number of guests

[Paul157]

Hi 

Ive had a few enquires for my 2 properties which I offer independently or together- as they are next door to each other at Phillip Island - a beach in Victoria , Australia. THe last few requests I have been getting - is for up tp 5-6 families- re 12 adults and 15 children.

I do clearly state the bed configuration iof each house  in the listing- where the 2 houses combined can accomodate 17 guests.  Ive now had a few recent requests far over reaching this ammount but not really sure why- as whilst I promote the 2 houses combined as catering for 2-3 families - it seems to be mis interpreted as some kind of free for all  for family or friends network. 

So in responding to the last enquiry  including 27 persons - indicating capacity is at 17 - I am getting reminders from Airbnb  requesting if I have  pre accepted their request ?  

whilst writing this message ive received a message from the guest asking if the 17  capacity is just for adults - as there are now 10 adults and 15 children -  25 people in 2 houses -where the capacity is 17 ??     what  am I missing here that the client doesnt see? 

[Sharon114]

It would appear that prospective guests are not reading your listing information properly.  All you can do is explain to the guest that your accommodation does not cater for that number of guests, explain how many in total (including children) you can accommodate and then decline.  You could give them the option of re-requesting a reservation for the correct number of people.  So long as you either pre-approve, accept or decline within 24 hours you will be ok with airbnb.

[Paul157]

thanks Sharon

I appreciate your response

[Jim-and-Marcia0]

What an intriguing property! I took a look at your listing and it is indeed very confusing. You actually have three listings of what appears to be the same property with slightly different names. One listing shows $219 per night 6guests/3bedrooms/6beds, another shows $157 per night 8guests/3bedrooms/8beds, and another shows $157 per night 6guests/3bedrooms/6beds. It may be that people are seeing this as three houses grouped together on the property. Those three listings together would be 20 guests and 20 beds! If they see the photo of a double/queen bed, they will think they can sleep two in a bed.

The first thing you need to do is to clearly differentiate if it is indeed two houses by having clearly different names for the listings and clearly different photos of the interior for each. If the outside has shared common areas, clarify that and show those areas on both listings.

Next, be clear about how many guests and how many beds you have at each property and what the configuration is. From the photos I could see one room with two single beds and one room with a double or queen, couldn't tell, and there was no photo of a third bedroom. On the Airbnb platform, go to your listing, then go to the left sidebar (three horizontal lines, click on it to show the sidebar menu) and select Basics. Then fill in the proper numbers in the boxes. Clarify the type of beds and they will show as cute little icons on your listing, which is very visual and helps guests see what you really have. Do this separately for each house.

Some people think children of a certain age don't count, so if you get an inquiry about it, just let them know how you define it. For example, we don't count infants in our people count because infants usually sleep in a travel crib.

Also, I would recommend you choose a nice frontal photo of yourself for your profile picture, not the photos of the elephants. Just as we like to see recognizable photos of our guests, our guests like to see a recognizable photo of the host. It is also what Airbnb recommends.  All the best to you! My brother lives in Cowes, so it was nice to see your photos of the area. The last time I visited Philip Island was over 10 years ago! Guess I'm due for a another trip!

[Paul157]

Hi Jim and Marcia

very easy to critique a property  

which was not the nature of my appeal for assistance from the community

perhaps you need to read the detailed description  in the 2 houses combined listing  

regarding your criticisms 

id prefer to focus on the more constructive responses as opposed to yours