On Penalizing Hosts for Rejecting Unsuitable Guests

[Kevin-s0]

So many guests don’t bother to read the listing. So many are naive about how to get around in Japan and how long it takes. And Airbnb penalizes hosts for rejecting bookings. If you reject more than average your ranking in the listings goes down. So in effect you encourage hosts to accept as many as possible - or be penalized. I feel this is detrimental. Hosts shouldn’t be penalized if guests have children but still inquire about a listing that doesn’t accept children. That’s the guests fault. But if the host rejects them, that goes into their rejection total. Or a listing that is too far for them to get to in one day. Same thing, the host is encouraged to accept them or be penalized. But hosts are caught between your rules and naive guests. I get a disproportionate number of non-English speakers. I feel hosts like me are penalized for trying to do a good job. I understand you are trying to prevent racism. But in effect you encourage hosts to accept guests they shouldn’t as they may be penalized otherwise. Some hosts get around this by accepting guests, then discouraging them from coming. It’s a waste of everyone’s time.

[Dan96]

How inactive is this "discussion"? The lead commenter is from 2017, and here and now it's 3-20-18.

My issue is that somehow the Instant Booking got activated...I do not recall doing that (maybe did so by mistake?), but I do recall being constantly prompted by Airbnb to do so to "increase bookings". If I did activate that, it would have only been for a trial looksee of off-peak-season March or into April...certainly not for primetime summer months here in the northeast, USA. Our rentals are primarily weekly, and are stand alone rental homes, not rooms within our own home. We do not, and do not wish to operate as a hotel/motel, rather as a controlled vacation rental home. Why would we ever want to allow IB four months out for a partial week during some of the easiest to fill full weekly portions of the rental year? And yet that is what happened, and when I disallowed that "booking" I get threats from Airbnb that I am on a negative limbo list now, and I better not cancel another reserevation, etc. My correction of that undesired booking was completed within one hour of the "reservation"...for a date four months away. C'mon man, no harm no foul...isn't that a more host-friendly approach? Also why would Airbnb want me to settle for 50% lower value of booking for that week? Doesn't that negatively impact them as well?

[Dan96]

This is my first time using the discussion forum. How are we to see any replies or discussions of my just- completed post? Is there a notice sent, or do I need to recall the specifically worded topic that got me into this protion of the discussion forum, and check back in later?

[Andreas-and-Anna0]

We are having the same problem with ESL people. English as a Second Language. They don’t understand listing and act as if they do. We had to turn away 4 people who showed up when we clearly say only two.

 It’s been a big problem. I feel like having a phone conversation before booking, or even saying ESL guests must have an English speaking interpreter to book as a House Rule. I don’t know!