Has instant booking changed.?

[Wende2]

I'm not here on the community as often as I probably should be, so forgive me if this has already been discussed.  I just this evening had an inquiry about my place, I pre-approved the guest and when they booked ABB asked me if I wanted to accept the booking, well HELLO, I just approved it a few minutes earlier, being instant book had me thinking questioning the booking was very strange.

[Emilia42]

@Wende2, do you have requirements set for instant booking like guest must have verified government ID or previous good reviews? If a guest does not meet your requirements it will come through as a request to book.

Also, if the guest has received a 1 star review from a previous host they should no longer be able to instant book. Does the guest have a star rating?

[Wende2]

Hi.... they don't have any reviews, an just joined ABB,  I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that I'm not SORRY I accepted, at least it's just for 1 night.  As for my instant book, don't think I set up any requirements, an they have 3 verifications as well, on that note, if people are suspect to ABB, why don't they email us so we have a good reason to decline, I really hate that we can't find out from other hosts why they won't book a guest again, I've had a few I hope never come back, and I'm wondering if we click NO in the review does that block that guest from seeing our listing, if not, it really SHOULD.!  Thanks for taking the time to answer back.

[Alice595]

@Wende2 In addition to @Emilia42 explanation, I also found that I got pending requests from a couple of guests recently who have average of 4.5 stars and 5 stars. They all have verified government ID as well. This made me think that these two guests must have received thumbs down from previous hosts.

After I accepted their booking requests, I regretted after they stayed. One guy checked out 1.5 hour late even though I sent him a reminder to check out at 12pm one day earlier.  He left me a 4 star rating even though the review was glowing. The other guest locked his key and I called me fir help. I told him that I would not charge him and hopefully he would remember. And he was upset instead of appreciating. He told me that he is s locksmith and he could have opened the door by himself without getting the spare key from me. I still have not reviewed him and will do at the 14th day.

Definitely those two guests are not ideal guests. I warn other hosts with IB on to be alerted when you receive those pending requests. If they are new or lack of government ID, it may be better than those with several reviews in this case.

[Wende2]

Hi.....Thanks for the heads up, and yes maybe they received a NO for hosting them again, my guest has just joined ABB, so hopefully they'll be good.  I get ya with the ungrateful people, I've had those too.  I so wish ABB was set up that we could search a guest an see what others have to say about them, I've had a few I'd like to warn people about, or better yet block the guest we click NO on from seeing our listing, easy peasy for us.  I'm still fairly new on here, had my 1 yr Anniversary in Aug., honestly tho so far I've had great guests with the excepting of 3 - 4 bad bookings, the worst was just a few weekends ago.  But even so it's still better then having the place on a yearly lease an being stuck with an ass for a yr.

[Sarah977]

@Wende2  I'm not sure what you mean by a host not being able to se what other hosts have said about them. Hosts have the ability to read a guest's past reviews before accepting their booking, unless it's an IB. Do you not know how to access a guest's profile and reviews?

[Wende2]

Hi.....yes I know how to see the reviews, not sure that review is really what the host would like to say, I know it shouldn't matter, but I rarely say what I'd like to, I just leave it short an don't mention having them back.  I'd like to have a place where I can say, these people left the toilet with **bleep** exploded in it, that kind of review, the apt looked like a tornado blow thru it.  If we click NO we wouldn't host them again, I'd like a red flag by the guest name that only we can see, click the flag an read what happened for a NO, maybe some wouldn't care why I said NO an have them stay.  I do have IB, so I'm thinking since my guest was new to ABB, they may not have used it, since I got the accept or decline notice.

[Sarah977]

@Wende2  If you rarely say what you'd like to, that's your choice. I prefer that hosts leave honest reviews that make it clear why the guests wouldn't be welcomed back. Why do you feel you can't say "Apt. looked like a tornado went through?"

[Wende2]

I suppose the tornado analogy was a poor choice.  I'm not sure why I have a problem saying they were horrible an never welcomed back.  A friend said the owner of the ABB she looks after just says...better suited for staying at a hotel, guess I need to just get over it, an say what I'd like to.

[Sarah977]

@Wende2  I think a lot of hosts have a hard time speaking the truth in a review because we've been raised to hold our tongues if we can't say anything nice. And also that it can feel as if we're saying this is a bad person, when in fact we need to keep in mind that what we are reviewing is their suitability as guests. Some people are quite nice, and not bad people at all, they may have tons of admirable qualities, they just don't know how to respect someone else's home and they may very well live in a disaster zone in their own homes as well. 

I don't especially like the "Better suited to a hotel" because it's so ambiguous- it could mean the guest was unfriendly, which matters in a home share situation, but not necessarily in an entire home listing, or it could mean they behaved in an entitled and demanding way, or that they left a mess. As a host I'd prefer a little more explanation. I don't need to know all the gritty details, but if a guest leaves the place a disaster, I don't know why hosts should shy away from saying that. 

[Wende2]

True about...suited to a hotel.....I am going to start saying what I should about the way the apt WASN'T taken care of, and include the fact that..like you say, they were nice.  I've had people leave the TV volume all the way up an switched to Spanish, furniture moved around, one couple let their 3 and 11yr old  sons rearrange the decor, and so on.  Just begs the question...What the hell people.  I don't get that people think it's ok to treat someone's "home" like that, my friend said it's like they think the owner is their maid.