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Hello Air Help
This guests has only written one word to me. (“Thanks”) I wish to open a conversation as they have no profile and no reviews, to make sure of a proper response.
I have written them 2 nice notes and still no response. Time is running out for communication to happen.
Thank you
Julia
Community Expert7:24 PM
Julia, hi. I’m Erica, an Airbnb Community Expert and a fellow host. I’m happy to help!
If your guest doesn’t respond in time, you can decline. Then, if they answer and want to book after that, you can manually open the dates on your calendar and send them a Special Offer.
If their request expires before the guest responds to any questions you sent, please don’t worry. It takes several expired requests (as well as declines) to impact your response rate.
Please always feel free to decline if that’s your best judgment!
Best to you,
Erica
MIND HIVE please help. This guest seems like a bit of a red flag…
I’d decline if I was you. No reviews is not great and the lack of engagement shows they don’t really “get” AirBnB. If they don’t get it now, they are likely not going to get it later. Try getting an arrival time out of these guys. It’ll be a headache. I’d decline.
“No reviews is not great”? Didn’t you have no reviews when you started hosting? How is a guest ever supposed to get their first Airbnb stay and their first review if hosts don’t want to accept someone with no reviews?
I’ve accepted several guests with no reviews, and they all turned out to be great guests. One young man left his room and bathroom so immaculate after a 4 day stay it didn’t even look like anyone had stayed in there, except for the used towels hung up neatly. He even made the bed perfectly, even though I’m sure he was aware that the bedding would be changed.
However if guest had no reviews and didn’t communicate well or in time, then I wouldn’t accept. All those guests had good communication.
I, too, have accepted plenty of bookings from guests with no reviews. Indeed, first time users often turn out to be the best type of guests because they don’t want to mess it up.
However, if a guest has no reviews and then they don’t engage with the host in spite of receiving two prompts, that for me would mean a decline. I don’t think that is a particularly controversial thing to say but I am glad you you’ve got something out of it.
Requests with no reviews don’t bother me. I have had many wonderful guests with no reviews. One word of communication is just insufficient. My spidey sense went off also when I looked up his very rare first name and found anti affirmative action videos in favor of white men and against women… of course maybe the potential guest is a completely different person and his phone and laptop fell out of a helicopter after making his request, and he was out in the deepest dark jungle, and there was no other place nearby that had a computer that he could use!
Some guests do not see the app notification. So, if there is no response, we send a quick text msg and usually that does the trick. For us, this is probably about 20% of the time.
I don’t use the app. I don’t get their # for texting until I accept. I usually use texting for communications during the arrival, no self check in, and during their stay with us. I found that if there is a problem, Air will accept a text thread just ok as well as a communication on the board.
I do not understand why anyone will decline a reservation because guest doesn’t have a review.If this is their first with Airbnb how are they going to have a review? It’s just like looking for a job in this country and you are required to have work experience when you have never worked anywhere before.Something have to give in my opinion.
In my time as an Airbnb host, I’ve learned to become tolerant of scant and unclear communication, even though it can cause uncertainty at times (Helloooo! Did you receive the check in instructions?). When I encounter a guest who responds promptly, clearly and succinctly to my correspondence, that is a gift! When I really need to reach someone and the Airbnb platform doesn’t do it, I try text and then email. In most instances I manage to catch up with them. I send out check in details about a week prior to check in to allow for any communication difficulties.
Like some others here, I haven’t typically encountered issues with guests who don’t yet have reviews. I prefer it when they do have them but sometimes they are new to the platform and nothing can be done.
The saga continues: I declined, but now regret ( ?) Rebooked new guests thurs + fri, and separately also new in a direct booking Sat. But I forgot to add the direct to my calendar, and the original people left a very long thread last night on air the 6th day after the decline. Shocked, sad, never read any of my notes, don’t know how to use app etc. Then the wife chose to re-book and got the unavailable date and was consequently very rude and threatening. Really grumbles my stomach and sleep pattern… thank you for all of your input! I think now I will just accept anybody and hope they write me more after the confirmation (which I have done before this) and also at that point I will be texting them if they don’t reply and they will never get up here anyway if they don’t reply…
