Is this odd?

[Laura2592]

After reading these fora I pay more attention to guest requests for booking (I have instant book on) than I used to. Would you think this is odd?

One person asks to book saying its going to be a couple. Reservation for one listed despite "we" mentioned. Multiple pets. All travel with them to Airbnbs and are great/have experience with traveling. But no reviews, no verified ID.  Going to be engaged in a activity that keeps them away from the cottage for a lengthy part of their stay. And pets. Which they agree to crate.

I asked if they could update the request to include all parties and said I was curious...sounds like they get a lot of enjoyment out of Airbnb but don't have any reviews...maybe their companion usually booked? Something about this is making my spidey sense tingle. What say all of you? Am I just being paranoid because I have not had my coffee yet?

[Inna22]

@Laura2592 I always start my search with the right number of people in the search box but if I do not book right away and come back to a saved place later, some of my filters are no longer there and I don't realize it because I have already found the place I liked.And maybe they opened a new account to get a discount? When were they registered as users?

[Laura2592]

@Inna22  they registered in January. I did ask if they can update the number of guests. That in itself doesn't throw me too much. Its just a combination of factors.

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 

About 30% of the reservations I receive come through with the wrong number of guests. 100% of the time it is an oversight on the guests part. I don't know why but for some reason, the 'how many guests' field is not user friendly during the booking process. I've even had people with 5+ Airbnb stays not realize that they only booked for one. I don't charge extra but an accurate guest counts lets me know how many towels to leave out or how many waters/beers to put in the fridge.

I also find that many guests have used Airbnb before but don't have reviews. Not all hosts leave reviews, in fact I think that a lot don't. I wish we had the statistics on it. It is also easy to open new accounts and have multiple. I had a guest book with me with a blank profile. It was only after she stayed (she was a great guest) that I found another profile of hers (because she had previously stayed with another host in the area) and had a handful of reviews. I check every now and then and she still consistently uses her 'other' profile. I don't why she opened up a new account to stay with me but it wasn't to hide anything. With all things Airbnb, the only thing we can really rely on is the guest's communication. If you get the feeling that they aren't being truthful, it's probably best to pass.

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 An hour after posting this . . . Never fails!

[Jim472]

I have the same problem with first time guests and even a few seasoned ones. It doesn't set off alarm bells for me. Here's my canned message I send to 1st time guests:

Hello xxx, we're very happy you're considering Bayu Pantai for your trip to KL. It looks like that this is your first Airbnb booking. Welcome to our community. I'll accept your reservation but I want to make sure that a few things are understood first. I find a lot of first time guests get so focused on making the booking that they overlook important parts and I want your stay to be perfect.

First thing is the number of guests. Many people look at lots of places and sometimes your count is off by the time you book. It's ok, I don't charge for extra guests but I can only host 6 people, so please make sure that your party is indeed xx people.

The second is our location. We're on the outside edge of Kuala Lumpur. If you put Pantai Hillpark into your map, you'll see how close or far away from the areas you want to see. With normal traffic we're about a half an hour to the city center.

You might have seen it when you booked or maybe you missed it but there's an acknowledgment you have to accept that states that our elevators are being replaced so you'll need to walk up to our third floor unit.

Also, the same acknowledgment says that there might be some weekday noise from said elevator install. Nothing outside 10am - 5pm Mon - Fri.

You wouldn't believe the number of people that miss that.

Please review those things and let me know that you're OK with everything. Once I hear back from you I'll accept your booking. If they don't work for you I'm sorry and you can withdraw your reservation without penalty. Furthermore, if the elevator is the deal-breaker it is scheduled to be operational in January and I can add you to a long list of people that want to be notified when it's back online, no problem.

Thanks again for choosing us for your trip. R/ Jim.

[Paul154]

@Laura2592 

You have a well-booked january-march. Obviously you have the right product at the right price.

You can afford to be picky and say no.

Why risk it? You get 3 penalty free passes with IB per year.

These guests are covering up something. 

1. They are experienced Airbnb users, yet don't know how to correctly fill in the number of guests.  

2. They have NO verified ID

3. They have pets. Plural. With the unverifiable promise that they will be crated.

Mind you, in this low season, I might take these deceitful guests knowing they'll be trouble. 

But you don't need to, because you're producing income without taking so much risk.

[Andrea-and-Francis0]

I would just ask them all the questions that you are concerned about. Then if you are still worried or not happy with their answers then you can call Airbnb & have them cancel the guests.

[Dimitar27]

The number of guests is wrong at 20-30% of bookings. But because my maximum capacity i 3 people, it's not so big deal. Everything is always set up for 3. Sometimes the reservation is for one and they are two, sometimes the reservation is for two, but just one of them arrives.

[Anonymous]

@Laura2592  They're bringing multiple pets, and leaving them unattended at the cottage for lengthy periods throughout the stay?

With or without crates, this is a recipe for disaster.

[Kelly149]

this sounds like the groups that want to come to my place in summer, with their pets, who won't at all mind being left behind for the 8+ hour tubing river trips they intend to take. these types I tend to say no to, bc, well, they aren't good pet owners, they're just cheapskates who don't want to pay for boarding. Unless these are some special breed of dog who loves long car trips and being left alone for days in strange new houses.