Declining reservation requests

[Cristy37]

Hi guys!

Just want some advice regarding something. 

I just received a reservation request from a guest. I am not willing to accept the request as this guest has quite a few number of bad reviews. All the reviews mention things like leaving the kitchen dirty with food on the floor, not respecting house rules, demanding refunds without valid reasons, unnecessary messaging, to name a few.

So I just wanted to ask is it going to be an issue if I decline this request as I haven't had to do that before. I know there is an airbnb discrimination policy that we have to follow, but I don't think my reasons are discriminatory. I just don't want to have to deal with difficult guests as I have had to do that in the past.

Any help and advice is appreciated!

[Helen3]

If I see bad reviews , I just something like 'I'm not able to accept your request because of your previous reviews' 

@Cristy37 

[Cristy37]

Thank you Helen!

[Thien48]

When you decline a request, will Airbnb penalize you by dropping your rank in the search algorithm?

[Joan2709]

@Thien48 

Airbnb says you have to decline A LOT of requests in order for it to hurt you in search results. They don't say what " a lot" means, but I wouldn't let that stop you from declining a reservation because the guest has bad reviews. You are asked to explain why you are declining, and I think one of he options is negative reviews.

Decline a Trip Request

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/360

[Thien48]

@Joan2709 , Thank you for the clarification—I appreciate your insight. 

[Elisa]

Hi @Cristy37 😊, 

Thank you for asking this question here!

I'm glad several hosts helped clarify things for you.

In the end, did you decide to decline the reservation? Do you need any more help with this?

[Thien48]

Thank you for asking, Elisa. Previously, I had a guest with bad reviews who wanted to book. I wanted to decline the request, but since I was a new host, I was worried about my Airbnb ranking. So I bit the bullet and decided to host anyway. Luckily, things turned out okay. Now that I know I can decline a request without affecting my Airbnb ranking, I feel more confident about doing so in the future.

[Elisa]

Hi @Thien48 😊, 

Thank you so much for letting me know!

I'm really glad to hear that everything went well and that our hosts were able to help you with your concern. 😍

Don't hesitate to reach out again in the future!