Over The Guest Limit

[Micah4]

Hello,

I have a listing for which the maximum number of people is set at 5.

In my listing description I also go into more detail, saying that the apartment can just barely fit 5 and even 5 is not really recommended. But still, many families of 5 have been booking my place for the last few years because of its central location. This uses up all the bedding resources and floor space in the apartment, as it is a small studio apartment in central Tokyo.

The other day I received an instant booking that was for 5 guests, but in the initial message the guest listed her family members which added up to 6. I quickly asked the guest to confirm the exact number just to make sure, and it took her about 3 days to respond. She told me that yes, there will be 6 people but "they don't mind the tight space."

It's absolutely impossible for me to accomodate 6 people, which is why I have my limit set at 5. And I clearly explain the sleeping arrangements on my listing page. I also have an extra person fee for each person, so the guest is also not paying the correct amount.

The dates for that booking have been blocked for 3 or 4 days already and the reservation is only 4 days away. I managed to get ahold of someone from Airbnb customer service, asking if I could get the booking cancelled because the guest disregarded my rules and policies when making the reservation.

The response I got was this: "Once that you establish the extra guest option there is no limit unless that the extra people exceed a reasonable amount of people. In this case the person only request an additional guest, therefore, it is more than reasonable. We cannot cancel the reservation."

I am shocked by this response. I already have my guest limit set at 5 but this doesn't matter to Airbnb. This is a small apartment in central Tokyo and as I mentioned, definitely cannot accomodate 6 people. Absolutely not "more than reasonable" as Airbnb says.

I cannot believe that Airbnb is totally fine with guests being sneaky and ignoring the host's reservation requirements clearly stated on their listing page. But then if the host cancels on such guests, there is a penalty for the host!

Has anyone else had anything like this happen before?

Thank you.

[David126]

Their response is stupid, if you could accept 6 then you would have put 6.

Only thing I can think of is to make a very heft charge for the 6th person through the resolution center, perhaps that will persuade them to look elsewhere.

[Robin-Stellwagen0]

Great suggestion here - using the resolution center with a big charge for the 6th person - I agree!

[Mike77]

David, what if they don't accept the additional charge for the 6th person?  Don't they have to agree to the change?  Can't they stay anyway if they don't accept the additional charge for the 6th person?

Mike
AirBnB Treehouse for Rent
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7292887

[David126]

Then you have played by the AirBnB rules, they booked 5, 5 stay.

[Robin-Stellwagen0]

Hi Micah,

I'm sorry I don't have good advice, I only have sympathy to offer.  I have also had a tough time with Airbnb's customer service.  If it were me I would cancel the reservation and take the penalty rather than have too many guests in my space - then I would file a complaint with Airbnb about their response and policy.

I had a guest insist that I cancel their reservation for them because they "couldn't" and I was penalized for it.  I was incredibly upset but I can tell you the 1 penalty didn't have any effect on my status or reservations.  I can't vouch it will have no effect on you but it might be better than squeezing 6 people into a space better for 4 people maximum (and maybe change your maximum number of people to 4?  I have 4 cabins that could sleep up to 6 but I have them listed at 5 maximum with an extra cost for the 5th, people don't seem to consider children as "people" and sometimes they put 6 in there).

Best wishes for a good outcome either way 🙂

Robin Seljevold, Manager, Telemark Camping & Inn

[Sandra126]

If your rules are max 5, then that is it and the guests are in breach of house rules, which should mean you can turn them away. Can't believe the Air response. If it was me, I would tell them that they need to find alternative accommodation for the 6th as they cannot be accommodated. Your limit is 5. Final. Then your cancellation policy would come into play should they cancel the whole thing. But 6? Absolutely, irrevocably not.

[Micah4]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your responses.

After getting the original response from customer support that I mentioned, I pushed the matter further and sent more emails to them hoping I could hear from someone else. They ended up calling me on the phone the next day and actually seemed concerned.

It's a little bit complicated but in the end I got Airbnb to cancel the reservation for me and I got back about half of what the booking total was worth and the dates unblocked on my calendar. While not the full compensation I was hoping for, it's still much, much better than being being forced to cancel the reservation myself or actually having to host the group of 6.

So I guess the moral of the story is this: if you get a response from customer support that seems ridiculous, be persistant and keep pushing the matter anyway! You might eventually get put in contact with another staff member who agress with you.

Best Regards,

Micah

[David126]

Good to hear it worked out.

[Cindy123]

can you please advise how you email air bnb as i cannot find any contact info