Third Party bookings

[Adam1846]

Hi. I am very confused because Airbnb support keep contradicting themselves but don't acknowledge it!

They say third party bookings on personal accounts are not allowed.

They say third party bookings are accepted at discretion of host.

They say they do not encourage third party bookings.

So it seems what they're saying is third party bookings ARE allowed provided host approves but it's not encouraged.

They say Airbnb insurance cover IS still valid. I'm not convinced because I've read many forum discussions which say

it's invalidated.

I'm new to hosting and so far my experiences with support team is inconsistent, contradictory, they cherry pick which questions to answer/disregard and more often than not provide a response which is an answer to a question I haven't asked!

Anyway, I was trying to understand why a host's cancellation policy applies when he/she was not informed in advance it was third party booking (i.e. only discovered during check-in). The person who made booking has a duty to inform Airbnb/host in advance (despite it being not allowed...). If this is not communicated in advance, then penalty is threat of possible future account suspension (per support team). 

Normal host cancellation policy applies regardless which I think is fundamentally unfair in this scenario. I am reluctant to accept guests where person who booked is not included. After all, Airbnb discourage third party bookings. They even say it's not allowed. Why should I suffer financial loss because a guest as breached these rules? Had I known in advance, per Airbnb's rules, albeit contradictory, then I would have declined booking without any penalty to myself (because declining a booking for third party reservation is penalty-free per support team). Support won't acknowledge that financial loss in this scenario is a penalty because I chose Flexible cancellation policy. They won't entertain the notion that cancellation policy should not apply in these instances.

Anyway, enough rambling and sure you get my point. Would love to know what your thoughts are.

Many thanks!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Adam1846 I agree the whole 3rd party thing is a mess. As is the fact that whilst you can cancel free of penalty if a guest breaks the rules you still lose out because the guest is refunded.

We allow 3rd party bookings for partners and for people booking for their parents. There is no way my parent could navigate the Airbnb system.

[Fred13]

@Adam1846"So it seems what they're saying is third party bookings ARE allowed provided host approves but it's not encouraged." Translation > If host allows one make sure it doesn't turn into a hassle for Airbnb, which they do not need.

We do encounter them every so often because some bookings are a gift for someone else, many are really a surprise.  The booking happens and everyone wins, never have had to get Airbnb involved at all, which I am sure they appreciate.

[Helen744]

@Adam1846 the issue is that some of those who book for 'workers ' do not attend the listing but have only a logo and if questioned reply that it is for their husbands or wives or three workers. It is important in the early part of the booking that you communicate 'no third party bookings ' to the customer. In the early days some hosts will attract and host these bookings without really being aware of who is in their houses . Its better not to do these but to suggest they book in the name of one of the workers and to nominate one worker to be 'the boss' of the group with access to all of the rules of the house. Airbnb did have a 'workers account ' at one stage and through this account third party work groups were booking. This seemed to work but if it is not in your area then ask C.S. about it.this may account for some of the confusion and is still an unclear policy. those worker groups are still around , so who is hosting them as they are a lucrative part of the market... H

[Adam1846]

Thanks @Helen744 . Airbnb support have confirmed third party bookings not allowed but they have been unable to show me where it states this in the Terms of Service!  In fact they said they do not have access to ToS even after I sent them the link to it! They  accept occasionally it's only revealed during check-in placing host in tricky position.

When you refer to 'workers', perhaps this is business accounts where third party bookings ARE permitted?

[Yuan164]

I had a similar situation where I only found out at check-in that it is not the right person staying. then airbnb cancelled my reservation and no payout is issued, my calendar was blocked for 2 months and I could not get another guest. Host suffer financial loss while guest breached a rule, it's totally illogical.

[Janine490]

I've just had an unpleasant experience with a third party booking. Firstly I was totally unaware of it until day of check in. I got a whatsapp from somebody asking when they could check in. I then found out it was the "third party."

The guest proved to be high maintenance and very unpleasant. I had to make a claim with the actual person who made the booking refused to fully pay and I will probably get a bad review as a result.

Totally unacceptable. What is the point of Airbnb verifying  guests identity and contact details if that guest is not the occupant?

[Alex1485]

As a host, you have to do your diligence to check each guest profile on your reservation,  if the profile shows as an llc or company name, you have to ask booker, whoever has made the reservation, to add the guest profile..otherwise you will cancel the reservation. (which needs to be clearly stated in your house rules )

[Helen3]

If you find on check in that it's a third party booking @Janine490 @you can ask Airbnb to cancel penalty free. 

[John7924]

3rd party bookings are the only time I've really ever run into problems with Airbnb hosting. I've also had some that weren't a problem, but the communication is usually the biggest challenge. It would be nice if Airbnb addressed this on their end. Currently, it is confusing and there seems to be a need for clarity on this. 

[John7924]

Today I declined a 3rd party booking. That wasn't fun!

Good news is that I let them know they'd need to register for an account and said, "I'd approve their booking request even though they didn't have any reviews." Fortunately they did that and I just approved their booking. 

Previously, allowing 3rd party bookings was a mistake on my part and one that I didn't know about until issues came up. One exception might be, if I know the guests well or at least have met them in person. 

After looking into it, I think the Airbnb policy is fine as it is. It's just one of those gray areas where they allow hosts to use their own judgement. 

[Tim3904]

I thought id chip in with my experience on this, in case it helps anyone. 

We had a booking come through, guests with lots of reviews - it cleared on instant book. 

Shortly after we had a message come through the App, under the booking stating that they had accidentally booked under a friends account and offered email and mobile numbers. 

Spoke to airbnb and they confirmed that it was at our discretion if we wanted to proceed or not and if we did then aircover would not be in place. This makes sense, as they have no way to know who is turning up. They offered to cancel the booking without penalty. 

I didnt want to lose a potential guest, so asked airbnb to wait 48 hours (2 weeks before the booking)

I opted to call the number on the original booking, ask about the other person. They confirmed they were indeed all friends and it was a genuine mistake. One cancelled and the other rebooked. Sorted nice and easy in the end. 

I cannot stress enough though, this worked out well because the people knew each other and were decent people. If someone was a scam artist/wrong-un, they would have sent a very similar message, could have robbed us blind and we would have had no cover. 

If you cannot verify the people involved then do not let them stay. Airbnb it seems will support a 3rd party booking that you do not feel comfortable in hosting. 

[Karen232]

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH AIRBNB SUMMER RELEASE??

I have been a superhost on Airbnb for 8 years with a 4.87 star rating and have noticed an inordinate number of third party bookings and some are down right fraudulent.  EX: JULY 2024 - Third party advertised my listing as a 2BR with Beach View and 2 Complementary parking spaces.   The staying guest arrived and was furious she got a studio, no beach view and $40 / stay parking fee.  The staying guest name and phone number did not match the booking guest on Airbnb. 

When I contacted Airbnb they said they allow 3rd party bookings at the discretion of the host and unless I can prove the guest that booked the unit was not the guest staying, they will not cancel penalty free. (That's why profile pictures are important!!) I provided Airbnb the phone number of the staying guest because she contacted me to get the door code, but Airbnb would not accept that as proof.  Airbnb did offer to help relocate her to a larger condo through the message thread, however, as expected.. the booking guest did not respond on Airbnb.   I screenshot the complaint filed against her by the facility manager that had to deal with the staying guest ranting and screaming obscenities in the resort condo hallways.  That was not enough for Airbnb to cancel penalty free.  The booking guest left us a 1 star review saying she would never stay at our STR resort again.  Most reviews on this unit are 5 star which was acknowledged by Airbnb.  But ... that was not enough proof this guest was scammed and Airbnb allowed the 1 star review to stay up and would not remove it because it did not violate their policy.  Clearly, this was a bad situation for the staying guest that was scammed and the host.  

In addition, I  am realizing with the new marketing push towards ICONS, INFLUENCER Experiences and OMG properties, that my STR condos don't fit Airbnb categories.  We do not allow third party bookings nor do we allow unrelated parties to book our large homes.  Most all associations have a rule that only 25 year old and up can stay.  This is from bad past experiences.  These host rules are for everyone's security.  I asked which party do we send a resolution request to when they damage the home (I had a door punched through in one condo)... The Ambassador said, "Very good question". 

We are not changing our decor to offer a Disney theme or installing Playstation's or Ocular gaming systems to entertain our guests.  I just don't think Airbnb marketing is matching my product anymore.   VRBO has been more host centric and I am seriously considering moving my properties over when my season ends.