Price reduction requests

[Hala67]

Recently I have been receiving tons of price reduction requests and I am very competitive. I check surrounding listings to make sure. 

Also, when I do give in they tend to be needy and not always the best guest... Do you agree? 

[Colleen253]

@Hala67 Yes, agree. I never give in to a discount request and in fact have a saved template message I reply with. I have been surprised two times with the guests coming back to say they would like to book anyway. That created uncertainty regarding accepting them. I took a chance and both have been repeat guests. One was a breeze, and the other has been good, but still 'asky'. Go figure.

[Hala67]

Colleen, This is the first time I ever posted. Thank you so much for the reply. I feel so much better. 

I feel that other hosts have been giving discounts so guests are trolling hosts.  Because I see they take a while to get back to me, I think it is because they are waiting for all replies to come back. 

[Colleen253]

@Hala67 Well, welcome to the community! 😊

It's generally true that inquiring guests asking for discounts will turn out to be difficult, and will likely continue to push and ask for more, especially if you acquiesce to their demands, because they see you as being a pushover or weak. Just politely and firmly decline. I always end my reply with 'good luck with your search!' to encourage them to move along.

[Hala67]

Thank you so much, Colleen! You are a gift to this community board. 🎁

[Bari51]

Hala,

So host can't offer discount to the guest? and never agree?

it that right?

[Hala67]

I have discounts built in for monthly and weekly. I have also given discount beyond what I have listed when a guest asks. Those guest so far have tended to be needy and unthoughtful. my last guest I gave a deep discount for a month and a half stay,  broke a window, two doors, dishwasher, and a screen. I’m seeing a trend that they are not the most thoughtful guests. 

[Sarah977]

@Bari51  Have you read the posts here and tried to understand why hosts don't like it when guests ask, or do you just think that you are somehow entitled to a discount?

Hosts price their listings fairly- if they didn't, they wouldn't get bookings. Guests have very little idea of how much time, effort and money go into being a good host and making sure they present a clean, comfortable place for their guests.

Plenty of hosts offer weekly or monthly discounts. Guests should look for listings they can afford, not find a listing they like and then try to get it for cheaper. It shows that the guest has no respect for the host. You liked what you saw in the listing ad, yet are basically telling the host that you don't think it's worth what they are charging, or don't care if hosting you will be at all profitable for them, which is rude. 

And most hosts' experience is that guests who ask for discounts turn out to behave in entitled ways during the stay. If a guest can only really afford or wants to pay the price of a private room in a shared house, but instead wants an entire apartment to themselves at the price of a private room, what does that say about that person's attitude? To me it says that the person has an entitled attitude- "I should be able to have whatever I want on my terms".

I know that in some cultures a person is considered to be foolish if they don't try to get something for a "better" price. Bargaining is ingrained in the culture. But because it is, things are usually priced higher to start with than what the seller expects to get, because they expect that everyone will bargain.

Airbnbs aren't like that. Hosts don't price their listings expecting to be bargained down.

[Ann72]

@Bari51 is an aspiring host, @Sarah977.  It would appear he wants to get it right before he starts.  

@Bari51  There's nothing to say you can't offer a discount, but when you offer a discount, you look too eager to get bookings, and guests will then walk all over you and keep escalating their demands.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  Thank you. I looked at his profile before answering, didn't see any listings or reviews, so falsely assumed he was a new to Airbnb guest.

@Bari51  Sorry for assuming you were a newbie guest 😞

[Bari51]

@Sarah977  Sarah, I sorry if I offended you. You sound upset and angry? 

That was my first day to participate in the here, I do not know the rules inhere.

I am just asking a question addressed to Hala. However, thanks for reply.

[Sarah977]

@Bari51  No, I'm not upset and angry. You didn't offend me, but guests asking for discounts, which has been escalating recently, has been a hot topic here lately. Hosts are getting fed up with having to waste time answering all these discount requests.

You haven't broken any rules here, you just didn't make it clear that you were planning to start hosting, and since I didn't see any listing on your profile, made an faulty assumption that you were a new guest not understanding why asking for discounts isn't welcomed by hosts. Sorry about that.

Good luck with your new hosting venture.

[Colleen253]

@Bari51 You need to tag someone you're directing a comment to, so they know, like I just did for you, with the little '@' symbol. You can absolutely offer a discount to a guest. This key word here is 'offer'. A guest who approaches a host and asks for a discount is a red flag. They are almost without exception going to be a troublesome guest in some way. Not worth hosting a guest like that.

[Dale711]

@Hala67 I see what you mean.

[Hala67]

@Bari51 Thanks for teaching the new people and giving great feedback🌻

Did I do it right? 😅