Day 14: How Allowing Last Minute Reservations Saved a Mother-Daughter Christmas Trip

[Matt26]

It was December 24th, 2016 at 2:53pm. I’ve just received a frantic request from a mother and her daughter sitting in a local Starbucks. They needed a place to stay for the next three nights – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Their profile showed they were from Brazil. I live and host in Canada.  What on earth could they be doing in Starbucks at 3p with no place to stay for the next three nights all the way From Brazil??

Like many of you, last minute requests can make me nervous. Especially ones that come minutes before check in time. In the past, I’d thought about not allowing same-day requests to avoid hosting bad guests. For some reason though, I decided to allow them and just closely monitor my requests. The downside to this strategy is having to decline too many guests or spend time on the phone with Airbnb; because same-day instant bookings can’t be canceled without calling in. On Christmas eve, just before 3p, it now seemed evident why I left it on.

I immediately responded to the guest, Thais. I asked her why she had left securing accommodation to such a late date, especially over the holidays. She replied instantly. She explained that they’d booked another Airbnb, but sadly they’d arrived to find that it was not what they were expecting and not guest-ready . She was so disappointed. They’d travelled all the way from Curitiba, Brazil for a mother-daughter Christmas vacation. My heart went out to Thais and her daughter. What a terrible predicament to find themselves in so far away from home. Luckily, my cleaner had just finished preparing the condo and it was now ready. I accepted Thais reservation and immediately shared my check in instructions.

A few hours later, I got an Airbnb notification on my phone. Since it was Christmas Eve, I was with my family and not immediately available to help any guests on-site. Of course, my mind when to the worst: “had something gone wrong with one of my guests?! Why else would someone be messaging me at this hour on this day”. I quickly opened the app, while thinking of what I’d say to my family if I had to rush out. It was a message from Thais. She was simply writing to me to say that my place was perfect for her and her daughter. She thanked me for salvaging their mother-daughter trip to Toronto. She wished me the most Merry Christmas, because I’d given her one. I was so touched and relieved that I could help make a complete stranger’s Christmas.

On check out, my condo was in pristine shape. Thais and her daughter were the kind of guests, every guest should aspire to. Every once in a while, I get confronted with too many last-minute requests from guests I’m not comfortable hosting. And then I think that I should turn off same-day bookings. Then I think of Thais and her daughter. Three years later, my same -day bookings are still on. You never know when you can help a perfect stranger in need, at the worst possible time.

I wish everyone in the Airbnb community a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or happy holiday season. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about how the hosts in our community have helped to make this Christmas one of the best for their guests.

[Giuliana142]

@Sarah977 @Emilia42 @Susan151 @Helen350 @Matt26  I believe that most guests and hosts are wonderful people. I try my best to be understanding. We all live in different circumstances with different perspectives. Sometimes it’s hard to understand why people do what they do. Every now and then there’s a misunderstanding but we carry on.

I have a challenge to write a review about my last guest as well in the most civilized way possible, without offending anyone, yet giving a heads up for the next host. I have to take my time and think about it...

[Helen350]

@Giuliana142 @Helen427 The issue with this guest is that her entitlement, selfishness, & disorganisation  - & refusal to follow instructions cost me money! (Potentially.) Because she booked Fri, not Thurs as TOLD TO, I missed the chance of a booking on Friday. Had I gone along with her original request for Friday, at time of inquiry, she COULD have arrived 8am & found the outgoing guest still asleep & staying till 12 noon.... So there was a reason I asked her to book Thurs not Fri - to maximise my bookings AND ensure she got a bed at 8am! I bent over backwards to accommodate her OUTSIDE NORMAL CHECK IN/OUT & she did not co-operate- being a busy nurse is no excuse - she should have sorted accommodation before her shift! If I'd gone to bed at 10.45pm that night I would not have heard her 'ping' to my phone, & she'd have been on the doorstep at 8am unbooked. (Don't know why she didn't use instant book!

I WILL GIVE HER 2* FOR COMMUNICATION & write that her failure to book before normal bedtimes kept me up half the night! (All for a £21 pound booking.)

[Helen350]

..... Following her initial inquiry, she had 9 HOURS to BOOK! She didn't, so I was up half the night! - Not on!

[Sarah977]

@Helen350  Funny, I have a dear friend, also a nurse, who is much the same as this guest was. Everything last minute and you really can't depend on her to follow through with what she says she'll do, when she says she'll do it, although she has the best of intentions. Quite frustrating if you don't know how she operates and assume that she's dependable. 

This guest of yours would have driven me crazy- someone who understands what it's like to be super busy, yet expects others to put in ridiculous amounts of time and make exceptions to their regular schedule to accommodate her own lack of planning. I'd have been tempted to tell her to forget it about halfway through the tortured communications 🙂

[Helen350]

@Sarah977 THANK YOU!!! 😉  (Not just me then!)

- I nearly did tell her to forget it, but also did not want to leave her stranded with less than 12 hours between shifts. - Which brings us back to the O.P.!

[Matt26]

Just be honest and matter-of-fact with your review and think of your fellow host. Too often we find ourselves worrying about what the guest will think of our reviews... when reviews aren't really for guests, they're for future hosts. 

[David6334]

Thanks for this heart melting story.

I always keep IB on for the same reason. Somehow I had just good experiences, I'm the same traveler type like my guests who booked last minute on the same date. I've never planned my trips too much and always booked a place upon arrival to the city. 🙂

[Nutth0]

@Matt26  Beautiful story. This is what Christmas was ... so glad for Thais and you. Wish you also a great Christmas in 2019.

[Kira32]

I have last-minute bookings all the time because they hopp from one place to the other on the island for a more adventurous holiday not knowing where they end up. 

My experience with last minutes are those who just want a place to sleep en don't need guidelines because most of these kind of guests are familiar with the airbb concept . 

[Rowena29]

Thanks for posting this story @Matt26 

Like many people who have already posted, I had a similar situation.

I have IB turned on, but for a variety of reasons, not least that I am a remote host, I have a at least one day's notice advance notice.   What I didn't' realise though, is that even with this option selected, guests can still REQUEST  to book within that window, they just can't IB.   

I awoke on morning - thankfully very early - 5 am - to see a request that had come in at midnight asking if a stay was possible the next day ( the day I was reading). I child, 2 cats and a dog and could they possibly check in early due to all the animals as they had to check out at 10 and had no where to go in the meantime.     this set off all sorts of alarm bells.  3 animals?  A child?.  Wanting early check in ? and WHY were they checking out of somehwere nearby??. It all sounded highly suspicious.   And to top it off, I was a 1.5 hour drive away and the house was reasonably clean, but not fully guest ready.   All my instincts told me to decline the request.   But something made me wonder - her message sounded a bit desperate. 

Instead I got CS to ring her and we ended up agreeing that she COULD stay, she could drop the animals off a bit earlier, but the house would still not be ready until at least 12 noon. and might not be immaculate.  . 

She loved our place, and ended up extending her stay by another week.  We got on famously  and I saw her a bit socially for a while - she ended up renting in the area briefly.

And the story was - she had booked an airbnb several weeks prior, arrived  in the early evening and DETESTED it and could barely wait to get out.  (It was a tarted up hospital/nursing home s apartment - perfectly serviceable but it pushed all her buttons).  

So, as so often is the case, communication was the key.   

[Matt26]

Way to go the extra mile! It's guests like those that make hosting worthwhile! 

[Heather133]

@Matt26 I loved your story! My question is, how is it that your gorgeous place was still available for those dates!?!? I've had a number of last minute guests myself. Most often the case has been that we are "rescuing" them from a fraudulent listing they booked elsewhere or a place that didn't live up to its promises. Sometimes its just guests who like to keep their travel plans loose or look for a last minute bargain. Kudos to you for making their holiday one to remember.

[Matt26]

Thanks so much for the compliment. Toronto is a very competitive market! There are lots of great hosts here. 

[J-Renato0]

@Matt26 

Very interesting story. Actually great story!

I also loved knowing that the guests in question were from the south of Brazil and they were good guests.

It is because I am also from Brazil and it is good to know that 🙂

[Sarah977]

@J-Renato0 I just had a Brazilian guest (although she's lived in the US for a long time) and she was wonderful.