Dear Airbnb,
I am writing as I note that your team approach is to now block out calendar days for hosts who do not reply with Accept/Reject within 24 hours of inquiry by a prospective guest. I actually do reply (always) but my reply is not always ready for a Accept/Reject determination. There are times that, based on the information a prospective Guest provides with an inquiry, I have questions regarding their traveling party or additional information to provide based on their travel purpose. For example, a short-term stay guest may write to say that they are attending a conference in Palm Springs. Based on this, I reply that my location is actually quite far from Palm Springs, that there are many other Airbnb options that are closer, and would, otherwise, like to confirm that an up to 45 minute drive is acceptable. My view is that it is up to the Guest at this point to Accept/Reject. For me, I do not want to Reject a guest if he/she understands and agrees to this additional disclosure, but I also don't want to Accept and run the risk of having an unhappy guest as they didn't take the time to fully read my reply. My accepting makes the "done-deal" step to easy as the guest no longer has to process a reply and confirmation step.
A few of my rentals are 30+ day locations. Given the longer term stay requirement, it should be understood and expected that there may be some back-and-forth communications prior to a reservation being confirmed. For the traveler, it is typically a large financial commitment that is made even more difficult absent the ability to view the property or speak/meet with me beforehand. The process and time tied to communication, you should understand, builds confidence and a degree of trust between both parties. For me, as the Host, I am communicating with a prospective Guest who will have tenancy rights in my property. As such, I prefer not to have Airbnb block my calender simply becasue I have not Accepted or Rejected an inquiry.
As the Host, my being forced, if you will, by Airbnb to reject an inquiry while the guest and I are in communication regarding my location sends the wrong message. My accepting a reservation prior to understanding the guest's full and complete needs would be irresponsible and potentially creates problems for all involed.
Thank you for your consideration.
Dear Airbnb,
I am writing as I note that your team approach is to now block out calendar days for hosts who do not reply with Accept/Reject within 24 hours of inquiry by a prospective guest. I actually do reply (always) but my reply is not always ready for a Accept/Reject determination. There are times that, based on the information a prospective Guest provides with an inquiry, I have questions regarding their traveling party or additional information to provide based on their travel purpose. For example, a short-term stay guest may write to say that they are attending a conference in Palm Springs. Based on this, I reply that my location is actually quite far from Palm Springs, that there are many other Airbnb options that are closer, and would, otherwise, like to confirm that an up to 45 minute drive is acceptable. My view is that it is up to the Guest at this point to Accept/Reject. For me, I do not want to Reject a guest if he/she understands and agrees to this additional disclosure, but I also don't want to Accept and run the risk of having an unhappy guest as they didn't take the time to fully read my reply. My accepting makes the "done-deal" step to easy as the guest no longer is required to take an additional step to confirm their stay.
A few of my rentals are 30+ day locations. Given the longer term stay requirement, it should be understood and expected that there may be some back-and-forth communications prior to a reservation being confirmed. For the traveler, it is typically a large financial commitment that is made even more difficult absent the ability to view the property or speak/meet with me beforehand. The process and time tied to communication, you should understand, builds confidence and a degree of trust between both parties. For me, as the Host, I am communicating with a prospective Guest who will have tenancy rights in my property. As such, I prefer not to have Airbnb block my calendar simply because I have not Accepted or Rejected an inquiry.
As the Host, my being forced, if you will, by Airbnb to reject an inquiry while the guest and I are in communication regarding my location sends the wrong message. My accepting a reservation prior to understanding the guest's full and complete needs would be irresponsible and potentially creates problems for all involved.
Thank you for your consideration.
