Guest booking timeline

[Joanne145]

I am new to Airbnb and I had a guest inquire yesterday to book my place. He stated he would book later on that evening which he didnt. In the meantime someone else booked. This morning I got a message from the first guy who said that he got an email from Airbnb that he had until 3pm today to book and now is very upset. I am not sure if Airbnb sends this email to guests giving them 24hrs to book but doesnt seem like it should be. Anyone else have this sort of issue and how to I correct it

Thanks

Joanne

[Carol-Lee1]

It's my understanding that when a guest actually books and you accept the booking your calendar is blocked.  If you didn't accept his request then he wasn't booked.  If you did accept it your calendar should have been blocked so no one else could book.  

[Linda108]

I think what might have happened, @Joanne145, is that you pre-approved the inquiry and a system generated message advised that the guest had 24 hours to book or the pre-approval would expire.  You also did not check the option that blocked your calendar while the inquiring guest made up their mind.  Then, because you have Instant Book activated, another guest willing to make a reservation got first preference over the less committed guest.

Does that explanation make sense in your situation?

[Joanne145]

Yes it does. So the next time I shouldn't pre approve or if I do I will have to block the time  so this doesn't happen again. Thanks for your response. 

[JC-Vacations0]

@Joanne145 I generally never pre-approve a guest because if they are ready to book, they would book now. I feel like giving the power to the guest just fuels their tendency to look elsewhere knowing they have your place in their back pocket. 

That being said, I do make exceptions and block off my calendar if a guest is waiting on some specific information to make their decision. For example, one time I had a guest who was waiting until the next day to receive confirmation from the doctor on whether they are allowed to travel or not. I think that is a legitimate reason to make an exception for.

Hope that helps!

[Ben205]

@Joanne145

You can pre-approve, which makes it possible for the guest to book if they don't meet the Instant Book criteria. I think it's made clear to host and guest alike that pre-approving doesn't block your calendar. They don't get 24 hours to make up their mind. They get a day in which the pre-approval works. After that, they have to ask again. In the meantime, the place is open to others!

I'd be happy you're popular, pre-approve people in you want (or send a text reply which is neither accepting or declining) and let people know they need to be quick or the dates may go!

[Kelly149]

@Joanne145 I wouldn't worry about this --- how many inquiries do we get that never turn into anything? The space is available to everyone until it is booked. You do not have to save spaces for those who are taking time to make up their minds. It is disappointing to miss out on something but this is how adult life works. Tell the guest that you'd be happy to have them come at another time.

[Kelly149]

@Joanne145 but then again, a guest who doesn't understand the principle of first come first served and gets gripy about it is perhaps not a good guest. You may have dodged a bullet