Would you rather send a Special Offer or leave a night vacant?

[Sudeep23]

Hi Hosts,
Just curious to hear your perspective — how do you feel when guests message asking for a discount or a Special Offer?

From what I’ve seen as a guest, some hosts are happy to negotiate, especially for longer stays or to fill in gaps. Others prefer to hold their rate and wait for the right booking. I’ve seen both sides work.

I’ve also noticed that more guests are using tools that help them frame their messages and propose fair rates when requesting a Special Offer. Some even use templates or browser extensions to make it easier.

Would love to know:

• Are you open to those kinds of requests?

• Do you see them as helpful or annoying?

• Would you rather fill a date with a small discount or let it stay vacant?

[Pam3]

Thank you for your mail.  I would rather give a discount and fill as many nights as possible.  Always want full nights. 
Regards,

Pam

[Lorina14]

@Sudeep23 

We do special offers on our own closer to the dates to try to fill the nights. But we do not appreciate guests trying to negotiate on rates when we already offer weekly discounts, monthly discounts, and special offers. It also depends on the manner in which someone asks for a discount. We recently had someone say what is the lowest you’d go for a 3 night stay with no other context or not even a hello and insight to why they wanted to stay with us. 

Also sometimes we had guests who did not appreciate our hospitality and space when they got a special offer (the lowest price for the season for our type of space) as they do not understand the pricing of our area and the level of hospitality we provide. So I can understand why some hosts don’t discount as it can attract a certain type of guest who may not appreciate it or may then nitpick to get a lower price. It depends on your area, and the hosts priorities for their listings. 

[Greystone0 · Accepted solution]

HI @Sudeep23 ,

Really great question and interesting to read host perspectives. 

- we use the "custom promotion" as a way to keep our listing active in front of potential guests and to make sure that I am using the AIRBNB features available. I think this practice has led to getting a few more wish list additions and a few more looks. We don't use it as an aggressive way to sell nights, if that makes sense.

- our top criteria is getting really good guests that are worry free & respectful, not necessarily filling each available date so that drives how we treat requests for a lower price. 

- we don't mind fielding requests but the context really matters as @Lorina14 has pointed out. 

Looking forward to reading more perspectives!

[John5097]

@Sudeep23 

My listing is always booked and has a 5.0 for every category including value. 

I mention in the listing description other things to note that no additional discounts are available as it's already discounted. 

Still occasionally I get a guest requesting an additional discount.

There are other topics on this here at the community center in which seasoned host always decline these as it tends to lead to more demands or lower review. 

So I don't like it when guest want a discount for a reservation many months out. Then when I decline and block the nights, they try and book other nights. 

I've even had other host send a reservation request and in the message ask to wave the cleaning fee and state that they are also a host and that I won't need to clean it after they check out. When I decline they get very upset. But that is so ridiculous that I would trust some random stranger to clean for the next guest? 

If I do happen to have open nights from a cancellation I don't lower the price and it almost always tends to book the day before or day of as guest like to wait for the day before to make a reservation hoping host lower rates. So I don't care if those nights don't book but they always do without any discounts. 

I'd say host that offer discounts are already too high and no one wants to book their place anyways. 

Maybe that's why I have all 5 star reviews as well over 480 as it takes all the stress out of it. 


* For me everyone pays the same rate and every guest is treated equally. I would feel bad that some guest paid more than others. I have always been value oriented and not just trying to extract as much out of each guest. Some of my guest are on tight budget, so this is a big deal for all of my guest, and I would feel really bad if some paid more than others. To me that's not inclusion. 

I don't mean to sound harsh but for host that already at a good value rate there are good reasons they can't offer additional discounts, and will still book their listings. 

[Lorina14]

@John5097 

I agree that people who ask for discounts tend to be problematic asking for more or demanding more things. I had someone who said they were coming in the early the next AM so wanted to know if I’d give a discount as they weren’t spending the whole night - they also had a long list of questions because of a bad experience prior; I answered all their questions and considered the discount but it seemed weird as I’ve never been put in that position. Then they asked for an extension and offered to pay for it, then they wanted another extension and would pay if they needed to (I didn’t see this message so they checked out on the agreed time). I had to double wash my towels because they used their strong fragranced detergent and used all towels for a short stay (14 bath and hand towels). They also wanted me available at 7am on a weekend day if they had issues getting into the unit (we have a keypad and no one has had issues). So lesson learned don’t be too accommodating when there are red flags.

That’s fantastic that you have 5* in all categories with all your reviews - you are an exemplary host! I don’t agree that people who discount are too high and people won’t book their place. That may be the case for some hosts but there are hosts and listings for every type of budget and type of experience now. We have dynamic pricing on and are usually always booked. We aim to provide a great experience regardless of what one pays and if it’s a special occasion and you let me know I try to give a little extra - desserts, flowers, prosecco, small gifts, baked goods to make it a memorable time. It’s just a personal and business choice how someone chooses to use the tools and run their business. Also many hosts have listings with seasonality to it so prices ar higher during high season and low during low season. It wouldn’t make sense for a beach town listing to have a summer price for a winter season or a skiing place to have a summer during their the winter high season.

You are correct that many people last minute book as we’ve had a few like that - 1.5 hours prior, same day, few hours before but all those guests have been great guests and not problematic. 

I never would have thought to use the promotional discount to keep one’s listing at the top of the page when searching but it makes sense like another host mentioned. I’m always learning new things from people on the community center.

[John5097]

@Lorina14 

I was just saying that for listings like mine that have 5 star in value and  already booked way out in advance to please not request any additional discounts. 





I get very few who do that. Usually just a wacky host who I think we should be able to charge an additional "host" fee for having to put up with another host. Not all are bad but a lot expect me to offer discounts on a reservation months away that's already a good value.

That's why I included this in my listing's other things to note.

 

I actually can't blame a guest for asking for discount for a listing that already drops their rates when no one wants to book it. 

That's really what the OP @Sudeep23 is asking. For host like you who:

"We do special offers on our own closer to the dates to try to fill the nights." As you said in your first comment. 

I was just trying to differentiate my listing as already having a good value, already booked way in advance, and will book without any additional discounts. 

I never said other host had to agree or change their business model. I was just sharing my own which I really don't even need to do. 

You are off to a great start though! I'm glad hosting is working out for you as well. 

I often change my approach as I often have to adapt. Next year will likely be my final year. It's been a great run. I'd like to be able to share some of my experience and insights. 

[Lorina14]

@John5097 

I’ve had someone who was moving away from the area and would visit monthly if they could have the cleaning fee waived when they booked because they would clean. I responded asking them how do I know the standard that you clean to, as everyone’s standards vary. 

I’ve also had Superhosts mention that they are Superhosts so we understand everything about Airbnb when my scheduled messages went out. I wouldn’t think to mention this to another host in interaction as it’s on your profile.

I think listing strategies depend on the location, type of listing, amenities provided, hospitality, and hosts objectives.

Using wheelhouse, Pricelabs, AirDNA are good tools for many hosts - I did find some were overpriced for our area though. I also considered offering a good value one rate all the time but that doesn’t seem to work for our area. I’ve seen some hosts here do that and they don’t book consistently. I’ve played around with the tools to see results for trying different approaches and dynamic pricing works best for us with some custom promotions. I’ve played around with different cancellation types and chose moderate as the best for us. 

We will not discount just to fill an empty night, as often those guests are not ideal. We offer some custom promotions to fill some dates but we are mostly booked.

Our area also is not a destination area, and there are many more STR’s showing up as the city’s housing code is allowing for multiple ADU’s and DADU’s or tiny sheds on residential smaller plots. So lots of changes are happening that affect supply and demand in our area. Our area also wanted to put a STR tax on home owners that was being pushed by hotels. 

In the end, one needs to find a pricing structure that benefits their objectives. We feel that we have a good rhythm going in providing income for paying for childcare as costs are very high in our area. With each Airbnb new release we have noticed how things can shift a bit and low season (Nov-Feb) affects our area too. 

It is interesting to hear about everyone’s perspective and how things work out. It seemed that in your initial post (although you later said it is your opinion and you were just trying to differentiate yourself), the initial comment came across a bit disrespectful towards hosts that choose dynamic pricing and custom promotions. We are all learning and growing and that’s what the community center is here to provide - support and a place to discuss things. I’m glad you had a good run and am sure the guests had great experiences and will miss you when you decide to stop or slow down the rate of your hosting. Your location appears to be convenient to the city, and being on the marsh with animals to watch, fragrant flowers to smell and a wild garden seems relaxing and a perfect weekend getaway. 

[John5097]

Hi @Lorina14, 

I'm sorry you took issue with my original post. 

The reason I can't offer any additional discounts is because I could not offer it for guest to stay at a lower price point. 

A number or reasons factor into it: 

-- My listing is a legal STR and with that comes additional property taxes, licensing fees, and STR insurance. 

-- My listing is on the marsh which means the flood and wind insurance is astronomical. This is the primary reason I'm renting it out. 

-- Most other listings are not legal and also don't have to pay the same insurance premiums. 

I also can't offer early check in and late check out because I need to stay booked to make ends meet. The listing has to be ready at the time it's stated at 3pm. To offer early or late check in, I would need to block off that night. 

As mentioned you already stated that you do lower your rate to fill nights that aren't booked. 




Now you are saying that you don't.

 

I'm not being disrespectful. When host cut their rates closer to the check in dates to book those nights it cultivates guest to wait last minute to book as many guest would prefer not to pay a higher rate for planning ahead. 

Host are also inflating their rates to mark them down so that it appears to be a better deal. 

This really don't bother me in the least. This is why I communicate that I can't offer lower rates. 

But I may also have to adjust if guest are becoming more conditioned to host that lower their rates to fill unbooked nights. 

I'm also not the one taking issue with other host, or trolling anyone else's post. As I said I would feel bad if one guest paid more than another. 





 I also do special touches for guest such as putting out flowers if it's their honeymoon. But I do this for every guest. Every guest has a special stay. 

I also don't mean guest paying higher rate in a totally different season. That's why I posted a screenshot of my reviews. 

I may also have to adapt as guest are waiting for host to drop their rates. That was my entire point as host offering discounts to book nights closer to check in are conditioning guest to do this. 

It's really not worth me mentioning my approach to hosting. All of my guest leave 5 star reviews (except one) because they want to come back. 

I'm also glad your approach is working for you and really appreciate many of your post! 

[Lorina14]

@John5097 

Thank you for providing context about your comments and I know you don’t have to explain but I feel it’s helpful as thoughts don’t always translate on text or boards either. Many hosts and guests learn from these posts (in good and bad ways sometimes - I have heard of some guests gaming the Airbnb system from these boards or Reddit thread info about how to get discounted nights or free stays) and more seasoned hosts offering their perspective is helpful for people to learn. I then realized any posts on all but the host circle are viewable to anyone so host specific questions I only post on the host circle now.

I also was not implying that you were trolling other hosts, I’m sorry if you got that impression. 

To clarify, we select what dates we would like to discount but we don’t always do it for every unbooked night and the intention is not just to fill a bed for the night as all hosts know how poorly that approach can turn out. We aim to hit a certain booking per month to pay for our son’s schooling/daycare costs so that drives some of our decisions in whether to offer a custom promotion.

I agree that every guest’s stay is special and I’m sure most hosts like us aim to provide a special stay regardless of the occasion. Flowers on the table whether from the store or my own garden (when in bloom), a snack bowl, welcome card and other treats are offered as I enjoy doing so and try to make it a welcoming space that allows people to relax and have a homebase for their adventures.

What is wind insurance? I’ve never heard of that.

Yes STR insurance and taxes are expensive. So is general upkeep, we recently serviced our dryer vents and mini splits and spent just under $2000 for our area. I think many hosts also may convert an extra room or section it off for a quick Airbnb and not do the appropriate permitting process - proper electrical GFCI outlets, proper framing and siding to prevent water damage, etc. and this causes unfortunate guest experiences as some have noted here on the boards. It pays to do things properly for all involved.

Thanks also for your contributions to the threads here - it’s  nice to hear your insight.

[Kelly333]

Hi! In 7 years of hosting, the few guests who've asked for a discount have been the guests who are the most demanding AND may even leave you a lower rating for "value" because they measure everything based on price. It is sad but just my experience. So, unless it is a really slow season or there's a big gap in bookings, I usually politely say that I am unable to discount.

[Lorina14]

@Kelly333 

Yes, I have also found that the requests for discounts tend to be more problematic as well. I usually say we already have weekly, monthly and custom promotions so we are not able to offer further discounts. 

[Helen3]

That's interesting your post implies guests are using tools to propose 'fair rates' to hosts rather than the rates they are offering - implying the rates hosts are offering guests are unfair @Sudeep23 

Why do you feel rates hosts are offering are unfair?

[Sudeep23]

I’m genuinely interested in how hosts feel about these price requests—do you find them helpful, or just annoying? Sometimes I wonder if there could be a better way for flexible hosts to connect with guests who are genuinely interested (and not just bargain hunting). Maybe some kind of system where both sides can signal when they're open to negotiation, so it feels more intentional and less random.

Curious if something like that would make the process better for both guests and hosts—or if it’d just add more noise!

[Lorina14]

@Sudeep23 

Something to consider: some hosts say in their description to contact them about longer accommodation pricing. You could just add a couple of sentences to show that you are open in that manner as a host.