Guest adding additional guests after booking

Maxine33
Level 7
Alexandria, VA

Guest adding additional guests after booking

I am in a pickle here and am not sure what the best solution is... your thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Yesterday a couple rented my 2-bedroom apartment for December and January and let me know their daughter would be coming with her two cats for part of the stay.  She asked for an additional discount off the monthly rate, which I offered her, and she happily accepted. This was yesterday early afternoon.
 
I woke up this morning with a message from her informing me that that her other daughter and that daughter's two young children would also be coming and they would sleep on an air mattress they will bring with them.
 
This puts the occupancy at 6 for an apartment with a maximum occupancy of four. The entire space is just under 1000 square feet and I have two bedrooms, each with queen sized beds.  There is a living/dining/kitchen combo area, if you put a blow up mattress would literally be in the middle of the kitchen floor.  While the listing states there is an extra fee of $25 per person per night over three guests, the place is too small for six people.
 
I am just not sure how to best respond to her.  I am not comfortable with the situation as it is unfolding.  
10 Replies 10
Gordon0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

You are right to feel uncomfortable with this one, @Maxine33, and you can bet there's another sibling in the wings ready to be welcomed along at the last minute. We have maximum numbers and red lines for a reason, and these seem to be the type to complain that the place is too small, despite knowing the drill.

It would be a no from me. 

Ben-and-Sam0
Level 3
Chicago, IL

@Maxine33 You absolutely do not need to accommodate these extra guests.

 

I would start by pointing out the listing max occupancy to the guest and clearly stating it cannot be exceeded. If the guest agrees and you feel they will honor it, you're all set.

 

If you feel they will likely exceed occupancy anyway, you could politely and firmly request that they cancel and choose another listing which can accommodate their full group.

 

If they do not cancel and at any point you are uncomfortable with the reservation, contact Airbnb and request that the reservation be canceled due to violation of your max occupancy. Get the rep to confirm with tremendous clarity that the cancellation will be processed NOT as host-initiated.

 

Good luck!

Lenore22
Level 10
California, United States

This.

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Maxine33  Just tell her no.  The maximum occupancy for the unit is 4 persons, so unfortunately the other 3 persons cannot stay.  If you want, you can offer to cancel and give her a refund.  You can couch it in terms of safety/building codes/insurance if you want or simply remind her the listing capacity is 4 people and so, extra people have to stay elsewhere. 

Maxine33
Level 7
Alexandria, VA

At one point hosts with instant book could cancel without penalty if we were not comfortable with a reservation.  @Airbnb can you tell me if that is still the case?

 

The person is now telling me the extra people will only be there part of the time, a week around the holidays.  But then she goes on to say "no guests will stay over a week", like there might be more visitors during their stay.  I am overwhelmed and think you may be right, I should just cancel.  Having a guest for two months seemed so nice but it is getting more and more complicated by the minute. 

@Maxine33 Airbnb won't respond to you here but yes, it is still the case. Your guest is blatantly admitting that they will break your house rule so you can call Airbnb to have them canceled because you are uncomfortable. 

 

I would respond to the guest that you have occupancy limits for a reason and under no circumstance can they be exceeded. Your town likely has ordinances about this due to fire code, safety, etc., etc. It may be worth looking into that. Let the guest know that they might be more comfortable in another space that better fits their party. You can suggest that they cancel as you don't want these limitations to inconvenience their trip. Depending on the guest's response I may call Airbnb to cancel. 

 

Also for the future: Be more specific about occupancy in your house rules. Add something like "Guest count in this condo can not exceed 4 total guests at any point in time." This way when a guest tells you about extra visitors you can refer them back to your house rules. 

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

this is that guest that thinks she's inviting her children to HER house and she's forgotten that she's inviting them to YOUR house. this is one of the perils of a long-stay guest... they kind of forget that they are a GUEST.

If it were me, I'd skip guest communication and go straight to a phone call to CS to get her stay cancelled "so that she can find a place that better meets their needs for more space" and "of course I'm happy to fully refund them". No back and forth, no 'oh well, they just won't come', none of that, just a firm 'no, this won't work'.

Good luck! @Maxine33 

Maxine33
Level 7
Alexandria, VA

Thanks for the input everyone!  It kept growing... she then said she would only have six people and two cats for the two weeks around the holidays.  But then went on to tell me about 'all other overnight guests'.  

 

As much as I hated it, I gave her links to a few other Airbnb's near me that are larger and can accommodate the higher occupancy.   I did explain to her the concept of maximum occupancy and that while it may seem simple to just bring a blow up mattress for other guests to use, it was not practical since the way the apartment is laid out, the blow up mattress would be in the kitchen and that is also a safety issue.

 

Thanks for your collective expertise and experience.  So... if you know anyone looking to spend the holidays in Charleston, I have a vacancy! (maximum occupancy 4 people please)  🙂

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

Hello @Maxine33 

 

The correct thing to do, and it would be of benefit to all lies in your initiative to refer them to other listings in the area.

I'd have been inclined to have suggested they may like to check out other near by listings for the additional Guests so they can all pop around and meet up in local parks, cafes, pubs etc for their entertainment and family gatherings.

 

One can understand with children they need outdoor spaces to run around, as children have been quite damaged with the current 'Climate Change'.

They will be looking forward to seeing their own age or similar relations as children do.

 

Maybe they haven't had holidays together for a while with all the Restrictions imposed and through talking with excitement of a pending holiday ( understandably so ) they decided to have a reunion that perhaps has escalated that they to were not sure how to address.

 

It can be very challenging when it comes to Family gatherings as some families are larger than others for whatever reason and we need to be understanding of those needs to.

 

It would be good if you could all come to  a happy compromise and win win without the loss of the booking.

 

Think how you would feel as a child having the disappointment of seeing photos of a Holiday Home and hearing they were going on a holiday taken away from them, if you both end up cancelling.

 

I'm sure they will understand local Ordinances as @Emilia42 has pointed out.

 

All the best and embrace it positively, without the loss of your original reservation, who I'm sure will understand when it's explained.

 

 

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Maxine33 I can tell you right now why it escalated to that point. It all started with you agreeing to give her an additional discount. I encourage you to never do that. Guests who ask for discount often end up being trouble. Guests  who ask and get a discount pretty much always end up being trouble. Don’t regret loosing this booking. She would have been nothing but trouble.