OK! Thanks for the clarification! This is good to know.
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So I am tracking with you both 
. But 4 to 5 or 2 to 3…likelihood of party-type activity…pretty small. 6+ (if they are not a family unit) and you start getting in the muck with a whole house listing. I say this based on my own experience so I acknowledge others may feel differently. Where I am, people come for all sorts of reasons, including partying downtown (although I’m 20+ minutes away from city center).
And, the more people, the fewer of those people who give a hoot about taking any kind of reasonable care of your place (again, in my experience). They use & abuse with no perceived accountability.
And, really, I publish that “penalty fee” to encourage communication over dishonesty (yep, I call it dishonesty). It’s been very effective for me.
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THIS.
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It is always best to avoid a post-check-in or post stay confrontation. COMMUNICATE WELL after each booking. Get the full names, ages and addresses for ALL GUESTS WHO WILL BE STAYING (as required by insurance).
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The last thing you want is to go after $20 pp over 6 after the fact and risk a 1 star review that “Can’t be removed via Not Relevant” like “we did not like it here”.
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Pick your battles and avoid them if possible. We are running a business not a war and it is Hospitality. Your business model MUST accommodate some perceived losses here and there - whether replacing towels or an extra guest that gets to stay without charge.
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I rent out a two bedroom apartment which can sleep up to four. I charge the same with it it’s one or four people. Since the apartment is in the middle of the city there is lots of competition from hotels. If it’s only for two people then I’m not competitive apart from having your own apartment, being able to cook and having tons of room. When you get to three or four then I’m way more cost competitive since for that number you’re likely to require a second hotel room.
I did toy with the idea of charging less for two people but it was pretty much too hard to enforce.
Yep, takes you back to the sneaking scenario. If the host is on-site this tiered option is very appealing. I’d do it depending upon the local competition & seasons (high/low).
As a whole house I found it just didn’t work. The way I handle it now is case by case. I just got a 2 person booking for a 6 sleeper house. Normally a red flag. But it’s elderly people who require quiet and a single story. And they’re willing to pay for that. It doesn’t benefit me to discount in seasons when I can book full price. I have learned not to offer discounts upfront in these situations as people (even older ones) are unpredictable.
I’ve decided if they do well I will refund their cleaning fee & they’ll be getting upgraded goodies. Plus, they are visiting family so it gives me some leeway to let them have visitors hang out. And, when it’s all said and done, I’ll have been sure to do my best to make sure they feel they got what they paid for (Super Host powers…activate! 
)
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Consider a day or so before you arrive dropping a msg telling the host it’ll end up being just the 4 of you (names/ages). It may set you up for a discount/small refund (just like for my pair).
That’s interesting! I think I’d need to work at enjoying myself rather than comparing (I’m far from a lux or awesomely unique place).
Happy Birthday! 
It sounds like it’ll be great fun! Will you block off your STR calendars or have a cohost cover for you?
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There is no way a guest would see that. The extra person fee is no longer written out anywhere (unless a host writes the words in their listing or house rules). It just automatically calculates based on the number of guests (adult and child only) that a guest indicates.
That’s why I charge my base for renting out the place to one person. Then I add $20-$21/ person / night for all additional persons. My preference is to cater to singles (myself being one most of my life and hating to have to pay the same prices as multiple people on stuff) but do get compensated for them adding more people. They get more utilities, more towels and linens and supplies and basic breakfast (instant oatmeal and k cups). When it is a large booking it is most often fewer nights (sometimes a youth sports team with a coach wanting a stopover night sleep). Long term a max number booking is not going to be fun for anyone at my small listings and the higher price does limit that nicely.
Please understand that the guest will still be paying the AirBnB service fees and taxes on that amount. So you are the only one giving anything up (and it is costing you 3% more than whatever you do give them back. You do so cheerfully however just wanted you to consider this in the future.
This is why I try to only do my refunding from pet fees where they are direct to me. Also, when it is passing through AirBnB I am sure to let the guest know that they should be entitled to get the proportional refund from AirBnB for their service fees and the taxes, and that I will support that claim to AirBnB but that I have never once found AirBnB willing to do the right thing there.
Which is exactly what we were talking about. 
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Sounds like the host doesn’t see one so you just gave him more than he required.
This is true. This past summer I rented as 1br1ba max 2 guests, king bed, queen sofa sleeper. The only reason I listed the sofa sleeper was in case two friends didn’t want to share the king. Sure enough 3x this summer I had guests check in with extra people.
Friendly conversations about pricing being based on two people and they all paid an extra guest fee and left good reviews.
HOWEVER every.single.one said we saw the bed & sofa sleeper listed so we didn’t think it was an issue. Sigh—listing title says “for 2” & communication with guest includes confirming the number of guests, & condo description says “for two guest”.
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This seems like another of those situations where communication upon booking is crucial.
Just save a message in the system about “there are two beds but only 2 people can stay, blah de blah.” Then add that if they don’t confirm their understanding of that in writing within 24 hours you will have to ask them to cancel their booking so that they are within the 48 hour free cancellation window. If you send the message and don’t hear back, then text them to the phone number listed. Or at least talk to them and make sure you get the payment for extras, if you prefer to do that, right away.
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I wouldn’t have listed the sofa sleeper as another bed, but instead just mentioned in the listing description that if the max 2 guests don’t fancy sharing a bed, that you have a sofa sleeper in the living room.
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We are on same page. Yes, I already do this.
My message says:
Thank you for your interest in my condo. Before We complete your reservation, let’s make sure the following is acceptable to you.
- Cleaning the unit: To help make the unit affordable, it is self-service. (no daily maid service ).
Linens and towels are there. You must wash and dry the unit’s linens before you leave. (Many guests bring their own so they aren’t doing laundry the day of checkout)
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Limit 2 cars-no motorcycles, no trailers, no golf carts.
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The unit is NOT directly on the waterway. It is a short walk to the community docks.
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HOA rule: renters aren’t allowed to have pets
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Maximum two guests including children/infants.
Do you have any questions or concerns before I accept your reservation?
Thank you, Anne
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I am assuming that you do not do Instant Book?
I use instant book and I modify my message to say “Thank you for your interest in my condo. Before all is final, let’s be sure this rental is an excellent fit for you.”
Content
“Do you have any questions or concerns?”
I rarely get IB reservations. This summer 2 out of >30 reservations were IB.
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We have a septic tank!
I also add a fee for extra guests over 2 for similar reasons. My house is small and the 2nd bedroom is normally an office with a convertible sofa.
Setting up and breaking down the 2nd bed takes a good amount of time and adds 2+ loads of laundry to my post-stay cleaning.
The reason is that i had a few guests in the past who have helped themselves to the extra bed, scrounging around for extra blankets, using pillows from the sofa etc, and it annoys me. The last person who did so damaged the sofa cushion in the process and it’s a really nice, newish one.
So I added text to my listing that states that there will be a $50 fee if the guests(2) want an extra bed. So far, only one person pushed back but they were not a really forthright honest person. Said a friend was going to stay for 1 night and use a sleeping bag, he ended up staying for 4 nights and rearranged all my furniture, oh and took some things too. The guest also had a hooker come up from Boston on his 2nd night. Really not a cool guest and he couldn’t leave soon enough.
At this point (3 years of hosting), I am suspicious of anyone who tries to get around my rules, or starts modifying things at the last minute. For this reason I make rules and reasons explicit in my listing and then query them during the booking process to guarantee they have read the house rules and that it’s documented on the Airbnb messaging system.
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We have 2 double beds, 1 single bed and 1 settee suitable for small adult. We charge 50$ per night, per guest over 2, if they put in the correct guest count we get the extra $. Our maximum high season is 4. I don’t care if 2 people use all the beds, 95% of bookings are 2 people only.