Booking request for guests who don't meet our policies

[Laura2592]

We are not safe for infants due to some 1850s house quirks which include really steep and funky stairs. We decided to allow families with children but not infants last year after a guest who had a crawling baby complained about the stairs. Just too scary in terms of liability for us as hosts. 

This past weekend we had a booking request for a family with a young child and an infant. I declined it based on our policies and explained why. No parent wants so stay somewhere that is not safe for a small child. Airbnb sent a message that they are "reviewing" this declination. Its clearly stated in our policies. I don't understand why this guest was even able to put in a request. Anyone have a similar experience? Shouldn't there be a pop up when a guest tries to book something that is not permitted by the host? Or that category (infant) should not be available at all on our listing. 

[Anonymous]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0  Fair point, and once you get above 4 people (which could conceivably be 2 boring couples) an all-adult group with a short stay is likelier to be something more like a party.

[Laura2592]

@Anonymous  we get groups of 3 or 4 adults fairly often. Girl's wine weekend is a big one-- usually celebrating a birthday. Not quite a party with 3 or 4, but I have had some interesting messages sent by guests during wine tastings 🙂 Two boring couples? Love that. The more boring the better especially if they are tidy! We get lots of those. Also traveling grandparents who want to visit adult kids in the area, lots of weekend romantic stays, a fair number of proposals and honeymoons, a fair number of writers looking for a quiet place to work. 

I am sure if we increased our guest capacity and put out an air mattress or invested in a sofa bed we would get lots of families. But that isn't our target market. 

[Laura2592]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0  we allow children. Just not infants as Airbnb defines them.

I just did a quick look at our last 2 years. 72% of guests were couples or single people. 28% were groups of more than 2 people. Of those 28%, only 8% had children under the age of 12 on the reservation. And all of those guests stayed during the late spring and summer months.

Again, we target a certain population which is couples for a weekend getaway, or singles who want a quiet place to unwind. And because we are pet friendly we get a lot of the population that are childless or retired and travel with dogs.  We are happy to host families but don't get that many of them. Perhaps its difficult to understand if your listing attracts a lot of families.  Its just not safe for a baby. That's not discrimination, that is common sense. I would much rather prevent an injury and be told I have an anti-baby bias than allow the world at large into my home and have an infant hurt and a lawsuit as a result. I will take the hit to my reputation over damage to a little one any day of the week. 

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

@Laura2592 

Change the title :

Perfect place for boring couples 🙂

[Laura2592]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0 or how about Not Safe For Baby Cottage?

Again glad you have success with families but we are ALL different.  One size or solution doesn't fit every home. Best of luck with your hosting journey. 

[Susan1690]

I don’t understand why some hosts are trying to bully other hosts into having kids in our homes?

In addition to the obvious liability, kids are loud, messy, and often destructive.  Everyone’s pets and kids are wonderful  well mannered until something happens.  In a new strange environment

it is hard to predict how kids and pets will react.  After an accident the guest is sorry and gone.

My old house is not kid proofed or pet friendly therefore I don’t allow either.  The laws for fair housing are very different for owner occupied homes. 

[Sarah977]

@Susan1690  I don't see any hosts here bullying others into accepting children- not sure where you got that notion.