Inquiries versus pending reservations

[Louise154]

Hi  I have experienced this situation as a guest and now as a host.

On both occassions a general enquiry has been made - can I walk to "location" from your place or similar and Airbnb wants to accept/decline or even special offer.  IT WAS JUST A QUESTION!!  As a guest who got the answer that didn't suit my needs I was then continually bombarded with reminders to book my accommodation.  As a host, after a general question with no intention to book, just a question, do I decline?  Are there penalties for declining??

Help!!

[Marit-Anne0]

@Louise154

Yes, you will have to decline and I do not believe you will face any penalties for declining an inquiry - just choose the right reason in the drop-down menu.  Declining several booking requests will be a different matter.

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

Hello @Louise154

When you made your inquiry, the host pre approved you.  This gives you the option to book whithin 24 hours.  You do not need to.  It was just an offer by the host to allow you to book if you want to.  The other thing that guests might do is "request to book" which means that they know they want to stay, and once the host approves it, the booking is done immediately.

When you receive an inquiry from a potential guest, the company wants you to approve (or decline) the inquiry within 24 hours, so often it will be approved without your asking.  Again, only book if you want to.