Request to book not answered by host

[Liam5]

Hi all,

I'm pretty new to Airbnb and planning my first trip. I have requested to book a place I really like and went through the stages of entering in payment details, verifications and wrote a message. The host-to-be has not responded in the 24 hour window, the request has not been declined or accepted. Airbnb suggests that I should look elsewhere but there is not much availbility of similar cost or qualitry in the area.

Has my request been terminated by Airbnb because they have not responded within 24 hours? Or is there a chance that the host could then accept the booking at a later date?

My issue is that I do not wish to book somewhere else to find that this prefered option becomes accepted. Could you give me any advice?

Many thanks in advance!

[Marit-Anne0]

You would not want to stay with someone who cannot be bothered to answer requests.  This is when the warning lights go on and the reason why airbnb suggests you move on.

[Clare0 · Accepted solution]

@Liam5 It wouldn't surprise me one single bit if your host sends you a message that they would like your reservation.  Unfortunately those hosts who rely on the Airbnb apps sometimes don't get the notifications of reservation requests.  I've seen many hosts in this community complain about that problem.  

Since I don't have the listing number (www.airbnb.com/rooms/xxxxxxxxx) it's hard to tell if this is a veteran or a new host who is just figuring out how things work.  Does the listing have many reviews?

If you really, really want to stay at this listing and want no other, you can always contact Airbnb on twitter @airbnbhelp and perhaps they will be willing to contact the host.  They have the means to do this. 

I hope this gets resolved for you soon.  I love guests that really want my place!

[Liam5]

First of all, thanks for the advice!

The host has 13 outstanding reviews (average 4.5 stars) from a variety of guests, most recent being only a month ago. I completely understand if for some technical (or personal) reason they can not respond within 24 hours. I am just curious as to how this affects the booking; as in if my message/ request will not be read by the host? - I'd rather have a rejection than not hear back!

I guess I am just looking for others who have experienced this in the past and how they dealt with it.

Many thanks

[Clare0]

@Liam5 Totally agree with you: a decline is better than no answer at all.  In fact Airbnb penalizes hosts who don't respond one way or another simply because it leaves guests like you are hanging.  Now that the 24 hour window has passed you may look for another listing.  Your credit card has not been charged, nor will be until a host confirms a reservation request. 

Airbnb suggests, and I agree, that guests should send reservation inquiries (Contact Host button) instead of reservation requests.  Tell the host why you are interested in their listing and the reason you're travelling to their area.  This way you can inquire about anything you want from as many hosts as you want without having your credit card tied up waiting for a host to confirm a reservation request.  You may receive several  Pre-Approvals which are invitations to book automatically.  

If you really have your heart set on this particular listing, send the host an inquiry.  Maybe he or she will see it this time.  

Hope this answers your questions, but if not, keep asking!

[Janet377]

Greetings all,

But doesn't the reservation inquiry page include a message to the host that allows you to introduce yourself and ask any questions?  Does the Contact Host button get the message to the host in a faster or different way that would be more to their liking?  Thank you!

[Sarah977]

@Janet377   I would think the host receives the messages from guests at the same speed no matter which option to contact the guest is using. As mentioned above, Airbnb is rife with tech issues. I rely on text notifications of booking requests or inquiries, as I don't have constant internet connection- so when I get the notification of a guest message I know to turn on my connection to respond. But at one point, I stopped getting those messages, and it took Airbnb a month to get them up and running again. So I missed responding to a booking request within the 24 hours when it first happened, as I wasn't aware of the problem.

Then there is the issue of guests from time zones on the other side of the world sending messages, which a host might receive at 1AM their time, when they're sound asleep, so of course they're not going to respond until sometime during the day.

In this age of instant communications, I find that people seem to expect that a message should get answered almost immediately. Maybe a host had to rush their kid to emerg because they fell off their bike, or maybe the host has a full time job where they can't deal with personal emails and such during working hours. 

But most responsible hosts do try to answer guest messages ASAP. And we get dinged by Airbnb by not responding within 24 hours.

[Janet377]

Thank you, Sarah.  This is helpful.  I am searching overseas so I am aware of and sensitive to the time zone difference.  Airbnb cancelled my request at the 24 hr mark.  The unit I was interested in now shows itself to be booked for the same days I had requested, so it is possible I have fallen into a glitch.  I did send a separate message to the host at the 23 hour mark but it is possible that person is not accessible at this time.  I will take this all into consideration going forward.  

[Sarah977]

@Janet377   If you want to have some higher level of assurance that the place you're interested in doesn't get booked while you're waiting for a host response, turn off the Instant Book filter. If you send a request to a host that uses IB, that place can be booked instantly by another guest while you're awaiting a response. Hosts who don't use IB and require that all guests send an inquiry or request first, are dealing directly, pre-booking approval, with all of their potential guests.

[Clare0]

@Janet377. Just so you know,  Airbnb blocks the dates of a requested reservation if the host doesn't respond to the request within 24 hours.  That said, if the host is interested in accepting your request, he or she can unblock the dates.  

See this article for hosts: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/28/what-do-i-do-after-i-receive-a-reservation-request

So, if you are still interested in reserving a space where the host has not responded, keep checking to see if the host unblocked the dates.  

[Joy304]

Speaking as a host who has now three "expired requests" on my account, I can say that there ARE times when the host does not get the original request. I have now had this happen three times this year when I'm only notified via email (also how my reservation requests come in) that I missed the 24 hour window to respond. Airbnb cannot seem to solve this problem.

[Simon3123]

I have a similar issue, I jumped into a booking because the offer was too good not to. The request has expired.

I have tried to send messages to the host (who has multiple properties) but am getting no response.

In the meantime said Hots response rate has gone up and time to respond gone down, so they must be getting some messages and acting on them

Is there another way to contact the host?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Simon3123 There is no other way to contact the host other than an inquiry (rather than a booking request). 

I hope you have checked the reviews carefully as some multiple listing hosts do not care overly about their guests and there are occasional reports of bait and switch where you book one property and end up in another.

A property at a price that is too good to miss is immediately suspect I am afraid.

[Simon3123]

Thanks @Mike-And-Jane0 ,  I will probably just move on now.

I did the booking in the half-term week, so I thought, maybe the host understandably  might have stuff going on themselves especially if they have a family

Just seems odd as you would think the person would want the money and presumably can't let out the dates until they unblock the calendar.

would just prefer a, sorry it won't be available rather than no response

all new to me as this is the first time trying to use AirBnB. 

anyway thanks for the help

Simon