[Poll] Do guests ever ask you for a discount?

[Paula]

Hi everyone 👋

Let's talk about discounts 💰, a topic our Hosts have been discussing actively in our Community. Some Hosts use discounts when they're new to the platform, some offer them to attract more bookings during weekdays, or for special events in their area, and for various other reasons.

Given this, I'm curious: how do you respond when a guest asks for a discount? Participate in this poll and share in the comments how you've managed such requests. Any advice for Host facing this for the first time?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Paula 95% of discount requests are rejected. Just occasionally we say yes but I have no idea why. On these occasions (well OK it was one occasion) the guest was marvellous and rebooked with us several times.

[Fred13]

Our experience exactly. We do not take it personally and once in a while we do cut some (i.e. families with kids or military) a price break.

[Bernie113]

Agreed. If I see in their profile that they’re military or first responders, i many times proactively offer a small discount as a gesture for their service. 

When I first started, I’ve given discounts when people have asked. I’ve found the majority of guests that asked for a discount were the guests with the poorest housekeeping. Now I decline discount requests unless it’s a long term stay etc.

[Ana2038]

@Paula , it’s a “No” 99.9% of the time. We do, however, reward guest(s) who return every year.  I did have one inquiry ask for a discount since my listing was “slightly out of their budget,” but in reviewing where he stayed previously all of them were priced higher than mine!?!? I declined the request. 

[Joy1383]

This has happened only twice.  The first time it was a non-Airbnb customer and he wanted my 33% discount for a month.  That sounded fine except that he cancelled out 2 of the 4 weeks and of course got a super discount for 2 weeks.  I would recommend that if you are giving a special discount for 7 nights or a month always tell them in the very beginning that if they don't stay the original number of days/nights and end up cutting part of the month off or cutting down the number of days prior to arrival that their payment will go up to the original prices.   Obviously, if they leave before their stay is officially over I do not refund to them. The other one the cost was already discounted for 7 nights so I declined any further discount.  It's hard but you need to take care of yourself too.  Maybe they should look at other properties they can afford.  If it's hurricane season or off-season sometimes I might consider a discount.

[Rebecca1873]

I get asked but if they aren't staying long term I don't comply with one all the time

[Colton29]

The only time I approve a discount if asked is if it's a weekly/monthly discount that wasn't already added to the booking, a military or first responder discount, or if the property hasn't been getting bookings. In the last case I've worked with guests on the price before. All depends on the situation.

[Sheri298]

I offer weekly and monthly discounts via the standard Airbnb website. No one has asked for a discount yet. I do get asked to change reservations quite a bit. And I get cancellations occasionally.

[Alice1326]

I did have one guy ask me for a discount since he was just hiking through the area and going to be spending a few hours there.  I waived the cleaning fee but told him in a polite way that it needed to look exactly how he left it and start the laundry. Worked out as he did this, but I honestly don't think I'd do it again for anyone that asks - that type of personality (asking for something special when the home is already priced fairly) is not one I want to fight with later if there are issues. 

[Yulia145]

I had 1 guest asked about military discount, 1 guest asked about a law enforcement discount and 2 asking random questions about discounts. 
I gave the guest 10% military discount.

[Nancy1851]

No, guests have not asked for a discount. When/if they do, answer would be I already charge reasonable rates.

[Noris8]

Yes, a lady informed she was arriving late, about mid/night the day of their church/in-  asking if I could charge her only 50% of the daily rate-

My answer was that I do not deal with reservations and/or prices; therefore she should refer to the platform-

They (3) stayed three nights- the day of check-out (11:00am) she asked if they could leave their luggage longer because of their flight being late- I said yes, they came about 10pm. took a shower and left… close to mid-night!

[Megan1210]

Hi Paula! I just opened my first AirBnB February 2023 and I have gotten several requests for discounts so far. Typically it's a request for an exchange of services. They ask for a discount and in return they'll market my place on their social media platforms. So far I'm always weary and feel as though they are looking for a free stay all together - and who respects a place if they don't value it, right? However, I will usually offer them a small discount (10-15% off the nightly rate) and then I'll suggest offering them a discount code they can customize for their brand to pass along savings to their followers. This way if they do end up booking, we can understand how fruitful their marketing is in the future based on how many additional bookings we receive. 

[Lorina14]

I’ve had requests for discounts during the messaging period before booking. Someone asked for a discount for a longer term stay more than I was already offering (28% off as recommended by the Airbnb platform - I’ve since changed it to a lower percentage). Another asked if she was staying regularly (monthly for 2-4 days) could she sign a contract with me instead and I said no being on the platform protects both the guest and the host and pays for aircover. She also asked if I could waive the cleaning fee if she cleaned and I kindly responded but I don’t know how you clean. We had a few others but those stand out the most.