Booking request

[Sarah7190]

I have recieved a booking request for next year.

i have replied expressing that as a group they would need to observe the rules and be quite after 10pm.

i have heard nothing back, if it expires do the dates stay blocked ? 
I feel that they should remain open as I as a host have responded 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah7190 

If it was a booking request then you need to accept or decline it within 24hrs. The dates will be blocked until you accept or decline.

If it was an enquiry then the dates are not blocked and as long as you have responded no further action is needed.

[Sarah7190]

It was a booking request but they haven’t responded to my question regarding being quite past 10pm

i haven’t heard back from them 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah7190 then your stats will suffer as you are required to accept or decline within 24 hours

[Sarah7190]

But they haven’t responded to my question regarding being respectful to my neighbours 

[Joelle43]

Hello @Sarah7190 

I didn't see this post so replied to the first one I saw where you say it was an enquiry as opposed to a booking request?? The guide I included should answer your question nevertheless 

[Sarah7190]

I feel bad that a person has made an enquiry for my property and I responded with a question promptly.

They haven’t responded which has made me feel uncomfortable about accepting the group.

It seems I will be punished for this ?

[Joelle43]

Hello @Sarah7190 

It's normal to be nervous at the beginning of our hosting journey but there is no need to feel  bad that this guest hasn't responded (yet).  Some are slow to respond and some you never hear from again but you will NOT be penalised in any way.

Enquiries are different to trip requests and the only thing that Airbnb ask of us is to reply ASAP to that enquiry and that's it!  Only our first reply is taken into account by the algorithm to calculate our response time.  There will be instances when a conversation will just die out and no action is needed and I would NEVER click that pre-approve or accept button if I'm not comfortable with a guest.  

There is nothing worse for you as a host to then have to cancel a reservation because you discover later in the chat, that these are bad guests or just not right for your place.

I'm popping below a guide I made on the difference between receiving a trip request and an enquiry and what actions are required by us.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Host-guides/GUIDE-Handling-Enquiries-and-Bookings/td-p/1895831

Any questions, just pop back here but just be aware if you are new that there are scammers out there who target hosts so trust your instincts but rest assured, you've done exactly what Airbnb expect from you so you can stop worrying😊

Joëlle