Wow! Frustration Booking My Own Airbnb Reservation

As a ABB host, I cannot belive how difficult it was for me to book an Airbnb reservation for myself this evening. I was logged into my host account (on travelling side).

First I tried the APP, it not only froze mid reservation, it asked for my photo, etc. which is already on my existing account. And this same thing also happened on a trip I booked in April, and I ended up having to call ABB to help book the reservation.

I next tried my mobile desk top version. It still would not work.

The reservation only successfully booked when I went to my computer desk top and re-submitted the request.

That is insane. As a host it is appalling to experince this from the guest side. It makes me think that any reservation I am getting off the mobile Airbnb APP Is a miracle! And to think I refer my guests to download it for ease in booking and communication.

Has anyone else experienced this issue?

I had no issues with the app, but I inquired about a place for $152/night, got pre-approved whilst awaiting agreement from my sister on the choice, then when I tried to book an hour or so later, the dates were blocked and the new nightly rate was $347. Annoying

1 Like

Iā€™ve also had a bad experience trying to book but it wasnā€™t related to the platform it was with the host. I was declined even though dates showed available on the calendar before and after my request. Fine, I donā€™t meet your standard but donā€™t take 7 hours to answer me. Now I check Instant Book hosts first and only go to non-IB if there are no IB hosts available.

3 Likes

Where you given any reason for the decline ? I normally decline guests if they are looking to attend a conference on the other side of the city, I tell them it would be easier for them to book closer.

I did have a spanish lady who wanted her children to play with mine so her children could learn english. She wanted to hang out with me so she could learn english. I respectfully told her to find an immersion programme which would cost about 10 times what she was offering me.

Have had a german guest message me 15 times in one evening telling me about his problems trying to book

Reason was ā€œdates not available.ā€ No written communication at all, no reply to my informative query, just ā€œno.ā€ Again, thatā€™s fine but donā€™t wait 7 hours to tell me. Spent $2900 on a nice hotel for a week instead.

iā€™ve booked as a guest 10 times in the past 2.5 years and Iā€™ve never had any problems with it ā€“ Iā€™m in the U.S.

Iā€™ve booked 4 times with no problem but if I were a first time guest and had someone take hours to decline me I would probably quite turned off of ABB.

I will probably always choose a hotel over an ABB! ABB is too expensive in the end!

1 Like

Thats not very professional. Hope you had a ball and enjoyed your breakšŸ˜€

1 Like

I like room service and mini bars too muchā€¦

3 Likes

I have used Airbnb several times as a guest and never had a problem to book, on the app and website.

Never had a problem.
@KKC Some hosts take longer to respond because they are in a different timezone, or are busy with other commitments. Not everyone is a full-time host. As a host in Japan I regularly get messages at 2am and 3am local time, not able to answer until I get a spare moment at work later in the day. Thatā€™s easily seven or more hours. And I know it may be costing me reservations

2 Likes

As one of the very few fans here of Instant Book, I find that very interesting!

2 Likes

I sometimes get requests at midnight, I do not answer them until I wake up in the morning, which is between 5-6am. Itā€™s not that I do not care about my possible guestā€¦itā€™s just that Iā€™m alseep :slight_smile:

I understand that. And it was kind of a last minute trip, I was looking for a Manhattan place two weeks before a NYC trip. But time zones and being busy donā€™t explain no messages to me and saying itā€™s not available when the calendar shows available. Thatā€™s a real turn off. But itā€™s all fine, my hotel was in an excellent location and it worked out for the best. It just makes me favor Instant Book is all.

I have been trying to book as a guest this week, I lost one booking, after being approved to book the rates went from $152/night to $347/night and my dates were conveniently unavailable.

Yesterday I tried for several hours to book a place, three times ABB charged my PayPal, finally I got through with request booking and darned if he did not come back a few hours later that it was not available.

In talking to PayPal they told me they are aware the app is having issues.

I regret to say Iā€™m a bad actor in this regard, albeit accidentally. Weā€™re fairly full this month, but advance bookings and enquiries have been disturbingly thin. The past week or so has seen none. This coming weekend was wide open and Iā€™d given up on filling it. Itā€™s depressing to constantly check mail and see nothing.

Yesterday morning I had a day procedure at the hospital and didnā€™t bother taking the laptop (no smart phone - Iā€™m a cheapskate on those things). Access is weird there, and Iā€™m partially knocked out by the procedure anyway. And since I wasnā€™t getting any inquiries at all, figured it was easier to just let it go for a few hours.

So I get home to find a four-hour-old inquiry. Akkk!!! In spite of offering a discount, it was too late - heā€™d booked elsewhere. I was going to drop the price the next day or so anyway, so offering the discount wasnā€™t a total panic move, although it probably looked that way.

Anyway, happy ending. A new request came through this morning, for a day longer than his at the normal rate: yeah!!

From the guest end, I got burned once by an Ottawa host. He was top-rated with many terrific reviews. He was almost the only Air in the deep suburban area, which happened to be very close to the care home my mother is. We attempted to make a last-minute booking (2 days notice) and he didnā€™t reply for over a day! Iā€™d even mentioned I was a fellow host. His reply was lame, asking if Iā€™d booked elsewhere - which we had, at what turned out to be a really crap hotel. Another guy in Kingston was just as bad. He totally ignored my request for a date a few months in the future (the request lapsed). When I contacted him via his personal website, he boasted that his response rate was perfect - except for me. Huh? Thanks. He was trying to run a low-season special & messed up the pricing. I booked, but cancelled shortly afterwards because I decided he was too much of a goofball to deal with. We did have a third booking in St.Catharines which was absolutely fine.

Still, weā€™ve had guests remarking that they were about to give on Air until they found us. There seems to be a lot of turning down for incomprehensible reasons and simple failures to answer.

3 Likes

@Mo_In_TO having the app makes a huge difference and I dare say you will eventually have to get a smartphone and use the app. With the app you wonā€™t have to constantly check the mail. Between your competition having IB and the app you are at a disadvantage.

2 Likes

I have the APP, and it works great generally when guests are trying to make reservations, but not when I am trying to personally book an Airbnb stay. Funny, I just got Superhost, but I cannot book my own accomodations because it wants my picture and verifications. Laugh/Cry.

2 Likes

That same host who declined us, well the next day when I looked again, the place was available. I tried again, another decline. I suggested he might take it off the calendar.
I have contacted several hosts in that area and came up with nothing, many simply never responding, which delays the whole process by 24 hours! By the time I waited through 3-4-5 days of 24 hour request to book, there would be fewer options the next day. I ended up booking at a really lousy hotel. I now have more sympathy for the guestā€™s situation.

1 Like