Airbnb Booking Decline

[Jim1436]

I have a potential guest trying to book my place next month.  Apparently, they are verified by Airbnb and meet all my qualifications but the customer claims to be receiving the following notice:

CHOOSE ANOTHER PLACE TO STAY
as part of our commitment to you’re safety, certain last minute booking of entire homes are restricted right now
You can still book a hotel for you’re stay

This all looks very suspicious to me because there are grammatical and punctuation errors (you're instead of your) and I can't believe that Airbnb would ever refer the community to a hotel.  Has anyone else seen this?

[Helen3]

I can't believe that is true. If they are having trouble booking your place, advise them to give Airbnb a call @Jim1436 

[Jim1436]

I agree.  That's exactly what I'm going to do.  Thanks.

[Antra12]

Here is the explanation and solution

**[solicitation removed inline with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Ange2]

@Jim1436   Airbnb bought out  HotelTonight and it does appear on the first page of searches below a few Airbnb listings in some areas. However,  the spelling errors in the message sent to you are problematic. Ask them to send you the click through website associated with the message they received.

[Justin1035]

This just happened to me, I have a guest that extended a night then requested to extend an additional night and it’s declining the reservation change with the same message.  I can’t get anyone on the phone at air bnb with this corona virus thing I think they’re slammed.  I’d love to know what this “last-minute booking”  message means. 

[Susan17]

@Ange2 @Helen3 

I've been hearing rumours of exactly this over the past week or so, from a few different sources. Haven't been able to get my hands on an actual screenshot yet from the guest side yet to confirm whether the claims are valid, or whether it may just be some typically vague and ambiguous notification Airbnb is showing on the guest side, that's  being misinterpreted. 

It's coming up quite a bit though, and starting to sound as if there may indeed be some truth in it. 

[Sarah977]

@Susan17  "CHOOSE ANOTHER PLACE TO STAY
as part of our commitment to you’re safety, certain last minute booking of entire homes are restricted right now"

This almost sounds like part of their supposed crackdown on "party houses", although I doubt those who've posted here have any such thing. It seems to echo the policy they just put in place in Toronto, where under 25s can't make a last minute or one night booking for an entire home.

[Justin1035]

@Jim1436  @Susan17 

Here is a link to the screenshot, I was simply attempting to add an additional night to an existing booking which I had done the night before.  They asked if they could stay an additional night and now air bnb won't allow me to add it.  This forces my guests to now have to leave and find another place.  Big hassle for them and a lose lose situation for both me and my guests.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2sscrz3he9ajt3y/IMG_0761.PNG?dl=0

[Sarah977]

@Justin1035  Well, if it were me, this is the kind of situation where as long as the guests had proven themselves to be good folks who weren't the type to break house rules or trash the place, or sneak more people in, and I trusted that they wouldn't report me to Airbnb over it, I would have just charged them the extra day or two in cash. The fact is, once a guest's booking through Airbnb has come to an end, whatever further arrangements you make with your guests is up to you and them. Airbnb doesn't own your relationship with guests once the dates they booked through the platform have come to an end.

[Justin1035]

@Sarah977  Yes you're correct, my bigger concern is that future booking such as in @Jim1436  case, might be getting this redirect as well and I don't even know about it.  Seems like something odd going on with air bnb.  Not to mention that my bookings have seemed to die come April and May...I don't know if thats coincidence or coronavirus or what, but I have no answers thus far.

[Sarah977]

@Justin1035 Yes, that's very concerning, that guests trying to book might be getting that message. And a glitch like that couldn't come at a worse time, when hosts are seeing bookings dry up and get cancelled due to coronavirus. I've never had back-to-back bookings and most of my guests stay at least a week, so not quick turnover, but at this time of year, which is the height of tourist season where I am, I would normally have several bookings lined up. But I only have one, and that's for April 5.

[Katy189]

I'm the same, I have had no new bookings for a good couple of weeks now, April is virtually dead - but the headlines say UK staycation bookings are right up! Was worried was just me!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Katy189 

Same for us in Derbyshire - Lets hope it picks up in the Summer when a lot of people will either have recovered from the virus or just get bored and travel anyway. The Government actually wants a certain demographic to catch the virus (and I don't mean remainers!)

[Susan17]

@Katy189 @Mike-And-Jane0 

Coronavacation is already a thing.. :))

https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/coronavacation

The Rise Of The Coronavacation As Millenials Cash In On Cheap Flights

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/coronavirus-coronavacation-deals-millennials/