How best to proceed this booking request

[Colleen253]

Looking for thoughts on a booking request. Guest wants to book 3 nights. "It would be my wife, and I as well as another couple. My wife and I will be there Thursday - Saturday and our friends Friday - Sunday". So the second couple, who don't hold the booking, will be staying by themselves the last night. Kind of becomes a third party booking? Getting that other couple to book a night separately in their name just feels awkward. 

[Pat271]

Just have them enter their accounts under the guest list. Make sure they have verified IDs. You should be OK then. Airbnb won’t support you if you have unofficial guests and something bad happens.

[Debra300]

@Colleen253,

I agree with @Pat271 .

[Kath9]

@Colleen253  as long as your communication with the guest gives you a good feeling, I would be okay with it. I imagine this is a fairly typical scenario - the booking guest simply has to leave a day early (and didn't even really need to tell you this). However, the booking guest is still responsible for any damage/loss caused by his friends. Go with your gut.

[Colleen253]

@Kath9  @Debra300  @Pat271 Thanks for the input! I'm definitely asking the other guests be added to the booking, as that's a requirement of my house rules anyway (which this guest didn't read, but I blame Airbnb for that more than the guest!). I have asked that the other guests verify id, if they haven't already. Better safe than sorry. Hopefully this all gets done before the request expires!

[Debra300]

@Colleen253,

Why do you blame Airbnb for guests not reading your house rules? The house rules are now prominently displayed at the top of the listing, and also at the bottom of the listing, on the checkout page and on the guest's itinerary after booking.

[Colleen253]

@Debra300 When Airbnb first moved the house rules to the top of the page, they displayed differently than they do now. The said 'make sure this hosts house rules work for you' with a 'read more' link. That definitely invites to read more. They later changed it to what we see now, which does little to encourage a guest to read more. It displays only three rules and invites to 'get details'. Who on earth is going to click 'get details'? They're already spelled out right there, as far as a guest is concerned, especially a new one. It's misleading (I can well assume deliberately).  As far as at the bottom of the listing, it was, and remains, no good to have the rules buried down there. On the checkout page, they now have them at the very bottom, in tiny fine print. So easy to miss. I know full well the onus is on the guest regardless.  I'm frustrated with how Airbnb trotted out the house rule improvement and then backtracked and basically made it as useless as having the rules buried at the bottom of the listing. Except that on the surface of course, it looks good! Look at the improvement we made! (useless though it is in reality). Pure classic Airbnb 😞

[Debra300]

@Colleen253,

IMO, putting the house rules at the top is still an improvement.  I totally agree with you that having them buried on the bottom of the listing page, checkout page and itinerary are not the best places to find them.  However, online shopping has been around for 25 years, and I am just so done with people making up excuses for not exhibiting responsible behavior.  Being new to a platform is not a valid reason for failing to click a link. Since we have given Airbnb so much control over our money, we have also accepted the responsibility of ensuring that people at least acknowledge that house rules exist.

[Colleen253]

@Debra300 Like I said, the onus is always on the guest. I agree with you. The fact still remains that the original improvement was far superior to the recent backtrack. It WAS an improvement. Not so much anymore. They took a step back, is my point. Again, the way they have the ribbon worded now, the guest THINKS they've read the rules. No need to GET DETAILS. 

In reality, putting that ribbon at the top of the page has changed little to nothing. 99% of my guests still don't read the full dang rules. I don't think anything will ever change that.

[Kelly149]

@Colleen253 with these maybe ok/maybe disaster situations I tend to message a guest something like: "hey, I'm sorry to be fussy about a pleasant weekend, but ABB insists that I let you know that as far as they're concerned you are the responsible party for the duration of the rental, so if something unfortunate happened after you left, then ABB (& I) would expect you to cover any damage or repairs first and then work out the details with your friends after the fact. It's rare that anything pops up, but it's best to clarify these things on the front end. I'm sure that isn't a problem for you since y'all are good enough friends to travel together, but again, they just ask me to confirm that you know by booking and leaving them behind after you head home, you're on the hook for anything and everything while they're here. It's not our normal reservation protocol to have the "Guest" leave early, but if you trust them then I'll allow you the extra leeway.  Also, please make sure they have my contact info and all the house info and I'll need a contact # for them as well just in case...."

or the other alternative is just a quick "no, I'm sorry that won't work" 

[Harold75]

Hi @Kelly149   interesting how you frame this "...Airbnb insists that I let you know..."  keeps you as the good guy and you are just sharing information.   I like it. 

[Russell49]

It doesn't sound too bad. I would personally just ask to meet ALL guests who intend on checking in, unless you offer self check in.