Was just denied a reservation because they said someone booked right before me

[Chase116]

maybe this is legitimate but I am curious… I booked a few hours ago and just heard back from the renter that someone had booked right before me. I got through the whole process put in my credit card it said pending and they have 24 hours etc. Is that even possible to get multiple booking offers at the same time? I noticed that all the other rental units in that area all almost doubled in price in the last few hours so there must be something going on now to warrant higher prices and I imagine that’s why they said that to me. Can anyone just confirm if that’s possible to have multiple people booking at the same rental at the same time? Just curious for the future as that may change how I book in the future and how long I wait to be accepted by a host. 

[Kate867]

@Chase116  I am sorry this happened, but it is quite possible as many Hosts use multiple platforms to advertise their properties.   If a firm booking came through one of those before you confirmed and paid for your reservation via Airbnb then it would have been accepted.

[Gwen386]

It is possible.  A month or so ago, I got a reservation request, and while I was responding to question, an instant booking came through for the same dates and blocked my calendar. 

[Huma0]

@Gwen386 

Yes, it's possible that the host was using more than one platform, but even if they were only using Airbnb, this can happen if they use instant book.

The way that it works is this:

Booking request trumps booking enquiry. 

Instant booking trumps booking request.

However, all the units in the area doubling in price within a few hours is very, very odd indeed. It does sound like the host decided to decline your request because they realised they could get more for the same dates. 

[Chase116]

Thanks all for the replies!  That makes sense about multiple sites being used.  I went to book another place at the same location and when I clicked to request I got a message saying there was something wrong with the hosts calendar and to contact them directly about it. I wrote him and no reply but he did up the pricing from $415 a night to $842 a night! I almost just tried to submit again since my request was still open on my computer and would not have realized he changed the price.