Exceeding guest limit

[Pilar828]

Hello! 
I came to this little issue with a guest. They booked for a total of 6 people, which is the maximum amount in our listing. When they arrived to the house I noticed they had over the maximum of 6. Before I confronted the issue I would like to get someone opinions. Would it be better to handle this with the guest? They never mentioned that more people would be staying.

[Alicia753]

Hi Pilar,

It's important to approach this situation carefully to maintain a good relationship with the guest while enforcing your house rules. Start with a friendly and open conversation. Let the guest know you've noticed more people than expected and ask if they could clarify. Keep the tone light and non-confrontational to avoid any tension.

If they acknowledge bringing extra guests, gently remind them about the maximum occupancy stated in the listing. Emphasize that this rule is in place for comfort and safety reasons. Depending on their response, you can discuss solutions, such as an additional fee for the extra guests if your policy allows, or asking the extra guests to leave if necessary.

Make sure to document the conversation and the outcome. If the issue escalates, you can reach out to Airbnb support for further assistance. For future bookings, you might consider reinforcing this policy in your listing and pre-arrival communications to avoid similar situations.

Here's a sample approach:

I hope you’re all enjoying your stay! I just wanted to touch base quickly—noticed there might be more than six people in your group. Could you help clarify the situation? Our listing has a max of six guests to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe.

Let’s chat about the best way to handle this. 😊 Looking forward to hearing from you!

I hope this helps.

All the best,

Upfish Management

[Elisa]

Hi @Pilar828 😊, 

I am sorry about this, I understand it’s not easy to manage!

Unfortunately, this is a very common situation for hosts. For that reason, I’m sharing some conversations that might help you understand how to handle these situations.

👉  Guests coming to my guest house more than agreed in reservation list. 

👉 More Guests Than Stated. 

Let me know if this helps!

Warm regards 🌻

[Joan2709]

@Pilar828 

Agree with @Alicia753 this can be a tricky situation and I would tread cautiously. People don't like "getting caught" and may even try to complain to Airbnb that you have "hidden cameras" or make up other complaints. This usually results in a listing suspension while Airbnb investigates, or at a minimum leads to a retaliatory review that you may not be able to get removed. 

Your listing has addl guest fees after 3 guests but shows 8 guests on the listing? I usually suggest Hosts don't charge an addl guest fee and price their listing according to the number of guests listed and as compared to the competition. This helps avoid the issue of someone bringing addl people not listed on the reservation to avoid your addl guest fees. Some hosts add a fine to their House Rules for unregistered guests to also further deter this ($150?) and also include a note in their Welcome message after booking that only registered guests may be on property and all guests must be listed on the reservation when booking. You can have that fine of $150 after 8 guests in the Addl guest fee section of the calendar. This gives you the ability to charge that using the resolution center. 

Some Hosts list the same property using multiple listings and lock off bedrooms and bathrooms. This way they can list the property for 2, 4, 6, or 8 guests at different prices. This requires the Host (or Cohost) to be nearby and the ability to lock off unused bedrooms and requires alot of coordination though.

Let us know how it goes...