Suggested pricing for extra guests

[Cindy1070]

I am a new host (getting ready for my first guests). They are requesting to have 4 extra people stay, and I told them there would be an extra charge, but I don't know what is reasonable. I have discounted the rate quite substantially (especially for a holiday weekend) if that matters, but can someone give me a suggestion about how much to charge for extra people? (My listing was for 8, and we have 8 beds.) They are asking to have 12 people stay.

[Marissa160]

@Cindy1070  I typically see $20-$25 extra per guest. I think the other issue you need to decide on is if your listing can handle that many guests. With 8 beds, it sounds like it can, but I don’t stretch my max guest count anymore. More people is more wear and tear and higher chance for damages. As a new host, please be wary of people trying to take advantage of you. I learned a lot from this forum about that as it has happened to me : ) 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Cindy1070 @Marissa160 you have agreed to it already?

What is the rate per person if the place is fully occupied? That x 4?

[Kia272 · Accepted solution]

@Cindy1070 

I strongly suggest that you NOT do this. A guest who starts out by breaking your rules in asking to bring more than your listing capacity doesn't sound good. They are manipulating you right from the start. Sounds like a party to me. 

If you want to get out of this make the price so high that they'll balk. Seriously, this does not sound like a good first reservation. 

Guests prey on new listings. You can call AirBnB and ask them to cancel for you on the basis that the guest is asking for something not offered in the listing (more guests than allowed.)

Please do this. 

You may also want to rethink changing your capacity. It's listed as 6 right now and that looks perfect. New hosts tend to want to allow many more guests than makes sense. Think about who your target audience is (families?) and adjust accordingly. 

I understand that you are on-site hosts, but your place is not meant for 12 guests, and you shouldn't allow it. 

[Cindy1070]

Thank you so much for your responses. Unfortunately I felt pressured to respond to him and told him $35/night/person and gave him a pre-approval. He does have a good rating (4.5 based on 3 reviews). Would you recommend backing out even still? Thank you again for your help!

[Kia272]

@Cindy1070  Has he accepted yet?? Honestly, you may come to realize, among other things, that 4.5 is not the best rating. It's not that hard to be a 5* guest. The bar is pretty low. Look carefully to see if he got rated lower on something like cleaning, or more important things like house rules. 

I understand it's tempting and exciting to have your first reservation, but this one doesn't sound great to me. 

If he hasn't accepted then I would pull your pre-approval immediately.

If he has, then ask lots of questions about who is coming, etc. Make your quiet hours clear, make sure your house rules are specific and clear, and emphasize that you are on-site hosts and that you'll be there (not necessarily 24/7). Make it sound like you'll be there all of the time. 

You'll learn more as you gain more experience hosting. Good luck.