May I reject guest from Russia

[Kateřina14]

Hi everyone, I was wondering whether, based on the current Russian- Ukrainian crisis, I may reject Russian guests whenever they make an instant booking. May I also openly explain them I am cancelling their booking because they come from Russia? 

Thank you,

Katerina.

[Sarah977]

@Kateřina14  You can't hold the average Russian responsible for the actions of their head of state. There have been extensive protests against the invasion by ordinary Russians, which is a huge risk for them considering the consequences they face for publicly protesting. 

Individuals cannot be assumed to support the actions of their governments.

There is a concern, though, re the booking being cancelled, as sanctions are levied and travel curtailed, so I would dialogue with the guest about that. Is he willing to risk losing money under the terms of your cancellation policy if he finds that travel becomes impossible?

[Emiel1]

@Kateřina14 

Not OK, as @Sarah977 explained

As an alternative you can open your home for people from Ukraine via Airbnb Open Homes :

https://www.airbnb.com/for-airbnb-org/how-to-host

www.airbnb.org

[Kateřina14]

Thank you both Sarah and Emiel for your answers. I will indeed rather focus on helping Ukrainians rather than penalizing ordinary Russians.

[M199]

@Kateřina14, @Emiel1 , @Sarah977 

Just another thought, we have had Russian guests stay with us.  Their profile still showed Russian Address, etc.  They had immigrated here. They were some of best guests. Best to ask and communicate honestly rather than assume.

Good luck!

[Sarah977]

@M199  Good point. Many guests simply neglect to change their profile info when they move. I've run into that before.

And if he is coming from Russia, the fact that he's trying to book a place in Prague means he isn't actively engaged in bombing or killing Ukrainians. For all anyone knows, he's an anti-Putin dissident wanting to get out before he gets arrested.

[M199]

@Sarah977 

Agreed 👍

[Sarah977]

Just read that there are apparently a lot of Russians trying to get out before they get conscripted to go fight. Airbnb hosts may suddenly find Russians wanting to book when they have never had bookings from Russians before.

"Thousands of Russians are trying to reach the United States to claim political asylum and avoid being drafted to the army, the Telegraph can reveal.

Immigration lawyers in America have been inundated with inquiries from Russian men and their families asking if the US will grant them political protection amid fears of conscription, following Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine."

[Sybe]

Hi @Kateřina14 , just to add to what others have advised above, Airbnb does not condone negative generalisations or stereotypes about others, as noted in the Nondiscrimination Policy (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1405/). Every person is unique, and it’s important to keep an open mind when welcoming guests. 

That being said, it's amazing to hear you want to help out refugees from Ukraine. As @Emiel1 mentioned, have a look at Airbnb.org, or check out Catherine Powell's recent post. It tells you where you can sign up to provide housing, or make a donation and it gives some more information on e.g. the Refugee Fund too. 🙂

[Akaki-and-Lika0]

I have faced problem with Russian requests : dozens of booking requests come from Russian guests that escaped Putin’s regime, And the main problem is that most of them offer Cash payment , as their cards are blocked outside Russia . What’s the solution ? Any suggestions ? 

[Helen3]

You can't take cash payments through Airbnb. Could they use Paypal?

Or you another platform that accepts cash payments?