Can a guest see if I give thumbs down?

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

We had a guest who booked for 1 person but brought a guest. It's clear in our house rules that no guests are allowed except the people who is part of the reservation (we charge $10 for second person). When we told them (two times) that we don't accept guests, they said only the person who booked was staying for the night and the guest was leaving in 1h or 2h hours. However that was a lie. None of them stayed during the night. They left at 9pm and came back early morning until they checked out. It was very strange, although I can guess why they booked the room. I hate they lied to us and the second person tried to sneak in. I also think this is not the first time they do this.

I could request the payment for the second guest but I feel it might not be worth (he will deny it and say they didn't even sleep in the room) so I'm fine not getting the extra $10. He still deserves thumbs down (and bad stars for communication and house rules). However, I noticed he lives nearby (1h away) and he might work in our area. He knows our names and address. Can he see if we give thumbs down? Is AB going to send any email saying he has to be better guests (similar to what they do to hosts when score is bad)?  Can he guess it? I'm afraid of consequences as he knows our names and address. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Bruna-and-Siana0

From what I understand, the guest's profile will show how many times the guest user was "recommended" by hosts. So I'd assume the guest will be able to deduct whether the host "recommended" or not. The situation you are in is actually one of the main reasons Henry and I decided from the start that I would not host any "locals".

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

Thanks so much @Jessica-and-Henry0 I think we should do the same and don't host locals. This is the first local we host and it was a last minute IB. I'm learning those are usually red flags. However, how can I cancel penalty free an IB if my justification is "I don't want to host locals"? I see it's hard to justify and AB won't let me cancel it. 

[Robin4]

@Bruna-and-Siana0

If a guest has been given a thumbs down they will not be able to IB again. There are many nice litle touches about IB that I was not aware of until I went into it, and it definitely has been designed with the hosts safety in mind.

I am going to post a thread on the rules surrounding IB because there are many that a lot of hosts are not aware of. The trouble with these sort of threads, a bit of work goes into them and they can be a bit long and people don't bother to look at them and read them!

Glad you are now aware about local bookings. Girls, you need an absolutely compelling reason why a local guest requires the use of your home rather than their own.

I only ever came across one. The groom and groomsmen needed somewhere close to the park where the wedding was going to take place to change into their wedding clothes, and the brides group who were not local were using his house. That was it, nothing else, no after wedding party, the group may have had a stiff scotch or two for dutch courage before they left here but, that was all. In fact nobody stayed the night in the cottage. 

I accepted that as a legitimate excuse but that is the sort of rationaile you need to be sure of before you take on a local booking!

Cheers......Rob

Cheers

[Boyd8]

What if I mistakenly did a thumbs down and didn't mean to? How do I get back to that area to repair it?

[Letti0]

@Boyd8  Your going to have to call AirBnB to fix this one. 

AirBnB number:

United States and Canada

+1-415-800-5959 +1-855-424-7262 (toll-free)

For Superhosts (they will verify you):

North America: +1-647-945-9627 +1.888.326.5753

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Bruna-and-Siana0

When you do get an IB from a local, the fact that you are "not comfortable" with the guest can be more than enough of a reason for cancelling. (dig deep on WHY a local person needs to stay with you - if you don't like the answer this means you are "uncomfortable" hosting that guest.) 

Also, I think having a 2 night min stay and at least 2 day notice will help a lot. Also, unless you get a lot of solo guests I think you should just charge the same for 1 or 2 guests if it's only a $10 difference. Just my 2 cents 🙂 

[JJ48]

oops didn't realize it was such an old post

[Kate803]

How do I even know if a guest is "local" as you say?  i just had a bad experience with a guest and have changed my booking to be one that I have to approve first.  What a shame.  Also - what is IB?

[PaulAndSusan0]

Someone from your town or surrounding towns.  You need to ask why they're booking if they live so close. We've had people from outlying towns who've been fine.  Couples who just want to get away.  IB is instant book.

[Anthony608]

I've gotten locals and it has been for a wide variety of reasons.  One woman didn't have a working kitchen and needed a place to cook a big meal.  Another had a Korean mother-in-law who lived with them and just needed a break.  Then a lot of people who just want to be close to a subway stop (which I am ) so they can go downtown for an event and not worry about driving home the same night.  For me, its all been legit and I've had no problems from locals.