Vetting guests

[Shirley705]

Hi community! My name is Shirley and I am new to hosting.My apartment is a separate space in my family home in the suburbs of Toronto. I'm both excited and nervous! I've invested a lot into making my lovely retreat and now it's out there in the AirBnB world.  I've received a few inquiries that seem to follow a pattern - a male wants to book my place for a stay with his girlfriend. They are attracted to my listing because of my hot tub. I'm feeling a bit nervous about these inquiries even though they have positive prior reviews and have answered my questions. I don't have any solid reason to feel this way other than my gut. Currently my minimum stay is set at 2 nights. I am wondering if increasing it to 3 nights might be better for the kind of guests I'm looking for. I felt I had to accept the first inquiry but now with the second I'm thinking of declining. What is everyone's thoughts about this? 

[Elisa]

Hi @Shirley705 😊, 

Thank you for asking this question here.

Have you already made a decision about this booking?

I’m tagging a few hosts to see what advice they can give you: @Helen3, @Guy991, @Andrea6232, @Jim-and-Caroline0 and @Emiel1.
Thank you in advance, everyone!

[Shirley705 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Elisa ,

I did end up accepting the booking and he's actually been great in his communications. Thank you for the follow up!

[Elisa]

Hi @Shirley705 😊, 

Thank you for letting me know!

I’m glad you found the support you needed to make a decision here.

Don’t hesitate to reach out in the future if you need anything else!

[Emiel1]

@Shirley705 

Did you only receive inquiries (no need to decline) or is it a booking request (obligation to accept or decline) ?

Your listings looks nice and you have set strict houserules regarding use of the pool and the hottub.

But if you feel for some reason uncomfortable about a potential guest, then better be safe and do not accept the booking.

Also increasing the minimum stay to 3 nights is just a matter of give at try and see what happens.

I also suggest to have a look at your maximum stay setting, as you now also accept long term stays....

[Shirley705]

Hi @Emiel1 ! They were inquiries initially confirming the availability on the hot tub and then they  sent booking requests. Thanks for the feedback about my listing. I ended up editing my house rules alot after these booking requests and feel more comfortable with the rules listed. I'm definitely learning!