And I get as reason being on a budget. Duhh, so am I.
After the last one I satisfied my temper tantrum by typing out some saved message variations. It was more for myself to get a therapeutic hit against the frustration that way ;D
But I'll consider using them in part in future, depending on how silly sounding their reason is., haha..
1)
Dear guest,
if you supply 3 amazing reasons for being eligible for a discount for the absolute minimum stay of two days as per your inquiry, I will contact you in case the room has still not been booked at normal price three days before your desired date.
.......
2)
Dear guest,
Unfortunately, my guest room is unavailable for reduction seekers.
With only the one single room I can offer (that includes the rarity of a non-shared private guest bathroom in this city!) I work hard to offer as high quality a stay as possible , with an attentive host and a lovely and restful ambience.
I'm not a budget hotel, nor in the charity business, and value guests who value the price of private hosts doing business.
I'm aware you probably have no idea of how much time and effort this business requires in preparation and upkeep of the space for guests;
the amenities offered, water/energy usage, other operational expenses, taxes, mortgage payments, having less privacy as host.a
This comes at a bit of a price for which I need to make sharp calculations to stay in business.
Now even if I did feel extremely generous and decided to give you - a non-repeat guest -something for free (a refund), would you be happy and willing to accept one of the following conditions in exchange?:
- I could save time+work and not clean as well as I normally do after the last guest before you?
- Or you could personally take over the cleaning and preparing of the room after the last guest(s) before using it, seeing you would be getting it at a cheaper price?
- Or would you be okay with directly using the last guest(s) unwashed bed linens+towels ?
- Or would you rather have the refrigerator/Nespresso machine/coffee/water cooker/tees removed from the room in exchange for the reduced price?
- Or maybe you would agree to only having water or electricity available for only for 1 hour in the morning and in the evening to save expenses against the income I'd be missing by giving a free reduction?
And that for a top 5-star review from you of course?
Well, I didn't think so...
But to help you find something cheaper in this city:
I'm sure - even on such prime season booking dates - you'd have better chances with commercial Hostels who have many more beds and personnel who is paid independent of whether they clean 20 or 25 rooms.
For example there's one in my neighborhood that also offers private rooms at good prices called StayOkay. That might be more suited to your budget than renting from a private host with only a single accommodation. Just make sure to check whether you have to bring your own towels or not.
Another good way of finding cheaper accommodation is with hosts further out from the central part of Amsterdam. Public transport here is so regular and good, that a bit more of a distance wouldn't be a great disadvantage when deciding for a lower budget accommodation.
....
3)
Are you familiar with a past Forbes article 'Dear Would-Be Airbnb Guests: Here's Why Hosts Keep Turning You Down' that takes the words right out of my mind? Well, amongst other points let me quote this one:
"You Asked For A Discount -
Many guests think that, hey, it can’t hurt to ask for a deal. Right? I’m here to tell you that, yes, it can hurt. Pop over to one of the Web’s many Airbnb host-centric message boards and you’ll find that many, if not most, experienced hosts not only won’t negotiate on price, but also won’t book guests who ask. Even at full price.
Why? There’s a perception in the Airbnb host community (and one that comes from experience, I might add) that guests who ask for discounts tend to be high-maintenance, nitpicky, and are more likely to leave negative reviews or complain about their stay.
To see what I mean, I’m just going to quote from a recent post on the airhostsforum.com message board:
'You must decline negotiators. They are throwing out red flags by disrespecting you. From experience we can tell you that accepting negotiators will bring you the worst guests. People who have no compunctions about bullying you and are looking for all they can get for the lowest price. I would rather have it sit empty than kow-tow to that type of guest… They just want to win, and think about it….is that the kind of person you really want in your home?'”
Now you know 🙂
Good luck.
