Inappropriately Long Stay

[John2654]

We rent a small room in a popular tourist area of Norway. There is no access to a kitchen and there is no option of cooking in the room. Over the past 2 summers we have had around 150 guests staying, most staying for one night and some for 2 or 3. The area we live in is pretty remote with very limited public transport and nothing in the way of places to eat out. The main tourist season is from May to August but we make ourselves available for guests who want to experience the area in the cold and wet times of the year.  Out of the blue we have had someone book us for 23 nights (instant booking). We have contacted the guests telling them this is not a great idea and hoping they will rethink their booking. There is no charge for them to amend or cancel their booking but so far I have not heard back from them. I am a superhost and have never cancelled a guest's booking but in this case what canI do if the guest does not reply. If I cancel will I face the loss of superhost status and other penalties. I am hoping the guests will see sense and cancel but what if they don't? I have now changed the settings on the hosting dashboard to allow a maximum stay of 3 nights only. I just wish I had known about that setting previously 😞

[Colleen253]

@John2654 Because it was Instant booked, you have more leeway in cancelling without penalty. You can call Airbnb and advise them you are uncomfortable with the reservation, or follow the directions in the link.

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/2022/how-do-penaltyfree-cancellations-work-for-instant%C2%A0book-...

[John2654]

Thanks for the reply Colleen. That's excellent advice. I'll look into that and start the ball rolling. 

[Rowena29]

@John2654 

The other possibility is that the guest has booked, then logged out and has not checked back in to see their messages. They might be thinking - right - that's done.

Another thing you could try first if I may suggest it - is to get airbnb CS to ring the guest and alert them to the fact that they have messages in their inbox that they have not responded to. ( I get CS to do that for me occasionally)

They may look at your message and think , oh wow   - 23 days is definitely too long, or they might respond and explain why theyve done it and it might be perfectly valid and you'll feel comfortable.  If you're anything like me, its the guest not responding at all that is making you anxious.  On the basis of their response ( or lack of) you could then go ahead and cancel - or not.  I adore Norway by the way, although we were nearly bankrupted after our  visit...

[John2654]

Thanks Rowena. I've tried messaging them through whatsapp and I know they have received the message but they have not replied. I find that very strange. Plus this part of Norway in March is not a lot of fun but that's for them to decide. I just feel uncomfortable having someone stay in my house for so long. Guests and fish......etc 🙂

[Rowena29]

@John2654 

 when you are talking to specific people on this forum you need to "tag" them with the @ symbol then add their username (usually appears in the drop down bar) - that way they will get an alert that you have responded - I only found your reply to me by accident. Pretty hard to know until someone points it out to you!

I've read to the end of this thread and see that you have cancelled and I completely understand your reasoning.  Guests who fail to communicate are in my opinion a lot of trouble

In you booking settings you are able to limit the maximum number of nights a guest may stay - some hosts limit to 7 or 10 nights - that may be something you want to consider? 

 May I offer a suggestion? As a solo traveller I look at your description and think it sounds charming and cosy and think - sure I can self sustain easily for a couple of weeks with just a microwave.   I don't know where this guest was from, but if it were from somewhere like Australia ( like me)  or the USA  i am guessing that they might not have the slightest idea of how complete shutdown is during the off season, and just how remote  and inaccessible places in Norway can be.  ( Andrews reply to you is a good indication of this. He lives in Europe but clearly had no understanding that many of  the amenities you referred to are only open during summer. I think a lot of visitors would be like this. )  Is it worth mentioning this in your listing? Maybe put back the detail about the restaurants, but qualify with a statement re peak season and low season?  You'll still get some people who just don't read, but for those who do, the information is there. 

Just my thoughts

[Sandra856]

I agree with making sure that the listing is fully updated so guests are aware that if they visit during Winter/out of season periods it is crucial to mention if restaurants, supermarkets, tourist offices and all the other things happening in the area - if it is all closed down 🙂 @John2654 

[Anonymous]

@John2654 Why not talk to your guests about their needs and expectations first, before unilaterally deciding that their stay length is inappropriate?

Your listing does not communicate the limitations of your town anywhere near the same way you describe them here. Under Location, you write:

The house is not in the town centre but a 15 minute walk or 2 minute drive from the town of Jørpeland. Here you can find everything a tourist might need in terms of shops, banks, restaurants, medical aid, tourist information office and so on. Hiking and outdoor pursuits abound in the area.

Nothing in this description would lead a guest to believe that it's a bad place to spend a few weeks. How does being a 2 minute drive from a town with shops and restaurants square with having "nothing" in the way of places to eat out? Either you've oversold the location to guests or misled readers about it in your query. 

[John2654]

It'

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@Anonymous wrote:

@John2654 Why not talk to your guests about their needs and expectations first, before unilaterally deciding that their stay length is inappropriate?

Your listing does not communicate the limitations of your town anywhere near the same way you describe them here. Under Location, you write:

The house is not in the town centre but a 15 minute walk or 2 minute drive from the town of Jørpeland. Here you can find everything a tourist might need in terms of shops, banks, restaurants, medical aid, tourist information office and so on. Hiking and outdoor pursuits abound in the area.

Nothing in this description would lead a guest to believe that it's a bad place to spend a few weeks. How does being a 2 minute drive from a town with shops and restaurants square with having "nothing" in the way of places to eat out? Either you've oversold the location to guests or misled readers about it in your query. 

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 You seem to have jumped to several wrong conclusions.  One is that they have booked for March, well outside the tourist season for this part of Norway unless you like lots of rain and freezing cold winds. The town shuts down out of season so I stand by what I say. I did not post here to be criticised by someone who is not fully aware of the situation but for advice. I find your tone quite rude and confrontational.

As for talking to the guests how can I when they do not reply to messages both through the airbnb site and through whatsapp? Any suggestions?

Their length of stay is inappropriate for ME, that was my point. I do not wish to have a long-term guest. Anything wrong with that?

[Anonymous]

There's nothing wrong with not wanting long-term guests, and that's exactly why the Maximum Length of Stay is a basic feature of the calendar settings. Glad you have finally put it to use. Also, Instant Book is optional, so it's completely within your control to prevent confirmed bookings that are inappropriate for you. 

If your location's description is only applicable to the tourist season, that is an extremely relevant detail that's worth including in the listing text, as @Rowena29 pointed out. You're right that I'm not fully aware of the situation - but more importantly, neither was your guest.

[Rowena29]

@Anonymous  -  wasn't having a go at you - was trying to point out to  @John2654  that the  seasons  and the  often complete shutdown  of nearly everything  in some places  is well outside the frame of reference of the majority of travellers - including people who live in Europe,   - not just Australians, who are renowned I believe for being a bit clueless

[Anonymous]

@Rowena29 Yes I appreciate and agree with your suggestions.  I generally feel that guests should be expected to do their own research on location, but when the host chooses to provide a location description it's important to make sure it sets accurate expectations. You don't want your guests to be unpleasantly surprised when they arrive.

[Bryan10]

I agree with @Anonymous  it's best to find out the facts first, rather than deciding they're in the wrong place without them saying what they're doing.  It could be someone working in the tourist industry nearby and needing to be in the area for work for a few weeks. 

[John2654]

I would love to if only they would respond to my messages through whatsapp and airbnb but they haven't done so.

[Kath9]

@John2654 I also agree with @Anonymous.  Maybe the guest will just eat out (at the restaurants 2 minutes drive away) or buy microwave meals or food that doesn't need cooking. As long as you have alerted them via messaging that they can't cook, that should be sufficient. It's not really your problem and I dont see any need to cancel them.