Guest who booked didn’t show; but the other guest did

[Lana893]

Hi there! I’ve been hosting since May 2022 so I’m definitely a newbie. I am currently in a situation where someone booked with four additional guests. He provided the names of the guests when I asked. I checked with them after two days to see if everything was going OK and let him know I would like to meet him because I was out of town when they first arrived. The person who made the reservation said to me oh I wasn’t able to make it but the other people are responsible. I don’t think he was even going to tell me he didn’t make the trip for the stay if I hadn’t reached out to see how things were going. They will be checking out tomorrow morning so I will see how they left our space. Hopefully everything is OK. We post our house rules and the checkout information in a laminated sheet and put on the refrigerator so there’s no reason why the guests can’t find the information. I guess my main concern is that the person who made the reservation didn’t show and didn’t bother to let me know. Any suggestions? I mean how do you leave a review for someone who wasn’t even there?

[Mike-And-Jane0 · Accepted solution]

@Lana893 Number 1 do not make a fuss or you will get a bad review. No amount of fuss will change the risk profile now. Secondly leave an honest review. If the guest broke the rules on 3rd party bookings and didn't tell you then say so - This will warn future hosts. 

[Kirsten266]

@Mike-And-Jane0 good advice 👍🏻

[Anonymous]

@Lana893  Technically it's against the rules to make a third party booking - the person who booked is supposed to be present. But in practice, this policy is only enforceable at check-in. If you allow the other members of the group to check in without the primary guest present, you have to treat it like any other booking. 

[Lana893]

Thank you all for your responses. I was in communication with the person who booked after I posted this. He had problem with his flight and the airlines just refunded the money to him. He told me he definitely wants to come again. So I’m really glad that I didn’t make a big deal about it. The gas cheaper here were respectful and left our place in good order. Once again thank you all for your kind advice and remarks! truly appreciated!

[Lana893]

Sorry I was talk texting. It should have read the guest were respectful and left our place in good order.

[Helen3]

Personally I don't take third party bookings against Airbnb's T&Cs as they won't cover you if there is a problem with the guests.

And those staying may not be happy with accommodation they haven't seen before it was booked.

If they damage your place you won't be able to claim on the Airbnb guarantee.

Please leave an honest review to alert hosts that the person who booked made a third party booking and didn't alert you of this until you queried who was staying. @Lana893 

[Lana893]

Helen3 Thank you so much for your input and guidance! I truly appreciate you sharing this information with me! Hopefully it will help someone else that is also pretty new to AIRBNB in case they run into the same situation!