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? 

[Hala67]

I see you are a level 10. What does that mean? 

[Colleen253]

@Hala67 That just means I've been a member of this community forum for awhile. After you've participated a bit, you'll see your level go up. 

[Emilia42]

Say no to discounts @Hala67. You will never win with them.

[Hala67]

If you don't give a discount and they book anyway do you see them possibly retaliating with a back review because they feel that they didn't get a deal? 

[Hala67]

I meant to say bad review NOT (back)

[Emilia42]

@Hala67 I do worry about that but it has never happened to me. I can tell by the way their request is worded that the ones who ask for discounts are so cheap that they will never pay my already low rate.  Sometimes when I get a worrisome inquiry that I definitely don't want to entertain I will increase the minimum night stay over the requested date range or block out a random day. It's not a fail-safe but it gives me peace of mind for a little while. 

[Colleen253]

@Emilia42 Same here, it's never happenend to me, and I also think it's because the truly stingy, stinky guest will never book anyway, without the discount request being granted. As I say @Hala67 , I had two asky guests go on to book anyway, at the regular price and they were ok. Bit of a risk, but I had glowing reviews from them. I think some people who ask are just of the mind 'if you don't ask, you don't get.' 

[Hala67]

Agreed. The risk will always be there but hearing from you all is great because now I can do it with confidence knowing that I got feedback from the right people and we are all just doing the best we can, without the crystal ball. 

I just got on this platform after hosting for a year and a half. I am so glad I did. 

[Ann72]

@Hala67  I've had guests book after being refused a discount and they've been absolutely fine.  I think some people "try it on" because their friends or partners tell them to.  Then they're almost relieved to be told no so with that out of the way they can book the place they want to book.  Otherwise, there are the "it-doesn't-hurt-to-ask" people, the aggressive demanders, the we-have-exquisite-taste-so-we-deserve-a-discount ("We think your place is really beautiful; we're a really great couple so would you consider a discount for us?"), and, my favorites, the ones who are mad at me because they can't afford the place.  No, no, no, and no.

[Sarah977]

@Hala67  There was a guy who posted here who had a blog advising guests to always ask for a discount and how to go about it. That they should send out inquiries to 40 different places asking for a discount, that they should point out to hosts that it's in their best interest to give discounts, etc. The whole thing was outrageously disrespectful to hosts.

This kind of stuff is all over the internet.

Do not discount unless it's really to your advantage, i.e. to try to fill a couple of unbooked nights. And even then, you should do that by changing the price on your calendar, not by giving in to discount requests. Guests who do this are showing you right off the bat that they have no respect- it's just all about them.

[Hala67]

I’m sad that the travel blogs are making those suggestions 😓

[Sarah977]

@Hala67  It wasn't even a travel blog. That guy was just a real entitled know-it-all offering bad advice to digital nomads. He even claimed in his post here that he was also a host, but had no listings on his profile, said things that were incorrect as far as hosting goes, and I can't imagine any host giving out such disrepectful to other hosts advice. 

[Andrea-and-Glenn0]

We offer a weekly discount and a monthly discount, but beyond that we are not the negotiating types. We put a lot of effort and research into our pricing and have a standard reply to “value-seeking” and “I get discounts on everything” type of inquiries. 

As as long as the prospective guest has great to excellent reviews from other hosts, we will reply with;

@Hala67 “Hi and thanks for your enquiry with Mill Bay Cottage. We take pride in our listing and work hard to ensure we are priced fairly and competitively, which is why we do not offer discounts for any stays less than 1 week. 

If you decide to book at the current price, we’d be happy to host you if you still wish to stay here”

[Hala67]

Thank you for the example of a good way to word it. Very helpful!! 

[Dale711]

Hi @Hala67,

@Andrea-and-Glenn0  are right!

Do consider the weekly, monthly discounts, custom and promotions discount.

Asking for discounts is viewed by many hosts as a red flag, but it's depend on the different cases.Many travel blog do recommend the travelers bargain with the Airbnb host.

Think carefully before you click the button decline or flag the guest.

Happy Hosting!