Host has requested a 50% price increase

[Brian735]

I booked 17 night accommodation for Moscow 4 1/2 months ago for accommodation around Christmas and New Year and paid 50% deposit at the time of booking.  The host today has sent me a request for a 50% increase saying that at the time she didn't think about it being "high season". This feels like extortion waiting until it is harder to find another booking. Despite her saying that it is "high season" everything I have seen indicates that December January in Moscow is low season except for a couple of days. The apartment does not have any bookings before or after mine, and in fact the pricing shown for the 17 days prior to my booking is about 10% LOWER than what I was originally being charged, and for the 17 Days after my booking is about 10% higher than my charge.   It does look to me to be blatant extortion. Will AirBNB just condone this behaviour?  In the interests of 1. not acquiescing to an extortion demand, but 2.  not having to find a new place to stay, I have made an offer of a 20% increase which still would make it quite a deal more expensive, but I am certainly p*&&ed off.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Brian735

You are right. Every host is responsable to keep his prices and calendar up to date. We did the same mistake on the begining and didn't timely set higher prices for a New year so we got a booking in August. It was our mistake so we honored their booking as is.

You didn't have to do offer to pay more. If they don't want you to stay then let them cancel. They will be penalized with 50$ fee, those days will be blocked on their calendar and they will lose or not be aligible for superhost status for a year.

 PS

forget Moscow, come to Zagreb - the best Advent destination  🙂 

[Brian735]

Thanks for your comments. One day I will get to Croatia it is on my bucket list. I have renegotiated the increase. I checked other AirBnB prices for that period and I decided I was getting a good deal, and that it is better for both of us to have a win, so she will get a little more and I will pay a little more, and I think we are both happy with the outcome...  It was good to see though that there are some penalties for hosts to cancel you, my worry was having booked it ages early to make sure of a good location and nice accommodation that I might have to be searching for something else. 

Thanks for your reply, and see you in Zagreb one day.

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

You do not have to pay more than the price when you booked.  Tell the host you checked with Airbnb and she can't raise the price after you book your reservation.   You could tell her that you now feel somewhat uncomfortable with her and that she should cancel if she doesn't want to host you at the agreed upon price.  You could say that you really hope she won't cancel and that you are  still willing to stay but only at the price that was set when you booked.

[Brian735]

Thanks for you advice. I took a more concilatory approach, I didn't to have to find a new booking so late in the piece. So I have a greed to a far smaller increase, and I think we are both happy with it.

[Lisa723]

This host is in blatent violation of Airbnb TOS. The best thing would have been to simply decline the price increase. Since you didn't do that, don't accept any additional price increase, and meanwhile report the host to Airbnb.

[Brian735]

I prefer to have good relations, and after comparing other prices, I believe that she did underprice, and although I was annoyed that it seems like extortion, I think she made an honest mistake and so I renegotiated a far lower increase. Thanks for your advice 

[Michael956]

Personally I would not be comfortable staying with this host.  If you pay the increase you are going to feel ripped off and resentful, and if you don't pay the host is going to be hostile.  I'd cancel the reservation and find a new place.  

[Brian735]

That was my initial feelings, but after comparing other AirBnB prices I think she severely underpriced it, so in the spirit of harmonious relationship we have agreed on a smaller increase. I think I am still getting a good deal and the host seems happy with the outcome. 

Thanks for your advice 

[Elena87]

@Brian735

Russian winter holidays are from Jan 1 to 9.

From my experience here in Saint Petersburg there is increased demand during that time, especially Dec 31 - Jan 3 are the hot dates.

Outside this period, certainly low season.

It seems your naughty host is being opportunistic asking for an additional 50 per cent payment for 17 days. 

Overall I would say it would be a pretty decent booking for a Moscow host to get 17 days so even if the host blundered badly on the hot date pricing, on balance with such a long booking it would most likely even out financially.

You can either ;

1. Contact airbnb and get them to intervene to have a 'fireside chat' - the host is pulling a fast one.

2. Force the host to cancel the booking - still good availability in Moscow for re-booking plus the host takes an airbnb kicking. Plus I wouldn't be happy now to trust this host.

3. Contact the host to firmly request they put up and shut-up or you will take option 1 or 2 and slam them.

4. Rollover.

5. Go to Zagreb instead, it's the advent destination of the year according to pleasegotozagreb.com

[Brian735]

Yes those 4 days are nearly all booked out, so I didn't want it to become an issue. I always prefer to find a win-win.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Brian735

 in theory you are right and host is wrong, but I agree with @Michael956  I would also cancel the reservation and would't risk during the Russian winter 😄

[Brian735]

I have bookmarked one of your properties in Zagreb. 

[Cormac0]

@Brian735

In Krakow Poland, there is a peak in demand for the four days surrounding the New Years, other than that, it is low season and demand is flat as is born out by Airbnb demand/supply metrics.

On a more practical note, I hope you have the right clothing for a Russian winter coming from an Austrailian summer its colddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

[Brian735]

I am going to the warm location 🙂  After a week in Moscow my wife and children are heading into cold cold Siberia to visit the grandparents, and I will stay another 2 weeks or so in Moscow. It will be challenging going from somewhere between 30C and 40C in sunny Australia to -20C to -5C in chillly Moscow.  There is an irony though, my Russian wife finds winters bitterly cold in Sydney;  being a temperate climate we do not have central heating,  and as a consequence I am quite comfortable living and sleeping in below 10C in winter, and at around 15+C I will happily wear shorts and a t-shirt.  I will layer up in Moscow.