Is it normal for the host to not talk to you?

Is it normal for the host to not talk to you?

I've only used airbnb a handful of times but usually immediately after I book a stay the host will contact me greeting me and giving me information on check-in and such even when the stay is several months away. I booked two airbnbs in france the day before yesterday and neither host has responded to my initial greeting nor greeted me or given me any information - they have not said a single word to me. Is this normal? Should I be worried? They both had really great reviews so I'm very confused. I'm just concerned that this will reflect how they'll act during my stay and they'll just never say one word to me when I ask questions or need something. 

13 Replies 13
Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@Jennifer1614 Some hosts contact ahead of time: some don't. Some hosts feel that the confirmation by Airbnb is all you should need, I think. If you're not feeling comfortable, I would reach out to them and see what response you get. If they don't respond or you're not comfortable with the level of contact, consider reaching out to Airbnb to step in.

 

I personally reach out to every guest as soon as they book to acknowledge the booking and thank them for it, but it's been my experience when I've been a guest that not every host does the same. I had two excellent stays last year with hosts who were no contact before my stay.

Does this apply even if I have specifically asked them a question about early check-in possibility and they haven't responded in 2 days?

@Jennifer1614 I would cosider sending them a follow up, but yes, I'd be getting concerned that they haven't responded. When is your check-in? If it's within the next week, I would give Airbnb a call. If it's further out, I would be less concerned and more likely to cut them a bit of slack.


I'm not advocating the no-contact method, by the way: I think it's basic manners to acknowledge the booking.

It's in early May so definitely a while from now - I don't expect them to know their schedule already but I would have thought they'd say something like 'i don't do early check-ins' or 'i'll know better closer to the date' or something. I sent them a follow up message - hopefully I'm just overrreacting. 

@Jennifer1614 I'd say leave it for a bit and see if they get back to you. That's still a long way out.

Thank you for the advice! 

Hi Jennifer. I am a host. I would not worry so much. Not all of us have a ton of time to constantly respond to guests, unless there is a need.  I think what you are fearing is that, you have an "expectation" of how things should go, based on past experiences and your process. You need to remember, we are all human with personal lives of our own. That does not mean we do not care, nor appreciate the stay/booking. If I had to constantly sit on the app 24-7, I would not get anything done, nor would I have a personal life. On that note, I would have to up my prices to compensate for the loss in time that it prevents me from working. Other hosts may have more time to respond to every little message.  You reserved the spot, thus the risk of getting cancelled is slim, as we get charged a hefty fee in that event. 

 

I know a lot of people in CA that rent rooms, because they cannot afford to live. They get busy with work, school etc., and just cannot humanly respond to every little message. The best approach to life, is just not expect anything. 

 

It is normal for the human brain to always analyze a situation and look for all the negatives when the situation is abnormal to them. This invokes a constant state of unnecessary fear. I always look at the positive, hope for the best. The worst that could happen... is you have to get a booking elsewhere, and likely get an upgrade if that happens. In the end = positive outcome. Cheers!

Hi there. At the end of the day, regardless of the advice you've given Jennifer and how the human brain works, basic manners such as 'Thank you for booking my property' or 'We hope you enjoy your stay when it comes around' go a long way. That's all the new guest needs to hear. Fortunately I've had good experiences with hosts most of the time, but the very rare one or two I might come across who haven't even acknowledged me have received some of my own advice on how to be a better host. 

Gordon0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Like @Alexandra316, I always acknowledge a guest's booking, even if it's just a 'Hello - thanks for the booking...'. But I've also been on the recieving end of a cooler host who hasn't gone this way. Good luck with the stays, @Jennifer1614, but I'm sure they'll be dandy. 

Daniel1598
Level 10
Fairfax, VA

@Jennifer1614 I've experienced high to low/no communication by hosts ahead of time. But I'm never bothered by the latter. The listing information and reviews speak for themselves. If a host has 80 five-star rave reviews, I wouldn't bat an eye if I haven't heard from them and am comfortable with the check-in instructions. But in your case of an alteration request, if you haven't heard back after 5-7 days I would say that it's mildly concerning. If I were you I would reach out again after a few more days, like @Alexandra316 mentioned, and if there's still no response then reach out to airbnb.

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Jennifer1614 

 

Jennifer,

 

Contrary to some of the others who replied, your experience of lack of communication from the Host would make me feel extremely uncomfortable.

 

Firstly, your opening comment ' usually immediately after I book a stay the host will contact me...' suggests that your preference and / or experience is limited to Instant Book listings. Indeed, only with IB is there no obligation on either party to communicate prior to booking.

 

As a live-in Host I've never used IB and have no intention of ever doing so for various reasons, one of the main ones  is precisely this, what I consider the vital need for communication in assessing whether I wish to accommodate a particular person in my home. In the process of Inquiry a variety of questions can be addressed such as Check-In time (flexible in my case).

 

Non IB Hosts can also receive pre-paid Reservation Requests which simply requires Host to 'Accept' or 'Decline' within 24 hours. It's the nearest equivalent to IB, and occasionally I get an RR with minimal information or not enough to satisfy me. I then send my own queries, and if the Guest fails to respond I will 'Decline' the RR just before the 24 hours Expiry. (Letting RR expire is negative for Host ratings).

 

Consequently, my experience is that I've normally had quite a lot of interaction with the Guest by the time I accept a booking. It further suggests that communication will be fine when the Guest arrives and during their stay.

   However, on the odd occasion, unfortunately it turns out that the Guest is reticent to communicate or worse, impersonal, in which case I regret accepting their booking, and can't wait for such person to leave my home. My Review would then reflect my feeling that 'this Guest is better suited to place with absentee Host.'

 

 

I've only once been an Airbnb Guest, many years ago, and didn't need to book as it was a personal connection, so of course no problem with communication.

 

However, I've made inquiries on a number of other occasions for prospective trips that did not materialize. So I have sent quite a lot of inquiries. I only continued with those Hosts who communicated to my satisfaction. 

 

In your situation now, if the silence continued for much longer, I would wish to Cancel and find another place a.s.a.p. -- However, it's not so simple to Cancel... but that's another story.

 

Best Wishes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noel102
Level 10
Houston, TX

My normal procedure is to acknowledge the booking immediately and inform the guest I will send check-in instructions the day before they arrive.  Other than that, I don't usually communicate with them until they arrive.  However, if they ask questions I always respond within 24 hours.  If I were a guest and asked a question and did not get a response after two full days, that would be a problem for me and I would be concerned about responsiveness in th event of an issue during my stay.  Bottom line: No, I don't think it's normal.

J-Renato0
Level 10
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

@Jennifer1614 

I think your approach it was not normal as well.

As far as I can understand by reading your posts, you booked the property using IB, about 1 and half month in advance.

Then you asked if it was possible to have early checkin. 

The normal process is - Before booking, you should have asked if it would be possible to have early checkin.

 

Maybe they are still astonished and they still do not know what to say. Maybe they need a little time to think.

 

If I was in the place of this Host I would have answered you immediately and said - "Hello, welcome to my city and to the apartment you have booked.  I can not say for sure if you can have early checkin. It is too early to give you an answer. It will depend on the availability, if there is another guest leaving in the same day it will be impossible to have early checkin. 
If you had asked me before booking about this possibility, I could have said yes or no, or we could negotiate this possibility.