Looking for advice about a challenging potential guest situation

[Heather1311]

I recently had someone wanting to book my place with a 2 hour notice.  I require at least 24hrs. They had no reviews and did not tell me where they were traveling from only that they were close by.  Her identity was not verified, just her phone number.  I had no information at all and she was very vague when I asked her where she was traveling from since she was wanting to book in such short notice. 

I also wasn't quite finished cleaning my place but didn't feel comfortable since she had no reviews and it was such short notice.  If she was traveling from somewhere far you'd think she would have planned a little better which led me to think she was local which I had a bad experience when I did that in the past  and they did drugs out of my place and used my garage to process Marijuana. 

She said I was being discriminating towards her because I wouldnt accept her booking since she had no reviews.  Will that hurt me as a host? I've never been reported and I have excellent reviews from everyone. 

[Jenny]

Hi @Heather1311 

Sorry to hear about this.

The post you replied to was quite old, so I thought I'd set you up with a new post, and clarify the title of your post to get some of our lovely Hosts to come and give you some advice!

Jenny

[Pat271]

I would have had your same concerns. I always have my guests tell me a little about themselves and the people traveling with them. If I get no answer, I let the request “expire” because requested info was not provided. If I get vague answers, in a friendly tone I ask a couple of questions asking them to clarify. After that, if I am at all uncomfortable with the exchange, I do not accept the booking.

Denying a booking request won’t hurt you, unless you do it regularly. Too many rejections can affect your placement in Airbnb’s search algorithms, and you might get nastygram email warnings from Airbnb.

I want polite, appreciative guests in my properties. I’m not aware of any discrimination laws protecting rude, entitled guests, so as long as you comply with the protective laws of your jurisdiction, you don’t have to worry about that.

[Gillian166]

the 🚩 is her saying you've discriminated against her. If she's going to be accusatory and petulant  before the reservation, can you imagine how she might behave during the stay? Of course she might be stressed with any sort of life drama, but her reluctance to share any further info suggests she's up to no good, or even just a tinder hook up. your business, your rules. If you don't take last minute bookings, then that's your policy and you can stick to it.  @Heather1311