Just looked at the progress tab - declines are being counted… even though they are asking the impossible
Yep, I recently got suspended for 5 days for too many declines. Even though they were all for legitimate reasons - people wanting to bring kids when we don’t allow kids, wanting to squeeze 4 into a 2 person room, requesting rides from the bus stop, asking for early check ins… ho hum
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My main declines are ridiculous discount requests and children/ or wanting to book too many people or N event
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Don’t decline, as long as you respond to them you can just let it expire. Do you accept dogs? No sorry I don’t. Don’t hit accept or decline.
If they don’t ask an actual question you can reply to I guess you may have to decline.
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I do not see a decline count on my progress tab. Would someone who does see this post a screen shot?
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I don’t have this I guess due to having instant book, but I do have declines. Interesting.
Actually airbnb told me letting something expire severly penalises your listing;
it puts you way down on the bottom of the search list.
When I want to decline for legitamate reasons I say no to the guest and ask them to please cancel the request so I don’t get penalised for a decline.
Just happened yesterday-the girl was happy to do it.
Usually I don’t have to ask, once they realise we are not the right fit, they have to go ahead with their search so I get cancelled automatically.
So don’t decline until the LAST hour of the request, it usually doesn’t come to that.
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Not sure, my response rate is 100% and I have let some inquiries go. I book out 6 months and would get inquires for future dates. I would just reply in message, but not approve or decline.
Maybe there are different types of inquires though, are they all the same?
I’m also on IB, and I found the decline rate under the “Opportunities” -> “Basic requirements” section.
I don’t have it yet. I suspect they’ve been measuring it as part of the search algorithm a long time but now they are bringing it up for us to see.
I’ve both declined and let inquiries expire and I’m usually on the first page of search but since I have IB such declinces are very rare.
Interesting strategy. Actually, simple but brilliant comes to mind. I’ll try it next time I was to decline someone.
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Oh bother, i get (and I’m sure you also get) inquires with fake dates that have informational questions or want to book outside my calendar range. If hosts are going to be shot down for declines or responses without an accept, Air should add a function for non- booking inquiries. I’m SURE Air will pick up on this suggestion immediately hahaha
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if its just an inquiry you are not obliged to accept or decline-
thats just a new ploy airbnb does to stimulate bookings;
its only official requests you have to accept or decline.
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I’m on IB and don’t have this yet. Perhaps they are A/B testing it?
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I think Deb is saying too many of those now count against you. Gardenhost got punished for it!
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What’s not clear is if Deb is talking about request to books or inquiries. It seems like every time we discuss this and the time limit and the little clock they used to have we have two discussions: one about inquiries and one about requests. So a declined request to book should be counted but an inquiry about number of people of early check in would not.
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On my stats to keep Superhost rating it shows that I have accepted 93% of bookings and the cutoff is 88%. I rarely decline anyone but booking queries have been for requests I do not allow that is clearly stated in my listings, wanting 5 kids to stay for free or wanting me to do an LTR for a ridiculously offer $250 for a $750 week place or have 50 people over for a party!
So do you or don’t you decline these?
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Not sure I have ever declined.
I have pre approved people wanting a discount. They have never booked.
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I saw this posting after I had declined a reservation (third party booking.) It probably would have been fine but we are in a split entry house with stairs and I was concerned if anything happened, like a fall on the stairs, we might not be covered by either Air or our insurance company as it would be a violation of the TOS.
I just checked our stats and did not see anything like the “What to work on”. This is only my second decline in 94 bookings so maybe the 88% is the threshold for the message to pop up?
I also checked our listing and we are still on the first page for our area. I plan on checking through an incognito window over the next few days to see if we slip down. Sigh - another thing to keep in mind!
BTW I messaged the booking guest with a link to the instructions on how to help her mother-in-law set up her own account and emphasized the travel credit the guest would earn by doing that, also said I would accept her MIL booking as soon as it came through. Nothing.
Makes me a bit sad/annoyed. We are running at about half the bookings from last year and I would have like to fill those dates. All factors I can control are about equal and we have maintained an average of 5 stars. Things I can’t control are what is annoying- slipping to mid-lower part of the page and now having close to triple the number of hosts in the area with more being added each week.