It was an auto email.
An auto email drafted by a person working for Airbnb, presumably. Whoever drafted it still doesnāt understand the difference between commitment rate and response rate.
Speaking of declining requests, they certainly put you through a lot of rigamarole now.
You have to provide the reason, then write a note to the guest explaining, and then physically go unblock your calendar because they āhelpfullyā block it for you. What the hey, it used to be so easy to decline a request. 99% of my declines are strictly based on timing issues.
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Does anyone have any evidence whether declining an enquiry (not a booking but an enquiry) negatively impacts the listingās ranking? I stupidly declined someone today (instead of just letting it lapse) and now I am worried it is having a negative impact. Any feedback welcome.
Yes it does, your declines are counted. Too many and you are warned.
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Do you know whether there is a count within a certain amount of time? Like 5 a month or something?
Itās a percentage, 88% I think. You understand the difference between an inquiry and a request?
You answer an inquiry, due to the ticking clock.
You can pre approve / decline / special offer a request.
A special offer is a good way to get rid of a request- you really donāt want to stayā¦? It will cost you $3000 a night!
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Thanks for this. Yes, I do know the difference between an enquiry and a request. On this occasion I declined an enquiry. I know that Superhosts are expected to have above 88% acceptance rate but I thought this was in relation to requests and other bookings, rather than enquiries.
And yes, I did hear the special offer trick before but I guess I was just too honest on this occasion. The guest enquiry was just really rude and I declined due to no prior reviews. I thought my hands were tied but actually I could have just let the enquiry lapse with no action taken. Stupid error which I now regret.
The other way is to block a day in the middle of the dates requestedā¦they see a no longer possible message, and hopefully they look elsewhere! Unblock it a day or so laterā¦
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I wouldnāt worry about it too much. I know there are plenty of hosts who decline many bookings and beyond maybe getting a warning at some point, as long as you donāt rack up a huge amount of them, there donāt seem to be any repercussions. Although some hosts seem to think it may affect your search ranking.
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Thanks for the reassurance. Thatās good to hear. I know I am freaking out unnecessarily: keeping a 100% clean record with Air is not easy sometimes. Iāll try to relax now.
Thank you, yes, I think that is by far the most elegant way to get out of an enquiry. I am not even sure it requires interaction with the guest because they can just see itās not possible any longer.
You MUST answer an enquiry! Or you will be pinged on your response rate.
Thank you for your interest in my listing and booking request- Unfortunately the dates are no longer available. There are a number of great places in our area and I am sure will find something suitableā¦
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Yes, good point. Gosh, I sound like a complete novice. I havenāt declined anyone in more than two years and now I am getting all jittery after doing it once. Yikes.
Inquiries are easy - you merely need to respond in some manner and this keeps up your āresponse rateā - which needs to be I recall 90% or higher for superhost. There is no need to accept or decline.
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Okay I know itās early days but it looks I am still receiving the same amount of daily views, in spite of me stupidly declining a guest enquiry. Just thought Iād update this forum on that.