Guest inquiry received, but guest will not respond to any communication?!

1

New here…Been a host since May 2017, blessed to be a superhost since July 2017. I make it a personal policy to get some information from a prospective guest prior to approving a request. In 95% of the cases, the guest volunteers their interest, their group, etc prior during their initial inquiry, and that helps me so much to make sure my property (it’s a unique, out of the way mountain farm stay) will suit their needs.

When I do not get any prior message with the request, I kindly ask about their goals and the members in their party (my property occupancy limit is 3, with 2 being optimum) and they always respond.
Well, have had over 110 guests so far. The latest inquiry from yesterday had no note other than ‘hi’. I responded as usual, thanking them for their interest and and asking my one sentence question.No answer, so I repeated and said I was just checking to see if they got the email (through Airbnb of course) . No answer.
I went ahead and approved the request assuming I’d hear soon as I didn’t want the request to time out. As of this am, still no response. And the booking went through. So mid am I texted them, again stating that I was checking to see if they got my email, and stating that I would be sending final directions via that email so wanted to make sure they were receiving them. No answer as of mid afternoon.

My antennae is beginning to go up. The reservation is 6 weeks off, so hadn’t planned on doing anything right away , but I book quickly and don’t want to keep that weekend booked if there is a problem of sorts.
Would like to know what anyone out there might think, or if this could be a ‘signal’, or should I contact Airbnb perhaps next week if I still haven’t heard anything from this guest?

Thanks!
Deb
Little Mountain Cabin

2

It’s unusual but not unheard of to not get much in the way of a message. You say “booking went through” so they had to go back in the app and complete the booking? Unclear if it was a booking request or inquiry. You don’t have to worry about that timing out thing. Just reply with your request for more information. If they don’t reply then they won’t be able to book because you didn’t approve? Again, I’m a bit confused how they made a booking. Now I would call Airbnb and say you aren’t comfortable with guests who won’t reply. Also you could try texting the number on the reservation and ask them if they are seeing your air messages. Some people don’t for some reason. But then come back and put everything on the airbnb platform.

3

Are they new?
Have you asked them to reply through the app?
I had a very similar situation where he was answering the message, not using the app and of course it wasn’t going through.
Once I asked him to communicate thru the app, all was well

4

And yes, it was through the app, and I messaged them twice… and I did text them to the number they provided when they booked. And I thought the simple ‘hi’ struck me odd, don’t know why… It seemed a curious way to ‘request a booking’…They didn’t do the instant booking, as I have enabled, but instead did
the inquiry route, which I prefer anyway, because I do like to know something about the guest. Even my instant booking guests have eagerly provided info that is helpful to me…I guess after so many guests, the radar is ultra sensitive!

They were able to book because I approved the inquiry despite not having gotten a response. It’s a first for me in so many bookings to have this silence. Perhaps I should not have approved it until I heard from them…Someone suggested that, since I didn’t receive a response from my first query, I should have stated I could not approve the request until I heard from them. Sounded kind of harsh to me, so I didn’t do that.

1 Like
5

Says they have been ‘members since 2018’ which could have meant they’re new or had other trips in the prior months. And have multiple, and government ID proof…whatever that means

6

Confused – did you receive an Inquiry from them??? Or Request To Book? Two different beasts, and you’ve used both words above in your description of events.

7

“I should have stated I could not approve the request until I heard from them. Sounded kind of harsh to me, so I didn’t do that.”

Hi @shadowmnt Well how cool, we both started our hosting experience at the same time. I don’t like non responders either, it makes me so nervous. I usually send a message along the lines of “For added security, could you please help me out here and answer a couple of questions” add my questions, pretty much like yours and end with “Thank You So Much for Understanding” I capitalize the main words to emphasize but I don’t use all caps because that is seen as yelling. :wink: It usually works. I had one that is coming this week that I had to keep trying and they finally responded when it got closer to the date. I still don’t have all the answers I need from them but I have a pretty good feel for who they are. I don’t think they will be problematic, but I am going to be a bit watchful. Good Luck, I hope it all works out for you.

1 Like
8

Titled " you have received a reservation request". Which is about 90% of how I get bookings on Airbnb. A prospective guest will usually, almost always, introduce themselves, tell me what they’re hoping to enjoy, or what they’re seeking and any special event that is occurring with that reservation request… Sometimes they will ask a question. From there I respond with an acceptance and then the guest books as long communication was mutually acceptable… Once in a while I will get an instant booking, as in I’m notified certain dates are now booked but even then the guests will usually include a brief description of themselves and what they are looking for.

9

I’ve got one now—Inquiry requesting to book, minimal information & not answering messages. I’m guessing she booked another rental. I’ve had new to Airbnb guests who just don’t understand this is more relationship based than a hotel.

Some guests want to do all by phone. Since they’ve booked, call them. It is bothersome but to protect yourself since it is an off Airbnb platform communication, document what was said in an Airbnb message to them.

10

Yes, I thought I’d give it another 24 hours and then I’ll call. If I do not get an answer, I’ll contact Airbnb, because at that point I will be somewhat uncomfortable. And I agree wholeheartedly on your assessment of some guests. A few (very few) seem to be unaware that we do not ‘staff’ our properties 24/7 and need a definitive ETA. I only had one who appeared annoyed, saying ‘she doesn’t doesn’t understand why I am asking for a specific arrival time’…oh well, overall it’s been a great ride so far. Just never had a guest refuse to respond to a host’s request for communication. So to me, it’s a warning sign that this kind of behavior could translate into problems during their stay.

11

  1. I get inquiries that go unanswered at least once a month. I also get used to get requests to book that I pre-approve that never go through. I am now on IB so I only get inquiries. (They look very similar.) IMHO potential guests don’t feel there is any need to reply to a booking they aren’t interested in.

  2. In regards to get notifications, you need to set up your phone app to received notifications. Many guests don’t do this. What I do when I’ve written to a guest for info and they don’t respond within the deadline, I send them the message via text saying that there is a message identifying myself and then saying they have a message in the Airbnb website/phone app that needs to be answered.

12

I don’t think you understand. It was a reservation request specifically …And the guests DID book, as soon as I ‘approved’ the request despite not answering any of my communications. That’s the problem. I am uncomfortable having guests that refuse to respond to a query from me, the host. And I’ve always had the phone app for notifications. I am anal about responding to guest inquiries, usually within 1 hour is my goal, and so far I’ve pretty well met that. Additionally, since they did book, their personal phone number was listed, which I used to follow up with via texting them the same message, and telling them I had messaged them in the Airbnb format. I asked them to please let me know that they had gotten them, AND the text…Nothing…So am going to call that number and if unsuccessful, will contact Airbnb so I can find out how to cancel without penalty. I smell a eleventh hour cancellation on their part here, no other reason to ignore my repeated requests for information from them. I have a relaxed cancellation policy so it’s no risk to them to wait until a few days prior to their dates to cancel. But fall is a big time for me, and that leaves a prime weekend unbooked if they do that. I wish there was a way we could customize our cancellation policies based on season, or holiday dates. Relaxed for most of the year, but stricter for those special times.

13

Interesting update. This morning I sent a short, polite note, again through the message system of Airbnb, stating I had made several attempts to make contact, with just a couple of questions, and had not received a response. And that my policy was that if I did not get a response within 36 hours of the booking, I would cancel the reservation.

Within 1 hour of that sending that I got this…

"Hello, this is Jennifer’s husband Jake. What can we help you with. She is a school teacher so she won’t respond during the day but I will talk with her this evening when I see her and get her to respond.

Thanks"

14

It seems to me that now that Airbnb is becoming more popular I’m getting more requests where guests approach the booking as they would a hotel. They don’t leave friendly messages telling me their life story. For me, that’s fine, for you that’s not.

Since the reservation is 6 weeks off they may not have seen any need to reply immediately. Now your (what they see as a ) barrage of messages has them annoyed. I’m not trying to say your approach is wrong, you have a lot of experience having already hosted for a year. I’m just suggesting that a little bit more nuanced approach might be considered. When you reply you might offer some bit of explanation about why you require responses within 36 hours of reservation. You might also include that as a requirement or rule in your listing to weed out people like this in the future.

What do you think of this situation?

I have a current guest who reserved for27-28 Aug on 19 Aug. He tersely answered the questions that Airbnb suggests they answer when they book:
Work brings me to the area
I’m am traveling alone
I will be arriving around 11pm Monday night

I replied within minutes with my standard “thanks for booking my place” message. No reply. On the 27 I sent check in instructions and heard back from him a few hours later. He said thanks, reiterated his late check in time and asked for the address. :roll_eyes::roll_eyes::roll_eyes:

If not for wanting the address I probably wouldn’t have heard back from him at all. I replied with some more info including address and he replied “thank you.” He checked in late so I didn’t talk to him that night. After his first night here he made 8 more reservations taking the rest of my available days until 5 Oct. No one message. I don’t know what kind of work he is here for, or why he didn’t book these before. I don’t know why he doesn’t communicate with me. I’m frustrated because I see him handing over a lot of money to Airbnb that really should be in my pocket. But I’m also leery of why someone is booking all these dates except a couple of Saturdays. It’s suspicious. Oh how we humans love to fill in the blanks with something negative.

When I see those 8 reservations come in I scramble to my computer to block the rest of the year until I can talk to him. Who is this weirdo and what is he doing here? Why no messages explaining all these bookings? I park myself by the front window and wait for him to come out. I go out on the porch to greet him and thank him for the business. I’m relieved to see him going to work earlyish despite his very late arrival and I see he is wearing scrubs (medical professional clothes for the non US readers who have read this far). Ah, relief!

But wait…there’s more! The next morning he was due to check out. I sent an Airbnb message around 8 am asking if he had checked out. No reply. Another at 11, no reply. I texted and called the number on the reservation. At 11:30 I went in the room packed his stuff and began cleaning. I called the different number on his luggage tag. No reply to any of these. I called Airbnb. They are worthless. At this point my concern isn’t the check out, it’s that he’s going to return at midnight thinking he has a room for the night. Finally I start looking for him on the internet, I find his workplace, call there and leave a message asking that he return my call. He does so and comes to get his stuff, full of apologies.

He hasn’t yet reviewed that stay but I’ve left a review for him. So how do I review him? Thumbs up or thumbs down? What about all those other reservations? Should I call Airbnb and cancel? Many hosts on this forum would not want this guest based on what I’ve posted.

2 Likes
15

I was just coming here to post something similar. Have a guest coming today (I guess they’re coming) who I’ve reached out to twice through the platform since they made the reservation months ago but so far no a word from them.

They are first time Air users who joined right before they booked my place. They are coming from the next state over so not too far.

Wish they would respond to me. Not sure what to do. My place is not a self check-in. I guess I should just assume they will show up sometime during my check-in window.

1 Like
16

I understand completely you’re concerned. I think each of us has to make a policy that suits our particular situation. I live alone on this farm at the end of a mile long dead-end road that ends at my farm. I have one neighbor long ways away so I have to be careful who I approve to stay at my cabin.
and it’s always been very easy communicating with my guests. 95% of the time they offer it right up front which I deeply appreciate. And they always respond if they don’t offer it right up front in a timely manner to my message.

If nothing else not responding to a very simple thank you for considering my cabin, and what are your goals and who is in your party questions is merely inconsiderate and impolite at the very least and a source of concern for those of us in my kind of a situation at the worst. I think it’s good advice to put in the house rules / booking requirements to say that when making a reservation request please tell me something about you, your goals for your trip etc and no I’m not asking for anyone’s life story although if they want to share it that’s fine!

. I do make it a follow-up requirement for guests to tell me their ETA within a very specific time frame because I do not have a self check-in situation, my property is gated and remains that way until I know when they’re coming.

We are not hotels and for those who might think that it’s a hotel type situation, they are better off getting annoyed with our requirements and questions and staying somewhere that’s more suitable to their temperaments. I did not barrage these particular guests that I was concerned about with messages. I sent two simple messages that repeated themselves both through the Airbnb format and to their cell phone via text. And I was very clear as to why I wanted to hear from them and that I needed to establish contact so that they could get these final directions for them to find the property… so at the very least they were inpolite and inconsiderate and at the very worst I was concerned that they were hiding something, like an intent to cancel at the last minute.

But on to another update …I responded to the latest email from the husband in a very friendly and grateful manner and explained again why I needed to establish contact with them. Because this was my home and I wanted to be comfortable with my guests and I wanted them to be comfortable with me. And I wanted to be sure that my little cabin was a good fit for their goals. I will explain that even further in my online House Rules although it’s never been an issue until now.

If I had never heard from a guest even until the day of arrival I would have called Airbnb, Bunny, because as hosts we have every right to request an arrival time so we can prepare and greet our guests when it is not a self check-in situation. and it may be very true that Airbnb has become so popular that more and more people look at it as a hotel type of an environment and in many cases I’m sure it is, with Condominiums and individual cabins up in the mountains or on a lake. But that’s not our concern as hosts, we still have every right to make rules and requirements and guidelines that fit our particular unique situations. Those who feel they want more of a hotel type freedom need to stay in a hotel.

Anyway, he has finally responded back in a very cordial manner explaining it’s an anniversary and it’s just a two of them. That’s all they had to do in the first place. So everything is just fine, I hope LOL

3 Likes
17

I certainly didn’t mean to imply you don’t have that right. I’m just pointing out that guests may see things from a different perspective. We can’t be held hostage to a bad review but people post here often about being blindsided by a bad review from people who seemed nice. @jkamm was just posting yesterday about someone who complained that she was messaging them excessively at check out time.

I was trying to be helpful but I’ll bow out of this thread now.

18

Sometimes guests don’t have the phone app installed. Sometimes they don’t check email (Younger generation). Sometimes they have the app but not set to send notifications. Sometimes they go out of town.

IMHO guests don’t really see the host’s side of the equation. If I have sent a few message and they have not replied I just send a message saying that until I receive the info requested, I won’t be able to send them the check in info. (I do wait a week or so if the booking is far out.). Funny how they are then able to reply back pretty quickly.

If I still don’t hear from them, then I send a text to the phone and if that doesn’t work, I call them.

1 Like
19

And, K9Karma, I know you were not implying that. Just clarifying what I had done in this case. And my comments were not meant to come back at you in any way, I’m sorry if it seemed that way.And I understand only too well being blindsided by a guest I thought was ok. I think it’s why I get more and more careful as time goes on. And to trust my gut when something doesn’t quite ‘settle’ well with me.

I have found that most young people seem to be polite and responsive, and ‘most’ older folks as well. Answering anyone’s question in a fairly prompt manner is basically being polite. I’m sure a guest would complain if a host didn’t ‘bother’ to answer a query from them. And if a host was constantly messaging a guest after the guest responded, then yes, I can see the guest’s annoyance. But if they do not respond, then they have nothing to complain about. Simple solution. Just answer.

1 Like
20

Having had medical residents stay at our Airbnb sometimes they get stuck at work and are unable to communicate with the host. Sounds like he will be in the area for awhile and finds your home favorable since he went to the trouble of booking additional stays with you. I would be curious to know what your check out time is? We have a 10 a.m. check out and do not bother the guest until after that point. Of course, it is your home and you do not want extended stay guests or you feel uncomfortable with a guest you can cancel the reservations.