Issue with booking cost for extra guests - HELP ADVICE NEEDED

[Linda191]

I have just listed a one bedroom unit.  I have a queen bed and two lounges that fold down to become beds.  I have kept my cost really low at just $75 per night for the whole property.  I did put that up to 4 guests to stay, but between me listing it and getting in to change the filter to charge for extra people over 2 per night I received a booking for 4 people.  

No where in my advert does it say that I will provide extra linen to the sofa beds.  This guest did it as an instant booking so I can't cancel it without it going against me.

I normally charge $10 per night per extra person over 2 to cover the extra linen, extra water used, extra hot water and the extra electricity to be used - as well as the extra cleaning that will be incurred for 4 people versus 2 staying there.  The booking is for 7 nights so it would be an extra $140 for the booking.

I wrote to the guest to explain and offered to put the extra linen in for a cost of just $60 as it was an error on my part.  They have written back demanding that I put the linen in for no charge.

I do not feel comfortable at all with this guest, and to be honest even if they wanted to stay and pay the full $140 I do not want them at my property now.

How to I cancel the booking without this going against me?  Surely I shouldn't be penalised if I don't feel comfortable with a guest staying at our property?

Any assistance would be fantastic.

Linda - Cairns, North Queensland, Australia

[Marie3]

You will be penalised as from Airbnb's point of view the guest has done nothing wrong. The extra charge was not listed, and you had on instant book. From the guests view point she is being asked to pay for something that was not listed. Customs vary, but here in the US it would be assumed that linens are included for any bed. I undeerstand your reasoning and I also charge $10/person over 2. You may just have get through this one and be sure your site is set up as you want it going forward.

[Linda191]

Thanks for the reply.  I haven't actually mentioned that I will provide linen for the sofa lounge - so in this instance do I really need to?  Happy to provide line to actual beds, but this is a fold down sofa as is shown in the photos on my listing.  It is not a proper pull out sofa bed with a mattress.

[Alex161]

Below is my thought for your reference.

1. Good guest is very important. If it's instant booking, the guest should be over 4.5 stars level.

2. Don't too care about the small Money especially at the beginning. This is the long term business, so the good guest with positive review is the most important.

3. If you didn't clearly mention in the listing, you should keep your commitment.

Have a nice weekend!

Alex
http://bit.ly/2b2PRln

[Andrea9]

@Linda191

You shouldn't have actively listed your accommodation before you weren't ready. Better to keep it snoozed while still figuring out how to set up conditions and dates.

Better to suck this one up for now and chalk it up as learning experience.

[Linda191]

Dear Andrea,

Thank you for the reply.  I went through the process of listing the property, but it will not allow you to make the adjustments in the initial listing process for extra people.  I had two new properties to list at the same time, and by the time I got to putting in the finer details like my guest hand book, charge for extra people and the like - I received this booking.

In the initial listing phase it has very few options - I would have thought the process would be that I could do the entire listing and then make it live, but from my experience yesterday I had to do the basics, make it live and THEN go in and make the changes.  If it did have a Snooze option at the beginning it certainly wasn't obvious to me.

I have tried to be reasonable with this guest and offered them a very small amount to cover the extra costs, but they want to go "extra cheap".  I just know that I will get a bad review, but that is better than cancelling.  Just disappointing when it is out of my control.

Linda

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

You should graciously host these guests for the agreed upon fee.  It is not their fault that you had an incorrect pricing on the listing when they booked.  Even asking for more money was egregious.  Look at it from their point of view.  They booked a lovely vacation stay and the first contact with the host was a request for more money for the basic provision of sheets for the sleeping area .  Regardless of what form the 'bed' or non bed it is, the people need sheets, pillows and a cover.  You don't really want someone sleeping on the couch without sheets do you?  Common courtesy demands that you honor your commitment.  If I were you I would apologise for asking for more money, retract your request and explain that you are new to hosting and you hope to make their stay as pleasant as possible. 

I recently stayed at an AirBnb with a friend.  We wanted separate bedrooms.  We found a great listing but it only had a bedroom and a living room.  I asked the hosts if I could sleep on the couch.  They replied no, but they would put a twin bed in the living room if we wanted them to.  It was so ideal.  The living room had a door so essentially they turned their one bedroom into a two bedroom for us.  No extra charge!  That's what hosting is all about.