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Has anyone ever had a booking go through (from the guest’s perspective), but the to the host it’s “not possible”? Apparently, I have a guest coming tonight and I have not personal contact information.
FYI, it’s a same-day booking. They’re always the most complicated.
Yes. Last week a woman tried to make a same day booking but her verification information wasn’t complete as she was a new user. She was on the road trying to do all this on a cellphone. She had no idea she did not have an Airbnb reservation.
If your side says there is no reservation then there is no reservation. If you don’t have her contact information then she doesn’t have yours either.
maybe there was some sort of time deadline that was not met. So your guest thinks she’s coming and you don’t have a confirmed reservation? Odd.
How as this guest got your contact information?
Have you received a booking confirmation? If you haven’t. You don’t have a booking and shouldn’t accepted the guest.
Call Airbnb now.
I called them twice about my situation. Zero help.
Edit: I take that back. They did offer to call the guest on my behalf. At that point I didn’t want them to.
Not Possible usually means she booked elsewhere and you don’t need to worry about her anymore.
“Not possible” is Airbnb’s language for, it’s not possible. Yes, this is a new user and perhaps her account is not set up completely and she does not have our address, but when she says, “Interesrting it gave me receipt and home address,” you start to worry that a stranger will show up at your house at 10 pm.
New user AND same-day booking. I was there was a way to prevent people from booking same for the first 90 days of their accounts. They are always the most complicated.
I guess call them now before she shows up and find out what is happening. Very weird.
Hmm. I guess you’ll have to call Airbnb. Yuk.
You’ve certainly had more than your share of issues.
IKR!?!? Maybe it’s a test of my endurance to be a Superhost. I’ve already called Airbnb and they’re calling the potential guest, but at this point, I’d decline. We get a lot of first-time guests. Not sure how common that is for others, but perhaps it’s a combination of the lack of accommodations in our area (a VERY missed business opportunity), few (quality) Airbnb listings, and general lack of seasoned travelers to this region (it’s NOT a vacation destination).
I get a lot of first time guests, and many of them are last minute, same day or day prior. But the room is separate from my space and has it’s own entrance.
Maybe you should stop taking same day reservations.
Our cut-off is 3 pm. Generally it’s not this difficult, and honestly, we’d lose a lot of potential revenue if we didn’t have same-day bookings. Although, tonight’s a two-for bc another guest canceled a 3-night booking earlier today, and this person just booked.
So here’s the skinny: I got off the phone with Airbnb, and they explained everything to me that they explained to the guest - new account, pending approval, reservation in limbo, she’s been billed, I see no booking, yadda, yadda, yadda. She’s probably freaking out about bc she may not know where she’s sleeping tonight, so I’ve agreed to accept the booking as it is - booked for her, not for me - and we’ll discuss the potential for a dropped transaction if her account is not confirmed by check-out tomorrow morning (~10 am). Even if that means she books another and doesn’t stay so that we can both review one another. It’s a risk, but hey, it’s hospitality.
This is a flaw in the system. People shouldn’t be able to book or attempt to book a same day reservation until their verification is complete.
So are you saying Airbnb advised you to accept the guest even though there is no confirmed booking?
I hope you get paid out properly!
After all that, the booking went through and the guest was absolutely delightful. As much as a same-day bookings can be a pain in the ass, 9 out of 10 guests are amazing. Airbnb even offered me a small gift (not cash) as a token of their appreciation for our hospitality. I guess in the moment, and all the unknowns, it’s frustrating.
But as @KKC, pointed out, yes, a booking without our knowledge was accepted. And, @Helsi, Airbnb did not advise me to accept the booking, nor did she seem to persuade me. I took a chance, plus the night was already paid for from a same-day cancelation.