Payment

[Kelsey417]

Good day, 

I would like to book a hotel from the 3rd-10th Dec but will have to pay in 2 separate payments as 2 separate bookings as the credit card won't cover the entire full payment all at once.  

However, there is the incidental fee which is charged per stay. If i book separately, I will have to pay the fee twice. 

Is there any way to explain to the hotel my dilemma and just pay the fee once?

[Guy991 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Kelsey417 ,

Have you checked the difference in cost if you book as one reservation instead of two? The Airbnb service fee will be the same since it is always a percentage of the stay, but other costs like cleaning fees might be charged twice. It’s a good idea to send the host a very polite message before booking to explain your situation, so they can help.

[Shelley159]

I agree with @Guy991 @Kelsey417 - the host (sounds like a hotel in this case) may be able to help. You can message them without booking if you scroll down to "Message Host". The button is in the "Meet your host" section just below the "Where you'll be" location details.

[Kelsey417]

@Shelley159 @Guy991 Thank you for your responses. The only issue I have with booking separately is paying the incidental fee twice.

It is a hotel. Unfortunately, there is no 'Message Host'. I have looked and for some reason, there isn't one. I'm assuming I need to reserve or book first before I can see the option. 

[Shelley159]

Hi @Kelsey417 

Another guest once pointed out here in the community center that she was trying to message a host whose listing had no "message host" button. It was the first time I had heard of it, and we tried to figure out why. We never did get an answer in that thread, so I still don't understand what setting or circumstance would cause some listings to not have that button. It's not Instant Book vs. Request to Book (which is the setting that I would suspect), as listings set to both of those do still display the Message Host button.

Maybe some of the connected external software sometimes removes the message button? Hotels are likely to use those. 

In the absence of being able to contact the hotel without booking, it's probably good to ask Airbnb Customer Support if they can help. This is the kind of payment issue that they can usually sort out very well (they'd need to contact the hotel first, but hopefully that shouldn't hold things up too long).

[Kelsey417]

@Shelley159 I will definitely try contacting customer support. 
Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate it. 

[Elisa]

Hi @Kelsey417 😊, 

I'm sorry for this inconvenience.

Have you been able to connect with Customer Support? How is the situation now?

[Kelsey417]

Hi @Elisa. I contacted customer support. Basically, I must make a booking before I can message them. I did that and I’m awaiting a response from the hotel.

[Elisa]

Hi @Kelsey417 😊, 

Thank you for your kind reply.

Please don’t hesitate to let me know how it goes and if you still need help!

[Fiona256]

Why don't you book directly with the hotel, then there will be no incidental fees? You don't need to use Airbnb to find and book hotels.