Have you ever changed your mind about an enquiry you declined?

[Imogen11]

Hello wise Airbnb hosts,

I've been lurking on this board for weeks, reading all your posts and soaking up the wisdom!

Now our place is listed and thanks to the newbie boost we have lots of bookings coming in. 

I had a few enquiries last night from guests who were unable to Instant Book as their profiles had no prior reviews. I declined all of them but was too hasty with one. 

Stupidly I sent a followup message apologising for the hasty decline and inviting her to book again. 

Now I feel like a lunatic; the classic air-headed host who can't make a simple decision 😞

Have you ever changed your mind about a declined booking? How did you handle it? 

[Luke69]

Hey Imogen!  I have been hosting for about six months now, and I can say that I've never really bothered much with reconsidering a declined request afterward.  If I am declining a request for reasons not related to my/the room's availability, i.e. I just don't get a great feeling about the person requesting it, I try to remind myself that it only takes one bad experience to sour me and/or my girlfriend on the whole operation, and potentially even put us out of commission and render us unable to honor near-future bookings.  Someone with no reviews who doesn't give you that 'warm fuzzy feeling' in introducing themselves - why chance it?  Granted, my listing is physically in my residence, so the stakes may be quite different for me than for you, and considering we've been hovering around an 85% occupancy rate, I simply haven't had much time to dwell on missed hosting opportunities - but I still don't think you should let your conscience be especially burdened here!  Your space, your call.

[Joanna85]

I agree with Luke.  I am usually booked...in fact..as an example, I had an inquiry last week from a person who asked me several quesitons about using the kitchen--we have a mini fridge and microwave in the space we rent out because we don't want our kitchen used by strangers.  Then I got another inquiry, for the same days as the other guy, regarding do we have a bike to rent (no, then there were 100 follow up questions about transportation, which kind of annoyed me)...but then a great guest inquire for the same days as the other two.  My point is, once you get going with your bookings, you will learn regardless, you will be booked up with guests that fit your style no matter how many you decline in the meantime.  Don't worry about it...just move on and never look back.  Stick to your guns about what you want and don't want otherwise you will get a guest you will regret simply because you strayed from what you wanted initially.

[Annette33]

@Imogen11 , don't worry about a thing, you are doing everything  just right!
Undoubtedly, being here on the boards you learn a lot, it is a great place to become aware of issues and to stay in touch with fellow hosts. But it also can raise your anxiety levels when you read one horror story after another - so take it all with a grain of salt and trust your own instincts more than anything 🙂
There are a lot of newbies out there who have no reviews, nothing in their profile. It really doesn't mean much one way or another.  If you want more time to perhaps exchange a few messages back and forth with potential guests, temporarily take off IB and see if that makes you more comfortable. As it is, having IB on but requiring previous reviews, a lot of guests have to send you an inquiry anyways.
even if there are previous reviews, it doesn't say much: a lot of hosts leave very nice reviews, even if they complain about their guests here. So it always comes back to using your own best judgment. You only get the last name of the guest after the booking is confirmed, so really, how much research or vetting can one do before?
One thing you might want to consider is lowering the number of guests allowed: lots of hosts are trying to make their place avialable for 6 or 8 or more guests, offering to pull out air mattresses, etc. If you get plenty of bookings, limiting it to 4 would be much more peaceful....especially with 1 1/2 bathrooms.
anyhow, happy hosting and good luck to you!

[Imogen11]

Thank you all so much for your input.

In this case I'm very happy I went with my instinct to message this guest, undo-ing the decline. She is an older woman (like me 🙂 and has asked lots of perfectly sensible questions that I'm happy to answer, especially as her questions have helped me refine my listing. There's nothing like a free focus group to help your marketing!

@Annette33 your insight is invaluable. I especially appreciate your gentle suggestion that I could perhaps stop cramming them in with barely a bucket to wash in 😄 (I'm just making fun of myself there)

For now I'm ok with opening up to large families. There's a real lack of affordable accommodation around here for travellers with more than 2 kids so hopefully I can fill a niche.

Does the garden hose count as half a bathroom? 😉 

[Susan151]

Most of my guests over the past year have been new to the AirBNB platform. Heck, so is your listing! So far, I have not had any guests who have willfully damage my home or cause me undue anxiety. Too many declines is not a great plan for your tenure with AirBNB. It seems to hurt your listing placement, especially after your new host boost disappears.

[Imogen11]

@Susan151 good point about this being a new listing! 

"Too many declines is not a great plan for your tenure with AirBNB." I agree but I'm not really sure how to manage this. I have Instant Book on and I'm happy with the criteria. Almost all the guests I've declines are a large group of friends looking for cheap accommodation - they're basically in party mode. I *think* my listing is pretty clear that the house is best suited for families. 

I may just have to take the hit, rather than accept bookings that will upset the neighbors 😞 

[Amy38]

Actually, you dont have to accept or decline for 24 hours....I have a converstion and if the person doesnt fit, I tell them why there request doesnt work for me or them and then wait 23 hours , by which time they have moved on  and then I accept them. At hour 24 the request has lapsed but I have answered.

so my response rate is great and I am not dinged for denying anyone.

and lots of my guests have been first time users and were fine, just fine.

For those wanting absurd discounts, I just say no and accpet the booking...of course at that point they will have to pay my price.

[Imogen11]

@Amy38 holy moly! You have this down to a fine art 😄