Having Trouble Securing a Reservation

[Adele509]

Hello!

I'm hoping someone here can give me some booking advice. My daughter has been accepted to do her college senior internship at the National Zoo in Washington DC from May - August. I will be going with her since I work remotely. We decided that an AirBnB would be the best option, so that we didn't have to worry about renting furniture and getting it moved into an apartment, or renting a moving van for just a 3 month stay. I thought finding an AirBnB would be easy, and it was, however securing a reservation has been very difficult. The length of the rental is not a problem, as DC has a regulation of at least a month stay, but the starting date is. We unfortunately don't have alot of wiggle room with timing. She gets out of school in MN on May 17, so we can't arrive before then. Every AirBnB host I've inquired with so far has said that their places are only available for immediate occupancy, so mid - late May is "not acceptible,"even though the calendar says it's available during the dates I need.  I'm nervous about waiting until the last minute to try and book something, and possibly not having somewhere for her to stay, and I've heard that alot of hosts are leary of last minute reservations. We're within a month of arrival, so there isn't a ton of time to get this figured out and I'm getting nervous. So, my question is, when would you start accepting a reservation that would start on May 23rd?

Second question, I've stayed in AirBnb's several times, but this is my first time reserving a space, so I don't have any reviews. I'm probably the most boring and responsible person there is out there, but if I don't have any reviews, the host doesn't know me from someone who might trash their space. Is that going to be an issue? 

[Joelle43]

Hello @Adele509 

Firstly congratulations to your daughter for being accepted to her college!  I have to admit as a host I do not understand why you are getting such a response from the people you have contacted.  Of course you should be able to book for the dates that only interest you - as hosts are calendars are open for a minimum of 3 months out so I can't see what their problem is.  We don't just accept reservations for the month ahead but for several months ahead if we are lucky!

So my advice is don't give up and I'm sure you'll find someone who is happy to have your daughter for a three month period.  Having said this, am I correct in thinking that although you will be present for her moving in period, she will then be in the Airbnb by herself?

If this is the case, then it must be your daughter who creates an Airbnb account not you as it is against Airbnb's policy for hosts to accept third party bookings.  Not all hosts know this by the way but if the reservation is in her name then she is fully covered by Airbnb as a guest.  Nothing stops you entering your credit card details for her reservation if you are paying for her.

Another thing you should be aware is that any booking over 28 days will fall under Airbnb's long term cancellation policy which means that the first month has to be paid up front and then in monthly instalments.  One month notice has to be given if you want to cut short your stay.  Have a read of the link below and you will have all the information you need:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1361

So how to get accepted when you don't have any reviews?  Communicate openly and honestly with your prospective host by sending them a message when you ask to book and then communicate some more!!  As a host we all started out with no reviews and guests took a leap of faith by booking with us so hopefully they (the host) will remember that!!  Personally some of my favourite guests have been those that had 0 reviews!

I wish you the very best in your hunt Adele

Joëlle

[Nur785]

Hi Adele, Congratulations on the National Zoo internship. That's one of the most difficult internships to get into to, so good for your daughter! How exciting. 

On the issue of reservation, the problem in DC is that because hosts can only do month long stays, they do not want to start their calendar on May 17th. If their current guest is leaving at the end of April, accepting your booking would mean they would have a 2 week vacancy. They will rather wait for someone who needs to start their stay earlier. 

As I see it, you have two options. One, you wait until it's closer to the trip and see who is willing to take your reservation at that time. Places that did not get booked by then will be more receptive. I am confident you will find a good option at that time as there are many wonderful airbnb properties around DC and there will be a few good ones that get skipped over by the hordes of interns rushing to DC 🙂 

Second, you book it a week earlier than you actually need it. I've done this before. It was in a country that had the 30 day rule for Airbnbs and I needed the place for 12 days, but I booked it for the whole month. But then, compared the the dollar that was doable. It might not be doable in Washington DC. 

Good luck, hope you find someplace soon. 

[Fred13]

Granted, a wild thought. Is staying on the Virginia or Maryland side out of the question? Washington, DC is after all a tiny place.

[Nur785]

You are right, my own bias is showing 🙂 I was just reminiscing my own internship days in DC. The department I interned with organized dinners, events etc. all in DC. People who were staying in MD or VA had a harder time of going home to get changed and come back. So I assumed a young person who is interning would prefer to be in the city. 

[Kia272]

@Adele509  Definitely consider staying outside of the District. As long as you're close to a metro stop, you should be good. I recommend Maryland, but Virginia will work too. The red line on the metro has a stop very close to the zoo- either Cleveland Park or Woodley Park. I recommend looking in Silver Spring or Takoma Park (where I live) as those are nice places and on the red line. Definitely ask a host how close they are to the metro. Metro is not cheap, but it's easy to navigate, which is a real plus. 

As @Nur785 said, DC hosts are bound by the 30 day-stay rules, and therefore are picky about their calendars. 

As for your lack of reviews, just write a nice note to the host explaining your situation. Be proactive with that, and it will likely work out for you. Send the note with a booking inquiry rather than a request, so you and the host can have a conversation. I'm sure you'll be able to work something out. 

Good luck, Kia

[John5097 · Accepted solution]

@Adele509 

I would just select the dates you are interested, include a very thoughtful first message, which you did here, and click the "request to book" and the host will have 24 hours to accept of decline. 

I would think if they already aren't booked they would take the 3 month booking. Why wait for last minute? 

Or if you really like one the host may agree to a check in date somewhere in the middle. 

Are they all like this? I've noticed some very fussy host who have been guest at my listing, don't have any reservations. Maybe they would be better to avoid anyway and just keep searching for one that wants to rent their place for 3 months you need. 

An alternative would be to keep sending inquiries, and be specific on dates you are requesting. Sometimes host can use a  week or two to make some kind of repairs, maintenance, or upgrades.