."
Reply Like 5 likes Delete
Nic and Rach
Nic and Racha year ago
Exactly what Glenn said, who ever book and paid first gets it.
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Something else occurred to me --- which would be good for hosts to keep in mind --- if you ever hear a guest talking about how they have 50% ready to pay for the booking, you would do well to let them know that they CANNOT do a booking if they only are able to pay 50% of it. They may not understand how the booking process works. If they go ahead and try to book, but don't have enough money in their bank account or available on their credit card, their booking could get "stuck" in process and this could really "gum up the works", as Airbnb would be spending time contacting them and trying to work out why their payment isn't going through, and during this time the dates are being blocked so no one else could book those dates. Thus by allowing someone to try to book who thinks they only need to pay 50% up front, you could potentially lose both reservations -- theirs and the other person who is blocked by their stuck- in-process booking that never is able to be completed.
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Glenn
Glenna year ago
Deborah, are you sure about the credit card delay? It seems the payment would just decline with the CC authorization. I thought the only situation that creates a hold up is if a Verified ID requirement isn't met.
Reply Like 1 reply•2 likes Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Not 100% sure what happens in all situations -- but I have had more than one situation where a guest booked a reservation, and they didn't have enough money to pay for it. Then I got an email from Airbnb stating that they had a "problem collecting payment" and that I could cancel without penalty if I wanted to. Since I didnt cancel, and guest didn't cancel, the reservation just showed as "pending" on the calendar and the dates stayed blocked. I then contacted guest who said they were working out some issues with credit card. In the situations I experienced those payment issues were resolved every time. But, what I draw from them is the belief that yes, Airbnb works with a guest to accomplish payment, instead of just dropping them, and that the time during which this happens, the reservation status is pending and the corresponding dates stay blocked on the calendar.
Andrew
Andrewa year ago
Agree with everything Glenn and Deborah said.
I'll also add, if you've pre-approved both guests, there is nothing more that you have to do. If either party wants to proceed with booking, they can confirm it with the click of a button. (And no, there is no such thing as a 50% deposit). Bear in mind, many inquiries don't convert into bookings, so it's possible that you won't hear back from either party.
Reply Like 3 likes Delete
Deborah