Minimum number of guests settings ?

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

Is it possible to set a minimum numbers of guests per room?

[Queenie0]

There is no setting for a minimum number of guests.  I cannot see a need for a minimum - if fewer people want to pay full price why would you want to insist on them having a larger number?  If fewer people rent a larger listing, they should not expect a discount because there are appropriately sized listings for every situation.

[Deborah0]

You can always depend on @Queenie0 to give an excellent answer and astute advice!!  

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

@Deborah0 @Queenie0 Excellent answer?   You are really funny. 

I (and many others)  rent out ROOMS, and charge per person.

For example:  1 rent out private room with 3 beds, including breakfast.

Deborah, why do you think there is an option for guests to select number of guests?

And why do you think there is a box to charge xxx $  for any aditional guest of xx number of guests?

I want to create a listing with a total price for 2 persons MINIMUM with Instant Booking.  You understand my question now?

[Deborah0]

Hi @Maryam-Al-Fakheer0

It sounds like you wanted clarification on something that wasn't addressed, but I am still having difficulty understanding what you are trying to do with your settings and the reason for the minimum number of guests.  

As far as I can see, the reason to set # of guests, and $XXX charge per guest, is so that host gets paid more when there are more guests.

  For instance, if you have a home or apartment that has 4 bedrooms and can accomodate 8 guests (say if there were 2 per bedroom) , but you don't want someone with a party of 4 people to have to pay the same amount that a party of 8 would pay (because they use less utilities and less linens and beds) then you set your price for 4 people as the basic price (so the PRICE Is what is set as a minimum, not the # of people, even though the minimum price includes 4 people) , and if there are more than 4, they pay a higher rate accordingly.  The "Extra per person" charge in this case would only apply to extra people over 4.  In other words, if you have 1, 2 3, or 4 people, they pay the basic price.  BUt if you have 5 people, there is one extra person charge.  If you have 6 people, two extra person charges.  and so on. 

However, if you have a situation where you have just one person who wants to rent this 4 bedroom house, and have it all to himself, all 4 bedrooms, and he is willing to pay the same price that you would charge for 4 people to stay there, I don't see why that would bother you or why you would tell him, "No, the place is for 4 people, minimum."  IF you have one person staying there who pays for 4 they will actually use less utilities (less water) and less linens (not as many sheets and towels) and probably leave the place cleaner than if 4 stayed there, so you actually get a better deal when one person wants to rent the whole 4 bedroom home.  

Same situation if you rent out rooms with multiple beds, I would think.  If you want the minimum price to be for 2 people, then set the minimum price for 2 people, and if one person wants to come and is willing to pay the rate for 2 people, I don't see why that would be a problem for you.  

It really seems that what you want is a minimum charge, not a minimum number of guests.  If I am missing something, can you explain what I didnt' understand? 

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

@Deborah0  In Petra area we all rent out private rooms and charge per person, so the average price is 24$ per person. If I would rent out the entire room with 3 beds for 73$ or even for 48$  I would appear over-priced in the listing !!

January/February are "dead" months here.  I have a 3rd listing now with price 18$ per person (with Instant Booking), but..... at this rate I want a minimum of 2 persons !!! If I put 36$ again I look overpriced, as guests can not see it is for 2 persons and may not even try to read my listing. For now I have puti that condition as text in my page.  But... what if 1 persons book with Instant Booking for just 1 person at 18$ ???   

That's why I asked if there is a way to set a minimum number of guests as condition. 

[Deborah0]

Okay, @Maryam-Al-Fakheer0 I start to see a little more of what your dilemma is.  This is a complicated situation, since you are saying that having a minimum price of $36 will make you look overpriced, but in fact you do want to have a minimum charge of $36 since you say one person booking for $18 is not enough so you want two, for $36.  So as I see it you want sort of the best of both worlds -- you want to be able to show a low price, in order to attract attention, but you don't actually want someone to be able to book at that low price.   So in a sense then you want to be able to advertise what you aren't actually able to offer -- do you see that there would be a problem in doing that if you were able to do it that way?  In terms of the message conveyed to guests.   THey might say it was a sort of false advertising.   

I do believe that some of your worry about guests thinking you are too expensive, will be allayed by the fact that if you set your room as available for 2 people, then when 2 people are looking for a place to stay, they will realize that your price is for 2 people.  In this I think you are on the same page with everyone else in your region who has the same situation -- who is offering a place for 2, and their minimum price is for two.  So you are really "in the same boat" as all the others in your area....

I don't think you can set minimum number of guests anywhere in the AIrbnb system, and even if you could , as I see it that would not solve your problem, because then when your listing was viewed by guests, it would show the price for two people (eg the $36, not the $18 per night) because that was your minimum requirement.   (That is how prices show on the listings...there is not a way to show a lower price than the minimum required price) So I don't think you can actually get what you want, which is to show the price as $18 a night but actually require 2 guests to book so a minimum of $36 a night.  If you did manage to set it up that way, as i mentioned, someone might accuse you of false advertising, since we as hosts are supposed to honor our advertised prices.  

(PS -- actually @Queenie0 is  a  great person too -- sometimes there are misunderstandings and disappointments in these question-answer interactions  (it can happen to the best of us!) but generally Queenie can be relied on for quite excellent advice!) 

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

@Deborah  It is not a false advertisment as the price is a special offer at 18$ per person with a condition of a minimum of 2 persons.  
This 3rd listing-page is only  for the month January/February.  All 3 of my listing s are identical.  Either guests book at 24$ per person if they come alone, or take the special offer at 18$ person with a minimum of 2 persons.  Nothing false advertising about that. It's a marketing strategy for the low season.  But I appreceate your view/opinion on that. 

By the way, in my region everybody charge PER PERSON, not per room.  This could be a private room or a shared room even.

[Jessa0]

@Queenie0 posted a response to a very short question, the advice was not of applicable and as with most advice, it is either not applicable or we do not apply it. @Deborah0 went to great lengths to figuring out what the issue at hand is and I don't know how she did it without developing a headache. There is really no point in calling anyone out for offering free advice, applicable or not. That's not being straight-forward, that's being aggressive. Let us not scare each other away from this community thing please?

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

@Jessa0 Really don't see why you have to stirr things up.  Deborah went to great length figuring  things out and I went to great length explaining my thoughts.  Nobody is obliged to reply or to do anything. No headaches needed. Nobody has been calling out.  I only found Deborah's first respond very funny as there has not been an answer by Queenie, other than her personal opinion about my question. So Jessa, what's your point?  

[Jessa0]

My point is I am reading an aggressive undertone to your responses, this starkly deters veteran hosts from contributing in the new community. It is unneccessary and if we can avoid it the community will benefit from it. A response wasn't useful, ok, don't call it useless, not being useful (to answering your at first ill-defined question) and being useless are two very different things. Useless, in the English language, is a negative term. The Dutch word for it is waardeloos if I am not mistaken. 

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

@Jessa0 Indeed waardeloos (without value). My question did not need any further explanation . I only asked if there is a feature to set number of minimum guests as there is such a feature for a minimum of nights.

But I did go to great lengths to explain the purpose of my question. The PURPOSE was not the question but the reason for the question.   

A simple answer as:  there is no such feature... would have been enough.

About reading an agressive undertone.... that's entirely on your account.  It was meant funny. No more, no less. 

[Jessa0]

Wonderful, very funny, got you.

Merry Christmas to you (unless that is an insult then I appologize for wishing a Merry Christmas)

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

Merry Christmas to you and all other Christians.

I am Muslim and we do not celebrate Christmas.  

And no, I am not insulted by your good wishes. 

[Sara2]

I'm a Moslem and do celebrate Xmas