Canceling a reservation or letting it expire, which has a more negative effect as a host?

[Vlad2]

What has a more negative effect on my listing or as a host: Declining a reservation request or letting it expire?

[Janice1]

@Vlad2

Do you have a booking enquiry or request sitting in pending dashboard?  

J

[Vlad2]

Not as an enquiry, but a reservation request

[Clare0]

@Vlad2 Letting a reservation request expire is much worse than declining.  Airbnb expects guests to get an answer as soon as possible.  Not responding at all is very inconvenient to guests.  At least if you decline the guest can move on and shop for other accomodations.  By the way, I've declined several guests and it has never hurt me. 

[Vlad2]

Thank you Clare, that makes more sense!

[Claire34]

Hi Clare -  I have just had a similar problem. I am scrupulous about responding fast to requests, but I need to know the guests' arrival time before I accept a reservation.  I had a request from someone who had no reviews, no info in his profile, had joined airbnb only recently  and didn't  give me a check in time.  I sent two messages a few hours apart  seeking more information,  but he didn't answer. I wouldn't want to accept and then have to cancel if it turns out I can't be home - plus the lack of personal information was a bit of a worry,  so I was thinking I would decline. I  inadvertently missed the expiry time (by minutes) and now I have an 'expired' spoiling my perfect record. Grr.  

It seems a bit rough that I  get the black mark when it was he who ignored my messages - especially as my aim was just to do the right thing. Is there anything I can do? Or do I just suck it up?

[Monica4]

I always decline if a guest doesn't answer my questions. Communication is key to a good experience. Lack of response by the guest within a reasonable time is worrying. This is the age of smart phones, text messages, etc.....so there is no excuse for a guest not responding. I wish that Airbnb had a drop down menu that states: "Potential guest did not respond to emails"....when declining a reservation.