Oh dear, sorry but Air BNB a bit cinfusing. My ad which is instant book states a king bed for 2 adults and some floor mattresses for children only. Now I have an instant book for 4 adults. This is my first booking. Do you think I can find where to cancel this booking? I go into reservations and no where there to cancel. What was this promise of having instant book and being able to cancel? They have made it very hard to do. I need to cancel and looking on the internet I cant find anywhere to tell how to do it. Air BNB say click on cancel/change but there is no cancel/change! Help!!! Thaks in advance
I would call the customer service hotline (if you canāt find it on the airbnb website, all the country phone numbers are in one of the pinned posts at the top of the forum).
You want airbnb to contact the guests and have them cancel.
Good luck!
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I had a very similar issue. Call air, they are very helpful. Although on this issue I did feel like I got a non-proficient English speaker and had to explain my issue several times before she understood my concern.
My place can accommodate up to 4 adults and 2 children. We allow children on the couch, but not adults. I changed my ad to 4 guests and included the info I just told you in my ad so they can ask for more.
The info you need to call them is indeed at the top of the forum posts, with lots of telephone numbers by country of residence to call from. However, youāll be put through to whatever geographical area is working right now, so if you experience language issues, ask to speak to someone else. This can be an issue. Donāt take any bluster from them if you are new to hosting; they do try it on! Just say that your listing is for 2 adults and 2 children, not four adults and this booking is not a good fit for the guests. Donāt let them persuade you to cancel either; Airbnb should do this, not you. Good luck and let us know how you got on with customer service
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I messaged back the person who booked and said that I cant accomodate 4 people and she cancelled the reservation and now has been penalised by Air BNB and is asking to be refunded. What a mess. I feel sorry for her as she is a newbie too. I guess I need to contact them. I have taken Instant Book off now.
I would suggest that you ask your guest to contact airbnb. You should not have to. Airbnb should be able to review your thread with the guest and assist your guest.
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- The guest needs to contact Airbnb, not you.
- Do not use instant book until you know what
you are doing and are an experienced host. - You cannot advertise for 4 guests and expect
People to see the fine print that guests 3 and 4 are children only, especially as you cannot discriminate on age (except not allowing children at all if your home is not suitable) so you will continue to have this problem so I donāt think instant book will ever work for you. - Spend time to learn what you are doing before you go live as you canāt rely on urgent messages on a forum (on which you did not state date of guests arrival or browser or device you are using to access Airbnb in your post).
Iām concerned that despite very step by step instructions on Airbnb website, you were still unable to cancel the booking, find a phone number, message Airbnb etc to resolve this issue. There are much more complicated issues ahead and you might need to hire some help until you are more confident and skilled at managing the basics. Something for you to consider.
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Itās kind of messed up to say that you canāt expect guests to read the ad (or, as you call it, the fine print). But, unfortunately most guests donāt read the ad. Which is why Iāve included in my ad that we CAN accommodate more than our stated 4 guests if, and only if, the extra guests are children.
Itās not discrimination to suggest that a 6 year old may be comfortable on a couch that isnāt a suitable sleeping space for an adult.
But by burying the extra people in my ad I can ensure that anyone who books over our 4 person limit has to request the exception. Which is what I would suggest to the OP. Post as if your place is suitable for 2 and then explain the exception for children in your ad.
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It is if you advertise 4 guests. 4 guests means 4 guests and that is what people with 4 adults will type into the search engine. There is no obligation on people to read the whole listing, some hosts go on and on and their listings are not even clear. People just need to agree to the house rules.
And this is a basic rule of Airbnb and anti discrimination laws of many countries. You can elect to not accept children under 12 if you donāt consider you home child appropriate or safe. You cannot discriminate about not taking adults of certain ages. If people donāt like how Airbnb works there are plenty of other options for them.
Iām sorry, but I donāt see where itās a ābasic rule of airbnb.ā When I had this issue, Air sided with me and stated it was breaking house rules to sleep an adult on the couch when the ad clearly said it was only suitable for children. It isnāt the same thing as saying āno one over 60 can stay here.ā Sheās set up to house 2 adults and 2 childen. 20 year olds arenāt a protected class over 6 year olds.
Anyway, I do think the responsible thing to do is to set her ad to 2 guests and include clearly the addendum for additional children.
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@Emily is correct that you will have this problem repeatedly if you donāt change your listing. You should have your listing show a maximum of two guests. Then in the description you can include wording that says that you can accommodate two children in addition to the two guests as long as they are under X amount tall.
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Wrong. Again. Just because Airbnb sided with you doesnāt mean you are right. They often side with people who are wrong. Itās called mediating a settlement or agreement. And this host did not state her requirements were a āhouse ruleā. 20 year olds are a protected class of āadultsā, you canāt discriminate against a person due to their age unless you have an allowable legal reason to do so. Period. Airbnb is allowed to set a parameter for hosts not to accept children - any- under 12 for safety reasons as a home should have certain safety features for children. Mine doesnāt so I donāt host them. This is allowed.
What is not allowed is for me to advertise for a number but say some of that is only for children. I have no idea why you being so resistant to the basic facts of my statements to the OP when it in no way affects you and you own post acknowledges neither of you should advertise in this way and rather only list the adults you accept and exceptions elsewhere.
Just curiousā¦is that āruleā stated somewhere? I canāt find it.
Iām curious because Air allows children under 2 to stay free. But my 2 year old still sleeps in a crib. According to Airbnb he is a guest. If we travel and are hoping to find a home that offers a crib as we do, am I to search for places that accept 2 guests or 3? Remember, 2 year olds are guests. Letās just say the host has a queen bed and a crib and the 3 of us (my husband, son, and myself) sleep in the bed and crib respectively. And for us, that is a comfortable arrangement. But that does not mean that host has room for 3 adults.
So letās assume you have an answer for the hypothetical guest here. You say the guest should search for 2 guest places and then communicate they have a 2 year old also and want to use the crib. But not every guest will search that way. Some will search for 3 guest places because they are being literal and honest and their child is considered a guest. Can we at least agree that air really should have some more specific search options? Because hosts ARE missing out on potential guests because hosts canāt specify what space is suitable for a child (such as a crib) vs. Spaces that are ārealā beds. And since, as you said before, guests shouldnāt be expected to actually read the whole ad, Iām not sure how a good host is to rectify the situation.
Also, you state that itās wrong for people to prefer children over adult in these situations. How is it then that guests on this platform can be denied strictly because of their gender? I see people all the time in this forum and on the platform itself advertising for a space specifically for a male or female roommate. Is that also against AirBNBās discrimination ārule?ā
There is an entire amenities subsection, āFamily Amenitiesā. Included are:
Baby Bath
Baby Monitor
Babysitter Recommendations
Bathtub
Changing Table
Childrenās Books and Toys
Childrenās Dinnerware
Crib
Fireplace Guards
Game Console
High Chair
Outlet Covers
Pack 'n Play/Travel Crib
Room Darkening Shades
Stair Gates
Table Corner Guards
Window Guards
Yes, I have filled that section out on my own listing. But that doesnāt really answer the question at hand. If a host can sleep two adults plus a child in a toddler bed, crib, etc. then they can sleep 3 guests, provided one of them is tiny.
I would venture to guess most guests arenāt so savvy as to check through all the amenities they are looking for. If someone is travelling with their toddler they may think they need to include them in the guest count (they do count as a guest). If they search for 3 guests and check off the crib amenity, they still arenāt going to see the listing that sleeps 2 adults and a toddler if that listing is set for 2 guests. So they would have to search for 2 plus a crib, which only a savvy guest will know .
Also worth noting that when you say how many beds you have in each room you can say things like āqueen,ā āking,ā āpull out sofa,ā and ācrib.ā
I think that if you are traveling with a toddler who needs to sleep in a crib, you need to be a savvy enough guest to check the amenities and ask questions of the host. Every time Iāve hosted babies and toddlers they slept in the bed with their parents.
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I explained to the girl who booked and she canceled. I took instant book off.
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Most children are out of cribs by about 18 months or so. mine were both out by 12 months. One of my sons was very delayed walking but the first gross motor skill he accomplished was climbing out of his crib! So he climbed out and then crawled on the floor. He finally walked when the cribs were a distant memory. 
Toddlers (3-4) have beds with guard rails for safety. I put mattresses on the floor for my two. Just easier.
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