I had an instant booking from a fellow who said he was meeting a friend in my city for a wedding and they were looking for a quiet place to stay...2 people. Almost immediately, he sent a message saying that he needed to change the credit card on the account and asked if he should just cancel and rebook. I said sure, but he could also try contacting Airbnb and seeing if they could change it over the phone. He ended up canceling and rebooking immediately. I happened to be in my calendar adjusting prices at the time that he contacted me about rebooking and when he rebooked, the price went up by $14 on my end and an additional $18 on his end (I assume the difference is from booking fees but $4 seems like a lot.) I noticed right away sent a message explaining what happened and refunded the $14. I figured they were out the other $4 because it was their fault they had to cancel and rebook.
The day before he was scheduled to arrive, I sent a message asking what time to expect him, and he replied and asked if his boyfriend could also stay for a night or two. I said, "sure, just let me know if it is for one or two nights so that I can adjust the reservation. Then he said that his boyfriend would only be there for the second night.
As I was going in to adjust the reservation, I noticed that his profile photo is of him and a woman who looks like his girlfriend/significant other. I could care less if this is a gay or straight couple, I assumed it was a gay couple from the email exchange, but now I'm thinking that the girlfriend booked the room for herself and a friend, which is why s/he needed to change the credit card initially. I went back and reviewed our message exchanges, and I always acknowledge the guest by his name, but the guest did not sign his name to any of them. And now I'm questioning whether the boyfriend/actual person is even going to show up. Maybe this is how the girlfriend covers herself - it's not really a third party booking because the real guest is supposed to be there on the second day.
It seems fishy to me and I'm trying to decide how to proceed. I realize now that I should ask for all guests to be registered beforehand, and I will change that in my house rules for the future, but I did not have this in my house rules when he booked. I'm finding it hard to compose an email to inquire further...I don't want to offend anyone by presuming or questioning relationships/straight/gay, but the girl in the photos vs. the guy asking if his boyfriend can stay in the apartment is obviously confusing. Rather than inquiring any further - they're supposed to be here in less than 5 hours, I've considered a number of responses when the guest arrives if he is not the person in the photo;
I can refuse to let her in and she can't leave a review because she isn't the actual person on the account. Of course if the boyfriend shows up the following day, would I be obligated to let him in? If so, he can obviously leave a poor review after I have refused to allow his girlfriend in the day before.
Tell her that I will only release the keys to the person in the photo and if she wants to rebook in her own name she is welcome to do so. In my experience, it doesn't take much time to set up an account and upload a government id. Of course, she could still leave a bad review.
other ideas? your thoughts? Thanks
