New Inquiries

[Zacharias0]

Tis the season for odd and cheap inquiries:

"Is it possible to call me so I can go a head and pay for the room for 3 nights? I have only few questions about the room. Moreover, I am allergist to cats, I want sheets clean from cat's hair and I want to know if the cats will be freely walking in the house and even to my room?"

DECLINED- The cat was here first and I've been down that road before. The guest stays and wants a refund at the end because they saw cat hair.

"hey. if you can do 140 a night for my 7 day stay I'll book your place today."

DECLINED- The rate is as stated. Hosts shouldn't be asked to pay for their guests vacation. Its insulting.

"Can you give me a discount for these two days?"

DECLINED- The rate is as stated. Total is only $89 bucks. Come on people!

On the flipside I've approved the other 32 reasonable requests to book and stay with me.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Zacharias0 - Gosh what a bunch of sh*t.  Why do people think they can negotiate??? Or dictate how you clean and care for your home?  We have had the guest who wanted fragrence-free everything.  The guest who wanted to make sure I cleaned everything with bleach.  The guest who wanted a discount because they are teachers going to Africa this summer to teach.  The retired teacher who wanted a discount because, she was, well, retired and a teacher.  Declined each and every one of them.  People can sometimes suck.  

[Zacharias0]

At least they are upfront with their needs allowing us to decline them instead of arriving and showing up being a pain in the rear. Everyone has their quirks, but placing those demands on unwilling hosts is a step too far. Hotels are better suited for those individuals and cheap motels or RVs for those who are on a budget.  I'm not sure why someone who is allergic to cats would book my place anyway considering there are over 100 other places she could stay. Besides, It doesn't matter if the sheets don't have cat hair on them as their is still pet dander in the air and carpets. Truly, it was a bit much to read her list of demands and off putting.

[Cormac0]

@Alice-and-Jeff0

I wish they'd suck a lemon and she how unpalatable it is.

[Jim-and-Marcia0]

Some people have chemical sensitivities. If you can accommodate, great! It's not hard to do. One of our first guests asked us to clean the house with white vinegar and wash the sheets with scent-free dye-free laundry detergent. We were happy to accommodate! She booked 8 nights with us for her and her family and was quite appreciative. Traveling for for people with special needs can be challenging, so being able to do something to make her trip successful made us feel good too. Ours is a whole house rental, pet-free and smoke-free, and now using natural products is one of our trademarks. Great niche!

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Jim-and-Marcia0 - that's awesome that it turned out well for you. You are right, promoting a home that uses only natural products probably does appeal to a number of guests.

Perhaps it is the difference between a home where the owners are on-site and those that are not.  It seems insensitive to me that a guest, who wants to stay in my guest room, would want me to reclean my entire home, the home where I live, with fragrance-free products, bleach, vinegar, not burn candles, not eat certain products, or any other allergy-sensitive request, like, as @Zacharias0 experienced, a person allergic to cats wanting him to cat-dander proof his home, just so it doesn't bother their allergy. It seems awfully demanding of a host opening up their home to you. JM2C. 

[Robin4]

@Jim-and-Marcia0

Good on you guys, that is so thoughtful and you are right, it comes back to you. A lot of hosts have the reaction...'If you don't like it, don't book'....My reaction to that would be, what are you doing hosting then!

We have a dog but she is not allowed into the listed cottage and knows it. Guests have tried to entice her into that space at times, but she will not move past the door, she knows the rules. And also we have a hepa filter which runs continuously to scrub the air.

We do not go as far as you with the laundry detergent but I perhaps will try vinegar instead of furniture polish.

All power to you for going that extra mile for your guests, you are exactly where you deserve to be.

Cheers....Rob 

[Jamie69]

I just had a booking inquiry from a woman asking about laundry facilities.

She asked me the same question two weeks ago.

I wish I had paid closer attention because I would have declined her booking inquiry this time.

[MicheleandLouw0]

@Zacharias0my listig clearly states no pets allowed. The price is right there on the website. And then I still get this last week:

"Good day Michelle, My husband Greg and I  have to come through to Maun on business 28th March - 30th March. Our 2 dachshunds stay with us in camp and we can not leave them here when we are out of camp. A friend in Seronga told me about your cottage and suggested that I ask you if it would be possible to use your accommodation with our dogs accompanying us. If possible, please could you let me know if you have accommodation and what the rate will be"

Also DECLINED!

[Joanna85]

I have ten kids and eight dogs....can I stay with any of you for free because I"m such a barrel of fun and laughs (oh, and I need to bring my kids and dogs with me)?

lol.

The very cool thing is that people have so many choices on Airbnb that they can ask you and fifteen other hosts and I bet one of them would accomodate all their needs and find them to be no big deal.  They can ask around--we can say no if it doesn't suit us and they are welcome to find what works for them.  I am happy to have someone else host someone with a list of demands.  There is plenty enough to go around.

[Robin129]

I have my check-in time clearly listed, 2-6 p.m. The husband and I have an early schedule, getting up around 5 every morning. I am regularly asked if guests can arrive at 8, 9, even 10 p.m. Then I get snarky replies when I say no. 

-- "Well I guess I won't be staying with you."
-- "I am not going to change my travel plans for you."

I suppose it is my close proximity to the Interstate and the folks are passing through. 

I agree that many guests want Hyatt Regency service for Motel 6 rates. 

[Jeet0]

What's wrong with negotiating the price? Airbnb itself offers an option to give weekly/monthly discounts, so there's nothing wrong if someone booking for 2-3 nights and is on a restricted budget wants to try out their luck in getting the best Airbnb experience. It is very common in many countries. If someone is checking if you can offer a special offer, it in no way means that you are sponsoring their vacation.

**If this wasn't an expectation, the "Send Special Offer" feature wouldn't have existed.**

It's a sad that you are declining guests just because they are checking if they can save some money.

Moreover, what is ONLY $89 bucks for you could be 1,183,433 Indonesian Rupiah or 2,885,024 Iranian Rial or 5,765 Indian Rupees to somebody who is visiting your country. So please be a little mindful and tolerant towards your potential guests.

You don't even have your own photo for guests to know whose house they are going to be staying at and you are expecting your guests to not even to check if the price can be reduced a little?! Well, that's ridiculous.

[J-Renato0]

Jeet, I see your point.

Anyway, when the price is already low, sometimes is almost an insult to ask to lower.

It depends on each case and each situation.

[Zacharias0]

Nothing wrong with asking, but don't get upset because you are declined. Asking for a discount is a selfish, entitled and insulting act which disregards the time and effort someone put into their practice. You haggle for the price of the car, not for a place you NEED to sleep for the night. As a general rule, I decline all requests asking for a discount. Like I said: its insulting. Especially if a guest is only staying for two nights and the room is only $29 per night! If you can't afford that you shouldn't be traveling and should consider your priorities in life. You're not doing me any favors by staying at my place for a discount. Id just as well let the space go empty.

Sending a special offer to me indicates the person wants a early check in or a late check out, which I charge for. Once guests are aware that I charge magically they find things to keep them busy before check in time and leave at the required check out time. It keeps a sense of order and consistency for the next set of guests. You are welcome to interpret the Special Offer feature as you like, but I rarely use it as it your payout is hard to determine.

Sending a guest a special offer lowering your rate means you are "sponsoring" their stay. Its an easy concept to understand. If the guest isn't paying the stated rate and receiving a discount then the host is eating the cost. You stating otherwise doesn't make it true.

Im not sure I care if my rate translated into 1,000,000 rupees per night and the guest was struggling to pay that. That is not the problem of the host to figure out. Every host has their own struggles with that said we shouldn't be tasked with solving the income inequality of the world as well. We don't run non-profit organzations or homeless shelters.

 If you can't afford my room at the listed rate then having a picture won't change that fact. I suppose they can go talk to a Motel 6 and see if they can bargain their way into a room. Oh wait, they actually have a business to run as well.

[Pedro190]

Zacharias,

No offense but you mention that a discount is something you ask when you buy a car and not a place to sleep!? 

So your airbnb is a serious business and ask for a discount is lack of respect for it and your hard work, but a car dealer is not a serious business so you can always try that discount?

Good for you if you prefer to get your room empty instead of making a few bucks less, but I think that not everyone will think like that.

Again, I think that the key here is to be more tolerant and if you are un-happy with the guest request just politely reject it and move on.