Number of Guests Booking: Suggestion for Airbnb

Dave-and-Deb0
Level 10
Edmonton, Canada

Number of Guests Booking: Suggestion for Airbnb

Please take this poll:  http://goo.gl/forms/7otIJChX7d

 

I have seen a common issue posted on the Community Center which happens with several hosts on Airbnb and that is with the number of guests people book for and the number of guests who show up at the door.  This is often a result of 1) a guest trying to "sneak" in extra guests because the host charges extra per person over "X" amount or 2) some guests feel that children should or are not considered people/guests.

 

Airbnb states that, ""You need to disclose the total number of guests accurately when making reservation requests, including infants and children (Travelling with children)." Now most people would not even know where to find this and it is not on the booking page when you choose the number of guests.  

 

Airbnb needs to change the way guests book when it comes to inputing the number of guests.  By guests showing up at a host's listing with more people than the host is expecting puts the guest and the host in a difficult position.  It is essentially starting the Airbnb experience out as a negative experience.  Any number of things could happen including 1) the host turning the guest away or only allowing the number of guests in that were booked or 2) putting the burden onto the host by now having to charge for extra guests.  This is not good for the Airbnb brand and you can bet the host will not be getting a favourable review even though the situation was not their fault.

 

I would like to see Airbnb add a box for the number of children that will be staying just like the airlines and hotels have on their sites.  This would also help out for those hosts who have not checked off "Family Friendly" as the search would not even show their listing if the children box is filled out.

 

What are your thoughts and experiences of extra guests showing up at your doorstep?  Should this be something that Airbnb should implement or leave it as it is?  

 

Please share your thoughts below AND complete this quick 2 question survey: http://goo.gl/forms/7otIJChX7d (Results of the poll are here: https://goo.gl/9lTWbD)

 

Here are a couple of examples of what Airbnb could include:

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David

Superhost Ambassador ~ Host Club Community Leader ~ Community Expert ~ Experienced Co-Host

156 Replies 156
Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Thanks so much @Kelly9, this is great. 

 

Here is the link to the Camera Security thread.


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Lynn8
Level 2
Broadbeach Waters, Australia

Hello Kelly

I am interested in the camera with motion detector and wonder what brand it is and did you need a specialist to install it?

I have been a host for a while in Australia for an entire home and am finding that there is an increasing trend for guests to book and pay for fewer guests than the number that actually turn up. Of course, the extra guests don't turn up at check in, as I manage that personally.

Sadly, the booking guest does not realise that humans leave trails of evidence that are obvious to the discerning eye.

Definite proof is more difficult to establish and challenging the guest directly only results in defensiveness and poor or no reviews.

Like others I have tried to keep my rates affordable for couples travelling on their own, however, that is not working because my maintenance costs are too high

 

Lynn, we have Y-cam brand cameras and they have worked well for our needs. WiFi is required. We installed ours above the front door entry so it records all comings and goings. We had ours installed by an electrician, then my husband took care of the on-line set-up (computer required for this part.) They offer simple plug in cameras as well, which could work in a window or for shared interior space.  

Ernie0
Level 10
San Francisco, CA

Airbnb already has a number of guests field to be completed by a booking guest. I see no need for an additional field for children. If more people show up than are accounted for on the booking, the guests can either cancel the booking or amend the booking to properly reflect the number of guests (within the permitted maximum set by the host). 

What I believe Airbnb should add is a requirement that each guest have his or her own Airbnb profile attached to any booking that he or she will be a party. If a booking is for two guests, then both guests must attach their profile to the booking. If the booking is for four guests, all four must attach their profiles to the booking. This way, the review left by the host attaches to each profile. For minors, each must have a profile that will only allow them to book on their own once they have attained the age of majority (18 +). This way, until they have reached the legal age, their profile must be attached to any bookings that they will be a party to with a supervising adult. The key here is that the host knows who is to be in attendance and the host review attaches to all guests for a booking upon completion. 

HI Ernest

I absolutely agree with this.  I recently had 2 girls (ages 29 & 30) from Austria stay with us for 10 days.  The girl who booked the private room was the actual profile that I received however, the guest that showed up with her was the one who actually spoke English, did all the complaining, all the demanding, gave me so much frustration and actually brought tears to my 12 year old daughter because this "woman" would not stop badgeting me over the $11 Airbnb owed her.  I could not write the review I really wanted to because she was not the actual person who booked it.  The one who booked it was pleasant, courteous, kind and showed signs of embaraassment over how her friend was behaving for many days in a row.  I think that we should make everyone have a profile, and that way, their profiles could be linked into the booking together since both of them stayed here and the review would actually reflect the ACTUAL person I wanted to share my experience with. Instead, I focused on the positive things about the actual girl's profile and her stay with us and slightly hinted that her best friend (travel companion) would not be welcomed back into our home.   (in case they booked together again for the next host).  that was all I could do.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinon. Everyday I do see the progress Airbnb is making to help and support us hosts even more.  I love the new dedicated phone line for SuperHosts.   Aloha

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


HI Ernest

I absolutely agree with this.  I recently had 2 girls (ages 29 & 30) from Austria stay with us for 10 days.  The girl who booked the private room was the actual profile that I received however, the guest that showed up with her was the one who actually spoke English, did all the complaining, all the demanding, gave me so much frustration and actually brought tears to my 12 year old daughter because this "woman" would not stop badgeting me over the $11 Airbnb owed her.  I could not write the review I really wanted to because she was not the actual person who booked it.  The one who booked it was pleasant, courteous, kind and showed signs of embaraassment over how her friend was behaving for many days in a row.  I think that we should make everyone have a profile, and that way, their profiles could be linked into the booking together since both of them stayed here and the review would actually reflect the ACTUAL person I wanted to share my experience with. Instead, I focused on the positive things about the actual girl's profile and her stay with us and slightly hinted that her best friend (travel companion) would not be welcomed back into our home.   (in case they booked together again for the next host).  that was all I could do.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinon. Everyday I do see the progress Airbnb is making to help and support us hosts even more.  I love the new dedicated phone line for SuperHosts.   Aloha

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


@Ernie0, In our case, I'd really like to see fields of some kind for children, because we have a cottage with a loft and a ladder that just isn't suitable for young children, and we find that no matter how much we describe the home, or how many pictures of the ladder appear in the listing, it seems that about half of our guests do not take the time to read the description, look at the photos, or ask any questions prior to booking.  And like other folks have mentioned, many guests do not consider their children to be people, so they don't mention them or count them in their # of guests total.  They arrive and seem totally surprised by the fact that there is a ladder, even mentioning in our reviews that we should make a point to tell people about it.  Baffling.  It becomes a major hassle to have people want to cancel, demand refunds, etc.  If there were a "child guest" field, at least we would know if folks had children and we could initiate a discussion with them about it.  Beyond the fact that it is inconvenient, it is a safety issue. 

@Kelly, so really this is a problem of willfully ignorant and/or dishonest guests. Airbnb should emphazize that guests ought to read the listings before booking and to be certain to honestly disclose the number of members within a booking party. If they are dishonest and ignorant already, how will this button serve to change that? I think this is not the proper solution. 

@Ernie0  It may not stop dishonest folks from misrepresenting the number of guests, but I think a lot of people just don't read descriptions or rules, or pause to think or ask questions.  A field that requires an answer, perhaps with a short reminder message that children are indeed considered guests, might help educate or at the very least eliminate the the "we didn't know that children counted as guests" excuse. 

I do love your idea about requiring all adult guests to have a profile, and that a review for a particular stay would apply to every guest in the group.  I think this would provide some motivation for guests to behave more responsibly- there's likely to be someone in the group that cares about their airbnb profile. 

In 4 years of hosoting, I have never had a surprise child show up. Most of my guests these days are in their 50s and 60s and coming for longer stays. That's the way I like it. Their children are always adults and even if they live nearby have no interest in spending too much time with their parents.

@Scott1  Hmmm... Perhaps Bellingham, WA is a family mecca, because we host lots of families with kids.  Our listings are also stand-alone places rather than shared, which are probably more attractive to folks with kids?  We even stock our homes with toys, games, & puzzles to keep the little ones happy.  For us it is a pretty common occurence to have guests leave children out of their count, but maybe it's because we host a larger percentage of families overall.  

 

There is no fool proof way of stopping the dedicated criminal. But givng guests the explicit opportunity to list every guest in their party reduces the opportunity for them to stay silent on who is traveling with them while booking. Then when they arrive it becomes harder for them to cook up excuses; and easier for resolution center to come up with a resolution. Like most things in life every little bit helps.

Great suggestion (each guest must have a profile - and all guests are attached to the booking as a guest) @Ernie0 !

Johanna5
Level 3
Ocean Shores, Australia

Hi Ernie, Thanks for your opinion that there is no need for children to be listed separately when guests apply. However, it is crystal clear by reading reviews or checking polls that nearly all hosts want to know how many guests will be coming - including infants and children. Thus the extra boxes etc are an excellent idea. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the review by the host should be attached to all guest's profiles. This is the first time I've seen that suggestion and it is both excellent and logical.

Juliana7
Level 1
Chicago, IL

I think this is an excellent idea. I have seen this happen many many times where the number of people is totally unproportionate with the number of guests staying in the house. Moreover, more people can arrive as "friends" later on during their stay, and that way it is definitely more than originally booked. Disclosing the number of guests and the number of kids in the party will definitely help in that respect. Charges for extra guets should be imposed as well if it turns out that extra people are staying and more are actually showing up at the front door. I can only suggest charging an extra security deposit outside of the scope of Airbnb proposal where they technically don't charge one unless damages occur. I think a deposit of $250 per reservation is nothing but fair considering anything like that can happen and thus the guests will feel liable paying that fee if more guests actually show up than the booking indicated.