Extra Guest Fees

[Alice-And-Jack0]

We charge extra for +1 guests.  The fee is nominal however we frequently get guests that 'game' the system to save money by claiming only (1) guest.  I believe AirBnB should have a drop down before completing the reservation that says, "Please confirm the number of guests in your party.  Failure to provide the correct number of guests is against AirBnB policy and can result in the cancellation of this reservation, the suspension of your AirBnB account or the expulsion from the AirBnB community."  

[Jocelyn47]

Travel search sites have a couple (2 people) as their default.  Airbnb requires a guest to add a second guest in their beginning inquiry.  My husband and I, even as superhosts have made the mistake in booking an Airbnb for only one person.  (Not realizing we needed to change the count).

Surely, for those choosing “an entire place”... have the default 2 people.

In our “entire place” apartment, we have had 52 guests, 5 were single guests.

[Olga464]

I make fortune on such guests who want to place more people instead of ONE (mentioned in my add, rules are very strict). Such not attentive guests practically double my monthly income. Especially prostitutes who meet the client at the airport in a summer time in the evening, go straight on Airbnb, pick up an effortable place in the very center. And BOOM! here is a surprise. The owner is living in another room. 100% unbooked cases and I never give money back. I even plan to run few more 1 bedroom apartments with 1 additional  guestroom in each (means, you need 2 separate rooms in each apartment, in 1 room you live by yourself, in 2nd room your guest stays). The fact that the owner is living in another room and you are renting out only 1 guestroom ( the bedroom is for the owner) can really double your income. By the end of the month nobody gets in, no waste of electricity, water tear and wear is absent, you make fortune on refusals. Well.... maybe some inconvinience for the owner.... to sleep in different apartments now and then... depending on booking schedule. But fine for me. The problem of people is that 60% of them never read the rules. They go after the low price and central geo location. And they think they know the best. And to make it a real BRAIN TRAP for the guest, you put in your headline " 1 ROOM in 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT". 99% will never even think twice, that there is another room. And will not go through the entire description. I am in rental business for a very long time. 

[Eric804]

I sent a feedback with this exact issue.  I know I have had "shady" guests that have purposely booked for one rather than the actual number of people staying.  I have also had guests that have booked for one but when I send them a quick message to change the reservation they gladly accept and send an apology that they meant to book for more. 

In one of the "shady" instances the only way I knew that there were exra people before they left is because I live next door to my rental and heard a dog barking just outside (whereas normally the dogs that bark in the neighborhood are across the street or farther away).

I looked outside to see if maybe there was a stray dog and saw my renters.  My rentER I should say, since they booked for one.  They had a dog, 2 adults, and a child.  Instead of going out and confronting them I sent them a kindly message via Airbnb asking them to confirm the amount of people staying etc.  Keeping the conversation away from being accusatory allowed them to confirm in an Airbnb message that they had the extra guests.  I asked if the child was going to be staying in the room with them and their reply was "she wanted to sleep on the top bunk in the guest room but I wouldn't let her" so I assumed they would only be occupying the one room.

This wasn't the case.  The little girl apparently felt like messing up not only the bottom bunk in the room I didn't think was going to need to be cleaned later, but also the top bunk.  I pay my cleaning service extra for each bed (hence why I charge more for extra guests) so I sent them a request for money.  They ignored it for more than a week and I had to get Airbnb involved.

Luckily I had the messages there for Airbnb to see, so they quickly got me the extra money from the guests, but it shouldn't have had to get to that point.  Granted, these guests would probably still have done the same thing, even with software enhancements, but it would have been harder.

[Marie-and-Owen0]

When you've got 2 people on the doorstep rather than one you've booked, and they agree to pay the extra, you can't alter the original booking (the system doesn't allow it for the host) so you have to request it as an extra cost. Annoying!

[Lynne23]

I agree that there should be a drop down box just before you book that confirms the number of guests.

We have a one bedroom suite.  On our first booking with Airbnb FIVE people showed up for the reservation!  There was a snow storm happening and we didn't have the heart to send them away.

They left a mess and were an hour late for checkout.

Since then we have become much more attentive to the booking and look for clues that there may be more guests in the party than were booked.

[Amanda1933]

Is your extra guest fee only if they stay the night?  Or no friends allowed over for few hours if they’re not registered?