Suggestions for improvement of booking settings,security and transparency

[Woody0]

This is in response to my conversation with a member of the Airbnb staff yesterday afternoon. I lost a 3 day booking by being blocked with certain settings that truly interfere with the proper flow of information between guest and host as I see it.

It seems that the reservation settings have only three [3] choices and since those settings cost me the ability to accept a booking, then, perhaps some other choices should be considered.

At this time, the prep time setting choices are: NONE, blocking one day before and after AND 2 days before and after reservations are to begin. I suggest that another choice be added. That additional choice should be: immediate occupancy and either one [1] or two [2] after each reservation would provide needed flexibility that is not included within your system.

Another componenet to those settings is the time of day that requests for reservations are made. if the request is made after 3:30 pm [not sure what time zone applies], And there is a one day before and after preparation hold, then for all pratical purposes, reservations can not be taken for 2 days, since anything after 3:30 is automatically deferred to the next day. For example: any booking request at 4pm on a Tuesday, and there is a one day hold, the earliest a guest could book space would be Friday, since as it was explained to me, anything after 3:30 pm is considered the next day and a one day hold does not beging for another day. that my fellow participants, is extreme in my view.

I also disagree with the default of blocking all phone number and website blocking that I have found disrupts the conversational flow necessary for proper negotiations between host and guest. I had to cancel my first guest transaction and wanted to transmit alternate lodging options as a measure of good will. That information was blocked, making me very unhappy. My most recent request for lodging needed a similar need for a conversation between the guest and myself and all means were blocked by Airbnb, meaning lost lodging for the guest and lost booking for the host.

I realize the need for privacy for the beginning of these types of transactions, however, there comes a point where either the guest and/or host should be able to opt in or opt out of these restrictions and allow for transparency in the interest of verification and communication needs.

I hope that these suggestions might be taken seriously because the more choices there are, the more prosperous we might all become.

I am open to further conversation and communication if folks on staff care to talk about this issue further.

Merry Christmas

[Clare0]

Hi @Woody0, I read your post with great interest and agree with some of the things you mention.  However, you need to know that this site is for hosts (and eventually guests) to communicate and help each other with issues that might arrive.  Messages posted here do not go to anyone at Airbnb unless the moderator, Lizzie, forwards it on.  

One thing I noticed about your cancellation is that having a plumbing issue might have been an extenuating circumstance that would have avoided your having to cancel.  You should not have cancelled. As it is, unless you can get Airbnb to remove the cancellation, you will be penalized $100 on your next reservation.  Read about cancellation penalties here: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/990/how-do-the-cancellation-penalties-work

I had a situation where I discovered a gas leak on the very day I had 4 guests from Taiwan arriving and I could not communicate with them.  I notified Airbnb and, long story short, they were able to get in touch with them and found them alternate lodging.  Upon providing documentation of the gas leak and its repair, Airbnb waived the penalty.  

You should familiarize yourself on extenuating circumstances here: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/849/extenuating-circumstances-for-host-cancellations

You should not have replied to the cancellation review the way you did.  It made you and Airbnb look bad.  Everyone looking at your listing will be reading it. 

And, lastly, you should know that in the event you decline a reservation or it is cancelled for whatever reason, Airbnb communicates with the guest to offer alternate listings to look at.  You don't need to do this.

Sorry to be hard on you, but you need to read more about hosting so you don't make costly mistakes.  Keep reading in this forum to learn more from fellow hosts.