Children as unregistered guests?

[KayLynn0]

We have an apartment that is suitable for families, however we require all guests to be registered.  We recently had a family stay that registered 2 adults and an infant (which Air BnB doesn't charge for).  They checked out today and used the master bed as expected, but also BOTH bunk-bed beds.  The beds are a pain to remake, that is why we chose to charge an extra guest fee in the first place.

The guest verified that they read and agreed to our house rules, one of which is no unregistered guests overnight.   Where they can still leave a review we don't want to annoy them, but technically they owe us $40 more for their stay.

What is our best way to get paid according to our reservation settings and rules without annoying the guest? 

[Veronique271]

An extra bed used does not necessary mean more guests....We had a couple  2 guests ( absolutely sure they were 2)   that used 3 beds (  king and 2 queens ) within 2 nights!!!!...Trust me I was expecting making 3 beds for a couple!

Just saying...after that... your call! I am with you 🙂

[Veronique271]

Sorry...I was too fast/inattentive answering: you should read: a couple=2 guest...and I was NOT expecting to make 3 beds for a couple ...

[Robin4]

@KayLynn0 

Unfortuantely we as hosts are being backed further and ever further into a corner by Airbnb simply to retain some sort of harmonious relationship with our guests.

You have a decision to make here KayLynn, you can pursue this guest for the additional $40....which you are entitled to do but, you may do more damage to yourself than it is worth! It will certainly guarantee you of a bad review.....guests do not like to be chased for more money, particularly when their stay has ended.

I do not like having to tell hosts to just roll over and accept poor guest behaviour because by doing so we are simply perpetuating the problem and breeding a worse class of guest....we are being our own worst enemies!

But having said that I am more interested in keeping a stream of guest coming, than putting them off by getting into a cat fight with a guest over something minimal.

I appreciate your bunk bed is a devil to make but Kaylynn, although you charge an additional $40 for its use, it doesn't cost you $40 to make it. You are a Superhost and a da*n good one with more than 100 great reviews under your belt.

Realistically you need to pick which battles to fight!

I have a situation in my cottage where I set my listing amount for the use of the main bed by a couple. I also have a sofa bed, which (like your bunk beds) is a pain in the butt to make. I charge an additional $15 for each guest over 2 which covers the making of that sofa bed. About 1 stay in twenty will be for two people travelling together who may not be in a significant relationship and will require the use of that extra bed meaning there is one person in each bed. All of a sudden I am out $15. I can dig my heels in and state in my description the use of the second bed will attract an additional fee but there is no automatic mechanism to charge for it....I would have to alter the reservation to claim that additional money. Kaylynn, I just suck it up and make no mention of it to the guest, it doesn't happen that often and when spread out over twenty stays that $15 I lost comes to about 75c per stay!

Is that really worth making a song and dance about?

Sometimes people don't eat what I supply....I have a win. Sometimes I don't get paid to make that second bed, I have a lose......it all evens out in the wash, can you see that Kaylynn?

Mate just get on with the what you are doing so well, don't antagonise the guest, just keep on being that great Superhost that you are, let the $40 go on this occasion.

Cheers......Rob

[Colleen253]

@KayLynn0  Do you have proof that they had unregistered guests? The fact they used the beds doesn't prove they had extra guests  It would be hard to get the money from them if no proof. Going forward, maybe add to your rules that extra fees will be charged for extra beds used, or just lock those bedrooms off to keep people out. Do you already confirm with guests which beds/rooms they will use? That would be important to do so there are no misunderstandings when they arrive. 

[Emily487]

@KayLynn0 

As frustrating as it is, you don't have any evidence that there were unregistered guests. They used the apartment as it was provided. Maybe they had local cousins come over for a play date and the little ones took a nap. Maybe mom and dad tried to relive some summer camp memories in the bunk beds. Who knows!  You can always request additional money from them but they will leave you a negative review and you will look like a scrooge to all potential guests. 

[Lisa723]

@KayLynn0 @Emily487 @Colleen253 @Robin4 @Veronique271 

You can't assume anything about number of guests from number of beds used, and unfortunately Airbnb has no reasonable mechanism for charging per bed. We have had a similar problem, and try to compromise by setting our base rate for the assumption that all "regular" beds are used, with extra person fees kicking in only for numbers that will require sofa-beds or futon use. It's definitely not fail-safe though. Guests sometimes just ignore our "rule" and we generally just suck it up.

[Helen350]

@KayLynn0 When I host a mother & daughter/father & son in my private rooms, or two people of the same sex where I don't know if they are a couple or just mates, I message "Would you like a floor mattress for the second person, or are you happy with the double bed?" You could ask a similar question, explaining you don't make up the beds which aren't needed, i.e 2 guests must state whether they need 1x double, or 1x double + 1 (lower) bunk!

- Like Rob, I just absorb the cost of extra bed making & linen washing when someone uses the floor mattress; it doesn't happen very often. And I can see it as offset by those who don't have the complimentary breakfast, or those who don't shower!

[Liz5085]

Hi just offered a guest a separate mattress for child but he said just the double is fine… father/ daughter?? Reviews all good am I being paranoid? No idea of age of child, guessing 10-12 ish

[Juan63]

It's hard to know if they indeed had another child who was not under 2. We have cameras so it's much easier for us to catch rule breaking guests(those who lie about their guests). Even then, it's always a difficult situation. What I would do is write a review right away in hopes they will also write their review right away. If you are 100% sure they lied about their child's age, say that in the review and ask for the money right after they write their review. It's important to let other hosts know of this type of rule breaking.

We have a 2 bedroom house and get many couples who only need one room, so we say "If you only need one bedroom, please pick your favorite bedroom and leave the other room unoccupied. We would really appreciate it." This has worked every time.