Potential Guest haveing trouble making booking

[David7362]

Hi,

I am very new at this (just listed our property a few days ago).

I had an enquiry the day after listing from a lady asking if the property was available for 31Dec to 2Jan.  As far as I can see the dates are available on the calendar so not quite sure why she needed to ask (although I think she is new to airbnb and  may not have made a booking before).

I responded that it was available and also did a 'pre-appoval'.  She sent me another message about 27 hours after I did the pre-approval saying that she was having trouble and was unable to get the booking to go though and could I pre-approve it again.  I couldn't work out how to do another pre-approval, but sent an 'offer' at the original price (which I think should have pretty much the same effect as a pre-approval?)

I have now received another message from her (well within 24 hours of the offer being made)  saying that she "tried to make the reservation but now it does not appear". There is no reservation showing up on airbnb at my end, so I assume it did not go through.

Not certain if I am doing something wrong or if the problem lies with the lady trying to book our property.  This would be our very first booking, and although I am sure there will be others in the future, I am finding it very frustrating that somebody apparently wants to book our property but is unable to do so.

Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks

[Emiel1]

@David7362 

IMO the guest does not understand how to use the platfom or experiences trouble with the payment. Maybe an indication for a "high maintenance" guest, so better wait for the next one.....?

[Pat271]

Find out what she means by “having trouble and unable to get the booking to go through”.  Is it an error email from Airbnb? Or does the app hang? Or...? 

[Sarah977]

It may be what Emiel has said, or it may be that Airbnb is blocking her from booking because she falls into what Airbnb has categorized as a high risk booking- an entire place, for only a night or two, and she's under 25. (It's a recipe for an undisclosed party). In which case she would have received a message from Airbnb saying she couldn't book your property.

I would say that whether it is just that she's clueless about how to book, or it's what I suggested, you are better off without this guest. It's bringing up red flags for me that she is asking to book New Year's eve. She probably is planning on throwing a party- guests who do this often target new hosts, knowing they are not experienced at picking up on red flags yet.

In any case, if a guest is encountering problems booking, just tell them to contact Airbnb for guidance and assistance. There's nothing you can do, as a host, to help them book.

@David7362

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

hehe @Sarah977 we are thinking the same again 🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@David7362  Your listing is the entire house for 12 people in the rural area and you are a new host . Your price is the same for New year's eve as it is for any other night in December. Do you know how super cool this is for a big New year trash party with 100 guests?

Maybe that's why Airbnb blocked this booking, they have an algorithm to prevent suspicious bookings.

My advice is to manually block December 30 to January 2nd and don't host these dates.  At least on Airbnb. And if you must host during  NY then try VRBO, set very high security deposit (VRBO really takes deposits, Airbnb doesn't) and double the nightly rate.

.

[Sarah977]

You should add "No unregistered guests allowed on the property" to your house rules. Because a rural property that sleeps 12 is going to attract partiers. And if you live nearby or in another house on the property, it's good to mention that- it helps to discourage those who are trying to get away with something.

@David7362

[David7362]

Thanks for all the responses.  I had wondered if airbnb may be blocking her for some reason, and you have sort of confirmed that may be the case.  Her airbnb profile doesn't really show anything at all other than the fact that she only joined airbnb this year, the suburb where she lives and the fact that she has no reviews.  I hadn't really thought about the significance of Dec31 but it seems obvious now that you mention it.  I don't live close to the property so wouldn't know what goes on (although the 2 neighbours who would be within earshot of a noisy party are pretty good and would probably let me know of major problems).  I will block Dec31 at least for this year until I get a bit more experience.

Thanks,
David

[Sarah977]

As an off-site host with a property that houses 12 guests, you should be proactive with neighbors, rather than "They'd probably call me". Neighbors can understandably get pretty upset to find they're now living next to an Airbnb with strangers coming and going all the time, so it's a better idea to approach your neighbors before anything annoying happens. Let them know about your Airbnb, that you intend to vet guests well to avoid problems, that you certainly don't want to cause any disturbance, and actively solicit and welcome their help to call you if they notice anything amiss, if the guests are being too noisy or there appear to be more than 12 guests.

@David7362

[Helen427]

@David7362

I find it quite strange that Airbnb are stopping people who have more than xyz number of people trying to book accommodation that can host larger numbers.

We know of many large families that still like to gather at whatever time of the year, including Christmas, New Years and long weekends who will now find themselves looking for another Booking site to access larger homes to accomodate them.

It's not uncommmon for larger single families, and it wasn't that long ago for parents to produce over 5 children who now have their own children and them to have their children who may be wanting a family reunion or gathering.

Whilst I can appreciate ABB been proactive to try stop parties it's cutting out a whole range of otherwise Law abiding citizens who simply want family time.

Why should Grandparents and parents of children be disadvantaged from booking larger homes or homes that host larger numbers and from having much needed family time together?

The current situation many find themselves in isolated from their own families is rough enough for all without the added distresses of been discriminated against bc of large numbers.

@Brian 

[Hilltop0]

I had the same thing happen.  I wish that AirBnb had told homeowners so that we would know.  AirBnb is blocking travelers from booking on December 30 or 31 if they do not have a certain number of reviews.  This is to prevent NYE parties that destroy properties.  I had no idea they had done this and had to make a few calls.  Funny thing is that the same thing happened on VRBO, but the VRBO Customer Service reps don't know anything about a new policy.  I am still waiting to hear from VRBO about why bookings are not going through for NYE.  Bad communication: I would have liked to have been told about this.  

[Helen427]

@David7362 @Hilltop0 @Pat271  and others, or could simply be that there are other people also trying to book, have sent through 'Multiple bookings to Multiple homes/ places" at the same time and it's going through "Checkpoint" processes which automatically BLOCKS one's available dates until that's cleared.

It's extremely annoying when that happens as it obstructs others who may also be looking for accommodation on or within that timeframe.

I think you will find that this happens more often than you realise.

I've had it many a time this year and it wasn't until I had looked back at my calendar and seen diagonal lines across various dates that were not 'actually booked or had a guest' it appears as if there's some users making bookings at 'Multiple properties" on the same or some of the same dates as others who don't think of the inconvenience this may create if they don't Withdraw their booking attempts or have found another place to stay.

Have a look at your calendar after the said dates have passed and see if those lines appear.

Meanwhile if 12 hours have passed those annoying "Clash of code Checkpoint" processes will lapse and one's calendar will free up. 

It may be beneficial @David7362 and others to ask for a Request to Book over nights when festivities may take place.

Never tar all people as having intentions to have parties just bc of the number of people you may be able to have stay on one's property.

As previously stated, there are many people who come from large or blended families or maybe simply having a reunion after a crappy year.

ASK potential guests what their 'intentions of stay are' and for a full list of names and car registrations coming onto the property who are staying there.

All the best

Central To All Home & Location, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand.

PS Remuera has older Heritage homes that may accommodate over 12 people and many of them are respectable thoughtful  people , my home isn't one of them.

Like most areas, we only have random problem parties in the area.

Surprisingly, they do however happen in smaller number of room properties 🙂