Do your guests ask to negotiate the price?

[Quincy]

Negotiations.

A word that we have probably all encountered many times in our lives, and perhaps an action that we may have practised ourselves at one point. Negotiations when buying a car, negotiations when buying a property, the list goes on. 

Treading very carefully here, I am aware that in some regions negotiating the price is not common practice. However, since everyone has a different style of Hosting, how do you view guests who try to negotiate the price with you? Have you perhaps ever negotiated your asking price, and what advice would you give to other Hosts?

I look forward to reading your answers (please go easy on me 🙂). 

Thank you,

Quincy

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy Only one guest has asked for a lower price. It was during the first lockdown and they wanted to stay for a month 'to give themselves a change of scene'

Given that it was debatable if their trip was even legal we rejected Both the discount request and declined to host them. 

The potential illegality made it an easy decision but I am glad we did as I suspect they would have been difficult guests.

Returning guest (who book direct) do get discounts of as much as 100% depending on the circumstances.

[Quincy]

Oh dear, what were they thinking travelling at that time @Mike-And-Jane0. Have you had many returning guests who have booked directly with you? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy Not a huge number of returning guests booking direct - Only those who have family nearby.

[Huma0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

I had a couple of guests in the first lockdown but those were local people who had become temporarily 'homeless' due to the pandemic and desperately needed somewhere to stay for a few weeks. After that the calendar was blocked anyway, so who knows what other requests I would have received but I would have been very wary of someone wanting 'to give themselves a change of scene'! 

@Quincy  As I host long term stays, it's not unusual for guests to ask for a discount 'because they will be staying so long'. They don't seem to realise that I only host long term stays and the price therefore reflects that. Fair enough. What I don't understand is why so many of them miss the weekly and monthly discounts I already have in place. They are right there in the breakdown in plain sight! 

I don't get offended, I just tell them there is already a discount. Most will then either book anyway or look elsewhere and those that book usually turn out to be good guests.

Occasionally though, I get a guest who keeps trying to haggle. I always say no to the discount, but should actually always say no to this type of guest, because if they cannot see the value I am offering, they are much more likely to give me poor ratings and/or be difficult in other ways. This happened to me recently when I let one of them slip through the net (an instant booking) and it didn't turn out well!

Also, something I definitely noticed since the pandemic is that far more guests ask for additional discounts (see https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Are-extra-discounts-the-new-normal/m-p/1318829#M313662) and, for quite a while, it seemed to be just because they thought they could get Airbnbs cheaper when hosts were struggling to get bookings. This I really took an exception to. These were people who still had their jobs/could afford to travel. Why would they think that it's okay to take advantage of small businesses that are suffering? Of course, they probably didn't think of it exactly like that, but it's still what they were proposing. 

[Laura2592]

@Quincy if a guest asks to negotiate, its a sure sign that my listing is not the right one. 

I always say no and offer to send them some other options in the area at lower price points. Bargain hunters make poor guests in my experience. 

[Quincy]

Hi @Laura2592, I hope all is well! Do you get these requests often?

[Laura2592]

@Quincy occasionally. Not super often. But often enough. 

[PhitsaandDustin0]

Exactly what she said. 

[Kelly149]

@Quincy we do not negotiate... And negotiation is only appropriate when 2 parties are both going back and forth with offers of what they'll trade. For what I'm seeing around me right now, there's no negotiation happening in car sales, not in home sales, and any kind of negotiation is more along the lines of 'what kind of extras do I need to offer you to get this deal' than it is 'how much can I get you to knock off the price'. ABB guests would do well to present themselves as trying to be accepted vs trying to get a host to take them for less than the advertised rate. The negotiating I want to see out of guests looks like: "I read the entire listing, I intend to abide by everything you said, I think your place is lovely and I'll be bringing you a xyz from my hometown to show you how glad I am to visit your home." There is absolutely no one on the planet who thinks they can call up American Airlines and offer to book a flight for 20% off or bring 3 extra bags for free. I've never once called the Marriott to ask for a different price than what was posted. So whoever started the idea that you should msg an ABB host and ask them to just host you for less money, just because, was completely delusional.

@Mike-And-Jane0 I remember I did a pandemic post awhile back where a guest said "I lost my job, can you discount our girls weekend ?" Absolutely not, and how very dare you!

[Laura2592]

@Kelly149 we bought a new car last week and had not gotten the memo that there was no negotiation on prices anymore. It was surreal to see the three couples at the tables with salespeople all hearing the "no, fixed price only now" at the same time and see the three identically shocked reactions. We still bought the car,  but you are correct. The world has changed.

[Quincy]

Thanks for sharing this @Kelly149! I'm just wondering whether you could share the message you would send to these kinds of people? (sorry if I'm asking too much here)

[Kelly149]

@Quincy I've been closed since May '21, so looking thru my message thread is interesting... here's a few...

"March '21: GUEST: I am interested in staying at this place, but was concerned about the cost of the cleaning fees. Its a lot higher than other properties. Is the $205 cleaning fee listed correct?

HOST:Can you imagine what it takes to hire really great cleaners during a world-wide pandemic where people have become hyper-vigilant about contact and cleaning? Yes, the number is real. Enjoy your trip!" They didn't book.

"December '20: GUEST: I want to come isolate alone for 2 weeks before I see my family for Christmas, do you offer any discounts for a solo traveler?

HOST:The pricing you see in our calendar is the lowest we'd go. While of course I'm thrilled to see that you're a well-regarded ABB traveler, still a fully isolating, home-bound solo stay right before Christmas seems to be priced low or about right as it sits. And have you considered what you'll do if you're ill while you're here, isolating?" They didn't book

This one is maybe the most thorough back and forth:

Hi Kelly!

We are headed to Austin Sept 20-25 and are looking at your rental and a couple others. Would you be willing to offer any discounts for those dates? Thanks so much for your time!

Kwynn

Kelly12:24 PM

Have a great trip!

Nate12:32 PM

Hi! I’m sorry it’s been a little while since I’ve used Airbnb. I see that you’ve invited us to book but the price per night has gone up to $150 per night when originally when I was checking dates it said $120 per night.

Nate8:55 PM

Could you help clarify? Thanks!

Kelly8:57 PM

Yes, I'm happy to clarify. the base rate is 120, quite a bargain despite the fact that you think it is worth arguing over... the other additional fees are the cleaning fee... can you imagine how much cleaning happens during a pandemic? then there are of course the taxes bc the government always gets their cut. then abb adds fees on top bc well, bc they do

If you looked at every listing in town and read thru my amenities, my 4 years of rental history, pages of glowing reviews and still the only thing you thought to say to me was "how about I pit you against some other hosts and get you to subsidize some of my vacation after the worst year in travel in recent memory?" Then really what needs clarifying other than you should likely stay somewhere that better fits your budget?
How very dare you and good luck with your travel

Sep 10, 2020

Nate8:35 AM

Kelly, I am so sorry for offending you. I didn’t mean to come across as “arguing” over the price I was simply asking if that was the best price you could do as every dollar counts for everyone right now. I am sure it has been a difficult year for the rental industry and wasn’t trying to be insensitive. The base rate is what increased which is what my confusion was over. I of course understand the cleaning fee, taxes etc. Again I am incredibly sorry I came off as rude or insensitive.

Kelly8:44 AM

Thanks for that but really why wouldn’t I already be putting my best foot forward? We offer an amazing space, we cater well to families. We have privacy, space & personality. If none of that has value to you then please enjoy whatever you’ve found that you like better.
I’m sorry if my frustration over a summers’ worth of people who think their financial concerns should somehow outweigh all the effort and value we provide was taken out too strongly on your question.

To help you understand, you have an entirely blank profile, no reviews, you’re signing a different name than what’s on your profile & before you offer up anything you’re asking for extra. How would that strike you if you were me?

Nate8:49 AM

Your space looks amazing and I am sure you are an incredible host. So my comment was certainly was not meant to be disrespectful or undervalue you. I do understand that our financial concerns shouldn’t outweigh the efforts you put in. Absolutely agree.

We traveled for 9 months with our kids and stayed in Airbnb’s. Our last trip my husband somehow connected this profile to our reservation and now I can’t find my old account. I know this sounds like a story but it isn’t! So I understand the concern of renting to someone with no past stays or reviews.

In our experience with renting so often we had just found it never hurts to ask to see if that was the best price available as sometimes it is our experience that people price a little higher in order to have some negotiation room. Again, I can see how my comment can be taken as an offense and I apologize for that. It truly wasn’t my intention.

They didn't book... now, I'm probably an outlier bc I don't actually "NEED" the abb money. The space is additional guesthouse at our home & so I'm much more concerned with a good fit than being full. And if we weren't in a pandemic I might be less grouchy...

[Pat271]

  I don’t negotiate on prices, but I don’t need to as I’m in a high-demand area.

One thing I don’t do, though, is take offense or consider it an insult if someone asks for a discount. I simply respond that no discounts are available, and I thank them kindly for their inquiry. Many times, they were just making what they considered a “couldn’t hurt” request, and planned to book with me all along.

Some hosts have mentioned that they don’t like to host people who ask for discounts, because they feel it is a warning flag of a dissatisfied, high-maintenance guest. I personally haven’t noticed that correlation.

The biggest red flag I experience has more to do with the guest’s attitude and delivery. I have been known to suggest to guests that our place wasn’t a good fit, and to wish them luck in continuing their search, solely based on the gut-feel vibe I got from their chat with me.

[Sarah977]

@Pat271  I wouldn't take personal offense at discount requesters, I just don't want those people as guests because I consider it to be clueless and self-absorbed.