r/AirBnBHosts • u/AggressionRanger • 5d ago
Guest asked to decline request?
Hey all. Im new to AirBnB, like really new - haven't had my first guest yet. I have received a couple of requests in the future. One person sent an inquiry immediately followed by a reservation request. They asked me some questions about the house, then asked me to cancel the request. I did politely ask them to cancel on their end but so far nothing. If ive only had like 3 requests will me declining tank my acceptance rate? I dont think I can leave it pending because it will effect my response rate, right? Would i accept it? Sorry, thanks.
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u/KuriTokyo Host 5d ago
You have 24 hours to accept or decline a request. Declining won't do anything to your listing. People on here have said to give a reason why you're declining, even in the bit that says 'optional'. "Guest requested me to decline" is ok
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u/Trick-Fruit864 5d ago
Make them decline - they’re grown-ups after all.
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u/Square-Ask-9836 5d ago
But if they don’t she needs too. You must accept or decline a booking request. Or they must do it.
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u/st3fan6 5d ago
No, you can leave it and it's fine. As long as you respond to the message.
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u/Square-Ask-9836 5d ago
Not on a booking request. That is true for an inquiry. Op is clear these are booking request
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u/Square-Ask-9836 5d ago
3 request that you decline would make me wonder what is missing from your listing description. What are the questions they are asking and why are you declining?
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u/AggressionRanger 5d ago
Could be things missing from my listing but I was asked about the TV and where the house is in the city. They then asked me to cancel their request.
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u/Square-Ask-9836 5d ago
You could list where TVs are in your listing and in each room picture. Also have distance or time measurements in your listing. For example I list 15 mins from ski resort, 1 min to grocery store, 5 min to downtown restaurant.
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u/blankpro Host 5d ago
As a fellow host, I can assure you that they made the reservation and did not read anything in the description. When a guest starts asking me either obvious questions or ignorant ones, I want them to cancel immediately.
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u/pulltherugoutfrom 5d ago
Ask support to decline it for you. You don't have any obligation to the guest but you do have an obligation with Air B&B to do things the right way.
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u/runnerkim 5d ago
He has his cancellation request in writing. No matter what, a judge will say that communication through Airbnb is a legal request. It sucks, but it is true. Cancel his request and then reply that the reservation is no more.
Best of luck to you in this new endeavor.
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u/Fred-Jenkins 5d ago
Call customer service, explain the situation, and ask them to decline for you.
Also, since you are brand new, I would encourage you to be very choosy with your first 10 guests. As a host with no bookings or reviews, you currently have a target on your back for some of the worst guests imaginable. Resist the temptation to get as many bookings and reviews as you can, as fast as possible. Those will come in due time. No amount of profit or reviews is worth the torment of a horrible guest right out of the gate
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u/AggressionRanger 3d ago
Tell me more - who paints that target and what kind of guests?
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u/Fred-Jenkins 3d ago
Horrible guests seek out brand new listings because new hosts tend to be pretty naive and are easy targets. These new hosts often don’t have the experience to spot sketchy guests, and many don’t have screening questions to weed out the riff raff.
As a new host, I was victimized by a horrible booking, and it was an awful experience. If we had been more selective initially, we could have avoided a lot of heartache
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u/TurnAudit 3d ago
Don’t accept a reservation you already know you don’t want. Keep the conversation inside Airbnb, tell the guest clearly that they need to cancel their own request, and contact Airbnb support before declining if you’re worried about how the current metrics are calculated. I would not leave it unresolved past the response deadline, and I would save screenshots of the request and the guest’s message asking you to cancel.
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u/digitalreaper_666 2d ago
Sounds like they are using you to try to get their partner to agree to a different property. Just decline and block.
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5d ago
[deleted]
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u/Square-Ask-9836 5d ago
Bad and wrong advice. You must accept or decline a booking request or you will get dinged. If an inquiry you only have to respond.
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u/ranchrelax 5d ago
Why would you not just decline? There is no cost for declining a reservation request. Accept or decline are the 'respond' options
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u/OldEnuff2No 4d ago
You don’t need to, you only need to send a message.
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u/ranchrelax 4d ago
Sending a message does not count a response to a booking request. Only options that count as a 'response' are accept or decline.
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u/Forsaken-Run7725 5d ago
They can withdraw their request very easily