People really don't know they should not bring extra guests...

[Laura2592]

I did a little experiment. I posted a list of FAQs/dos and don'ts on social media about how to be a great guest on ABB. The responses were enlightening. 

Many respondents, including some who follow my actual ABB account and have stayed as guests, expressed surprise at my bullet "don't bring extra people to your reservation." There is a large contingent of the public who really seems to believe that its totally okay to invite others to a place they book. Of course I gave reasons (insurance/liability, appropriate set up with supplies, space to sleep, extra cleanup  etc.) These aren't bad people, just people who have been led to believe that they can do whatever they want in the space they have rented with the inclusion of having additional people visit or stay beyond what the listing says.  Some of this might be disingenuous, but I really feel like much of it is a big misunderstanding based on the way the platform positions itself.

The "don't have a party" bullet also met with "well, we had a small get together for a birthday at an ABB and it was okay" and questions about what a party is. People seem to believe that if its 10 -20 people coming over to celebrate its not really a party. Dinner parties were also mentioned ('We stayed at an ABB with capacity for 12 and we had 6 people staying, so we invited 6 of our friends in the area for dinner. I am sure that was fine with the host." "Did you ask them?" "No, I was surprised afterwards... that they left us a really lukewarm review." "That's probably why.")

I don't know what can be done on a micro level, other than hosts making things as clear as possible with each booking. But until ABB starts some kind of awareness campaign I think we will all continue to struggle with capacity issues. No one wants to be constantly policing their listing for extra people or watching cameras. Why do you think that there isn't more of an effort made by ABB to address this disconnect?

[Laura2592]

@Cave0so the answer to the question "why doesn't ABB do anything about this issue?" is that ABB isn't really sure where they stand on the issue, and do not have clear guidance. Check.

[Ann783]

Interesting point to differentiate a guest from a visitor @Cave0  We used to go to London every summer to visit in-laws.  I always felt staying with them (we are a family of 4) was too imposing so always opted to rent on VRBO or Airbnb. In addition, we would invite our family over for dinner at some point during our stay. To be honest, I never bothered to ask "permission" and no one stayed overnight.

One of the benefits of renting an entire home or apartment versus several  hotel rooms is having the kithen and dining room facilities. I wouldn't consider this a party but I can see the potential for trouble.

[Cave0]

@Ann783 

I suspect one of the issues is that Airbnb used to be about renting someones home or part of it and many Hosts still operate on this basis.  However, Airbnb is a different business to what it used to be and is now competing with the likes of Booking.com and Expedia where the majority of accommodation is commercially operated.

It seems that many of the newer breed of Airbnb customers have scant regard for the fact that they are renting someone's home and when problems arise, Airbnb's interest is in appeasing the Guest since that's where the money is for Airbnb.

Hosts have some expectations about how their place will be treated and are disappointed when Guests misbehave and Airbnb doesn't stand behind the Host.  Airbnb doesn't allow Hosts to protect their interests by taking deposits directly from Guests, everything is controlled and adjudicated by Airbnb, usually in favour of the Guest in my experience.

Perhaps, since times have changed, Airbnb ought be more up front with Hosts and give the message that this is now big business and the shareholders want to move in a different direction, which is fair enough, away from spare rooms in houses and more towards a commercial accommodation rental platform.

[Michelle53]

@Ann783    I think, for me, the biggest issue with the "visitors that aren't staying overnight" is the use of utilities and other amenities. 

People visiting are plugging in devices,  using the bathroom, consuming snack items offered for guests,  and while it may not seem to be more laundry because nobody is "sleeping in a bed",  someone might think it's perfectly fine to use the shower and a couple of bath towels, too. 

Case in point, I had a guy book for himself as a place to crash for a local event.  He was going to be flying out after that.   On his last night, he mentioned that three of his friends were meeting him, and all were flying out together, and they just wanted to "be able to shower and change" before heading to the airport, but not sleeping over. 

I told him that the additional per-guest fee was for use of all amenities, including shower and refreshments, whether or not the person occupied a bed for the night. He did pay up, and, as it turned out, their flight was cancelled due to weather, so they could only fly out next day, and they ended up spending the night after all.

My point being that, once a visitor is on the premises, one can assume they will feel like they can make use of all the amenities offered to guests, basically for free.

[Colleen253]

@Michelle53 Exactly. They are inevitably consuming, and adding to the cost of a stay. Those costs add up over time.

[Michelle53]

@Colleen253 

I just had a trip request a little while ago, one person for 3 days.    4 positive reviews, but several mention "guests" rather than "guest".    When I see that, I always confirm how many guests will be travelling, and then I mentioned my "no visitor" policy. 

Luckily i did, because the guest mentioned "visiting a group of friends" and they "may need a place to freshen up".     That would, of course, not be allowed. 

The guest withdrew the trip request without issue. 

[Laura2592]

@Michelle53 "they need a place to freshen up."

Hmm. If he is visiting friends in the area, I can't imagine why their own homes are not available for this purpose. 

[Michelle53]

@Laura2592  Yes, weird, right ? My mind was running all over the place with that.  I did not dig further. 

[Mary4568]

What was the cost per extra guest .

[Ryan2352]

We've put in our rules that our properties are "only for the use of the authorized and booked guests.  No other persons are allowed on the property at any time, with the exception of delivery drivers."  There was a good confusion on our side about guests versus visitors and whether an overnight stay was required to be considered a guest, so we went with persons.  That's a clearly defined concept in law and we hope would stand up if we ever needed to use it.

[Laura2592]

Anyone care to share the language they use  in their check in message to discourage extra guests or remind guests of the capacity limits?

[Brian2036]

I’m working on it. I can understand Airbnb’s dilemma because it’s an international corporation and, as I mentioned above, there are wildly different cultural norms.

Apparently in some countries there are no laws against putting 12 people in one hotel room.

[Debbie960]

As a newcomer to this forum may I ask the question ..Does anyone official from AirBNB read these comments and act on them  as my of us see m to have similar problems, if not how do we get the problems resolved?

[Brian2036]

@Debbie960 

Sometimes someone designated as “admin” will chime in and apparently they can refer serious issues to Customer Service.

In general, as for “how do we get the problems resolved,” we don’t.

 I do believe that Airbnb is a work in progress, though, and they will eventually correct problems that impact their profitability.

[Debbie960]

Oh, well that is very disappointing.  I get the feeling that the guest is favoured over the host, when really it is the host that is building the company profits.Thank you for your reply