Accept/Decline or Send a Message - what do my fellow hosts think about this?

Nick305
Level 1
England, United Kingdom

Accept/Decline or Send a Message - what do my fellow hosts think about this?

I am not happy with the reservation system...Accept/Decline/Send Message...for the following reason. Guests ask a question about my listing e.g.. is it available.
If I am willing to accept their reservation I respond with an 'Accept' & the reservation is confirmed automatically. I am finding that the guests were not ready to book, they wanted information first and they become upset that they have 'inadvertently made a reservation. My cancellation policy allows them to cancel without penalty but this whole scenario is unsatisfactory for both myself and these potential guests. I have no way of distinguishing between what is a reservation request and what is an information request. Sometimes they ask if the property is available for the dates they want. Surely they can check this themselves on the website? Should I always respond by sending a message rather than an Accept? I think that there needs to be much clearer guidance for both guests and hosts regarding how the system works. Without such guidance I find that I am the one who has to explain the Airbnb procedures to these guests who clearly do not understand them. What do you my fellow hosts think about this?

14 Replies 14
Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

@Nick305 In my opinion, hosts are already given too many tasks to handle guests. Airbnb forces us to explain how ratings work because there is no clear instruction on the site; now, as you say, we have to explain the issues with inquiries... What else? Hosts will guide guests through their reservations? With Airbnb pressing for lower prices? Let Airbnb tend to issues like that. Hosting can be a full time job for some of us.

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"
Gordon0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

>>I think that there needs to be much clearer guidance for both guests and hosts regarding how the system works<<

Most guests can't be bothered to read past the first para of our listing details. I'm not sure more is less on this occasion. 

@Nick305 you said "I have no way of distinguishing between what is a reservation request and what is an information request"

 

If the guest has just sent an Inquiry, the buttons won't say "Accept" and "Decline" but "Pre-Approve" and "Decline". In that case, you just need to send a message back, and that fulfills your duty as a host to respond. (You do NOT need to Pre-Approve or Decline an Inquiry)

 

It is only the actual Reservation Requests that have "Accept" and "Decline", and yes, you do have to choose one of those within 24 hours to maintain your response rate.

 

But if the guest sends an actual Reservation Request and you Accept it, but the guest didn't mean to make an actual reservation, that is the fault of the guest, not you. If they want to then cancel, the guest can cancel, and they can deal with AirBnB. Guests now have 48 hours to cancel a reservation without cost, so it should be no big deal to them.

 

It is pretty easy to tell Inquiries and Reservation Requests apart, but AirBnB does not do a good job of training hosts how to do that.

 

 

Nick305
Level 1
England, United Kingdom

Hi Matthew, I really appreciate your detailed explanation - it makes more sense to me now. Thank you.

 

 

Aye Nick, just make note of the key words 'Inquiry' or 'Request'. A bit tricky at first.

@Matthew285"Guests now have 48 hours to cancel a reservation without cost, so it should be no big deal to them." Cool, didn't know that. Good addition, might have been best 24 hours, but still good for applicants that made a mistake.

what does it mean, I'm looking for a room, I send a message to the host, asking more information about the place and the distance to the bus station. I got a "declined" from him. What does this mean?

I had the same experience as Salua2. I ask a few questions regarding the place (about the distance to the subway and whether he could accommodate a late check-out) and got a positive reply. I asked one more question and now I get a decline response. Why? Did the host think my question was stupid/irrelevant? I'm trying to book a place in NYC. While going through many places, i saw reviews with guests saying that in many old buildings the heating can't be regulated since there is no thermostat. My query was regarding this....whether his heater had a thermostat. I'd like to know from other hosts whether this was inappropriate. I honestly didn't mean to offend him and was just trying to book the perfect place, but obviously I sent out a wrong vibe. Please be honest so that I can rectify myself in future bookings...

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

Hi @Jeena2 ! - From reading the forums here, I have concluded that hosts often decline potential guests who ask certain questions, because they think these guests may be trouble....

1) Some hosts don't like it when guests ask questions where the info is already in the listing, eg "How far from..." Hosts worry that a guest who hasn't read or understood the WHOLE listing may be a bad guest, because they are not entering into the spirit of things & choosing the right 'fit' for them, based on all the info. They may arrive, & find they don't like the Airbnb, because they did not read & assumed it to be different!

2) Some hosts think guests who ask detailed questions, eg, "Have you got a thermostat?" will be picky people who find fault easily.... Because Airbnb tell hosts we must achieve an average of 4.7 out of 5 in our overall/general review marks, hosts sometimes decline anyone they fear will not give them 5 stars!

 

- If your host did NOT have a thermostat, he may have declined you because he did not want you marking him down!

- Remember Airbnbs are not hotels... There is no entitlement for a guest to stay. Historically on Airbnb, hosts & guests negotiated to ensure a 'good fit', that each was right for the other, particularly in home shares. I'm not saying don't ask questions, asking questions is good.... unless it's the sort of questions which make hosts think you will be hard to please, and mark them down! (Remember hosts get to review YOU too!)

- Hope this helped! 🙂

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

And @Jeena2 , it would help hosts to trust you if you filled out your profile more fully. You don't have any 'verifications', just your email address. Uploading your government I.D. & your phone number would help. Also, write a short biography, a bit about yourself, why you want to stay in Airbnbs, for work, travel, adventure, whatever! And a photo that shows your face would help too. - Honesty & transparency, it's not meant to be impersonal & anonymous!

Oops! I just noticed that I logged into this thread on the community using my old account, Jeena2 (which I had created years ago, but never used). My new account, the one I have used for previous bookings is Jeena. In that one, i have uploaded my ID, phone number and a photo of me. You can also see a brief bio about me. I can't find an option on Airbnb to delete an account, only logout.

 

Sorry for the confusion! : )

Sorry, this is my account. I don't know how Jeena3 was created (anyway it's not me)

This is the REAL me! :)))

Thank you Helen350.... your response was really helpful! Will keep these in mind the next time I book. I usually take time to read the whole listing carefully including the reviews (even if there are hundreds of them, and i usually get answers to other doubts about the place from other guest reviews, without having to ask the host) before asking other questions. I understand how irritating explaining things already detailed previously can be. After all, hosts have their lives too!! I totally get what you mean.  It's just that simply hitting the "decline" button without a reply can create alot of misunderstanding.

 

Again, thank you!!