So about every other booking request gets the number of guests wrong. Not on purpose I think but I know because they say things like “We are looking forward to staying at your…” and then they show for 1 guest in a 3/2 house that sleeps 8.
I ask them if there is going to be only one guest before approving and to change the number of guests to the correct number before I approve.
Most of them do change the number but they are not that happy when they see the extra charges.
I have a $15 additional PP over the first 2 guests. I thought that was reasonable.
So, I am thinking of forgetting the additional PP charge and just raising my price a bit.
My AirBNB house is in Florida near Anna Maria Island and sleeps 8. So the upcharge can be as high as $90 a night if there are 8 guests.
Any thoughts on this strategy greatly appreciated. 
When I have rented whole homes (twice, whoop!) they tend to be higher priced. One home in Costa Rica was the same per night up to the max of 14. The other home in Boston was same price up to 6, then an additional $50 per person, max 10. OTOH, is it really that much work to send the alteration request with a message?
“Hi Svetlana, thanks for your interest in my home. I see you only requested for one, I have sent a special offer with the correct number of guests priced in.”
Yes up the price. You could also try the reverse. Charge the full price for 8, but offer a discount per person less. Mention this in the first bit of text that guests see.
Guests hate extra charges and you will continue to have problems with them either making mistakes or trying to save money, and it will inevitably be reflected in your reviews.
Some hosts say they can’t be competitive without the low base price, but I’m not convinced it’s true for anything but the smallest and lowest-quality listings.
So would the “special offer” include the extra charges for additional guests. Sometimes they have 6 more guests but I don’t know that unless they tell me the correct number.
Or should I just come up with an amount that is a bit higher?
I agree, guests hate extra charges. When looking on the map at the proximity to the beach and comparing amenities the guests can easily see the base rates and the differences. I have done a bit of research myself acting as a guest and can see that some hosts are not charging extra for additional guests. Guess I will have to experiment to see what works.
So when you give price for 2 people does it justify for you to rent the whole house for the money? For example if there is central AC it would cool the whole house doesn’t matter how many people are there.
Do you lock other bedrooms? I never reduced price based on amount of people. Worked well for me so far
Definitely. That’s what I do and so never have a problem. They can get as many people in as they want as long as they don’t make a noise, cause damage and provided they leave the place in good condition.
Just work out how much the extra guests cost you, round it up and add it to your price.
It would be a huge mistake to not include fixed cost items in the base rate. Extra guest fees should cover the expenses that extra guests incur, such as cleaning, consumables (toilet paper, coffee, water, etc), and extra wear-and-tear.
That’s a risk of offering lower rate for a lower number of guests. They can still use every room and bed and all of your consumables, too. Definitely don’t lock other bedrooms unless you have multiple listings that clearly show a different number of rooms. I’ve seen listings where guests gave 1-star reviews for that.
The whole house is air conditioned.
I do not lock other bedrooms. Never even thought about it.
We are a great fit for and usually get couples only, but do allow 4, with 75$ per person per night extra charges. Just recently a booking guest informed me that they were bringing 4 but never put that onto the reservation, then complained about the extra charges as being over their budget. I realized I really didn’t want to deal with her, it was a hassle and my 1st ever cancellation by host.
A great way to find out who is going it to ask for the full complete name, age, and address of each person staying plus a selfie. I require this and this weeds out any surprises.
Some people do . That’s why I asked. I stayed in houses like this when it was only me in a house for 6. Made no sense why they put such low price so one person can rent it .
What I ment is that I don’t see a point of renting by amount of people. House is a house, AC is used same , less water but it’s small amount. Also people book for 2 to get lower rate and then invite another 6. It happens all the time.
My pool house is for 8 . It’s the same price for 2, 4 or 8. Now a group of 4 stays …Same price.
I can’t afford to lower my price so 2 people can afford it
My personal opinion is that for a whole house rental, you should price for what you would mainly expect to happen – and it’s not two people! For that reason as a guest I would be resentful of your pricing strategy. I like the no additional PP charge, as long as you wouldn’t look overly expensive compared to the competition.
I agree raising your price is good, and maybe upping the “extra” guest fee to ppl above four or six guests is another alternative, or even better the discount suggestion for less people if you can manage that easily in the system.
I was not suggesting to do it. I am against renting by amount people
I would up your Base prices and and charge extra for the higher end of guests. For example charge a flat rate for up to 6 guests. Extra for guests 7-8. This is what we do. If guests abuse it we are not out that much. I have cameras if I wanted to try to collect. But a lot of times not worth the effort.
I seems to me this could also cause issues. They book for 6, but actually have 8 and try to sneak them in.
My whole house rental sleeps 6 but I charge the same regardless if it’s 2, 4 or 6. I thought it would be easier than trying to get them to pay for the extra guests that they didn’t mention at booking. Then the issue of kids, at what age do they pay as an extra guest. I could see parents lying about kid’s age or not mentioning they have three kids. So I took the easy route, one price.
If you’re renting the entire house and not rooms to share the house (Apollo Beach in-home host just north of you), then just raise your rates.
I have an 8-person home as well and charge $12/pp over 2.
If I get a reservation for one or two folks, I do ask for confirmation on the # of people. If it is indeed for only 2 folks, I lock off the upstairs bedrooms. I have it referenced in my listing and I reference the lockout again in my confirmation email. So far so good.