A guest booked for one person and showed up with 4. I only have 3 beds. what do i do?

[Shelly120]

So she was my first guest to book. I had just set my listing up a few hours before. I still thought the price was per room and had it set at 25. (I figured it out after that and fixed the prices) She booked for one person. So I approved it. She then wrote me and told me she would be bringing her two children, which i was fine with, and decided to not charge her the extra person fee for children, since they are under 9 yrs old and most hotels dont either. I only have 2 twin beds in one room and 1 twin in the other room. So there is only room for 3 guests. She wasn't supposed to arrive until 1pm. She showed up an hour earlier and has her husband with her. I, never having encountered this problem before was thrown off. She rushed in, asked where to set her luggage, and said they would be back. I have been sitting here trying to figure out the correct way to handle this since then. The site says to change the number of people in her listing or if I dont have accomodations for that many, that I can cancel their reservation. But I am worried about the backfire of a bad review for that. 

[Cathie19]

Hi @Shelly120 .

Contact Airbnb straight away and explain that this guests attitude contravenes community expectations. You must add the extra people even if you don’t charge as that is Airbnb’s rule. I’d be cancelling as you do not have the beds. But ASK AIRBNB to cancel the guest without penalty, as she has not been honest or forthcoming with details and number of people. 

You must also set your boundaries for a guest’s behaviours and operate within those parameters. You have broken your own rules by letting her in before check in, so expect the guest to also break them.

As the  guest is manipulative, bombastic and has pushed her way in, they may have just got kicked out of somewhere else. I would be letting Airbnb know that you are very uncomfortable with this guests whole booking. Also go to your settings and change them so you don’t get same day bookings. Reconsider if you can be the boss you need to be, and do so gently but firmly...... they are not your family arriving early or unexpected.

There are too many red flags here. 

[Cathie19]

Hi @Shelly120.

Be friendly, be nice, but be assertive and set up some rules and boundaries like a friendly boss.

Do you really want people cooking at 3am in the morning or start preparing a banquet at midnight or 5am? I’d be reconsidering your wording for guests to use the kitchen any time! 

(Both in descriptor and house rules). 

Set some time restrictions or limit types of foods if you don’t want strong odours throughout the house, for the next guest to sniff. As you work from home, if you have one quiet guest, no issues.... but if you have shift workers or a “whole family”, you may change your mind and feel like you are the intruder.

Are you charging by the person? The room or the bed? Currently, your listing is confusing and you will most certainly, be taken advantage of. 

[Monique241]

If this is your first and only booking, you mustn't worry about the bad review. You can cancel on her (by Airbnb) and duplicate your listing to a new one, unlist this one.

[Sarah977]

@Shelly120  Not charging for children, just because they are under 9 years old, is misguided, IMO. We are NOT hotels- do not try to set what you accept based on the fact that "hotels do it". Guests book Airbnbs partly because they are cheaper than hotels, so don't let them take advantage of you like that. 

Kids, unless they are what Airbnb classifies as "infants" (which shows that whoever made those distinctions has no children and knows nothing about them, as a babe in arms, not yet mobile on their own, is whole other ball of wax than a 2 year old) should be charged for. They use up just as many amenities as the adults, maybe more. They are kids, so they are not necessarily careful and can break things and often don't understand the consequences of their actions. Some parents are quite responsible, but others aren't, and will let their little darlings run wild.

[Rowena29]

@Shelly120 I absolutely agree with everythig that everyone has said to date, and i definitely wouldn't be letting kids stay free.  Be kind, but not a pushover. People like this guest will always mistake generosity for weakness. I wouldn't want her in my place.  I'd be on the phone to customer service as a matter of urgency. And yes   - just delist and relist if you get a bad review - if you DO do that I'd suggest taking the time to read lots of other people's listings - especially the hosts who publish here a lot on the boards - there's lots to learn and it's much easier to take preventitive action than have to enter into damage control.

Good luck, I know it's stressful.

Cheers