Please advise - current guest states they plan to extend...meanwhile other reservations are arriving?

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Joel926
Level 2
Manassas, VA

Please advise - current guest states they plan to extend...meanwhile other reservations are arriving?

I'm still very new to hosting. I think I'm handling this right, but not totally sure.

 

My current long term guest is booked till end of this month. He has recently stated he plans to extend his stay by another month and I've indicated to him I'll approve. A few days have passed and he has not yet changed his reservation to extend another month. He's assured me he will do it...meanwhile today I've received 2 request to book next month.

 

I've replied to each of the two new booking requests to explain I'm waiting to confirm my guest is going to book another month.

 

Each of the 2 new booking request have replied and say they understand. I've explained to each Ive asked my current guest to let me know today and to ask him to book if he plans to stay longer.

 

All good? Recommendations/Advice? 

1 Best Answer

@Joel926  When a Reservation Request comes in, it blocks the requested dates for 24 hours until you take the action of either accepting or declining it. So it's now too late to send an alteration request to your current guest unless you decline the new requests.

 

You'll have to use your own judgment on what the right thing to do here is. Declining two requests will mean losing two committed bookings and perhaps taking a hit in Search, but if you're confident that your current guest will come through with the full payment, it's a bird in the hand. 

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12 Replies 12
Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Joel926 

Sent the guest the extension as a host as soon the guest says he/she wans to extend. ("change" option on the reservation). Especially for changes on "long term stays" better sent the change yourself, as you can check if the calculation in the change form is correct (and amend it if not correct).

The guest must respond within 24 hours (or give shorter notice, as you can retract the change request anytime and continue with the new booking request).

 

Best regards,

Emiel

 

Thank you Emiel. I'll do that right no Thanks for your help

Hello again Emiel

I followed your instructions and went to the reservation for my current guest....I clicked on CHANGE reservation. For some reason, all the days in the calendar for March and most of April are now blocked out? 

 

I can't select any day in order to add one more month as requested by my current guest

 

Very strange...

Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Joel926 

You mentioned you received other booking requests. One (or both if different dates) is probably blocking the dates, waiting for you to accept or decline within 24 hours.

Ask the guest to retract the booking request, to unblock the dates (or even decline if no quick response receieved).

 

If dats not blocked by booking requests, manage your calender and make the dates available before performing the change.

 

That;s why it is important to extend stays asap, to prevent conflicting situations with calender or other potential guests.

 

@Joel926  When a Reservation Request comes in, it blocks the requested dates for 24 hours until you take the action of either accepting or declining it. So it's now too late to send an alteration request to your current guest unless you decline the new requests.

 

You'll have to use your own judgment on what the right thing to do here is. Declining two requests will mean losing two committed bookings and perhaps taking a hit in Search, but if you're confident that your current guest will come through with the full payment, it's a bird in the hand. 

Thanks Andrew - whewwww....this hosting experience is far different than the many years experience I've had as a treveler/guest with Airbnb. Yesterday evening I was able to successfully submit the change on my current guest reservation. I extended it another month as per my guest request.

 

Airbnb sent a message to him alerting him of the change and to accept within 24 hours. My message from Airbnb indicates they will tell me when he accepts.

 

Unfortunately, yes I did have to decline the 2 booking requests I had received in order to free-up/unblock my calendar days, to submit the change. I sent each declined booking person an apology and explained the reason.

 

My guest is really something...he just takes his own good time to reply to any message. I sent him a message (3 separate messages actually) yesterday explaining my challenges in trying to help him...and I was very nice of course.

 

Still, today with 12+ hours passed not a peep from him

 

I'll wait till I hear from Airbnb that he either has or has not accepted. If he has not accepted the change I submitted for him I'll proceed to manage my bookings for other new guests  and let him know his original end date will be fine for us both.

 

I'll say too, this person is a superhost on the west coast. He has 50+ mostly positive reviews from guests. He has zero reviews as a guest. I'm his first host. I can see to that unless one of his guests leaves a bad review, he NEVER leaves a review for any guest.

 

So weird...time for another cup-o-joe right now I think

 

 

 

 

 

@Joel926 Be aware that the non-action on the part of your guest may indicate that he was trying to get you to hold the place in case he decided to stay longer. That's why it was suggested here that you should accept the requests rather than wait for this guy to take action.

 

As hosts, we tend to want to be accommodating, but you should run your business as first come, first served. Don't count on a guest to follow through with something they simply said they will  do. 

 

Another thing- it's natural to assume that other hosts would make great guests, but there have been many posts on this forum that indicate that the opposite is true. That other hosts were in fact their worst guests.

 

Thankfully, that hasn't been my experience, I've now had 3 host/guests who were all lovely. I don't know if that had anything to do with their listings being essentially the same as mine, a private room home-share.

 

 

 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

What a shame you turned away your other two potential guests for one that clearly can't make up his mind about whether he wants to stay.

 

Appalling that he is behaving this way to be honest as a superhost,  and that he never leaves reviews. 

 

By following my approach which I suggested earlier (see below) you could have given your guest 12 hours to book and then you would have been in a position today where you could have let one of the other two guests inquiring about the booking the opportunity, when the original guest didn't book

 

Now you are currently left with no booking 😞

 

Please open your calendar again and let someone else book.

@Sarah977 @Helen3  Wow...such great direction/advise you can get here in this hosts community. Thank you!!! to everyone here who has provided me some really good help. Its just my 5th week to host so far.

 

I have to admit - this ain't nothing AT ALL like I imagined it would be being a Host. But I realize too after reading so many posts here, I haven't  had it nearly as bad as many others. Myself being an Airbnb guest first for 7-8 years I had no idea it could be this crazy hosting on Airbnb.

 

Yeah lousy I felt I had to decide to decline 2 bookings in order to remedy this request from my current guest.

 

5 more hours till the 24 hour window is met. Yes, my calendar is open. Still no word at all from this guy. I know what my game plan will be going forward.

 

 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

This is just all a learning curve when starting up your STR business. Setting up any small business is complicated.  @Joel926 

 

Unfortunately you are right some guests and others get the impression hosting is easy...it's not 🙂

 

In a regulated industry like STRs it's really important that hosts familiarise themselves with regulation and of course how each platform they are using works.

 

If you haven't found Airbnb Help yet go over to the website and familiarise yourself with the basics.



Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

@Joel926

 

if a guest asks to extend, I am not sure whether you or they can do so  via the amend a booking option- once the booking is live.

 

I tell the current guest that my calendar is currently open  but that means anyone can book so if they want to extend they need to do so ASAP to guarantee my place will still be available 

 

I would contact your current guest after asking potential guests to withdraw their requests and give him 12 hours to put in his booking request (turn off IB if you use it) 

 

if he fails to do so just take the next suitable booking that comes along 

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Joel926 It is really important to communicate with guests when situations are time sensitive and give them a firm deadline. If they drag their feet, then as far as I'm concerned, the real world kicks in and they snooze, they lose.