Guests left and let other stay/used the space for multiple photo sessions....

[Amy1772]

Hi all! I need guidance on this issue and some advice on how to prepare or prevent this from happening in the future. I had a young woman reach out through airbnb about using our space for photos and that she didn't want to rent the weekend (we have a two night minimum set for weekends). I let her know that we had a two night minimum and answered her other questions. A few weeks later I received an airbnb request for one of our spaces, but the guest said "staying the weekend with my boyfriend" and did not mention photography at all and because the instagram account was not her full or real name, I did not put two and two together. I approved the reservation and now fast forward to this past weekend and she tagged our account on Instagram wanting to apparently fill a photography session spot that had opened up for her. So after some investigation, she actually booked our space for sessions and was not forthcoming with her plans. I called the guest and let her know that we had different policies for photography related bookings. She was basically rude and uncommunicative. The second night of her stay, it seems she let three different people actually stay the night and she did not stay. She also gave the entry door code and suite code out to her clients that were coming for photos, we specifically ask guests not to do this and I told her that on the phone. I can change the code, of course, but now I am needing to know how to go about handling this situation. Obviously, I'm going to be honest in my review for her stay, but I highly doubt she will care as she created the airbnb account just to book out space. Suggestions and advice greatly appreciated! 

[Helen3]

I have IB questions my guests need to answer in order to have a confirmed booking. If you use IB do including vetting questions including the purpose of their stay.

When you realised that this guest was using the property for commercial purposes/third party guests, it would have been better to have Airbnb cancel the booking rather than let the booking carry on. @Amy1772 

If you don't have CCTV I would advise you to install it, so you can check to make sure only the guests who book use your listing. 

[Amy1772]

Thanks @Helen3  for responding! I assume you mean IB as in instant book? This was not an IB situation, she inquired about staying and I always ask what bring them to the area, she responded with "weekend with boyfriend" and I approved the booking. This is not an uncommon response from local people who are staying. I don't know what CCTV is, but we do have a security camera and that is how I knew to check after she tagged us in Instagram. I have read multiple articles in this forum where airbnb does not have the best track record with handling situations like this, so I chose not to go down that route. I did leave an honest review, although I doubt it matters much. 

[Helen3]

Airbnb is not always great @Amy1772  but in a situation like this it's almost certain they would have helped you cancel the booking as it was clearly a third party booking. Please don't be put off contacting Airbnb in these situations because you have some people on forums who aren't treated well. Remember millions use Airbnb every day and have successful experiences.

If you have a local guest asking to stay it's also worth a bit exploration if they say some generic like 'weekend with my BF' unless it's a very young guest, most hosts would see a local wanting to stay for a weekend as a red flag for guests wanting to party or a third party booking.

Good for you for posting an honest review. Many hosts only accept guests after checking previous reviews - I know I do.

CCTV is a security camera, the idea is that you use it when guests check in to see that the person who books is the one checking in and that only the number of guests booked are using your property. You can also look to make sure they check out by your check out time.