A pre-approval disappeared when a confirmed request was made by someone else, what's right to do?

[Christian347]

Hi,

Ok I'm new to this and I'm trying to understand how AirBnB works and how I should respond to the would-be guests.

Guest 1 sends a pre-approval request for some empty dates in the future. I grant the pre-approval request and it shows up in the message thread as expected, but the calendar remains open, also as expected. I'm thinking they have 24 hours now to confirm.

A few hours later...

Guest 2 goes straight to sending a confirmed booking request for (almost) those same dates. AirBnB gives me 24 hours to accpt or decline them. In the message thread, Guest 1's pre-approval has disappeared and instead of the pre-approval, the system message is "not available". Why did this happen like that?

Couple of questions - does Guest 1 get informed that a confirmed booking has also been offered for those dates after hers?

Do I "owe" Guest 1 a chance to respond and make a confirmed booking since they technically asked first?

Or, do I just forget the pre-approval which seems to have gone away and just go with the confirmed booking request?

Many thanks folks,

Christian

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

First to pay get the booking in my world. 

[Linda108]

@Christian347  An inquiry that you pre-approve is not as sure a deal as the reservation request.  A request means the guest is serious.  An inquiry means a guest is still undecided and your pre-approval means the ball is in their court but they have to book before someone else does.  Air BNB does  not notify the inquiry guest but they won't be able to see your place once the reservation by guest two is accepted.

Sometimes this business seems harsh and goes against your own sense of good manners.  It is a business though.  Good luck!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Christian347

I agree with @Linda108. Asking or making an inquiry doesn't give the potential guest any rights. Unless there is a gut feeling or any evidence that Guest 2 might be a difficult guest,I think I'd go with whoever confirms their reservation first. 

[Christian347]

Thank you all very much. I had no idea about the whole pre-approval thing so your comments have help me a lot to in how to understand how much (or little) weight to give it.