Decline or ignore booking request after responding

[Shala15]

I've had a very short notice (2 hours) booking request from someone with no reviews. I messaged them for more info to get an idea if they seemed ok. (After recent bad experience) No reply! should I decline? Really they should withdraw if they don't want it but they've gone quiet. which is best for me? decline or ignore?

[Huma0]

@Shala15 

Don't ignore the request. At least, don't let it expire. You have to accept or decline a booking request (rather than an enquiry) within 24 hours or your response rate will go down, which can affect your Superhost status.

When you say short notice (2 hours), do you mean they actually want to arrive in two hours?

Personally, I would never choose to take last minute (same day) bookings. I think it's just asking for trouble. Some guests might have a genuine reason to book so late in the day. Has the guest told you why? 

I used to set my minimum notice to one day before, but now I require two. Besides anything else, it's just too stressful.

[Sarah977]

@Shala15  Set advance notice to a day so you don't get last minute requests. They can be problematic in other ways, too, like the guest's payment doesn't go through, meantime they have either already arrived, or their request is holding up your calendar from other bookings.

And no, never let an inquiry or request expire.