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So, has anyone accepted a guest who asked for a discount and had it work out ok?
I got my first such request this evening. They explained that their family of 5 are on a tight budget.
The funny thing is that, earlier today I was playing with my pricing, and didn’t go back to fix it. They were actually already getting my place $30 off per night. If they hadn’t asked for the discount I may not have even noticed the price error, and booked them.
But what I want to hear are actual experiences of people who’ve hosted price-shoppers and how it came out. Were they awful as people are saying? Did they end up picking at every little thing? Did they give you a bad review? I hear a lot of hosts saying that that WILL happen, but has it actually happened?
Thanks!
ps I did not book this person. When I said that the price was not negotiable they said they would pay full price. I suggested they not stretch their budget so thin and find something they can afford comfortably.
The only request I got for a price negotiation was from an Airbnb host! Wanted the place at half price. In peak season. She has a place in Brooklyn, rents out the spare room (I always check reviews for my guests and that leads to knowing they are hosts). There was only one review of her from a guest that stayed at her place and it wasn’t flattering. I just told her there were many listings in my area within her price range, wished her a great vacation and declined the request.
Yes! This guys is a host also! He has good reviews, but one mentioned it could have been cleaner - after saying many positive things, and the host went on a RANT in reply.
I’ve had several guests request a discount for a longer stay; I politely point out that (if their stay is over seven days) they are already getting a discount, if they’re on a shorter visit, I politely decline stating that all our guests to date have found our place to be excellent value. Some disappear at this point, some - several - have gone ahead and booked. Each of these have been perfectly good guests and I’ve not seen any difference in how they review. Those that attempt any second attempt at bargaining trigger a quick decline from me, and I really don’t miss them!
Sorry for he delayed reply. I am happy to say that I predicted wrong about this guest. She turned out to be one of the most pleasant, low-maintenance guests we’ve ever had. And, she left us a glowing review with all five stars. Sometimes our guests surprise us in a good way. I’ve found it helps to go in with a positive attitude. We ended up clicking nicely.
I rarely ever discount my rental rate but I have a couple of strategies that make people feel they are getting a better deal without costing me. Discount the extras. One is the early check in, late check out. I tell them it is extra $ (not a full night extra) if they want to guarantee it but if they want to take a chance I will let them know 1 week before arrival. As I don’t get many last minute bookings it doesn’t cost me anything and sometimes they do pay the extra. The other thing is that I allow dogs. My pet fee is high ($20 per pet per night) so I can play around with it, if need be, and my rental rate is not compromised. Most people just pay it. Last few years the pet fee has added the equivalent of an extra week in high season.
good to know, @jackulas! I may look at such requests differently. Of course we know that in some cultures bargaining is de riguer. I enjoyed being in Africa and bargaining when purchasing groceries - it felt so personal, as opposed to the grocery-story model we have here in the US.
True. She turned out to be great. She was really happy with our place. And, I think when she shopped around, she realized we were a great bargain for the location.
We allow pets so I’ve never done this but I imagine the best way is firstly to make it clear in your listing that there’s a fee of $X for the pet.
Then when you get a booking message the guest via the platform and tell them that you will be changing their booking to include the fee. Then go to ‘alter or cancel’ and add the pet fee to the overall charge.
I got a request for a family of 3 in Barcelona for 7 days in July (busiest month for BCN) the wanted a discount bc of their ‘long’ stay. We typically get 7-10 night stays, but I didn’t want to mention this. i responded with a nice response that I could offer them 50 Euro (2% discount) off. I’ve found that sometimes all people want is to ‘think’ they are getting a deal, so I generally offer a small gesture if they seem like a good fit for our place, etc. They of course didn’t respond. Then today I got an IB for a 5 day stay for the same date, that was actually more $$, bc we charge per person and this group was 6.
Moral of the story, always trust your gut, and do what YOU are comfortable with.
When ever someone tries to ask for a discount I just tell them I’m already one of the cheapest in Southampton and that my listing is excellent value for money. They book straight away normally.
I agree that many guests just want to feel good about getting “something.” There are so many articles out there advising guests to attempt to negotiate. Many are doing what they “think” they are supposed to do. Then others are just horrible bottom of the barrel discount seekers.
The smart negotiator offers something in return: “We will only use one bed” - " We are retired and have flexible dates for travel, and could travel during weekdays" - etc.
We get that too! My response is usually well I still have to clean all the rooms and beds!
Its very situation specific, if the guest sends a nice message and you can tell they are just doing ‘what they think is appropriate’ or I need to fill the dates, then I offer a small token, like the above example of 2% off.
Same line I use except that my answer seems to be more discouraging.
“Sorry I don’t offer discounts. The apartment is already budget priced for the season and the area.”
