Do guests think a booking request is a confirmed booking?

[Kath9]

I think I just need to vent. Has anyone else noticed the increase in booking requests with zero information except, if you're lucky, time of arrival? More and more, people seem to assume that a booking request is a confirmed booking. It never used to be like this - when I started hosting two and half years ago, people communicated with me as if I was an actual person being kind enough to allow them, complete strangers, to stay in my home at a budget price - they would tell me a bit about themselves, the purpose of their visit, how much they liked the look of my home and how much they would love to stay. I don't expect a thesis, but a brief introduction would be nice. Now, nearly all my requests just come with a 'we'll be there at 5.30' or 'see you on the 5th' like their booking is confirmed and I'm some kind of desk clerk or bot. Why is this? Is there something in the booking process that makes them think that a booking request is a confirmed booking? And where is the common courtesy? I would never do that in a million years.

Anyway, I got one this morning from someone with no reviews, no profile information, possibly a profile photo but I wouldn't know, first time user (joined May 2019) and a booking request with the message 'We'll be there at 5.30' and nothing else - no information whatsoever about who they are or why they're coming. Immediately after sending them my saved 'Assumed booking' message (yes, I actually have one of these now), I decided to decline them (and I never decline guests). Maybe that was a bit over the top, I don't know, but I'm just so tired of it. I really wish Airbnb would do more to educate guests or prompt them to provide information, but I doubt that will happen. Maybe we hosts need to start setting a few more boundaries with guests instead of always bending over backwards for them. The guest did get back to me with some information but it was too late. Hopefully, they have now learnt to communicate properly with hosts instead of treating them like servants. Okay, rant over.

[Patrick-And-Katja0]

3rd party reservations are against AirBnB policy, contact AirBnB they will cancel the booking without penalty. 

[Pamela577]

I had a lady book my cabin for her son and his girlfriend as a birthday present for him. I messaged her and stated that the person who’s staying here is supposed to be using their credit card. She said oh no worries. I don’t know what he looks like as it was her picture and not his and if he damages something than i have to bill her for it. Is that what you mean by third party that she is not allowed to book for her son and his girlfriend? Can i call airbnb and have it cancelled?

[Genevieve93]

I'm curious about that too. "I'm booking for my three sisters who are coming to see me" doesn't seem right, does it? What are my options with that situation? Also, I had a couple come to stay, booking under his name, and they decided they wanted to extend their visit but they tried to use her name - because then they could use the referral credit??? We told them we didn't believe in cheating the airbnb system and they would have to use the original booking name since the other one had no reviews or ratings.

[Kath9]

@Pamela577, @Genevieve93 yes, you can have these cancelled (don't do it yourself). Third party bookings are strictly against Airbnb policy and hosts hate them for many reasons, the main one being security. Airbnb does not have any ID or info about the person coming whatsoever. Also, how do you communicate directly with them and how do you review? Honestly, I just don't get why people don't set up their own profiles.

You can also just ask them to cancel - explain to them that 3rd party bookings are against Airbnb policy and they need to cancel and rebook using their own profile. I have done this in the past and it's been fine. People just don't realise it's against the rules. 

[Sharon52]

Pamela,

The only times I have taken 3rd party booking was from the children of older parents who aren't computer savvy. The children lived in town and didn't have enough room we all visiting family members. 

[Sally221]

Airbnb will cancel the booking and you may lose IB for a bit afterwords & tweaking your listing a tiny bit every day may speed up the process of IB's return. I had a similar situation with a sticky neighbor making the booking for friends or folk she though she'd be able to host, you could also suggest the parent/spouse/ friend  use a gift card to pay for the booking if you'd like to keep the booking,, that way you would know who was coming and the actual guest would be the one reviewing you & vice versa, Sally

[Olivia339]

Hi, as a new host, I had a similar situation with my first ever guests. On reading up about third party guests being a no no! I contacted Airbnb. The people booking were registered as a company and so could book for their employees but they should have told me that at the start! Further more, they are supposed to give all the names of the guests and somehow link them in to the messages... I ended up getting one name and his phone number but chose not to communicate via that number. I kept all communication through Airbnb and the actual bookers! So pleased I did this as that guest left after one night and was replaced by two others that I did not know the names o phone numbers of... I pointed out to aAirbnb that the company were not complying with the rules but to be honest they just kept saying it was ok because they were listed as a business..... I shall not take any business bookings again. I, like many would rather  have a bit of banter with  guests before they use my home. Who are you, where are you from,  just general stuff. Also, the employees of this company did not leave my house in a good way and the company are not interested in knowing this! Lesson learnt on the very first booking what a shame! . No more third party bookings even if Airbnb say it’s ok! 🥴

[Linda-And-Richard0]

@Kath9I recently received a request that said "Love your house".  No details about themselves or who was in the group of 5 persons.  If additional is not mentioned in the initial contact, my reply is to ask who is traveling with the guest and what brings them to the area.  I sent my message and heard nothing.  Next morning sent a second message asking for more information.  Again no response.  After 23 hours, I declined the request do to lack of communication.   And yes,  basic etiquitte is a thing of the past. 

[Pamela577]

I have run into the same issue. They put down 2 guests. They ask to be preappoved. They send me a message saying love your cabin, can’t wait to stay. I ask who will be staying with her and then she then informs me that it will be her and her husband and their 3 little kids. Our cabins only accommodate 4 people and we don’t allow small children. So then i have to decline her request. But she didn’t give the information until i had to ask several times and half the time you don’t get a response back.

[Olivia339]

I just keep asking away.... if I don’t get the response and answers I want, I do not except the booking! I recently had to ask 3 times if the proposed guests ( booked in by their Company), had read and understand the rules and all I got was Absolutely! But if you have no idea who is staying because they are not guests on here in their own right, I will decline the booking!  🙂

[Zappa0]

Does Airbnb have a notification option to let guests opt out of host messages? I feel like if that is a thing it shouldnt be.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Kath9 

The booking system is somewhat disjointed.

We booked a place for a few weeks yesterday and the booking system was over encouraging towards booking. Part of the description of the villas was that the pool wasn't available out of season (when was the season?). So we enquired prior to booking.

When the system switched from Booking mode to Enquiry mode the page was scant.  At that point of first contact you would expect the info windows or text "Introduce yourself... tell the host a little about your visit... why you like the property... etc". Nothing! Even the dates we had input disappeared so we had to enter those into the enquiry manually.

Based on this experience, on an enquiry hosts should expect nothing more than a curt question. Maybe the system transfered the booking information across the pages and wasn't seen by the potential guest so maybe the host got that anyway.. (don't know, didn't see it).

The Host replied very politely with the answer to our question - and pre-approved our booking.

We did book after making our enquiry, but there was no opportunity for any basic etiquette (as @Sarah977  says) because all the system wanted to do was to take our payment. The host got no further information than what we had already written - including etiquette - without system prompting. Potentially, the host could have received a message: "When is the pool open?"

If you follow the booking procedure straight through to payment, maybe there is an opportunity to contact the host. I don't know how that might be presented but getting through the payment page was a bit of a battle and for new guests, they would possibly be too battered by the process to have any etiquette left in them!

From our experience, there was no encouragement to converse. Specifically in our case when the booking starts with an enquiry.

[Rowena29]

@Kath9;

I'm really interested to hear what @Ian And Ann-Marie1 justsaid because I was wondering if it was somethign of the sort.

Whenever I notice a change in pattern, I logon and make a booking ( for a distant date) on my own place to see what's going on. 100% of the time there has either been a glitch or a change from airbnb that explained everything ( usually it has to be said, a glitch)  I had a sort of similar experience to you in that I got a series of bookings with no real  message and a statement "" i will arrive at 10 am," As my checkout is anytime AFTER 2 PM" I immediatly felt rather hostile and aggrieved. Forunately I wasn't too curt with the guest. After this had happened 3 times in quick succession, i got suspicious. I booked my own listing ( with my husband's account) and saw that the check in time message being sent  to guests was "check in anytime". so I guess i'm trying to say, it's often worth doing a dummy run on you own listing as a guest - to see and experience what guests are seeing - sometimes there's an error or sometimes its illuminating as to why guests are doign what they're doing

(but I do also  think there is definitely a shift out there to click, book, forget.  And I agree with the other posts - airbnb do very little to educate the guests, so not completely convinced it's entirely their fault sometimes) I think it gets really messy when guests don't read their messages until the morning of check in, if at all  ( I have IB) I can at least educate/request info if the communication lines are open...

[Anne1036]

I think there is ample opportunity for guests to give plenty of information 'when they want to'. I have had the experience of quite long enquiry messages from guests looking for a price reduction or asking if they could barter some DIY work in return for their stay or similar other messages. I do think it's entirely possible for guests to communicate if they wish, some guests just don't bother. 

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  I've never booked as a guest, so it's interesting to read how it appears from the guest side. But almost all my guests do send a nice introductory message when sending an Inquiry or Booking Request, so I think it gets back to people either understanding basic manners and etiquette or not.

And since there are apparently many guests who are on the "not" side, Airbnb should definitely prompt them as to what should go in an Inquiry or Request message.