In the latter case can you just not reply: “Can you please clarify what information you require of me in the form of a specific question about the booking”
This is a basic requirement, I wonder if it’s also a Super Host requirement, it’s not listed as such.
If it’s basic then all hosts would have to meet the standard, even superhosts.
Meanwhile, Airhostforum jinx. For the first time in years I’ve been asked to host a man and his 5 year old son. So normally I’d say no but now I’m writing back asking if he understands that the room is not child-proof. He has 6 reviews but only 5 recommendations. One host said he left the room not as clean as she’d like. But hopefully he learned from that.
Maybe he won’t book.
Edit: I see his name is in red on the calendar and when I do an incognito search for Friday, the night he’s requesting, I don’t show up in search. So, his inquiry is blocking me from booking anyone else for Friday. So the dilemma is do I worry about a decline impacting my ratings, go ahead and approve and have a sure booking for Friday with a disallowed 5 year old or wait for his reply to my reply and the clock expires tomorrow. Maybe I get a last minute booking for Friday.
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If your one night bookings are travelers stopping over during their long road trips, they are likely the same and will be travel weary. If they check in late afternoon, they’ll go and eat at a diner or fast food place, come back and watch TV, hit the sack and be up and gone in the morning, right?
Little impact.
I ended up declining. He probably would have been ok but…1 thumbs down out of 6, requesting a place where that doesn’t accept children and every night this week except Friday is booked. If I don’t get a better booking that’s okay.
Most people just IB here so the opportunity to turn someone down who had a poor review is rare and I needed to take it. LOL.
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Good move. Sorry, I didn’t realize or remember that you didn’t accept children. No objection here! . 
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We know what it takes for us hosts to thumbs down, so it must have been bad.
I don’t get it though, I thought you were on IB? Couldn’t he just book?
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I don’t allow children and he had a child. I suppose he could have and left me to cancel or deal with it but he inquired instead.
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Dont Decline or Accept. Just be super rude. People won’t book unless super desperate. Wow AirBnb are asking too much of hosts. I feel like they even increased the price of their commission from hosts? #Greedier by the second.
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“Be super rude” is not a viable strategy. You have to respond or it counts against you. Simply say, sorry our place is not a fit. Good luck in your search.
Stay professional.
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This is ridiculous, I have declined discount seekers, people asking to bring pet when we don’t allow pets at all, people asking to bring 8 person when our max is set at 6. And most importantly, I have so many people asking if this date is available when my calendar clearly shows it is not available. For example, there is a 4 day gap, people send inquiry for these four days and ask if it is possible to have extra nights booked. I have to decline all these enquiries and there are always a few of them each month! Why should host be punished for declining people who don’t read?!
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Because they want us to be like a hotel!
We are already scared of a an unjustified poor review and now we have to look at a decline to see if we can make it work.
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I’ve declined many inquiries for various reasons and my reservation rate shows as 100%.
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Have you looked at it on your PC under opportunities?
I have actually found customer service to be helpful when I’m concerned about declining a reservation request. I have called multiple times if someone booked through IB that I didn’t feel comfortable with or if I feel like I am declining a lot, I will call customer service and explain the situation and they will cancel the request so it doesn’t count against me. I once had someone request who I declined, then the sent a 2nd request with slightly different dates which I declined and then they requested to book again and I called air and they took care of it. I’m a super host which I think helps how they respond and when I’ve called about declining a request they haven’t seemed to care much about the reason I want to decline, they take care of it without issue.
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After the second request I would have blocked them. In the message thread it has a link called “report,” and if you click that it gives you the option to also block.
I’m a superhost as well and I if I call I use the designated SH number. I’ve had long waits the last few times I’ve called and they haven’t been terribly helpful. I don’t call them about cancellations, maybe that’s the only thing they can do well.
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Yes, I ended up blocking him and air advised me to do the same.
My method:
Guest asks for something that is a no go…discount, dog whatever.
I reply explaining why it is a no-go.
Wait 8 hours and then accept guest, who has by then moved on.
Accept the guest, decline request.
Have a perfect record and no discounts. Or dogs or children.
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How many years/guests/requests have you used this method?
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A couple of years…not so many…maybe 15 or thereabouts.
I keep my prices a bit high…My base is 30% higher than nearby places but while urging me to lower my price, Abnb also informs me that I am 12-18% ahead of the neghbors booking stats. So far, I have been very lucky with my guests.
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