Should we be wary?

[Angela2047]

Twice in a month we have received a last minute booking for our ski apartment (it’s not ski season yet) arrival within 48 hrs the first one said it’s his colleagues staying so we rejected the booking, the latest also said it was a work trip (there are no feasible businesses within 20miles) and arriving the next day. We also declined this one.... are we right to be wary? Anyone else experienced something like this? Apartment is in Bulgaria, guests seem to be from other Eastern European countries. Just can’t imagine what the scam could ultimately be??

[Jim472]

I can't speak to the nature of the stays but my takeaway is why did you decline the person booking for someone else? It just hurts your acceptance rate and airbnb cs would cancel the request for you based on their rules and you wouldn't take the hit. 

[Angela2047]

We did it all properly and within AirBnB’s guidance on bookings made by third parties. We were allowed to decline without penalty.

[Dimitar27]

Hi Angela. Where is your place?

If it's near Bansko or Borovets, you are completely wrong about the business nearby.

[Pete69]

Who knows... Maybe it's just a case of AffairBnb. "We're here for business". Fine. Just as long as I'm paid.

[Dimitar27]

I saw it- Borovets. Mountain and ski resort from 1896 y. 🙂

 - "INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE "HIGH TECHNOLOGY. BUSINESS. SOCIETY "

- Spring Conference of the Union of Mathematicians in Bulgaria "Mathematics and Mathematical Education"

- Third International Scientific Conference "INDUSTRY 4.0"

- TRANSPORT CONFERENCE 2019

- XXVII Annual Conference of the Bulgarian Psychiatric Association

- 7TH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACY CONGRESS

- Scientific-practical conference for continuing medical education

....

This is just a small part of their business/meeting/ conference calendar for october 2019-february 2020. When there is no ski season, there is a "congress" tourism. It doesn't look like "no feasible businesses within 20miles" for me. Borovets hosts more then 100 international and local  meetings and congresses every year and most of them are scheduled out of the ski season.

Different "Team building" corporate events are another, completely different part of the story...

[Angela2047]

So your answer is no, I have no need to be wary. Thank you, we have just not had any enquiries out of season before so it has been unusual for us. With the very close timescale the visitors can’t be attending anything which has been a while in the planning but of course business goes on. We will continue to be wary but will be a little more open to the idea!

[Sarah977]

@Angela2047  Unless you can verify with Airbnb that this is a business account that this person was trying to book for colleagues, you were right to decline it. One thing I've read over and over here on the forum is that when hosts have accepted these types of bookings, the booker has entirely failed to advise those that are staying of the house rules, or anythig else. Then the guests arrive knowing nothing about the place, smoke in a non-smoking listing, think they can turn the place into a pigsty and not clean up after themselves, invite more people over, etc.

So even if you establish that it is indeed a business account, you need to be very adamant that the booker send a copy of your house rules, check-in instructions,  and the entire listing to those who will be staying and impress on the booker that he will be held responsible for the behavior of the group.