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

[Ann72]

I've had exactly one guest who understood this kind of negotiation @Kelly149.  She offered to swap a stay for a painting.  I looked into her and discovered she was a prolific and very successful artist, so I went for it.  I chose a big painting that covered the cost of two visits for her and it was 100% worth it to me.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  I've had some interesting swap offers, but for my upholstery work, not my Airbnb.

As you say, most don't understand the swap negotiation. I have dealt with several people who do massage, which I normally can't afford, but would be willing to swap for. Except all of them wanted to swap according to how much they normally charge per hour and what I normally charge per hour. 

Well, these massage therapists charge about $100/hr. while I charge $30 for my upholstery. 

What I would say to them is,  "Look, I'm really skilled at what I do, and I assume you are really skilled at what you do. When I swap, I swap hour for hour- my hour of time is a swap for your hour of time. The only reason you guys can charge $100/hr. is because all you body workers have decided that's the standard rate and you won't work for less. How about if all the upholsterers got together and decided to charge $100/hr. and you couldn't get that work done for less?"

There was only one masseuse who "got it", said that when put that way, it totally made sense, and agreed to a swap.

[Laura2592]

@Ann72 YES!

I have an online business selling vintage and antique fine jewelry as a hobby. Not a week goes by that I don't get a random email stating "oh I so love this item! I wish I could afford it! Are you flexible to X (lowball price)? I am having a birthday/had a similar item stolen/got dumped/had a baby and I really need to treat myself! Can you help me out?"

The answer is HARD NO. There are many many many things I would love to own, but I understand that it is not a vendor's job to make up any shortfalls in my financial means to purchase these items. I am not running a jewelry charity. Nor am I running a halfway house, budget lodging depot nor church sponsored shelter with my Airbnb. I do not give discounts to likeminded souls who complement my taste. I am not that needy. 

[Quincy]

These are all valid points @Ann72! Thanks for sharing! 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy I was wondering where this question comes from.

PLEASE tell me it isn't Airbnb asking you to test the water on hosts thoughts before they roll out a 'Please ask your host for a discount' section on the travelling website.

[Ann72]

I was thinking exactly the same thing @Mike-And-Jane0, so I'm adding my voice to this request @Quincy!  Given that they're telling folks to bring their pets, this plan wouldn't surprise me at all.

[Colleen253]

@Mike-And-Jane0 @Quincy @Ann72 

Augggghhhhhh!!!!!!    

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Hmmm. Good question. 

[Quincy]

Absolutely not @Mike-And-Jane0 @Sarah977 @Colleen253 @Ann72! Rest assured! 

[Ann72]

Thank you @Quincy!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy Always fun to set the odd hare running! Soz.

[Amanda660]

I’d not had any for years but had two

last week.  

One looking for a stay with family members and hoping to pay £300 less for then three nights and another who wanted to take a couple of ladies on a ‘mental health’ break for one night at half price.  Both were very polite and received an equally polite no.  They took it really well, told me they loved the house but it was out of budget. 

[Ann783]

My first guest asked for a discount. I took about 10% off. They were good guests. I think some people like to haggle or feel they got a “deal.” I don’t take it personally. We just spent a lot of money on our deck, fence, new pool liner, playset and now a basement renovation. I wish someone gave us a “discount.”

Hosting is a lot of work. I don’t need or want to be fully booked. I would rather have fewer guests and earn what I want… Less wear and tear on the house.

[Sarah977]

@Ann783  Your last paragraph sums up what a lot of discount seekers don't understand. They seem to think all hosts are desperate to have the place filled with guests every night. And that getting something is better than nothing, which isn't always the case.

[Elaine701]

@Sarah977 

I sense at times, that certain people think that Airbnb is the place to go for cheap accommodation. If you read the forums on TripAdvisor for example, people do post views that reflect that. "I was looking for a nice relaxing week, but the resort hotels are really expensive, so the next best thing was Airbnb, and everything there is much more expensive! ".

Lesson to be learned: many people assume that a "relaxing holiday" can only mean a 20 sq. meter room in a crowded resort hotel, likely because that's all they've ever known. They don't seem to be aware that the "expensive" Airbnb is actually a 140 sq. meter house with private pool and no crowds, yet only slightly pricier than the resort hotel. It's like assuming a mobile home is pretty much the same as a Volkswagen Golf (well, they both have wheels) and they expect it to be priced accordingly. 

And here in Spain (I assume you get this in Mexico, too), it's sometimes assumed that we must be some kind of far flung third world place, where everyone is desperate, so everything's supposed to be cheap. Especially now, with the pandemic. It's often assumed we must be all impoverished or something, so you'll take any booking.

And it doesn't stop with accommodation. I have plenty of stories of clueless tourists "in the wild" making really stupid presumptions about where they are.