A guest contacted me to book one of my rooms from August 1st through Dec 1st. I was asked if I would give an additional discount above the 35%. I did provide an additional discount since it was a longer booking. BUT when the guest booked, she did it wrong, so she cancelled to redo the booking. I was then told the booking would only be for a few days until the money was back in her bank account; which sounded reasonable to me. In communicating with her, it sounded like she was new to Airbnb. I understand getting confused booking when you are new. I was again asked for a discount for those few days, which I agreed, thinking it would lead to a long-term stay.
Once she arrived, upon visiting with her, she told me that she uses Airbnb quite a bit since she travels for work so much. And that she does long-term stays. That surprised me because it did not sound like that in trying to coach her through her booking.
NOW she wants to book week by week through the end of August and to give her an additional discount for weekly bookings. I have no idea what she plans to do after August. I did tell her what my weekly discount was and offered to add another 3% to that, but she ended up booking the week at the regular weekly discount. She also wants me to keep my dates blocked for the entire time so no one else books. Plus she now tells me she cannot afford to pay for four (4) months in advance.
One of my questions is, If she uses Airbnb quite a bit, wouldn't it be reasonable that she would know that she does not have to pay the four (4) months in advance, but instead she can pay month by month? I reminded her of that and also that my calendar is still open through Dec 1st and beyond. Her reply was that the owner and resident need to come to an agreement and that she would put something in writing stating that she planned to book the entire stay if I would like her to do that. The last message took part while I was out running errands and she wishes to discuss this with me later. Personally, having something in writing is not like having a solid booking nor does it ensure a solid booking.
I can tell she is not happy that my calendar is still open. Like most hosts, part of me wants to trust her and trust she will stay the entire time, but the other part of me seriously questions if this is a good idea to block my calendar for that length of time without a solid booking. It seems to me that she is experienced enough to understand how the pay outs work when booking long-term stays. In addition she explained to me how to use extended stays for guests so they do not encounter additional Airbnb fees. She has good reviews, but upon looking at those again, I can tell she extended with one host three times.
My other question is: To Trust and block my calendar or not to trust and leave it open? I like to help people when I can, but this is also my livelihood.
