Another New Way to Poke Hosts?

This is new in my settings. Has anyone seen it before? It seemed like they were doing updates for the last few days so I always go and check all the settings when it seems like that because they add new things and don’t tell us. And this is what I found today under Availability --> Trip Details.

Maybe it’s not new but it’s definitely new to me and possibly targeted if it’s not been added to others in the last few days.

A couple of weeks ago I got a request for the full 9 days in one of my apartments, someone coming to take an intensive class. She booked and then later wrote me noting that she really needed an additional week but that it “looked like Airbnb limited stays to 9 nights”. She’s a new user so I explained that it was my own limit but offered that she could stay longer and I just sent her a change request and added the other week.

So, I’m not sure if it’s a new feature or if by taking a longer booking this once, it opened me up to being pushed to do so again. My hesitancy is that if I choose to “manually review”, which is ultimately what I already do, they will surely count it in my acceptance rate if and when I will likely decline longer stays (which is why I limit to 9 days because that’s my preference). OTOH, if I choose the more restrictive option of not allowing requests for longer than 9 days, then shall I be punished in the algorithm?

Anyways, it’s definitely a poke. Is anyone else getting it?

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Not here near Los Angeles.

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I saw it here, but it must only be in desktop because I’m not seeing it on my phone today.

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In looking at it closer, I guess it is technically offering a new option. I can still have my max stay be 9 days and no one can IB it for more than that but if someone wants more than that they can send a me a request, so I won’t miss out booking someone for 10 days, if I should want to. Maybe that’s okay but it seems quite the coincidence since I just recently booked someone for more than my max stay.

I’m going to allow the requests on only one of my units for now because one of them I definitely do not want anyone in there that long (it’s the unit directly below us) and the other one is having ‘some challenges’ with its acceptance rates because of inappropriate requests (wrong dates, etc).

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I don’t see it on my laptop.

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I see it on my desktop. I don’t allow stays longer than seven days so I chose to not allow requests.

I’d be afraid that Airbnb would send me requests for longer than that if I made the other choice, and would then get dinged for a decline if I didn’t accept it.

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Exactly!

But, the fact that the other option says “Recommended” (as does IB and some other settings that benefit ABB) makes me think I’ll get dinged in the search rankings for not choosing it. Ugh.

I see it on my desktop. My maximum stay is 14 days. I assume if I check “Don’t allow reservation requests for stays longer than 14 nights” that nothing changes from the way it works today, and guests could still submit an inquiry and I could send a special offer for longer stays, the difference being that my listing wouldn’t show up in searches for longer than 14 days, but again, I expect that is already the case.

…I also noticed today when I went to change my weekly discount that it would not allow me to change it unless I put in a monthly discount that was better - I do not have a monthly discount set (it says 0%) because I do not allow monthly stays, and I figured if Airbnb glitched and sent me a month’s stay I definitely don’t want a discount applied.

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The first option reads like “I don’t want 10+ day bookings InstantBooked, but I’d be open to discussion”

The second option says “No, I really don’t want any longer stays”. (This option isn’t any different than having a “set in stone” max stay, before they modified this section)

If you choose the second option and someone searches for a 14 day stay, you won’t show up in the options. Surely you don’t think that’s the same as being “punished”?!? It would be pretty dumb for Airbnb to show a guest a listing that won’t allow their booking?

I thing @JJD means that Airbnb would also lower your general search rank for choosing the first option, simply because it’s not their “recommended” option.

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I could be wrong but I think @JJD means “punished” as in a lower search ranking.

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Aha! I’m going to use it to my benefit. I tested it and if I change my max stay to 7 days, the cuing then goes to accepting requests for 7 days. In the unit directly below our apartment, I really prefer shorter stays but have some families that come each year for 8 days or so and didn’t want to miss out these particular folks that I am already comfortable with. So now I can actually lower my max stay in that apartment so that I don’t get IBs for it but still get a request from the occasional family I’m okay with.

Which is why there’s a max stay to begin with. Because the option to accept the requests for longer stays is “Recommended”, it hints that my listing could be “punished” by the algorithm for search ranking as some other settings that are “Recommended” are known to raise or lower you in the search rankings.

But, if I don’t want the longer stays and choose to get requests for them, I get dinged for acceptance rate.

I just think it all has to be thought-through, that’s all.

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Yes, except for that pesky “Recommended” note :woman_shrugging:

That seems like a glitch. I hope. I just went in and played with changing discounts and didn’t get any issue.

I assume it won’t stop you from getting requests from anybody for even longer stays, though, so like you say, it needs to be thought through. I think it’s a good idea but only if Airbnb doesn’t penalize you for declines of the longer stays.

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My first thought was it’s going to cause more declines on your part for which you will be punished. I wouldn’t do it if your not thinking about accepting the vast majority of them.

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Well, I have 3 listings and, in the interest of research, I set each of them differently with this new option. For Listing 1 I actually lowered the max stay but opted in to receive requests for longer stays. For Listing 2 I kept the max stay the same and opted in to receive requests for longer stays. For Listing 3 I kept the max stay the same but declined the option to receive requests for longer stays.

Let the unofficial research begin!

I’m curious to see if there’s any effect on search ranking for the declining/accepting the option and also for lowering the max stay in one of them or if I even get requests for longer stays. I feel like the discounts I have set for a certain amount of days in each listing are only valuable for shorter stays and will deter requests for longer stays anyways. Although I also predict that I will get requests for longer stays that also include a request for a heftier discount and that’s where the declines will likely come from. We will see! Thank you everyone for your feedback!

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And you’re not booking these folks directly…why? :thinking:

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