Rejecting an alteration request for not matching our minimum night

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

Hello all,

How's it going? Hey, I need advice. I have had just an alteration request that changes a booking from a 3 night stay to just 1. We have a minimum of 3 nights due to the expense that implicates each stay in our place. I have not accepted the request, can I reject it explaning we have a night minimum? Will this get me in trouble with Airbnb?

Last year I got really screwed by this, on New Year's weeked I had a booking for 5 nights and a few weeks before arrival the guest changed it to just 2 nights and got me out of the possibility of substantial earnings. I don't really want this to happen again.

Thanks!

[Andrea9]

@Tania-and-Andrew0

Easy:

If your minimum days are 3, then you tell your guest that your minimum days are 3 for that time period and so sorry, but they booked under that condition and it is not acceptable to shorten the days. 

But that you could send them an alteration request for 1 day but the price remains for 3.

Imagine if you were a hotel - the answer would be no too.

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

Great idea, thank you!

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

I can't seem to alter his request, I can only accept or reject.

[Rachael26]

@Tania-and-Andrew0

Don't worry about that - try the Special Offer (price of 3 nights for 1 actual) or the Resolution Center - which means the guest has to accept the 'new' offer of a 3x price for 1 night..... or the booking is cancelled.

Do let us know what happens!

[Andrea9]

@Tania-and-Andrew0

Good morning,

Or what I would have suggested: Decline their alteration request and follow up with your own.

Looks like @Rachael26 has another version I wasn't familiar yet. So, as you see, plenty to learn here!

Rachael, to enhance my own learning curve bag o' tricks - does using the Resolution Center mean it could still be used later a second time in case of damage or otherwise need to collect an amount? Thnx!

And Tania & Andrew, yes, please let us know the outcome!

[Rachael26]

@Andrea9 - Fair point - and I should have focussed more on the original post main question of whether there will be a penalty for declining the alteration request........ And your question of whether a person can use the Resolution Center more than once..... good one, and I do not know for sure, other than I know it has been used for several additional requests during one booking (for kayak, bicycle rentals during a stay).

@Tania-and-Andrew0 I think your first response at this obvious attempt to get around your 3 night minimum is to reject their alteration request as @Andrea9 mentioned, then the system should allow you to send back another special offer or alteration request for the 1 night at the price of 3.

If you have time - contact Airbnb via Twitter (#airbnbhelp) and ask them for advice or support for a no penalty alteration. 

Best Wishes. And please let us know what happens, because I have a lot to learn!

[Andrea9]

Thanks @Rachael26 - sounds like Resolution Center can be used more than once for a booking then. Good to know.

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

Hello!

Thank you both for your advice. In the end I first wrote to the guest and explained that we do not take one night bookings as that's what we spend on having guests in our home. He then replied that we could leave the booking as it is but he might just arrive for that one night. After that I just rejected his request and I told him that if later on this created an issue for him to book somewhere else for that night he's not spending in our home then we could revisit. He's arriving in August so there's enough time to sort this out.

Thanks again for replying 🙂

[Rachael26]

@Tania-and-Andrew0

Well that sounds like the perfect answer! 

Thanks for letting us know 🙂

Best Wishes.