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UPDATE - PRE-APPROVAL EXPIRED - I raised my rates.
So I have a guest that sent in an inquiry at 9:45 this morning and asked me many questions. I spend about 15 minutes answering his questions and then sent him a pre-approval.
Well it turns out that when he looked at the rates, it was yesterday morning. I updated my rates yesterday evening but only by about $10 a night. He didn’t send in a booking request so when I replied back and did a pre-approval he was getting my updated rates that were done prior to him sending the inquiry.
I also explain about the airbnb fees and taxes which he did not notice when he was first looking at rates.
Even with the increase I’m about $200 less than any Airbnb in the area for his length of stay.
He has now come back to me twice and I told him all of the above and I said he is welcome to book but that the dates are not held until he books.
The place is going to book for those nights either way. Would any of you have offered him the rate from the day before?
I can’t say that I wouldn’t for sure, but probably not. If there was a non-demanding mention of it and it was up to me to offer, then probably, but not if he was demanding or started haggling with me. If he was pushy about it I’d rather he stay somewhere else anyway.
No. It’s like other things with rate changes, I don’t get the prices I was looking at, I only get prices at time of booking. I wouldn’t even waste any more time messaging him. It’s one thing to try to sell a listing, it’s another to do free babysitting.
I’m beginning to feel this way. Post pandemic, I’m taking my bookings in stride. I don’t try to get every night booked anymore. I like this pace better.
Yep, I feel that way. I’ve probably spent about 30 minutes answering their questions and explaining why the rate is different.
It’s not like I knew they were going to send me an inquiry when I raised the rates. Also, there’s really nothing close to this rate near Boston.
Mmmm, probably shoudl increase the rates but because I have a kitchette without a sink, I feel like my rate should be a little lower. (I provide paper plates and plastic utensils and cups for their meals.). I used to provide real dishes with a bussing tray that they just needed to bring downstairs but guests would forget and then I had bugs and stuck on mess.
My personal take is anyone who argues about rates is not worth hosting. They might leave a bad review because they don’t think they are getting what they paid for. But it depends on the timeframe and how likely I’m to get another booking.
For me it’s the opposite, I raise rates because I got the inquiry. Inquiry is a proxy for demand. It means your listing is attractive to some guests who took the time to inquire.
My studio doesn’t have a full kitchen. I don’t know about your local market dynamics, but the inquiry suggests your listing is attractive to a potential guest at the price even without a full kitchen. I have not received a single bad review because there isn’t a full kitchen. Some people don’t want to cook extensively when they are traveling, so a kitchenette is good enough.
I suspect in a city like Boston, there are plenty of great places to eat. As a guest, a kitchen would only be important to me if I have to drive/walk a minimum of 15 minutes to get to a place to eat.
You know you are correct. I always felt that I had less to offer than a full kitchen but maybe I should just price to the market. I have amazing reviews so that should win over folks. Thanks.
I recently had a similar thing happen (although the guy was looking at the wrong dates to compare rates)! Guy inquires, then comes back two weeks later and asks why I raised my rates.
I simply explained to him that I watch my competitors’ rates and availability and change my rates as those change. He booked.
No, my experience is that anyone with that many questions ends up unhappy with something. If he missed the 24 hour pre-approval that’s his problem. I wouldn’t raise rates when there was pre-approval pending to avoid this issue.
Agreed. Once they start in on the rates - and you give in!!! - it’s a slippery slope of entitled behavior. And discount-itis.
Ditto.
I’ve raised my rates $5 a night and got more bookings. I’m thinking of going for another $5 per night and see what happens. As of now, I’m booked through 4/10, which is good for me, and I’m hoping to start booking April soon.
