forehead slap…
thanks!
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forehead slap…
thanks!
Btw…I switched to Strict yesterday and received two bookings this morning. No longer worried about it being a turn off. Still waiting for this girl to cancel her reservation though. Grrrr.
Switch to Strict while you are at it
AURRRRGH I just can’t. I’ve got three kids and a very packed life. SO MUCH HAPPENS…Moderate will have to suffice for now - though, of course, now that I’m eating the consequences of being nice and using flexible, I am wavering.
However, I’m also on the NYC - DC - MIAMI route. I do get a lot of last-minute bookings - people coming here on the bus.
Off to iron pillow cases, lol!!!
Im not understanding your logic DC- bc ypu have kids you cant have a strict policy? Im
genuinely confused.
As for last mintue bookings, i dont think it matters as mosg hotels are non refundable if you book less than 48hrs in advance.
Lastly, you are booked solid until the Fall- why dont you test this theory and change to Strict to see if you still get bookings? If you notice a decline in bookings then change back and you will still have plenty of time to fill the dates.
Glad to see Air is being a bit more reasonable in the CS department.
Agree… the Strict policy only applies to guests and does not impact hosts aside from giving you more money if they cancel. Your busy lifestyle and kids should have no impact on how you set your guest cancellation policy.
You won’t notice a difference in bookings and you won’t have these last minute cancellation worries to deal with. If anything it will give you MORE peace of mind in terms of scheduling.
Strict only means your guests will be much more committed to their booking and if they cancel for no good reason you get half if it is one week out and all if it is less than that.
Agree… the Strict policy only applies to guests and does not impact hosts aside from giving you more money if they cancel. Your busy lifestyle and kids should have no impact on how you set your guest cancellation policy.
@konacoconutz I was thinking the same thing that maybe @dcmooney thought the policy affected both host and guest. I couldn’t agree more, we love our Strict policy, and had two ‘payouts’ last month from cancelled bookings.
I’m very happy for you @dcmooney! I tend to always call Airbnb team when I have the less hint of a problem coming, and they have always been very supportive and efficient. I think their service is excellent.
I believe if she cancels no matter what her policy is set at she will pay all the penalties of a cancellation. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. If I am not wrong, DC you should consider changing your policy toute de suite!
You are right. Unless it’s extenuating circumstances and Air CS gets involved.
@azreala & @konacoconutz - you guys are fun!
OK - so I didn’t have to pay any penalties - it was part of my IB cancellation freebee. Once I got someone that knew what they were doing they were totally supportive.
OK - regarding cancellation policy - what I mean was, my life can be very unpredictable, so I will pay more to book a hotel room that has a 24 hour cancellation policy - I don’t book airbnbs that have a strict cancellation policy. So no, I didn’t think the policy applied to me, but it’s what is comfortable to me as a host, knowing who I am as a guest. I hope that makes sense.
AND because I’m on the NY-DC-Miami path I often have last-minute bookings so I’m not to worried. Going to ‘Moderate’ was a stretch for me!!
Thanks for looking out for me! I am learning!
After this week - the group with the autistic child, and then, a group of 4, older than me, from Vietnam, omg, they were here less than 24 hours and they called me twice, lost - I could barely understand her - really, not at all, and she would just talk and talk and talk. I could only hear the street names. I probably shouldn’t have done it, but I had a lot going on and just needed to solve the problem -I went out and found them both times. The first time, they got off the bus, walked 1 block north instead of south, and called me lost. If they had just sent on of their party down the street 2 blocks they would have found me. The second time they were outside a Chinese restaurant. They had a photo of the market they were trying to find and the address. They had to just walk into the restaurant and ask - again, it was 2 blocks away. This on top of a group right before the autistic-child-family. I send my guests a website with lots of basic info - they check in and I give them a tourist map, magazine, there’s a book there, too. They are in their rooms for a bit then they come upstairs “we don’t know what to do”. I had such great guests for the first 11 months - I guess I’m just in a slump right now…
Well, I’ve also had some great guests lately, too - Have to concentrate on those. I really enjoyed them.
DC, you should just change to strict. I understand your reluctance based on how you book, but that doesn’t have to apply to your needs as a host. For many folks, the opportunity to find a cheap place to stay that is nice is well worth the “risk” of booking. Even “Strict” is not super-strict. They get a 50% refund if they cancel 7 days or more prior to the trip.
Most people are pretty certain they are going on a trip when they book anyway. It’s just the “window shoppers” that want to change on a whim. What is worse is the indecisiveness of these people – maybe I’ll cancel, maybe not. It’s the folks that want it both ways that drive you crazy. A simple cancellation is not a big deal.
You should think about the needs of your family and yourself - it is so much easier dealing with a known schedule - who is coming - rather than a lot of last minute changes. That’s the biggest reason for strict – more certainly of what’s happening for you and your family.
@Manoahost - you make a great point - thinking of my family. It was super stressful having that person cancel - not so much just the cancellation but her thinking she could do it when it was convenient for her. Thank God I got a decent a air rep who took care of me. So now that you mention it, it does really take away from my time with my family.
This has been my first such situation - and we’ve had 60 groups. So I just couldn’t imagine it happening, ha ha ha…
Yes and the energy and stress with worrying about it, talking it over with your family, etc. Who needs it?
I know what you mean about not being able to imagine it happening. I also couldn’t imagine someone else showing up to stay in my apartment other than the person who booked – or the couple who pretended they were coming because they couldn’t get a refund for canceling!! folks are so odd sometimes. But most are wonderful and kind. In this business you just never know!
So thank goodness for some ground rules… or else we would all go bonkers
X[quote=“dcmooney, post:32, topic:5203”]
lve the problem -I went out and found them both times. The first time, they got off the bus, walked 1 block north instead of south, and called me lost. If they had just sent on of their party down the street 2 blocks they would have found me. The second time they were outside a Chinese restaurant. They had a photo of the market they were trying to find and the address. They had to just walk into the restaurant and ask - again, it was 2 blocks away. This on top of a group right before the autistic-child-family. I send my guests a website with lots of basic info
[/quote]
Ooooooooo boy. You really go above and beyond for guests. I have a separate studio but even if I didn’t, I would not like this… I insist that guests really must be self sufficient…in my case, they need to rent a car to even get here, but I would imagine with you, they are car-less for the most part. Sigh.
They can’t be hanging on to a host to rescue them! I don’t know how you feel about it, but you might consider mentioning that in a review, DC. I don’t know many hosts who would be thrilled with guests who have to have their hands held like this. Not once but twice.
You’ve really had a few winners in a row haven’t you?
I see what you mean… But if you think about it, it’s not really in your best interests to have a moderate policy because it is only going to attract somewhat flaky guests. Are most of them struggling with schedules and kids like you are? If not, then think about what that flexible policy attracts in terms of guest quality. You have blocked your calendar, maybe for months, and they can come along and la Dee da, go stay somewhere else. Really think about it.
She’s on a roll just like we are: party group, broken lock box and toilet group, and idiot group.
@dcmooney I know you aren’t worried about getting bookings, but you are clearly worried about we cancellations, or you would not have started this topic. As @Manoahost said the rules of Strict are that they get 50% before 7 days, and bc you are a much nicer person than myself or Kona ( ) you can even offer a full refund if you feel the circumstance warrants it. Here is what lead us to change to strict, we had a large booking $10k for 3 weeks in peak season in SF, we were going to have to relocate for the bookings as we were in SF at this time. We were SUPER stressed about relocating then the person cancelling, and we would be stuck not only losing the booking but paying for our accommodations. After much ado about nothing, I decided I did not need this kind of stress and changed all our properties to Strict and have not looked back. We have not noticed any decrease in bookings.
I think you need to protect yourself from people trying to take advantage of your kindness and good nature. The situation you mention above with the woman cancelling at her own will, really screws you and that’s not fair. Just say NO to flakey guests
Oh yeah!! I forgot about this! You can, At your discretion, offer a refund!
But if you are looking to appeal to those guests who are looking for flexible policies, it is kind of the same crowd who would ask for discounts… JMHO.
Az is right… You don’t need these hassles.
I’ve determined that there are certain things I won’t do just to have bookings. Taking discounts, setting a policy to anything but strict, and not setting a cleaning fee… These are all things I will not compromise on…If I get less bookings because of that, then so be it…
And please, let’s have no more bad guest streaks! All good from now on— for all of us!
You are right, @konacoconutz, it’s actually crossed my mind that air is sending this group of folks to test me, lol!!!
Here’s the review for the folks that got lost “We hosted (guest) and her friends during their stay here in Washington DC. They were very clean and very polite while in our home. They communicated well and were friendly. However, They did need quite a lot of personal assistance with directions before and during their stay. When they got lost they called me to help them. They did not use GPS or detailed written directions provided in advance. I’m glad I was able to find them and get them back to my home!”
You are right, I didn’t have to run out and hunt them down, but anything was better than listening to her yak at me without ceasing on the cell phone, with me not understanding a thing -
I knew I was in trouble when she sent me a message asking me how to buy tickets for the metro.