Declining a message

1

Good morning all,

So yesterday I placed my apartment up on airbnb and I got a message from someone interested. I immediately replied, however I was asked if i would like to pre-book or decline. Can someone help me out with the following:

Since i declined… do I lose "points"
Does the person receive my reply even though I replied but declined
Why do you get asked to book or decline just on a message?

2

I think the two options are “Pre-Approve” or “Decline”.

If you Pre-Approve than that person can go straight to booking your place within 24h of your Pre-Approval without submitting a booking request. If you Decline the person, you are not penalised. The person will still receive your reply.

You’re asked to pre-approve or decline to facilitate either booking or letting the guest know that you’re not available (and therefore, they should look somewhere else).

You need to pick an option within 24h or your response rate will be affected.

3

OK perfect thanks! so anything declined withing 24 wont dent your reputation. response rate…

Also… do you suggest that you should have…

Who can book instantly:

Guests who meet your requirements and agree to your rules
or
No one. All guests must send reservation requests

Thanks!

4

Our instant book only allows for guests who have been verified - so the middle option. :slight_smile:

I have considered going to the most relaxed option (i.e. anybody) especially since AirBNB seemingly allows a host to cancel if they feel uncomfortable with an instant booker.

5

Hi @tumasgts

Welcome to the world of hosting with Airbnb.

Do have a look at the information BNB provides for new hosts including https://www.airbnb.co.uk/host/homes

There is also a useful help section on their website.

It’s really worth familiarising yourself with the basics of how things work.

I would recommend paying special attention to;

  1. Cancelling a booking - BNB penalises hosts for cancelling a booking unless there are extenuating circumstances

  2. Instant Book - I wouldn’t recommend you have this turned on as a new host as you probably want to make sure there is a good fit with your guests

  3. What to do if something goes wrong with a booking - you need to report within 48 hours

  4. House rules - make sure yours are comprenhensive

  5. Do have a deposit.

1 Like
6

Thanks @Helsi

So exuse my ignorance but which should be enabled please?

Guests who meet your requirements and agree to your rules
or
No one. All guests must send reservation requests

7

If you have

Guests who meet your requirements and agree to your rules - it means you have Instant Book turned on

No one. All guests must send reservation requests - means you don’t

8

Thanks so best to have all guests must send reservation requests

Thanks for the info!

9

As I said, that would be my recommendation, but it is your choice.

10

@tumasgts Why did you decline your first inquiry?

11

They asked me a question and I replied. The question was not linked to booking it was just if i have heating or not. So the person wasnt lookiing to booking so i declined…

did i do well or is there something i did wrong?

12

That doesn’t seem like an odd question at all to me. Was the potential guest was asking if the rooms had heat or were they trying to sell you a new boiler? If the former, they had the potential to be good guests. You should expect inquiries to ask specific questions about the space, location, amenities, even if they are clearly outlined in your listing. Some people just want to hear your “voice” in messages before they book.

There aren’t that many “wrongs” in this business, but bookings do require some hospitality which sometimes means answering stupid questions. The questions aren’t stupid to them.

13

@tumasgts I would really recommend you snooze your listing (put it on hold) until you are much more familiar with how BNB works to avoid making mistakes (look at Airbnb Help for details on how to snoozes your lisitng).

1 Like
14

Ok so in that case when someone sends a message its best to pre approve and continue talking to the person as I dont believe you can just send a message (unless its compulsory to choose pre approve or decline)

15

@tumasgts It is best to pre-approve after you feel that your space and the potential guest are a good match. This is like the dating game, only they don’t move into your life for any length of time. You don’t HAVE to click pre-approve or decline right away. For an inquiry, you have the option to have a discussion.

For a booking request, the rules tighten up a bit.

I agree with @Helsi. You need to read all the pages on the AirBNB site to learn more about how all of this works. At the moment, you don’t seem to understand the AirBNB environment well enough to have your listing live.

Now that you have declined that guest, they will move on and are a lost potential booking.

2 Likes
16

Hey guys thanks for the info!

I have two people who sent an inquiry… Now they are both going to give me a reply this weekend if they will be booking or not. Lets say that they both decide to go elsewhere… can I decline? will this kill my reputation?