Accept or Decline when guest won’t withdraw request

[Carrie585]

I am new to hosting and unsure how to handle this situation. For clarity, we have a very small space so I always confirm with the guests that it will be sufficient before accepting bookings. Instant booking is turned off.
I have a pending request that informed me after messaging that she did not want to reserve after all. I requested twice that she withdraw her booking request but she is nonresponsive.
What do you do in these situations? I don’t want my host rating to be negatively impacting by declining her booking. But it also doesn’t feel right to accept the booking. What is best practice in these situations? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Carrie585 This is actually why we have IB on. That way our search position is not damaged by declining a guest and yet if we really do not like them once we see their reviews we can cancel free of penalty.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Carrie585 

Good that you take requests instead of instant book. 
It allows us to have these conversations before we and the guest get committed to a situation that will not work. 

If a requesting guest says she'd not want to book, and will not withdraw the request, I'd decline and explain why the person makes me uncomfortable.  For someone who will not communicate or work with me, that is an uncomfortable situation. 

[Deb216]

@Carrie,
Years ago I read a post similar to yours.  The Host messaged the Request to book/guest again and used this line: 

"To avoid a charge to your credit card, CANCEL/DELETE your Request to book.  If you need assistance or have any questions, contact Airbnb Customer Service immediately."

Apparently it caught the potential guest's attention.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Deb216 - so you are advocating lying to the guest? This doesn't feel right to me.

[Deb216]

@Mike-And-Jane0 @Absolutely not

I don't understand why you would say that. Please don't reply to me. I don't appreciate your insinuation.

[Deb216]

No! Absolutely not!

[Deb216]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

No, absolutely not.  I was repeating what I've read here in the CC.

[Ruth413]

@Carrie585 

I have had that situation before and I have contacted the guest that wanted to cancel saying that if they don't initiate the cancellation, then they will be charged.  That has worked but on another occasion, the following happened. 

Because the guest was new and possibly didn't have notifications turned on, I contacted Airbnb and they could see the message thread and knew the guest mentioned they wanted to cancel, so they cancelled it at their end and there was no impact on me. 

You have to be very patient and very strong with Airbnb customer services though and stick to what you know is correct. 

[Christina-Strommen0]

Unfortunately that is not the as for us and I have been working with them, since they opened. Customer service and the resolution center violates our terms of service and our state laws. They do not help us and are not paying claims, no matter how strong and accurate we are. We back everything up, in writing.

[Carrie585]

Thank you! I think that is the exact situation. I’ve messaged the guest two times requesting she withdraw her request and it doesn’t appear she has read the messages. I’ve reached out to support and hoping they will assist in cancelling without anyone being penalized. 

[Frances3408]

@Carrie585  Hi Carrie, great question and looks like you are off to a great start. Every host has a different set up and bookings need. Some want to push lots of bookings so have IB. You have chosen By Request.

My rule of thumb is if its a high demand season and I know I could be getting multiple offers while my calendar is blocked, I communicate straight away once and if they fail to respond within the hour (which I tell them) then I decline stating not comfortable (like @Kitty-and-Creek0 I am never comfortable when guests dont communicate). If its a slower season I will still respond quickly but I might try up to three times to communicate before allowing it to lapse after 24 hours.

My priority is to maintain my response rate and I worry less about declines as most of my guests seem to withdraw their requests. I will never be top ranked (unless its a very focused search) as there are other IB/new/cheaper listings that proliferate.

You have a flexible cancellation policy so beware guests (including other hosts and friends of hosts) that may use Request to Book to block your calendar for 24 hours at a time. Not responding to a repeated request to withdraw is a red flag and you would be within your rights to report them unless they have not communicated at all, in which case maybe they may have simply not switched on their notifications so yes, always contact CS as well.

But I run a business model that uses both STR and LTR so I prefer quality STR bookings over quantity. You are off to a great start as demonstrated with your reviews.

[Carrie585]

Thank you for your response. Really great info here. I never would’ve thought other hosts could be malicious like that! Ugh. Quality over quantity is our goal too! 

[Rebecca]

Hi @Carrie585 👋

It's been a while since you posted and you've got some great responses here from a few fellow Hosts. Did any of them support you in finding a resolution? If so, it's always a lovely gesture to mark it as the best answer. It's like a big virtual hug to the member who supported you. 😊

[Barbara83]

Hi Carrie, I understand you want the guest to cancel the booking request. But if the guest doesn't withdraw the request then I'd just decline it within 24 hours with the explanation that it's not a fit or you are not feeling comfortable with the guest. I hope it helps.