This has never happened before. Our check in is 3 to 8 pm. We get up at 2 am to go to farmers markets so we are firm about check in. But we know traffic happens so as long as a guest communicates with us we are willing to wait up. Guest messaged us and told us he was leaving the city (a four hour drive) and would arrive at 10 pm. We told him we would wait up for him. The reservation is for two guests. Four guests get out of the car. I tell him that the reservation is for two persons and he says that it was a last minute thing.We tell him that there is nothing set up for sleeping for extra guests and he says that they will sleep on the floor. I contact airbnb at 10:30 pm and they contact the guest and tell them that they have to pay for extra guests. The guest had four hours during the car ride to let us know that they were bringing extra guests and we would have set up futons and put extra towels in the suite and sent a resolution request for extra payment. Guest messages me at 11 pm and tells me that he is new to airbnb and did not know the policy about extra guests. The guest is a host btw. He tells me that the guests are only staying one night. They go to a wedding and get home around 1 am. Extra guests are with them. Sleeping on the floor I guess. They are quiet and not a fuss. I will send a resolution request for extra payment but since they did not use any towels are bedding I am hesitant to do so. My husband thinks we should charge them because they “lied” about the extra guests both nights. Do I let the fee go but mention it in the review?
Definitely charge them for the extra guests! They knew the expectations and are trying to take advantage of you. They used your utilities and your space. They should be charged. And I would also mention it in the review so other hosts know what to expect from them as guests.
Charge. Saying they don’t know the policy when they are hosts is ridiculous.
And please leave an honest review to warn future hosts…hate when guests lie like that…particularly when they are hosts.
Have you checked their listings as they are hosts to see if they have an additional guest charge 
Charge 'em. You are running a business. They are customers not friends. Maybe that will discourage them from ever coming back with their no-notice extra guests.
Does the guest have a listing and/or reviews from guests as a host? I only ask because I’ve seen many of those “also a host” notes on reservations from people who didn’t have a listing or any reviews (not sure why that happens so often).
I’m trying to figure out if he’s lying about not understanding ABB or not. But even if he is a host, we see plenty of posts by active hosts who don’t understand sometimes basic ABB policies. Whether or not he’s being dishonest is what would make the difference to me in deciding what to do.
Anyway, I tend to agree with you about not charging them for sleeping on the floor. But your husband and other hosts here make good points about running a business as well. Maybe a compromise, charge him half of what you’d normally charge for extra guests?
I doubt they slept on the floor…they probably slept on the couch / recliner.
They were not honest. Charge them and leave a honest review. I so appreciate hosts that leave honest reviews so we can make an informed decision whether we wish to host someone or not.
I wanted to let you know that I sent you a private message about home owner’s insurance in MA. I’m going to be able to save $2000
…or things got REALLY interesting. Narf narf
I left an honest review. Positive things first and then said that the dishonesty and non payment negated the positive. The guest did pay the extra person fee when airbnb intervened. The guest asked me to change my review as he said he did not intend to be dishonest. Once a review is posted it cannot be changed. The only time airbnb allowed a review to be changed (and it took weeks and 20 people to discuss the situation with) was when I posted a review for the wrong person. Guests in both my properties had the same first name. One was a great guest, the other was a nightmare. I told airbnb that when they send a reminder message to write a review for “Susan’s group” the message does not have the last name and most importantly where they stayed. I have three properties. When it gets busy, I can’t remember which Susan it was and trust me the photo never looks like the guest.
I call BS if he is a host, he knows better and how it works and intended on “not mentioning extra guests”. He should of immediately offered to pay rather than have airbnb force him do. Honest review was earned!
Don’t forget it is not just about where are they going to sleep, it is also water consumption. Four people showering and cleaning up uses a heck lot more water then just two. Water is expensive !
i think you can set up a listing, but never go live, and be called a host.
I usually look back at the message history, just to remind myself of the guest and our interaction. This is too easy to mix up, I agree!
Only in some places. I know because I’ve lived in a couple of those places. But it’s practically free where I live now and for good reason (we don’t drink it or even cook with it). I think my guests assume that I’m providing fancy bottled water as a hospitable gesture when really I just don’t want them to die on my property 
That’s what I’ve gathered too. And it always seems to be a brand new guest with no reviews. It makes me think that they just took a decidedly wrong turn while creating a profile. And I take that as my cue to be on standby to explain how to get through the door, turning the knob and all 
I once posted a lovely review for the correct person but called her by the wrong name in it and Airbnb changed it for me right away.
Wow. I accidentally used the wrong name for someone’s husband and we both got a good laugh, but I never thought of asking Airbnb to do anything.
TBH, it wasn’t my first thought, which was actually, oh I hope she doesn’t notice. She sent a message immediately and was upset about it. First time guest so first review so I called in and was pleasantly surprised when they edited it.
I’ve had 4 guests whose profiles said “also a host”. All had reviews as guests. Two had visible, active listings, and two did not. I asked them about that when they were in residence, and they they said they just hosted a few times years ago, no longer did, and that the few guests they had had didn’t leave a review. I had no reason to disbelieve them, they were both straightforward, honest people with good reviews as guests.
But I agree that with the newbies, they probably just screwed up when creating their profile, unless they did it on purpose thinking it would get them more easily accepted as guests.
Yeah, I was just being silly. I really only have one point of correlation. The first guest that I ever noticed the also-a-host/no-reviews combo on was a young woman in town to guest lecture at the university.
When she arrived she entered her code into the keypad on the door (correctly too, because I could hear the confirmation chime), stepped back and then just stood there waiting for the door to open (and for a long time too). I was watching from a window on the 3rd floor. I guess she thought it was an automatic door or something, even though it’s clearly a 125-year-old house door. I watched her as she repeated this routine 3 or 4 times, never once touching the doorknob or attempting to push the door open.
My husband finally got down there and pulled the door open for her. He then politely demonstrated how to grab the doorknob and open the door. She said, “oh, of course, thank you, I understand now”. As a host, I was both terrified and tickled all at once.
It was even kind of adorable until I got a message from her 20 minutes later saying, “I’m going to walk down to down to the Whole Foods. Would it be okay if I just prop the door open with a magazine or something so that it’ll be easier for me to get back in?”. 