"Is your guest count accurate?" Feature Request

[Kelly149]

Show of hands from hosts: how often is a one-person request really for one person??

Would it help you to avoid needless back and forth for ABB to include a check box with something like:

Your request/reservation is for TWO GUESTS. Is that correct??

Or how about give hosts the ability to adjust pricing BEFORE the reservation is confirmed? bc right now, I can ACCEPT or I can DECLINE, but I can't get the request to be accurate.

[Sarah977]

@Mark4102  I did see that you live there in the verbiage further  down, although you don't exactly say that, it's more like it's implied, unless I missed something. But as you say, guests don't read thoroughly, and many simply presume things that aren't true. And there are lots of guests who don't know that a place listed as "entire home" simply means it is a private apartment or suite and can arrive assuming they get the whole building. 

So that's why I suggested putting it right up there near the begiining, so they can't miss it unless they don't read any of it at all.  🙂

My listing title includes the words "for solo traveler" but I still get occasional Inquiries asking, "So is it really only for 1 person?" 

A month ago I got a request, which the guest withdrew 5 minutes later, before I had a chance to reply, saying, "Oh, my girlfriend just noticed that there is only a single bed." 

I replied, "It's not just a single bed, my listing title clearly says "for solo travelers" and the max guest count right below that says "1 guest". It is important for guests to actually read the listing info before sending requests."

[Kelly149]

@Sarah977  "Guests don't book on-site host listings if they are planning to sneak in more people."

This unfortunately just isn't true. Many, many, many guests think:

"I rented it, guest count doesn't matter" They aren't sneaking per se, they just think whatever is whatever.

"They aren't STAYING, just visiting" They think only sleepers are guests and everyone else is just a visitor.

"OHHH, does it matter about the guest count?? I started searching for just my husband and I, but it was so cute and spacious, we decided to bring the kids (some friends, the dog, our cousins....)" They aren't sneaking per se, but it's a 3 bed house, sure would be a shame to just use part of it.

"Well, my last ABB didn't mind"

"What?!? I can't have people over? This is a ABB, this is what it's for!!"

"Hey, I entered 5 infants, but the kids are really 13, 8, 5, 3 & 1. That's ok right?"

"We're going to come visit my family. We'll host thanksgiving and Jr's bday party, but no one is staying but us 2"

"2 guests. So fun! We're looking forward to being back where so many of our friends live. The back porch and BBQ will be perfect!"

These are all REAL things guests have said to me and I am quite obviously right here on-property. For the most part, the shock in their replies indicates that they think this is all entirely perfectly normal. Thus my point that it has to be ABB that sets a standard, with pre-booking communication, stiffer penalties for house stuffers and an actual company policy that occupancy (AND HOUSE RULES) have a purpose and have consequences.

[Sarah977]

@Kelly149  Yes, I was referring to those who actually think they are being clever by fudging the guest count on purpose and that no one will notice or call them out on it, rather than those who are simply clueless or entitled.

I had the clueless one on my second ever booking. Booked for my max 1, showed up alone, went into town for the evening, emerged from her room the next morning with some guy. She was a newbie guest and honestly didn't realize she couldn't invite her boyfriend to stay with her. It was evident from her reaction when I told her that wasn't okay, that she really was just clueless, rather than entitled. (She didn't say anything, just looked surprised and devastated, as did he)  She was sweet and so was he, so I let them both stay, as they were happy to squish into the single bed. But I told her she would get bad reviews in the future or be refused entry if she didn't book for the correct number of people.

[J-Renato0]

@Kelly149 

In my pre booking message it is written - Attention please, see if you put the right number of guest. 

In my house rules (the guests have to read it when booking) it is stated. "It is not allowed to exceed the number of guests stipulated at the time of booking."

The rules and pre booking message reduced the issue about number of guests.

Despite of those warnings, sometimes I have to ask to the guest who booked my listing to put the right number of guests, when they say it only by written message.

[Kelly149]

@J-Renato0 My rules say the same. Guests do not read. I am currently request only so that I can sort it out prior to confirming 

[Christine615]

I want this feature. I always ask for the name of each guest due to city licensing rules. I have a limit of 5 which includes kids (even non paying ones) 

Love how people will book for one person then say “we’re looking forward to our visit.”

Or the woman who swore it was just her and a friend for a girls trip then showed up with two

more people and looked shocked when the door camera turned on (I billed her).

Sometimes people are cheating. Sometimes they just don’t pay attention. Either way, Airbnb sends how so many reminders, to hosts, they might as well add this one for guests.

“Verify total number of guests before booking”

[Kelly149]

@Christine615 no kidding on the reminders!! I am currently request only. Just about immediately after any request comes in, I send the House Rules (bc guests don't see them before requesting). And then get the dozens of reminders for me to deal with the guest even though it is the guest who isn't responding to anything. ABB is pestering the wrong people!!

So, actually, I'll amend this original idea. Before ABB lets a guest hit request or book they should go thru this flow:

You're requesting for ONE/TWO/FIVE/WHATEVER: Is that right?

Check-in time is no sooner than 4/3/6/whatever: Do you agree?

These are the House Rules (show them and make them scroll to the bottom for the checkbox!!!!): Do you agree?

Were there any questions in the House Rules that you need to answer for the Host for your Reservation to be accepted?: Answer them here.......

Your profile is missing a few pieces, your host may require you to add: ID, photo & biographical info. Do that here:......

Your host is going to be messaging thru the message system, let's get your notifications setup here.......

oh, wait, that actually looks kind of complicated. Easier to let Hosts clean up all these messes. Carry on.

[Colleen253]

@Kelly149 lol. Now we are REALLY dreaming. But lets not kid ourselves. Even if Airbnb did implement that kind of pre-booking check list, they’d somehow mess it up, and we’d still be left with a boatload of work mess and bother. 

[Kelly149]

@Colleen253 Ive stopped saying hello or any kind of intro. Just hit the button to attach the House Rules and see where that takes us. 

this morning it led to an immediate retraction from a “homesick Texan coming home for a visit”. Likely Bc their intention was to make my space the gathering spot for everyone they miss. 
no thanks. 

[Mark116]

@Kelly149  I have noticed that the new format is generating more requests for us of 4 adults plus an infant.  Guests are looking at the Airbnb prompts and not at the listing.  We've always gotten a handful of these types of requests, but I've gotten 2 in the last two weeks, and both times the guest had inputted their full guest count 4 adults, 1 infant.

I'm sure Airbnb could tweak things so there would be an automatic message that 'this listing has a maximum of 4 guests'....

[Mark4102]

I don't agree that an infant should be counted as a separate entity. They require no bed space. An infant is not a guest, they're part of the mother (or father) . It's up to me as a host to tell the booking guest that we don't have a crib but 100% of parents bring their own travel crib, so that's not an issue. We were happy when ABB changed the format and stopped penalizing parents with babies. And I can now see if a baby is coming, but it doesn't affect the guest count. 

[Mark116]

@Mark4102  That's great for you and your guests.  I happen to believe that a 1.5 or a 2 year old [counted as infants by Airbnb] does require bed space, use resources, create trash, has the potential to damage items and should be listed as part of the guest count.

ETA, we also have our listing set as not suitable for infants, so when someone wants to book who has 4 adults+an infant it means they've basically not read anything about the listing, they have ignored the guest count and that the listing itself stated to be unsuitable for an infant.  That's two strikes in one message=hard pass.

[Kelly149]

@Mark4102 Hmmm, I have an upcoming stay with 2 15 month olds. You really think that won’t be noticeable on our stay?? 1. The nappies. 2. The fingerprints. 3. The gear that will be brought in/out. 

and how about this: abb says free “0-2”. So does that include a 24 month old? Does it include a 35 month old??

the next category states 2-12. So at 24 months that “infant” should transition to child, but none of us want to go on age patrol. I think many of us would have been ok with a true infant policy. As in, a nursing, in arms, infant, sure that babe is an extension of its parents. But a walking, talking 20MO toddler, a he’s barely 2, 30MO… well, only a childless, never spent a minute in a nursery school dolt believes that child is zero work. 

and frankly there are hosts who Bc of insurance or government or conscience, DO believe that any living being outside a womb is an actual living being. So it’s a bit absurd for a corporation or another host to disagree. 

[Christine615]

@Mark4102Deleted my earlier response since I saw that Mark raised the white flag  😊❤️

[Laura2592]

@Kelly149 capacity problems is one of the major reasons I am seriously considering leaving this platform. Fully half of my bookings are inaccurate and gentle reminders to guests to update the reservation often meet with peevishness or lack of understanding how to do this. If a host continues to push, they may get a revenge review. It would be SO SIMPLE to fix this, but ABB refuses to do so. So I am lead to believe they have no interest in helping hosts protect their properties from parties and damage.