Is this a red flag?

[Elizabeth2494]

Hi, all.  As a new host, I am trying to be flexible about my minimum stay policy in order to build up momentum.  Last Friday I got a booking for 8 people (my house's max) for one night from a Friday to a Saturday in May, with no note alongside it.  I sent my usual nice welcome note to the guy, with the following addendum at the end: "As a new host, I would love to get a better sense of what bring our guests to us - can you shoot me a note letting me know the purpose of your trip?"  No response.  Yesterday afternoon (Monday) I asked him "Hi - following up on this, can you please let me know the purpose of your trip?" with a little more info on the bed situation given the size of his group (some of the beds are bunks and full-out futons).  No word again.

He does have one review from this past fall and it was a standard "no problems with this guest" sort of thing.

I'm feeling very nervous about this guest, but wanted to run this past you more experienced hosts since I'm not sure if I'm just being new-host-nervous.  Is it normal for guests to not respond to any host messages?  Is a large group for a one-night stay a likely indicator of a party?  Can I rely on one good review?

All that said, what would you guys do in this situation?  I understand that there are penalties for hosts cancelling, and that my concerns about them partying being conjecture, but then again, I don't want them to trash the home and disturb the neighbors either...

For what it's worth, now I changed the minimum nights up to 2 in order to limit this kind of situation in the future.

Thanks!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Elizabeth2494 If they are local I would cancel.

[Elizabeth2494]

Not local @Mike-And-Jane0!  They're from about 3 hours away.

[Mark116]

@Elizabeth2494 I count that as local, it's too close for comfort, I would consider all of that a red flag, especially 1 night.  

[Gillian166]

what? 60% of my bookings are from "locals", ie the city 1 hour away. they all come to the Adelaide Hills for a night away in the country, to drink wine and some of them hoping to get romantical. outside of school hols the vast majority of my bookings are 1 or 2 nights max. 

[Colleen253]

@Elizabeth2494 I tend to agree with others here. Red flags all around. It’s a bit tricky now that you’ve accepted the booking though, as cancelling will give you a hit you will have a hard time recovering from. 

Prevention is the best course of action when it comes to hosting on Airbnb. Ask all your questions while a request is still pending, and use the answers/non answers to inform whether you accept or decline. 

Be aware that a 2 night min. is no guarantee guests won’t party or trash your place. 

[Elizabeth2494]

Thanks, @Colleen253. To clarify, do you vet every booking in advance?  Ie, not have instant booking on?

[Colleen253]

@Elizabeth2494 I use both, variably. IB is not recommended for new hosts. Turn it off until you gain more experience. However, one upside is that you have a bit of leeway to cancel an IB penalty free. If this was an IB, then cancel it, citing discomfort with the booking. 

Have a read of this forum to learn a bit more about what to watch out for regarding red flags, and how to vet guests. Tons of great posts if you do a keyword search. 

[Helen3]

I use IB and include five vetting questions as part of the process . If they don't answer I can ask Airbnb to cancel penalty free.

i wouldn't accept a one night booking from a guest who doesn't reply . 

[Toni4507]

I'd call them directly on their phone. I've done this before. And then you can request a deposit for example, $500 deposit in case of incidentals. It could just very well be a friendly family reunion, but you don't know. So, if they don't answer your call and don't accept the deposit than that's a HUGE red flag. You can also call Airbnb and ask for further support, I've always found them to be very helpful with regards to policies and what you can do to protect yourself as a host. 

[Amanda660]

@Elizabeth2494 I’d give him a call - you’ll know either way after a chat and be in a better position to decide to continue  or cancel.

[Ann72]

I agree with others that you should cancel @Elizabeth2494.  Cancelling shows them you’re in control of your listing; calling them up still allows them to imagine they are in control.  This situation requires you to WREST control away from this disrespectful group.  They are not going to get better from this point on without strong measures.

Since you are new you can create a new listing if there are any unpleasant repercussions from cancelling.

[Colleen253]

@Elizabeth2494 

@Ann72 is spot on. And do you really need to speak with them to know what their plans are? They’re traveling 3 hours to stay one night at your place. Do you imagine they are going to sleep the night away?

This one night booking is just not worth spending any more time on. 

[M199]

@Elizabeth2494, @Colleen253 , @Ann72   @Amanda660 , @Toni4507 

Sorry all, I beg to differ about calling the guest.  Outside of messaging, there will be no official record if things go bad.  Be cautious.

Myself, I would decline, sounds like a party in the making.

[Ann72]

@M199  Not sure why I was tagged as I strongly recommended not calling the guest.