Help! Inquirer took a different listing, but AirBnB keeps telling me to approve/disapprove the guest

[Marsha25]

I'm new to hosting and confused. I had an inquiry from someone who subsequently took a room elsewhere. Now AirBnB keeps sending me reminders to approve or disapprove the inquirer. It seems like the inquirer will get notified about my choice, which seems inappropriate. I don't want to disapprove in case she might want to come here another time.  And it seems that I will get dinged on response time if I don't do something.  What am I supposed to do? There doesn't seem to be a "decided not to book" choice.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Marsha25

Just decline - otherwise your ratiings wll be affected. It happens to all hosts that some booking requests come to nothing.

[Marsha25]

Thanks!!

[Lawrene0]

Declining is the most straightforward way to go, @Marsha25, but I will just mention something else if you want to save your "declines" for important wow-I-really-need-to-decline-this! scenarios. (You don't want too many declines on your record.) You can pre-approve inquiries such as this that aren't going anywhere with a note to the inquirer that says something like, "I know you have booked elsewhere, and completely understand, but the system requires me to pre-approve you to keep up my stats. Please just ignore it."

[Marsha25]

Great advice. Thanks!