Guest says visit is for Bachelor party. How do I proceed?

[Deborah1156]

Hi,  we have our listing set up for IB. Had a booking come through yesterday for 8 adults. I followed up with a greeting message  (thanks for booking, what’s your reason for visit, info about group). He said it’s for Bachelor party. Based on our house rules and Airbnb party policy, it’s in violation.
I need to reply to guest and explain to him that to him. My question is, should I tell him to cancel his reservation? Or should I contact ABB with the info and why I need to cancel the booking (and confirm we won’t get penalized)?
thanks in advance,

Deb

[Anonymous]

@Deborah1156 Your listing ticks all the boxes for what groups are looking for in a party house, sleeps up to 10 people, and advertises "outdoor entertaining" right there in the title.  I agree that a bachelor party can be a big risk for noise and damage, but if a group of 8 adults celebrating a special occasion is not what you want to attract, you need to re-target your listing in pretty much every way imaginable. And obviously turn off Instant Book. 

You could try calling Airbnb and asking to use one of your penalty-free IB cancellations by saying you're uncomfortable with the booking. But it's not clear that the guests are actually in violation of the "party" policy just because that's the word they used to describe their occasion. You might consider going carefully over your House Rules about quiet hours with the guests, insist that no unregistered visitors enter the property at any time (not even strippers), remind them of the surveillance in use, and make sure those parameters are still suitable for how they wish to celebrate their occasion. That might provoke them to cancel on their own - or it might turn out that their idea of a "party" lines up with what you advertised. 

 If you still want out of the booking, what you must be careful to avoid is anything that suggests discrimination against protected categories. An all-male group should not be treated differently from a mixed gender group, nor should the age or family status of the guests be presented as a factor. 

[Deborah1156]

Andrew,

thank you for taking the time to reply and look at our listing.  You make excellent points. Especially about the outdoor entertaining. I guess my perspective vs a potential guest’s of this description can be viewed differently. We travel with friends and automatically our 2 families are 8-10 people. So it’s not unheard of for that many to be families. Especially with ours being a lake house. However, I will definitely make some adjustments to avoid advertising to possible party goers. 
I will approach the guest with being clear and pointing out the house rules and disruptive party policy ABB has should they keep their booking. 
thanks again!

Deb

[Anonymous]

@Deborah1156 Some hosts find those "nice" family groups turn out as troublesome as parties, and try every trick they can to discourage groups with children from booking. I don't know about you, but my idea of a relaxing holiday at a lake house would be a group of friends and no children anywhere to be seen or heard for miles.

For what it's worth, if you want to stay a bit more off the party radar, you can lower the maximum occupancy to, say, 6 - especially while you're still finding your feet on the platform. 

[Deborah1156]

Based on our location, average visitor profile, we’re in line with the other rental homes regarding guest count. We’re new, less than 2 months, but I’ve researched and compared. We would lose bookings if we had 6 Max. 
I think removing IB will help vetting and getting clear confirmation of rules. 

[Sarah977]

@Deborah1156  It doesn't matter what the guest count is other places. Do you really think that there aren't groups of 6 who woukd book your place? Places which offer something different than what other places in the arra offer have an advantage in some ways.

You have a 3 bedroom house. Why try to cram 10 people in?

And "I guess my perspective vs a potential guest’s of this description can be viewed differently". 

Sure, but when you are dealing with guests, it's best not to leave anything open to interpretation. 

[Deborah1156]

I appreciate your feedback. And I’ll definitely keep it in mind. We probably need to adjust guest max, edit title and description as well. 
My comment about different perspective was not intended as a brush off to Andrew. Just an observation that I hadn’t put enough thought into the description. 
I’m open to constructive criticism. I’d rather learn from others experience & save myself a lot frustration, time & money.  I will be taking all into consideration. 
Much appreciated-

Deb

[Sarah977]

@Deborah1156  Oh, I didn't think you were brushing off Andrew's comment. Your responses show that you are quite open to other's ideas. 

I just know from all the posts I've read over the years that hosts are constantly having to refine and amend their listing info, because what we think is common sense, or clear, or can't imagine a guest would be so disrespectful as to do, is often not clear to guests. And if things are left open to interpretation, or hosts bend their rules a bit to try to accommodate a guest, they'll often take advantage.

Like asking if they could have a couple of friends over for dinner, the host says okay, the "couple" of friends turns out to be 6, and the neighbors call complaining because they're all drunk and loud at 1am.

Nothing wrong with taking things on a case by case basis, you just have to be cautious. If a 65 year old couple wants to have another retired couple over for a game of cards, or their 10 year old niece over for the afternoon, that might be totally an okay thing to approve.

[Deborah1156]

@Sarah977 
Very true.

s how would you approach this scenario? Would you reiterate the rules and make it very clear it’s zero tolerance for breaking them? Or suggest they cancel? Or contact ABB to cancel them? 
I’ve already turned off IB. 
I’m willing to host them, but not willing to cause distrust with my neighbors & potential property damage. 
I’m hoping with the right message wording I can sway him to cancel…?

[Anonymous]

@Deborah1156  I've never been to your corner of Texas, but in some ways it actually looks similar to Brandenburg, the German state surrounding Berlin. It's got literally thousands of beautiful lakes, and quite a rural feel despite being just an hour's drive outside of a major city just a bit smaller than the Dallas/Ft Worth metro. Naturally, when the weather is stinking hot, Berliners like to get out of town and cool off in the lakes, so a house like yours would be extremely desirable there. But each summer, when a group of friends and I are looking for a nice getaway in the countryside, we find that the majority of rental homes are furnished with nuclear families in mind:  only one double bed, and the other rooms have single or bunk beds for kids. My partner and I have to rule out a lot of otherwise lovely houses when traveling with other couples, because no adult who's not the Matt Gaetz type wants to sleep in a child's bed.

So in this market, the houses that break pattern and offer furnishings and amenities with grownups in mind are so coveted that they're booked out months ahead. Naturally, a group of 4 people who all have jobs can budget a lot more for accommodation than a family with a bunch of unemployed children. Not to downplay the research you've done or the insight you have into your area as a local, but there are also advantages to offering something totally different from your competitors.

[Basha0]

@Sarah977  Ummm, all 65 year olds I know aren’t playing cards and if they are it’s Cards Against Humanity. 😂

[Sarah977]

@Basha0  Haha. I'm older than that and I'd say the same. I just threw that out as an example because in fact, I have a friend who hosts and has a couple who are repeat bookers, coming every couple of months to see their daughter and grandkids for 2  days, who do exactly that- have another couple over sometimes for drinks and cards. 

[Shivam19]

I know this response might be a bit late, but for others who might have the same question, here's my input. It's important to handle this situation with clear communication. If the guest's purpose for visiting violates your house rules and Airbnb's policy, you can politely explain the situation and the reasons behind the violation. It's up to you whether you want to suggest canceling the reservation or contacting Airbnb for guidance. **[Link removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines ]