First Time AirBnb Guests, Do Not Read Listing Details and Leave No Reviews

[Domenick0]

Hello everyone, I have been hosting since 2014 and have had more than 180 stays in my home.  My experience has been overwhelming positive and I have been fortunate to maintain Superhost and a "5" overall rating during my entire time with AirBnb.  However, lately I have been getting frequent reservation requests from Guests new to AirBnb, and almost without fail they do not read my listing details (expect a private bathroom, laundry, pets, smoking policy, etc.), do not communicate at all and do not leave reviews.  I do everything possible to accommodate these guests and have 'bent' my house rules to please them when they check in and seem surprised about facts listed clearly in my posting.  I even go so far as when a new guest books with zero reviews and no profile information to say to them "Welcome, I see you are new to AirBnb and hope you will enjoy the experience!  Please make sure you read all of my listing details and some of my reviews to understand policies and have appropriate expectations.  I look forward to hosting you!  Please advise me of your approximate ETA and let me know if you have any questions.  Safe Travels".   I usually get no response at all...  I have had guests show up before my 2pm check in time, I have had guests arrive at 1am and ring my bell and bang on the door until I wake up because they did not read the listing and their confirmation message with the SmartLock Code, I had a guest bring a cat, another couple brought a child, etc.  I realize every host and guest has to have a first time booking and stay; I have instant book on with requirements for past reviews and as such I have to manually approve these new guests.  Trying to give everyone a chance, I have accepted these types of reservations, but I am considering automatically rejecting any guests without a profile and reviews.  I am curious if others have had similar experiences and any advice or stories you could share.  Thank you!

[M199]

@Domenick0 

Sounds to me that you need to vet your bookings more closely.  I have only been a host since September 2020 and got Superhost by the end of October 2020.  Except for for the occasional dog not reported (we're Pet friendly),  I have never had issues with newbie guests.  I prefer newbies, it's an opportunity to build the brand and train them. Just one more note - Communication is a key factor.

[Anonymous]

@Domenick0  As much as I believe hosts should be at liberty to decline genuinely inappropriate requests, I feel that unilaterally rejecting every new profile without attempting to communicate would reasonable grounds for getting de-listed.

 There's a comfortable middle ground between rejecting requests from n00bs and putting yourself out to accommodate guests with wrong expectations: just communicate more before accepting a booking.  Try to distill down to a few short questions what you need to know about a guest to determine they're the right fit, and reiterate the most important details from the listing that you need them to understand. That puts you in a position to make your choice based on how they respond, rather than making unfair generalizations based purely on prejudice.

[Domenick0]

I appreciate the feedback.  However, please read my posting and look at my listing and reviews - I do communicate and provide a welcome message and additional personalized communications to all guests regardless of if they are new to AirBnb or not.  Read my reviews about my communication and inclusiveness, I take offense at the implication of "prejudice" and as I have 4 (biracial) children and welcome all into my home.  I also take offense at the implication of any lack of communication "without attempting to communicate".  My only issue as stated in my posting is when a guest just joined AirBnb, has absolutely no profile information and does not respond to any of my messages.  As such I was asking if other's had similar experiences or any constructive advice, not for an attack on my character.  Thanks again for your time.

[Anonymous]

@Domenick0   I'm sorry that you felt offended, but I think you've misunderstood what I meant - . The only "prejudice" I was referring to was the bias against unreviewed guests that might lead someone to reflexively decline them all. Absolutely nothing to do with your children's racial identities.  All I'm saying here is that the most important communication in these cases comes in that 24-hour window after the request comes in, before you decide whether to accept the booking. If the guest isn't responsive, or their correspondence doesn't inspire your confidence - those are more valid reasons to decline than any assumptions one might make based on their empty profiles. 

[Pete69]

I have a laundry list of disclaimers in my listing description. Some important things I repeat more than once. My no-smoking rule is repeated 3 times, including in my heading. After they book, in my initial greeting, I remind them to read my  "other things to note" just so that there are no surprises. Sometimes they cancel shortly afterward, which suggests like you say, that they aren't reading the entire listing description. 

No communication after the booking is COMMON. People are busy doing their thing.

I have 49 reviews, so at this point each review is just redundant.

[John5097]

@Domenick0 

The key code for my guest is at the top of the first message with their dates, check in and check out times, and check in instructions. Still I have to repeat that "your door code is just above in the first message" with a little 🙂 As some guest would message from the dirveway, "When are you going to send us the key code?" 

They are just used to the last Airbnb they stayed in and think all Airbnb are the same. I also try to keep things like rules as a list. Anything important they might overlook, I include a picture with the caption and put it in the short listing description. Still some don't read it. 

Host can only decline a certain number of guest. I've had mostly new guest and only a few didn't read the listing. 

I did like your note to prospective guest, but could be more specific that guest need to schedule a check in time if that's what some guest are missing. 

[Jonathan1492]

Yes recently had a guest book and I accepted. 
No profile information other than a photo. 
Guest also joined the platform in 2019 but had no reviews.

I have in my booking settings must have confirmed information and reviews / recommendations from other host.

How are you able to book if your information isnt correct or out of date and you have no reviews? 

[Anonymous]

@Jonathan1492   Those requirements are just your settings for Instant Book. Guests who don't meet those requirements are still allowed to send a Request. 

[Lisa723]

@Domenick0 

We had a bit of this last year.

Our Other Things to Note section now says:

“Before booking, please carefully and completely read our Cancellation Policy, House Rules, and Health & Safety/You Must Also Acknowledge listing sections (at bottom of listing page). Your booking constitutes agreement.”

Our post-booking message now says:

”Thanks for booking The Leland Lake House! We appreciate your business and we hope your stay at Lake Leland is wonderful. Please do let us know at any time if there is anything we can do to improve it.

To ensure a smooth stay, please carefully review our Cancellation Policy, House Rules, and Health & Safety/You Must Also Acknowledge listing sections, if you have not already done so; and our Guest Manual, which should now be visible to you. Your booking constitutes agreement, so if anything presents a problem, please let us know so we can arrange a penalty-free cancellation for you.

Otherwise, we'll send you more details, including arrival instructions, before your check-in; and in the meantime if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.“

This seems to have helped.

[Domenick0]

Lisa,  Thanks so much for the constructive advise and thoughtful response.  I am going to beef up my post booking message with your suggestion.  I appreciate your time and feedback!  Domenick

[Diana2015]

This was info I was looking for- the "Info for Guests" section (address, manual etc)- this is not published to the public- but only viewable once a guest books? -this is not clear- am I safe to assume this?

I am about to publish- but wanted to confirm that the Post booking and arrival details and manual, wifi login details- are private and not for everyone to see.

When does a person send the passcode to get in?

thank you for details above- for the pointers on post booking