Booking request declined by a host

[Mike1034]

Dear Hosts,

Recently I booked a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim. I booked the townhouse which is very close to Disneyland theme park. The booking is for four nights starting from Friday. The nightly rate is $325. The host does not have instant booking turned on.

When I made the booking request, I saw that the dates are open from Friday. My travel plan has already set up between Saturday and Wed. I booked from Saturday to Wed. But the the host declined my request because Friday would have been left open if he had accepted my request. He has a minimum length of three nights stay.

Just a question for hosts, do you think that it is reasonable to decline a request like this? And do you think that this host is greedy? As a host myself, I have never declined a booking request because a request will leave me with one or two days which could not be booked. I have Instant Booking on by the way.

[Mike1034]

@Emilia42 I am with you since I have Instant Booking on in three out of four my listings.

I created this post from a guest perspective as well. As guest I want to plan my trip well with schedules and various logistics. If I have to wait for a booking confirmation for 24 hours before I get a decline, it means that I have to submit another booking request by doing some more research on Airbnb.

This is why I asked the hosts here about one day gap. For a host, it is just a potential loss of one day income. For a guest, it is probably a couple of hours research to find appropriate listings if the host reject the booking just because of that one day gap. By rejecting a guest's booking, the host also may get more loss if he cannot get another booking for the booking dates which he rejected.

[Emilia42]

@Mike1034, see this is where I really don't think that it is fair to guests to be declined. If this host was professional, he would have set those dates to a 4 night minimum and you would not have wasted your time because the listing would not be available to you. But instead, he now declines you because your not what he wants 

[Sarah977]

@Mike1034  Maybe the host's karma will come back to bite them- they'll get all the days filled, the guests will leave a pigsty behind them, then demand a refund claiming the place was filthy 🙂

[Mike1034]

@Sarah977 Anything could happen after they rejected my booking for four nights. Either nobody booked those dates which I was booking or got some bad guests who did something like you described.

The host could have thought that I was not a good guest because I am a Superhost as mentioned by other hosts in this thread. Some hosts thought that a host especially a superhost are more pickier. I would think the other way around because I know how much effort, time, and passion I have put on Airbnb to become a good host. Therefore, I would rather help other hosts when I am guest instead of putting other hosts down.

I had booked four Airbnb trips and I left straight 5 stars to all hosts and good reviews. But I got only two reviews from hosts after my stay. Two other hosts did not bother to leave me with reviews.

[Sarah977]

@Mike1034  There's so many reports on the forum of hosts being picky guests who seem to downgrade other's listings, or offer unsolicited advice as to how the host they booked with could improve their listings, that when I do eventually use Airbnb as a guest, I would mention when messaging with the host during the booking process some reassurance that I'm aware that other hosts have been known to be very critical of other's listings, but that I promise I won't fall into that category. Unless, of course, the place was an unmitigated disaster 🙂

[David6]

@Mike1034  In 5+ years of hosting ALL hosts have been nightmare guests. Every one. Entitled and always asking for a little extra. 

always message with: ‘I am a fellow host, and appreciate it’s frustrating to be asked this , but can we check in early/late, get a discount, bring an extra guest for 1 night,  etc, etc.

I would gladly decline each and every one.  I don’t and just wait for the rubbish review and patronising comments of how I can improve my listing. One host told me the apartment was much smaller than he thought, the bed - he HATES memory foam mattresses and he thought I should reconfigure layout of the furniture. Oh yes, plus 3* for value as London is much more expensive than he thought! 

I sent him personal reply and pointed out in  600+ reviews no other guests had ever mentioned these points. And if they had, didn’t he feel I would have done something about it?! 

And if anyone ever  wants rejection. Try booking Madrid for New Year. 12 requests all declined and in the end I booked instantly with booking.com . 

[Mike1034]

@David6 Thanks for your feedback. I am sorry and so disappointed to hear your experience about those hosts as guests hosted by you.

i will look out those hosts when they book my places as well. Wish me good luck:-).