Guest booked on Expedia?

1

Hello Host Forum!

This morning, I received the following inquiry from a guest through our Airbnb host messages:

“I booked your place for Oct 4th and 5th but booked through Expedia (which I have not done before). I didn’t receive anything about checking in so I thought I would write you through Airbnb. Just want to be sure we can arrange to get in. Thanks!”

This came through as an Inquiry, not a booking. I cannot find our listing on Expedia’s website. I’ve asked the guest if they paid Expedia yet (Maybe their “booking” came through and we have to finish by approving them?) She just responded to the payment question with this response:

“I think I have paid them. Is it better for you if it goes through you? I was looking/watching the property on Airbnb and actually went to expedia just to check out something else but then saw it was listed there at a little cheaper price.”

I am NOT feeling ok about this. Why is my listing on Expedia? I found it on the website.

Does anyone have any experience with something like this? I’m unsure how to move forward.
Huge thanks in advance to the Host community!

1 Like
2

That is totally crazy!!! You are sure this is a legitimate booking inquiry? Sounds like kind of a scam. Do they have proof they paid…???

I know there are aggregators out there. Air used to have a deal with google wherein if your guest found you through online searching rather than direct, Air would charge you 15 percent for it. Of course that went over like a lead balloon. And I have not heard of that program being active in a while.

So bizarre. Let us know what happens.

3

This is a scam. Report the user to Airbnb. She wants you to go outside the system.

3 Likes
4

I had a spate of these awhile ago, similar wording
Did the message include a link or reference to send you to another site?

5

Wait–I’m confused. You said “I cannot find our listing on Expedia’s website” but then you say

So it IS out there? What does it say? Can you link it here?

1 Like
6

@Helsi
It’s not clear but they may have sent a partial link to a fake Expedia site.
I once had this but they said my listing was on Airbnb in two places with one with a cheaper price. The link was clearly to a rogue site. Just guessing but the wording is similar

1 Like