A guest booked our place and is now selling tickets to a retreat at our property. What to do?

A guest booked our place and is now selling tickets to a retreat at our property. What to do?

We have a farmhouse that sleeps 12. A guest booked our place, we find out a few days later (via Instagram) she is selling tickets at $1000/ticket to a retreat "hosted" at our property. There was no mention of selling tickets to a retreat when there was communication about booking the house, quite decptive.  What to do?

16 Replies 16
Ben551
Level 10
Wellington, New Zealand

Hi @Brady---Shae0 - I can understand why you would be unhappy about this.  It sounds like someone plans to use your space to run a business event.

 

Don't dismiss it out of hand, I'd say give it some consideration.  If they plan to have a low key retreat, with no parties or risk to your property, then it could work very well for you!

 

Some hotel owners encourage business event bookings, so it depends whether you want this kind of business (as it often turns into repeat business if their event is successful).  Sometimes regular hotelliers (with larger spaces) would use the event as an opportunity to offer extra's and generate extra income streams during the event - not to mention all the extra advertising!  These often benefit both the organiser and yourself as the host (i.e. you could offer to hire a licenced external caterer and split the food profits) so you might want to consider discussing it openly with the guest who has booked and understand what additional risks or opportunities the event brings.  Weigh these up and keep an open mind, as it could be a lucrative repeat business opportunity.

 

That said, if they booked your entire property (all 12 rooms) and plan to resell it, then you should check to ensure it's not against Airbnb rules.  There are rules about reselling bookings, so you'll need to ensure you maintain control of who comes and goes.  If you don't get to approve each attendee at the event, then I would say it is too high risk - as your home insurance and Airbnb host protection will likely not cover you for damage.

 

 

Elena87
Level 10
СПБ, Russia

@Brady---Shae0

 

Undoubtedly you will have a no parties or events rule applicable to your listing.

 

Time to confront the guest now and ask why your booking rules are being ( or about to) be violated.

Options are to for the guest to cease and desist this activity or request they cancel the booking.

 

If you contact airbnb, they are likely to intervene on your behalf with a cancellation but without payments for unused nights.

 

You can consider to ask to renegotiate the guest fee based on this event, although already there is a breach of trust in this booking plus the whole issue of an event being properly covered with liabilty insurance has now arisen - these events should be covered properly by the organiser and you would need to see the documentation. 

An event would likely invalidate any of your personal insurance as well.

Good advice.

 

We considerd renegotiating however she responded and said she "wasn't' selling tickets" and everyone coming was her "friend". Clearly that was not the case.  Yes so breach of trust, also for events like this our county requires event permits, alcohol permits and liability insurance. 

 

They even created a website for tickets, with photos taken when she previously stayed with us last summer (thats how we discoverd it):  http://alpandisle.com/thecocoon

 

@Brady---Shae0 Well, I wouldn't even call that breach of trust, she's just an outright liar. I hope her lies were communicated via the Airbnb messaging. That, plus the link to her website and Instagram where she is selling tickets, should hopefully get Airbnb to cancel her booking ASAP without it going down as a host cancellation.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Brady---Shae0 Your guest can't "host" an event on your property because she isn't the host, you are. I think this is outrageous. She could have asked you when she was looking for a place to book if this would be okay with you, and she didn't. I wouldn't want such an entitled person in my home. If this happened to me, I'd immediately message her, telling her she did not ask permission to have a retreat on your property, that all guests have to be accounted for at the time of booking, and tell her to cancel the reservation and look for another place, since she wasn't honest with you. If she won't cancel, i'd phone Airbnb, explain the situation, and ask them to cancel it for you penalty free. 

As well as all the insurance issues that Elena mentioned. 

Ben551
Level 10
Wellington, New Zealand

@Brady---Shae0  I can see they have taken the website down already...

 

But with some magic... here it is again!

 

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:aS_eZOf1KWIJ:alpandisle.com/thecocoon+&cd=1&hl=...

 

I actually think this looks like business I would want!  It's a shame.  A beauty retreat would be a wonderful money spinner.... it's not a raging party, it looks like an adult gathering of some style.... the guests are also likely to return and generate lots of extra leads and business for you.  Hell I'd be on board for further discussion with them, to be honest... it's just a pity they have approached this dishonestly.  You can't go into business with people that operate dishonestly.... it never ends well.

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Ben551hehe magic :)))

@Brady---Shae0

Maybe they are con artists, selling tickets for the non-existing event.

make sure you print screen the entire web page and Instagram so you have a proof in case you will have to deal with people who bought tickets, or with Airbnb, or with a police

Do you know the name of your guests? Asked them for a photo ID?  It would be helpfull.

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

.

Anita377
Level 2
Toronto, Canada

I would have immediatwly cancelled the reservation and expalin that you know what they are doing .. Put a clause in your resevation request that you will check in guests personaly need identifaction with passport. It will clean up a dangerous situation. Be there is my best advice.

Monica1037
Level 1
Victoria, Australia

I have a reservation for 1 payment for 1 but they intend to bring 2 more people to stay here and declined my request for payment. I feel stuck cause the cancellation penalty is a bit awkward anybody cancelled before in a situation like this?

I would message the guest and tell them there’s an additional charge for the other 2 people. If they refuse to pay again call Airbnb and tell them you want it cancelled without penalties as the guest won’t agree to your terms.

Rebecca160
Level 10
Albuquerque, NM

@Brady---Shae0 I am truly appalled that this guest is attempting to make money off of your property.  (thanks for the link @Ben551). She needs to rent a formal retreat  property and not a private farmhouse.  I can just imagine how much legal and financial trouble that you would be in, if she were to hold this retreat and one of her paying guests fell and broke their leg or something.  I imagine even Airbnb would be held liable, in the event of a serious injury.  I also note that she is including alcohol with her tickets, which would make her a seller of alcohol, and would need an ATF permit for doing so. 

 

Please tell us that you contacted Airbnb and got this reservation cancelled penalty free. Sure hope that she gets booted off the platform, because you know she has probably done these retreats before and will do so again without the property owner's permission. 

 

Of course, you could consider turning your property into a formal retreat center and charge a lot more per night for it. And pay a lot more for insurance.  

We sent the website link to Airbnb and they cancelled the reservation immediately without any trouble.

We reached out to the guest first to see what she had to say, as well as let her know she was putting us at serious legal risk.

She said she “didn’t view the tickets at tickets, per se”....the only purpose of the website was to highlight the costs of the trip for her “friends only.”

At that point we had now been lied to, and this guest has stayed with us before so she must think we’re really stupid because she knows our own home is about 20 feet from the rental. As if we wouldn’t see caterers, yoga teachers and her checking in complete strangers?!

After the cancellation she sent a message saying her only intention was to “honor our space and what we’ve created.”

Hahaha! Then you should’ve followed the rules of our rental, and Airbnb to begin with!!

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Brady---Shae0 I'm glad to hear you were able to get it cancelled without any big hassle.

It's really rich that someone who not only figured she could hold a retreat at your place without asking permission, and then outright lied to you, has the gall to talk about "honor".