Guest Hosting a Yoga Retreat for her business at my Airbnb House

[Jordan152]

I have an upcoming guest that is booked for a stay over NYE weekend. Her initial message to me was:

"I can't wait to stay at your space for a long NYE detox weekend with my group. We are coming to have a quiet holiday retreat without the booze and noise that comes with NYE. Your space looks lovely."

I did some research and I see she is charging  her group members $300-$620 for the weekend depending on what type of sleeping arrangements they prefer. During the weekend, she is teaching yoga classes, meditation classes, teaching the group how to cook plant-based meals, etc but also charging them to stay at my house at the rates above.

Sounds like a real good time : ) My wife and I aren't sure how to feel about this. On one hand, this sounds like a pretty ideal group to have at your house for New Years Eve (no drinking, partying, etc). But we are bothered that she wasn't 100% truthful in her intentions and I am assuming this is illegal to use a residential house for commercial use like this?

Has anyone else dealt with something like this before? Any advice on how to approach this with this guest?

[Clara116]

@Jordan152 Hi .....I am with many of the others that say cancel this reservation as they are holding a FOR profit function and making huge profits and we know Airbnb would not want that to be happening!!!

also, as a person who did Yoga many years, well, many think it is all soft, gentle and easy - HOWEVER, there are some of us that can and do get injured doing YOGA - I ended up having to have neck surgery to replace 2 disc and my world and life changed alot and I suffered years of pain - I say this to say that those speaking of insurance are right on. You just never know. I never sued anyone but there are folks without insurance and they are forced to sue someone else. And in this case, YOU might be the liable party. just a thought. 

So you certainly have some great ideas from others about ways to increase your income!!! Cool, huh?

best and happy hosting, Clara

[Jordan152]

Hey Clara,

Thanks so much for your insight on Yoga and the potential liability. Really great thought. I will connect with Airbnb for their thoughts.

[Clara116]

@Jordan152 wow your place is fabulous.............I would most certainly charge $10 extra per person per night for each guest after say 6 people.....that sounds alot more correct - cause 14 peeps are really putting wear on your place! you have to charge for wear and tear.........cause it is happening, maybe we don't see it yet, but it is happening. I'm just talking about a regular stay-------------not an event..... best, Clara

[Tasha20]

Hey @Jordan152,

Just wondering how you got on with this booking....I have someone looking to book who is offering a similar kind of thing (over a 10 day booking yoga/lifestyle/surfing retreat)...based in UK so I'm sure insurance etc will be different...but just wondering if you cancelled/went ahead with booking and if so how did it go?  (Guest that has approached me has been totally upfront about intentions...my worries are they might not actually stay with the guests; as it is a long retreat there will be parties in between the wellness activities...and that they will have a rotation of guests checking in and out...although they have said it is a closed group for 10 days...that seems long compared with other retreats, so have doubts)  Thanks Tasha

[Jordan152]

Hey Tasha,

Sounds like a similar situation. We ended up approving the group to have their event at our house. To remove us from all liabilities we had our lawyer draw up a signed letter absolving us of all liabilities. We also had her provide us with proof of her business insurance. I would reccomend talking with your property insurance company and a lawyer to ensure you are covered in the event of an accident.

Hope this helps!

Jordan