It Finally Happened

[Daniel1992]

I've seen several posts here of potential guests asking for discounted rates for various reasons.  It finally happened to me over the weekend!

"Hello! I am a student at xx University and I commute from xx where I currently reside. I will be taking a winter session condensed course running Monday through Friday, 12/17 - 1/18 and was wondering if you would be open to renting the room Sunday - Thursday nights for a slightly reduced rate the weeks of (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) and 1/13 - 1/17. Let me know if this is something you would consider and a price per week you think would be fair. Thank you! xx."

Thanks to all of you, I sent her a message saying that the discounted rates are for full weekly and monthly rentals only, as the price listed is already fair.  Funny thing is, this person has only been a member since November 2018 (I'm pretty sure they signed up JUST to ask me to lower my rate), so there are no reviews.  They also don't have a profile picture.

[Marsh2]

Hi Daniel,

I manage 3 properties in Washington DC and we get asked for a lower price plenty of times. Our response varies. Here's what we do: 

-First, Know your numbers. How much does it cost you per night to run your Airbnb? What we include in the equation: Linen management (we outsource it ), Coffee, waters, sodas, essentials like toilet paper and paper towels. We don't charge a cleaning fee so we include the turn over cost.  We average about $50-$70 per booking. Ex. Party of 1, stays 4 nights will cost us less than a party of 4 staying a single night. 

-How many nights is the requestor booking for? Usually, discounts are already in place if someone books for a week or a month. But if the person requesting the discount is staying for only one night then we'll most likely say no. 

-Slow season? Busy season? If we are in the busy season then we will most likely say no if they are staying for less than 3 nights because most likely other guests will be willing to pay the full amount to stay in your place. During the slow season, prices drop across the board, for hotels and others. If a guest requests a discount for a 1-night stay and lets say the night will cost them $130.00 and you know your cost will be around $60.00 that is still a $70 profit (minus Airbnb fees and taxes of course) 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

Marsh 

[Daniel1992]

I'm at $35 a night (shared living space).  Any lower and I'd probably be losing money.

[Emilia42]

@Daniel1992, 

I live in a University town and get these requests from students all the time. Many times they want to rent the apartment from September 5 – December 17 (an exact semester) because they think they would be saving money as opposed to signing a long-term lease. Not one rental of any kind in the area will do this. Not ever. Almost all of them have never used Airbnb before they are just looking for options. They want cheap discounts because they do not understand the different between short term, furnished, all inclusive rentals and long-term leases. I don’t think a lack of a profile or asking for a discount make them a “bad” guest; just a clueless one and one I have no desire to host.

[Daniel1992]

Suprisingly, I'm not in the town where the University is -- I'm about 15 minutes away, which is probably why she was asking for the discount.  I'm a passing through/weekend house for the most part, so I'm always intrigued by longer term rentals.  But when they're asking for a discount on an already low nightly rate ($35), I'll pass.

[Sue251]

I rent rooms in my humble home and because of the low price my demographic is young backpackers.  I often get asked in I can reduce my price if they sleep in their own van/tent.  They still want to wash their clothes, cook, charge their devices etc but at a discount as they are not sleeping in the beds.  I always say no lol

[Daniel1992]

I would say no as well.  They're using everything, but not sleeping in the bed.  If you wash the linens yourself, that saves, what, $1?  Not worth it.

[Marisa182]

I also live in a University town and recently had a guest who needed to stay from September 5 to December 17. Last semester she rented an apartment but was there only three days per week, she lives out of state and drives in for her classes. For the Fall semester she decided on Airbnb because it would save her money, and it did because she asked for and got a very good discount. I'm a new host and thought it was great to have two nights booked through to mid December. What a mistake! After three weeks I was really not looking forward to her arrival at all, but stuck to our verbal agreement for one and a half months, and in mid October told her that I would not accept her reservation for November.

I think she got a heck of a deal: free parking, and checking in very early every Monday to make a 1:30 class. Of the guests I've had so far she demanded the most, for the least amount of money. Not knowing the difference between Arbnb and a rental apartment was the big issue. She is a grown woman with young children, so I was not dealing with an eighteen year old. No more discounts and no more long term... ever.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

I target international exchange students 🙂 I know what I offer is a great deal because I did plenty of research before coming up with (what I think is) a fair price. I charge more than the international dorm but less than what a short term all inclusive studio would cost.

I've had lots of potential (student) guests ask for discounts for various reasons......I always say NO to any additional discounts since we already provide a generous monthly discount. I also tell them nicely but firmly if they can't afford my rates, their next best option is the international dorm or a private room in a goshiwon. I usually block these guests because I don't like people who don't know a good deal that is staring them in the face and don't want to put up with a haggler or cheapskate for the next 4 months.

[Huma0]

@Daniel1992

I get a lot of requests similar to yours, i.e. someone who will be coming to London for a couple of days a week on a regular basis for work or study. I don't mind that they ask for a discount or special rate or think they would be bad guests, because I can see why they might think that I would really want a regular, repeat guest over a period of time.

In fact, this might work very well for hosts that do not want or need their place to be booked seven days a week or who just don't get that many bookings. The security and familiarity of a [good] regular guest might be worth a discount.

However, I always politely say no, because it doesn't work for me at all. My rooms are pretty much fully booked year round, which I think demonstrates that the price is already fair. If I have two/three nights every week blocked off for a particular guest, I would potentially be losing a lot of other bookings (longer stays, more people etc.). It would involve more turnover for less income. Why would I offer a discount on top?

I'm more than happy to give a discount to long-term guests though. That's different, because they are filling my calendar, not leaving it full of awkward gaps.

The other kind of request is the short-term, one-off guests who think they should get a discount just because they are asking. I get these all the time too and the answer is always NO. I think this is more the type of guests that hosts refer to on the forums as likely to be trouble. I'm sure that's not always the case, but I don't see why I should give a discount for no discernable reason whatsoever. 

[Paul1255]

@Daniel1992 I have only ever had one guest ask for a discount before booking.

I kindly explained that I offer great value, and wouldn't compromise what I offer to my guests by giving a discount.

He booked anyway, and then I started to panic about what would happen when he turned up and at review time!

He was one of my most charming guests, and would leave me notes at breakfast time 🙂 He invited me out to breakfast with him on his last day with me and left a lovely review- I had nothing to worry about in the end.

I'll see if I can find a pic of one of the notes and post it ahaha 🙂

[Paul1255]

[Sarah977]

I've never been asked for a discount so far.  I wonder if these guests who ask, would walk into a hotel and ask the front desk person for a discount first thing. 

[Susan151]

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@Sarah977 wrote:

I've never been asked for a discount so far.  I wonder if these guests who ask, would walk into a hotel and ask the front desk person for a discount first thing. 

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I worked in both hotels and Bn'Bs and this was not uncommon at all! They didn't usually ask when they walked in the door. Instead the incessent requests began long before they arrived; and sometimes never ended. It was tedious.

[Sarah977]

@Susan151  Interesting- I wouldn't think people would do that. Learn something new every day.

[Paul154]

@Daniel1992

In the low season, I would jump at this request.

I only have demand for week-ends, so I would love a deal like this.

Of course, the devil is in the details. How much discount? How clean are they? Will you make the bed weekly?...