What to do when I have a reservation inquiry pending and then a reservation request comes through?

[Andrea897]

I am new to hosting (my listing went live on Saturday) but I've already confirmed 3 reservations over the next month.  This morning, I received a reservation inquiry for 4 nights and after communicating back & forth, the guest said they need to talk to their husband and then will "probably" book this afternoon.  While that one is pending, I just received a reservation request (I realize that this is different from an inquiry) from a guest who would like to book 3 of the 4 nights that the original guest inquired about.  I'd prefer to book the first guest, since they were first to inquire about those dates and it's for 4 nights instead of only 3, but I am afraid it will hurt my rating if I pre-approve hers and then decline the reservation request I received?  

Does anyone else have any experience with how to handle this type of situation?

Thanks!

Andrea

[Vanessa-and-Kurt0]

@Andrea897,

This is one of those host dilemmas that you will have to make a personal rule and stick to it.  For me I let potential guests know that I do not hold dates off my calendar so that means it is first come first served and they may lose their preferred dates if they wait. #1 this will usually push them along and #2 if someone else books I feel o.k. about taking that booking #3 I never second guess myself "if I had just held out for that other guy"... You will develop your own personal rule.

You may want to reach out to the first guest and give her a friendly heads up that you have another inquiry and give her a timeline (like an hour or 2) to book or you will accept the other reservation. Then book the second one if she doesn't come through.

Good luck. Let us know how it works out.

[Jann3]

I agree with @Vanessa-and-Kurt0! Reach out to the first guest.

You have 24 hours to decline or not..(best not to stretch it to 24 though). Tell first guest you REALIZE this COULD sound like a hard sell, but you have someone else that would like to rent during the first guests' time period - and you need to respond to them. You would LIKE to have the first rent, but she needs to talk to husband fast. If you don't hear back in 12 hours, accept 2nd booking.

[Andrea897]

If I do hear back from the first guest, who says they want to book, is it going to hurt my rating to decline the reservation request that I received?

[Farah1]

@Andrea897 yes and no, it is still a little bit of mystery. Some say it will hurt the search rank if you keep declining, some say it will not. I would not worry about it. Do what works for you and take the reservation that works the best for you. Personally, I do not think it is worth it not to decline a reservation just because you are worry about your listing placement. As long as you do not keep declining for no reason, I don't think there'll be any issue.

[Kelly149]

@Andrea897 If the first guest books, you won't have to do anything with the second bc their request will become null once the dates are occupied 

[Kelly149]

@Andrea897 And if the second request was the more preferable booking then you are absolutely within rights to immediately take that one & don't owe it to the first wait-er to give them first right of refusal. Everyone should understand that it isn't theirs until they pay for it. 

[Andrea9]

@Andrea897

EDITED*****

Maybe I misunderstood, but if the first person INQUIRED and the second  one REQUESTED to book,

then the first person won't be able to book at all, since a request has precedence and blocks the days in question.

You would have to decline the booking first (thus giving up the bird in the hand) which hoping the inquiry becomes a booking which it often doesn't (bye, bye blackbird...).

Edit:

I only saw later that what one host called "inquiry" was meant as "request", and what others were explaining was not what I initially understood... 

One tip though: Do send  the person with the request a message. If you don\t react at all to a booking request, not even with a question, then you will be dinged in your response time. And secondly the guest requesting to book might rightly see your not reacting as being non-communicative and thus a bad start to the booking.

But it's always okday to say you were in the middle of negociating with a potential guest.

[David126]

I do not take much notice of inquiries, certainly as far as booking is concerned, sometime they book  sometimes they do not.

[Kate157]

In future, @Andrea897, you could mention in your discussions with your guests when they want to delay booking something like "of course, I understand, but be aware that these nights can be booked by another guest in the meantime." It isn't usually wise to "hold" days open for guests who "might" book. A bird in the hand. . .