Not-so-honest booking?

[Shannon819]

Hi.  I'm a new host.  I am navigating my first booking requests -- and having some jitters about the whole experience!  Looking for insight...

The first request I received was from a woman claiming to be traveling for work -- but the booking was for 4, + a request for an additional guest.  It didn't sit right with me, and she admitted that she was booking for her fiancee ("Mark C_____"), his brother, and 2 friends who will be working in this area.  She said she would not be one of the guests.

I declined her request simply due to the shady nature of her misleading request & for what felt like lying by omission.

2 hours later, I received a new request from "Mark."  He's supposedly traveling with 3 brothers and wants to spend 10 days in the area.  It seemed awfully coincidental, so I called Air BnB Customer Support.  They told me the new account (verified, but with no reviews) is under the name Mark C_____, but that it doesn't seem linked to the original request.  

Since both "Mark"s have the same name, I'm inclined to decline the request, but don't want to be penalized for declining the first two requests to come my way.  Is this the wrong "hill to die on"?

[Gillian166]

So sorry to hear this happening to you right from the start, jumping in the deep end I see!
the first one you were right to decline as 3rd party bookings aren't allowed. 

CS clearly are being clueless in this situation and it's highly likely it's the same group. They might be fine, just noobs. I'd engage in more conversation to see if you can get a feel for what they are like. 

[Shannon819]

Thanks so much for your perspective.  In the end I ended up accepting their request.  It was the same man. I met them all at the property and we had an honest discussion about expectations for their stay.  We also discussed the issues surrounding their reservation.

In the end, the deception was real, but it was grounded in fear of discrimination.  Hopefully all will go smoothly and we’ll all be better for it.