Infants not counted as guests by Airbnb

[Katie1120]

Hi. I know this has been brought up before, but I am so annoyed by it that I would like to highlight it again. Due to our Council License, we are only allowed to host a maximum of 4 guests - and the Council include infants in this number. I therefore set my Airbnb maximum occupancy to 4.

I have just received an enquiry for 4 guests + 1 infant. I queried this with Airbnb and was told: "The system does not have an option where an infant can be count as Guest, however you can put the relevant information in the listing description about it"

Obviously a lot of potential guests don't read all the description information! I am SO annoyed that Airbnb has imposed this policy.

I asked if I could raise this as an issue but was told: "We do apologize however due to the policy about infants, it cannot be considered an issue"

It absolutely IS an issue!! Anybody else experienced this? Thanks!

[Zheng49]

You can add it into your house rules that your listing does not allow infants. 

[Katie1120]

Hi, thanks @Zheng49 . Yes, I've done that, but it's not ideal for host or guest. If a guest searches for a property that takes 4 + infant and my property appears in the search even though my MAX occupancy is 4 it just doesn't make sense. I don't feel it's up to Airbnb to stipulate who counts as a guest...

[Zheng49]

Yes @Katie1120 , I agree that it's not ideal but it's the right thing to do if your listing is not equipped to handle an infant. For example, if it doesn't have a crib.

I think the reason why infant doesn't count as a guest is because it doesn't take up a lot of space. But I don't feel comfortable hosting an infant in such circumstances still. Especially since it's not guaranteed to be 1 infant. It could be 2 infants as well which is even more of a risk without cribs. 

The additional reason why hosting infant(s) is potentially risky is because it can be hard to get an infant to observe the quiet time...as a baby will basically cry whenever it wants. So if you have adjacent rooms that hosts other guests, this may turn into a very bad experience for adjacent guests. 

Due to all of these reasons, this is why I put the rule inside of my house rules. And it has successfully deterred parents with infants from booking my listing(s). 

[Guy991]

Hello @Katie1120 ,

Infants may take up less space for sleeping but they consume significantly more resources. They require more electricity for heating, lighting, and cooking appliances, as well as more hot water and gas/electricity when filling the tub for bathing or play. Their needs also lead to increased use of the kitchen area and generate significantly more waste (diapers) than adult guests. If you provide a washing machine, the costs increase even further.

Additionally, wear and tear are greater, and cleaning behind the sofa to remove tiny biscuit crumbs is more challenging. And you know who will find those biscuits? The next guest, who will then claim the house is dirty.

An infant costs three times as much as an adult.

In my house rules, it is clearly stated that I do not accept infants for reservations of fewer than five guests because, for me, it simply results in a financial loss. For smaller properties I disable the infant option. 

[Katie1120]

Hi and thanks so much for your reply. It just seems so crazy that Airbnb can decide not to let hosts say how many infants they will accept - it's either all or nothing! With increasing licensing and insurance restrictions to me it seems unacceptable that Airbnb has this policy. Like you, I'm sure many people just disable the infant option altogether as it is the easiest way to go. Such a shame from Airbnb.

[Guy991]

Hello @Katie1120 ,

I feel good about it because, on the other hand, I accept pets in some of my listings, something many listings in my area don’t. And I charge for it. You see, pets are not free, but infants are on Airbnb.

Just a small suggestion: in this community, when you want to reply to someone, use @ followed by their username so they receive a notification, just like I did with yours.

best,

[Katie1120]

@Guy991  Thank you for your help, I appreciated it 🙂!