one guest can make it the other can't

[Ian24851]

Hi,  Just reaching out to the community as I've had a situation come up that I've never had before.

A guest from Australia has booked my flat.  It was for two guests, him and his girlfriend. 

 His profile was excellent, lots of five star reviews and his identity was verified.

The second guest (his girlfriend) didn't have any reviews but had their identity verified.  She is from Berlin. 

He has unfortunately been affected by the fires in Australia.  His flight is delayed and he hasn't told me when he will be arriving. 

He has informed me that the second guest  will check in with her sister (tomorrow, Xmas eve)

Really unsure how to handle this.  He was the reason I decided to accept the booking based on the excellent reviews.  The sister is a third guest that wasn't on the original booking.

I may also be overthinking this!

Be grateful for any advice.  I have contacted Air bnb and informed him of this.  I have not handed over check in details and she is due to arrive tomorrow at 12pm.

Ian

[Laura2592]

Hi Ian--

We had something similar happen not too long ago. We do charge a very nominal nightly fee for any guests over a certain number so that might be one thing to look at. But if you don't do that, I would just say something like:

"I am sorry to hear your girlfriend is delayed and we look forward to hosting her when she gets in. If you plan to bring an additional guest, please update your reservation to request the correct number. We would ask  that your new guest registers with Airbnb in accordance with their site policy."

I would also ask any questions I had about the individuals who are coming until I felt comfortable. If you don't want this third guest, I would politely state that I can't accommodate this person at the moment, and maybe do a search for another listing nearby, or even contact another host in your area if you know any. 

Sometimes guests just don't know extra people aren't permitted or that it would be an issue at all. It surprises a lot of them. Some of them know and don't care 😞 I would also consider updating your rules to say something about unregistered guests if you have not stated anything there. 

[Ian24851]

Thanks Laura, he is the primary guest who is delayed.  His girlfriend can check in tomorrow and is bringing her sister. 

Does that make a difference

[Laura2592]

@Ian24851 I misunderstood. It does make a bit of a difference as afar as your comfort level, but my response would probably be similar. Who are you communicating with?

[Ian24851]

I'm communicating with him.  He has been very evasive in his communications which hasn't helped.  I can imagine if he has been affected by the fires in Australia he has probably found it difficult to coordinate plans, specifically if his flight is delayed.

The third person is the sister of his girlfriend.  She lives in London, and he said he doesn't want her to be on her own, which makes sense at Xmas.

Asking him to update the booking with the third guests details sounds sensible

[Laura2592]

@Ian24851  yes its odd, but I would start from a place of understanding if he is dealing with the fire situation. I would just say that I am so sorry things must be hectic for him but that you  need to make sure that all your guests are properly registered and accounted for, and that as a new host you don't want to  violate any Airbnb policies. About 95% of the time when things seem off or worrisome they turn out not to be. Hopefully its a short booking so if things are amiss, your guests won't be there that long!

[Gillian19]

@Ian24851 I am in Australia and being affected by people cancelling bookings in our peak holiday season. However, flights are really not affected at all. The bigger issues are occasional road closures and threat to property. If he lives somewhere with an active fire, then he may not wish to travel - but he would know that now. Road closures should not affect him if he plans ahead. We still have very good communications so unless he has literally lost his house, there would be little excuse to delay his trip IMHO

[Rowena29]

Hi @Ian24851 

The thing is,  if you have a maximum of two guests on your listing - which i think you do - your booking guest  won't be able to add a 3rd guest to the reservation.  the sister is acting as his  temporary replacement, if I understand correctly?  so it's almost like a 3rd party booking - but only temporarily until he can arrive?  I can see what he's trying to do, and I'm sure he hasn't even THOUGHT about your public liability , guest not being registered etc etc. or indeed you even feeling a bit frazzled or worried about the sudden change.   In this instance I would be inclined to ring airbnb ( assuming you are willing to have the girlfriend and the sister stay). They could perhaps advise you as to how to add the sister so she is registered, - if that is what you are prepared to do.   I can understand you feeling nervous - it all seems a bit hit and miss from a HOST point of view, but from a guest point of view I can see where he's coming from. 

 Not sure if this guest is directly affected by the fires personally or just the airport he is trying to fly out from. If personally affected it's extremely likely all internet and mobile services etc have been lost. If he's at an evacuation centre, it will be bedlam more than likely ( hard to know Australia is VAST and there are many fires in many different states at the moment) Or if just the airport being affected by smoke,  he may be being given the run around by the flight authorities - he may not actually know anything himself for sure.  ( I am in Australia and my very first airbnb as a guest was in London. Every leg of our trip was delayed - brisbane to Sydney due to storms, Sydney to Dubai - more storms - Dubai to London bird strike - trying to predict when we would actually arrive and communicate this to our host was just about impossible -1.5 hours at a transit lounge, then 8 hours in the air when communication was impossible etc etc ).

   At the very least I would try to get hold of the girlfriends contact details and be sure she has read your house rules. It doesn't SEEM like red flag material.  There is the potential for a breakdown in communication certainly, but if the guest is aware of house rules and you meet and greet  and both their names are lodged with airbnb, you have covered your bases. 

 They're probably feeling fraught and nervous and anxious ( like you).

It seems unlikely that they would do anything dreadfully untoward, in my opinion.

Hope this helps.

[Ian24851]

Yes. In affect the sister is a temporary replacement until he arrives.

My problem was that I don't know who this person is. They were referred to as a friend until I pressed for him for more info.

I have contacted air bnb as you are correct, it is in affect a third party booking if he doesn't book in

I'm happy to try and fix this as i appreciate he must be going through a horrid time. Just need honesty and transparency from his side and make sure I'm covered from an insurance perspective 

[Ange2]

@Ian24851    I had this happen once. I asked the guest to have his guests set up Airbnb accounts and send me their ID's so I would know who to expect. They happily complied with both.  If in doubt call Airbnb. They may be able to transfer the reservation to her name and add the new person as her guest.  If he is not coming this is technically a third party reservation.

[Linda108]

I agree with @Ange2 .  I had a situation in which the booking guest planned to leave early and the rest of the party would remain another day.  I called Air BNB who contacted the booking guest, advised of the no 3rd party booking terms, and assisted another person in the party in setting up their own profile.  If the girlfriend will participate in this process, I think you have a guest that has promise as a guest.