I’ve just gotten used to responding to those. Many guests are looking at several properties and send the same message to several hosts. They’ll gauge where they stay by host replies just like we do with guests. If they’re respectful otherwise and it fits your calendar, I would answer their questions!
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There was a little radio story done here about a week or so ago about Airbnb and how most people have good experiences. One of the things the host recommended was “always ask for a discount”. I too don’t decline based on that. What is irritating is when they ask all sorts of other questions and i can tell my place isn’t quite what they’re looking for but they can’t find what they want at the right price. Those people, I fear, will give me a poor review because they never really liked my place that much in the first place, they were just “making do”.
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It all depends on how much you the want the booking, I think. If you don’t care too much and/or are confident that someone else will instant book without asking annoying questions, then yes just dismiss them. Personally, I’m in a very highly competitive area and so I put some extra effort in to converting enquiries into bookings. I think @Sarah_Warren makes a very good point about guests comparing listings and basing their decision on the response they get from hosts. I’ve done that myself as a guest. I really liked one place but was so put off by the host’s response I chose somewhere else in the end.
Well that is BAD advice. And some of those stories are not really based on anything other than opinion. Asking for a discount is basically telling the host you don’t believe their price is fair and also sending the signal that they will be difficult to please. Some of us who have given discounts have then been burned on “Value” stars. Discount seekers often think they are paying too much, no matter how much off the price you give them! Avoid!
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Any link?..
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NICE!!! Okay you two are gorgeous and talented. Do you have an online store for that soap?? 
Thanks SM!!! Hahaha.
Legends, I want to buy two bars of soap. Do you ship to Hawaii?!!! Should I use the Website? What’s easiest!
I’m with you on rejecting discount seekers. That and their not reading your listing has already set the expectation in your mind that they are going to be a pain in the neck. Maybe they won’t be, but why take the chance? Next!
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Well I agree it’s BAD advice!!! I was just relaying what the radio host said. We are still fairly new so I’ve honestly only had a couple of people question the price and they both ended up booking anyway and gave us a good review, but maybe it was beginners’ luck.
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How wonderful! I am so envious. I want to live on farm.
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I ask the same thing of people. Taught one a lesson by simply not being here. They had to message me and found out that since I had no idea when they would be there, went on with my life and would be there in about a half hour. They were somewhat contrite when I showed up. I was very polite about it but I hope they learned a lesson.
I would laugh my ass off. In my city, Seattle, we have an emergency homelessness situation. The thing is, people can stay in dome tents pitched illegally in beautiful parks in a more central part of town, have free trash pick-up (paid for by our property taxes), get free food handed out to them by food banks, and have no house rules. I recommend such places for cheapskates. In fact, tiny houses are now being built to house the homeless, and residents are being asked to have a tiny home built in their backyard for them. I am surprised I have not seen airbnbs for homeless people staying in them to rent them out yet.
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It’s coming. In LA the company supposedly is in talks to provide temporary transitional housing for homeless people. I’m guessing this is mostly PR. It will ultimately be up to the host.
I didn’t see this until now! I am so sorry! I always receive email alerts when I have threads on here to reply to, but I didn’t get one until this evening!
We do indeed ship to HI. Thanks so much for your compliment and for checking out our website 
Anytime someone asked me a question that’s already covered on my listing page, my usual response would be ‘As you might have read / as you will find on my Airbnb page…’ fuming at their lack of RTFM.
Today, by chance – and I guess this was because the guy was really friendly and appreciative of the detail but had just missed the bit on parking – I came up with a different way.
I said
Parking info is indeed given on my Airbnb page. I’m pasting it here for your convenience…
I’m thinking this is a nicer, but still effective way of stressing that such info is available to them on my page already.
Just thought I’d share.
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I disagree. It happened to me that the guest who first asked for a discount booked my place (she asked not to be charged for an extra person, which was a child), and I was feeling uncomfortable during their entire stay. I got the impression that she sort of booked it because in a way she wanted to show me that she has the money and she’s not cheep, but then constantly felt that I charged them unjustly. She even said that unofortunately they will have to book for 5 instead of 7 days as initially planned as this was “a blow to their budget”. Passive aggression, yay.
They were constantly inviting me to check on some minor flaws in the apartment or even made up that the shower is leaking. As I was cleaning the shower myself just before their arrival I knew there was no damage to it, and it was clear that there was water all over the bathroom as they were washing their kids with the open shower cabin door. Still I invited the plumber to check it out and he didn’t find anything. They pillaged my fig tree, which was infuriating considering that figs rot within hours after being picked and there’s no point in amassing them as you can simply pick the fresh ones every morning. So they were just letting good fruit rot and throwing it away. They left the apartment quite dirty for a 5 day stay. Luckily, there was no damage.
All in all I had the impression that they weren’t satisfied with the value of the place, and I was glad when they didn’t leave a review. In the future I’ve decided to decline discount seekers immediately. No matter what you do, and whether you actually give them a discount or not, they always feel they overpaid as they didn’t really appreciate your listing in the first place.
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It’s not unusual to get cut and paste inquiries from prospective guests who are messaging several hosts at once. Requests always take priority over inquiries. How much time I spend on inquiries depends on what’s in it for me.
I try to get a feel for what the prospective guest is like.
Do I want this person in my home?
What’s the value of the prospective booking?
How experienced are they on Airbnb? Do I have time/energy to manage another “new to Airbnb” guest?
Are they taking a shotgun cut and paste approach to my listing, and probably others, without having read the posting?
Knowing the market within the price range they are asking for, what are the probabilities I will get the booking?
Time is my most precious commodity. After nearly 40 years in Customer Service, the biggest question of all is, “Is this person a time waster?”