How Do You Deal with Underreported Guest Numbers in Bookings?

[Susanne738]

Hello everyone,

I’m Susanne, a host from Austria. Overall, I’m very happy with my bookings and guests.

However, I’ve noticed that some people book for fewer guests than actually show up. Has this ever happened to you? How do you handle it? Do you let it slide, or do you inform the guests that they need to update the booking to reflect the actual number of people? In my last case, I received a cancellation because the booking would have been more expensive with the correct number of guests.

Thanks in advance for your feedback—I look forward to hearing about your experiences!

All the best,

Susanne

[Marie8425]

For me I require all guests b e n amed but I do check ins,

In your case I would suggest you are having a high volume of unreported guests because the way your pricing is set up.  Your property is beautiful but the low 1 person pricing is generating high volume interest but from groups looking for discount pricing which then they lie to stay in their budget and figure you don't Checa in sol probably volt get caught.

The right market that would appreciate such an outstanding rental can be scared off that the low price and high demand may n ot be at the level they desire

You have a lot of great reviews.  Set a price for your average number of guests probably 4-6.  slow increases not dramatic for an additional guests say over 4 people..  Make sneaking som eone in less attractive than if she doesn't catch me I save a lot l of money make it instead do I want to hassle lying for a few hundred dollars.

Make yourself less attractive to the liers, you don't have a bargain  basement listing.

[Susanne738]

Hi Marie,

thank you so much for your feedback and for suggesting that I rethink my pricing structure for groups. I’ve been considering adjusting the rates. Up until now, I haven’t made an issue of it when more guests arrived than were booked, but it does impact my revenue, and it’s becoming harder for me to overlook. At first, I assumed people just weren’t paying attention or made a mistake when booking, but since this has been happening more frequently, I’m starting to wonder if the discrepancies are intentional, perhaps to save money.

When guests check in, they always fill out a registration form because I’m required to report everyone staying. Unfortunately, the actual number of guests doesn’t always match the booking details. You’re probably right—I may need to adjust the pricing to discourage inaccurate bookings.

Thanks again for your helpful advice.

All the best,

Susanne

[Elaine701]

@Susanne738 

Hi Susanne,

OK, I've looked at your listing - very nice! Really. 

We have something similar - high occupancy (8 pax in our case)  -  but in a very different setting, so my advice may or may not apply to your listing, however, something here may be worth considering.

First, we have basically two seasons - a high season and a low season - I would expect your high season to be in winter? The ski season? Ours is summer. Nonetheless, the high season for us means guaranteed back-to-back bookings of up to 8 pax. It will be booked. Guaranteed.

High Season

We learned early on that if we price on a "per person" basis in the high season, there's two things we can expect: 

1) We will be booked all summer by 2 persons, at 1/4 the price we could be getting. Simply because a large house accommodating 6 or 8 persons is a dream villa for a couple - and cheap! 

-or-

2) Guests will book for one person and bring the maximum number of people simply because it's the least expensive that way. They can always claim it was a mistake... but the conflict that it creates can and usually will backfire on the host (poor reviews, false claims for refund, etc). The character of guest who would willingly defraud the host is also the type who will make things up and cause problems. You need to avoid attracting them.

So, in the high season, we price it "flat rate" for the entire villa. They take it all or go elsewhere. And we are consistently booked for the entire season with a full house at full price.

Price: Your prices are very reasonable, but still comparatively inexpensive. Generally speaking, you are competing with hotels (especially considering the great quality of your listing). Hotels generally charge an average of around €50+ per night per person, especially in the high season. You might want to consider elevating to a €300+ flat rate (6 pax) for your listing. You can try it for next year, and see if it works. If you don't get any bookings, reduce the price a little every month until you find the sweet spot - and return to getting bookings. But you might be surprised to discover that they'll be happy to pay that full price. You have to experiment.

Low Season

In our case, the typical booking in low season is for 2-6 pax. If we price it "flat rate" for 8 pax, we tend to price ourselves out of the low season market.

Conversely, if we simply reduce the "flat rate" price to make it affordable for couples or 4 pax, then it's too cheap, and we can expect bookings for 8 pax, simply because it's irresistibly cheap. 

8 pax are far more expensive and complicated to host than say, 2 or 4. And they tend to socialise more - stay up late, drinking and having fun - party-like. And tend to be a bit messier. That's generally OK if they've paid well. But definitely NOT OK if they got it cheap.

We like couples (or two couples). They are generally uncomplicated, don't engage in irresponsible behaviours, they go to bed early, don't consume much, and we have far less laundry and cleaning. If that's who we get in the low season, I'm happy about it.

So, in the low season, we price on a per-person basis, starting with a somewhat high price for the first 2 pax (around 80€ per person), and then a lower price for additional persons (30€ per each additional person).  80€ per person is at the higher end of what a couple is willing to pay, but they get the entire villa all to themselves - and they love having a big house all to themselves. And this attracts a more affluent guest, willing to pay for it. Affluent guests tend to be more conscientious, clean, orderly, and uncomplicated. In our case, many - if not most - low season bookings are golfers. Daily greens fees here are more expensive than the villa! So, it works in our case.

But here's where it gets tricky:

Airbnb has no facility to change the pricing model on a seasonal basis. You're either "flat rate" or "per person" on your listing.

So, there's only one solution: Two listings. One for high season, one for low season. Just block the low season on the high season listing, and block the high season on the low season listing.

It sounds easy, but it's not. First, if you're listed on any other platforms, you can only calendar sync with one of your airbnb listings, because if you sync with both, it will show the entire year blocked. So you can't calendar sync with other platforms - you have to do it manually. And that means you have to update all platforms manually immediately after you get an Airbnb booking. 

Next, Airbnb will automatically open next year's dates on both high and low season calendars, so you need to be sure to block next year's low season dates on your high season listing, and next year's high season dates on your low season listing - or else you'll get high season bookings at the low season rate.

It's a lot of work keeping it organised.

You have to decide what makes sense for you, but this is what's working for us. I see many similarities between our listings and obviously we share some of the same booking issues. I thought perhaps something here might make sense for you.

Good luck and happy hosting!

[Susanne738]

Hi Elaine,

thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate the insights you’ve shared.

In our case, we don’t really have a clear high or low season. Our area is primarily known for hiking, and while we are close to a ski resort (15-30 minutes away), most skiers in Austria and Germany prefer to stay right next to the slopes. Because of this, despite our amenities, we tend to be a second choice for skiers. In the summer, visitors to Austria often seek out lakes, and while we have a few about 15 minutes away, we’re still not the first choice for lake-goers either.

Given this, we’re currently exploring how much guests are willing to pay at different times of the year. In the summer, we’re usually well booked, which is likely due to our large pool and beautiful views. Hiking is also popular in summer, and we’re located right at the starting point of two trails. However, this clientele isn’t necessarily looking for more expensive accommodations.

I’ll definitely consider the idea of adjusting our pricing based on seasons once we’ve completed a full year of bookings. For now, I’m contemplating adding a cover to the pool so that we can offer it as an additional perk for winter guests, alongside the sauna.

Thank you again for your advice and for taking the time to help. I also took a look at your listing, and it’s absolutely stunning! You’ve done a fantastic job, and I can see why you’re so successful.

All the best,

Susanne

[Helen3]

You can do two things 

1. when a guest books if they are not at full occupancy write back and confirm that they only want the booking for xxx guests and that if more guests arrive to stay then have booked you will send them a request to amend the booking to the numbers staying 

2. If on arrival more people turn up then booked say  to the guest something like 'I think you may have made an error on your booking as you booked for xxx but seem to have xxx staying i am sending you a request to amend the bookings and will be happy to come back and make up the bedrooms for the additional guests you have staying . Please can you accept the booking amendment if you want these guests not on the booking to stay.

Make sure in your house rules you say only guests booked should be on the premises and if they want visitors during the day they need to request this in advance 

[Susanne738]

Hi Helen,

thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed response. I truly appreciate the time you took to share these suggestions.

I especially love the idea of confirming the number of guests right after the booking is made. It’s a brilliant and valuable strategy because it prevents any misunderstandings later on. By confirming the guest count in writing, there’s no room for anyone to claim that additional guests were brought by mistake. This will definitely help in setting clear expectations from the start.

Your advice regarding the house rules is also fantastic. Adding a clause that only booked guests are allowed on the premises, and requiring advance notice for day visitors, is a simple yet effective way to ensure everything is clear from the beginning. I will certainly be updating my house rules to include this.

Once again, thank you for these great tips—they’re incredibly helpful, and I’m looking forward to implementing them to improve my hosting experience.

All the best,

Susanne