Thoughts on upcoming guest...

[Jennifer1897]

I had a guest book yesterday for this upcoming weekend Sat-Mon. When asked what was bringing him to the area he replied "visiting." Great!  Love the detailed answer.   His profile does not identify his location so I have no idea where he is traveling from. He then asked if he could have a guest over before going out to celebrate. I have it stated on my listing under house rules that only registered guest are allowed in the home, which means he likely didn't read through the entire listing (not that unusual) or figured maybe I would make an exception.  I politely told him no and stated a brief reason. I then received a request to change the reservation from one person to two with him stating the additional person wont be sleeping there. 

For some reason this just rubs me the wrong way.  My. thinking is that he didn't read the listing/rules and only added another guest so he could have the visitor over that he was initially told he couldn't have. He only has one prior review from last month, however it is positive. Maybe I am overthinking it, but wanted to see what other hosts think. 

[Ana2038]

You’re overthinking it. I have the same rules on my listing (only registered guest allowed on property/listing). I’ve had guest who have asked if someone (friend/relative…etc..) could come visit but the visitor would not be staying the night etc… Visitor(s) usually stay maybe an hour or two and then they leave. At least your guest asked and when you declined they decided to add another guest to their reservation so that it complied with your listing guidelines. It appears your guest is trying to work with you and not necessarily trying to go around/break your listing guidelines rules.

[Anonymous]

@Ana2038  One detail you might not have caught is that @Jennifer1897  is renting a guestroom in her own home. It's a more intimate arrangement than your hosting situation, and a dodgy guest could put her safety at risk.

@Jennifer1897  I don't feel you're overthinking it one bit; your gut feeling is important too. This guest intends to share your personal living space, but won't even answer the most basic question about why he's staying there?  He just so happens to have a "friend" who lives in town, but now they need to stay at your place too?  Maybe this guy is just a bad communicator, but he sure hasn't done one single thing to earn your trust.

If I were in your shoes, I'd decline the request to alter the booking and offer to refund the stay if this makes him want to cancel. If it was an Instant Book, you might consider using one of your grace cancellations to vanquish this booking - but when that's done, I strongly suggest turning off Instant Book so you can screen your future guests by their communication.

[Ana2038]

@Anonymous- you're right, I didn't notice that the listing was a shared room/home listing. 

As you stated, the host should follow her gut instincts.  

[Helen744]

@Jennifer1897 I always put in my rules that guests may not have visitors unless I agree and that they must ask . Your guest asked . So if it is not a problem then what you should be doing is finding out who the other person is ,how long they will be there for etcetera instead of being so inflexible. Does it seem strange that someone may have a friend they want to catch up with.? This is part of the flexibility of a host .Send through a variation and ask your guest to accept it , if you do not have extra guest fees then maybe it is time you did, as i can tell you , extra guest fees will make the whole issue feel less as if you are being taken advantage of . H

[Anonymous]

@Helen744  Did you actually read the post? 

[Helen744]

@Anonymous Yes Andrew but I have assumed that Jennifer does accept two guests on occaision or else he would not have requested and if she does not then she could again say no . I do not find anything unusual in this request . Fears are not facts . I did not host in my own home but I would certainly know if I had listed for one or two guests and variations of bookings are de riguer. Possibly Jennifer can in future only host female persons , that of course would not prevent this situation but may allay her fears. Also a co host is always useful or a knight in shining armour. H

[Helen744]

also Andrew first and last time I tried to cancel a booking that slipped through for the December period , Airbnb wanted to charge me 73 dollars . There is no such thing as a free lunch as they say H

[Helen744]

Also Andrew Jennifer has two listings and over a hundred reviews between them with many repeat guests. H

[Kirsten266]

I think this is just a person who always have stayed in a hotel and thinks airbnb is just like that