Number of Guests Booking: Suggestion for Airbnb

[Dave-and-Deb0]

Please take this poll:  http://goo.gl/forms/7otIJChX7d

I have seen a common issue posted on the Community Center which happens with several hosts on Airbnb and that is with the number of guests people book for and the number of guests who show up at the door.  This is often a result of 1) a guest trying to "sneak" in extra guests because the host charges extra per person over "X" amount or 2) some guests feel that children should or are not considered people/guests.

Airbnb states that, ""You need to disclose the total number of guests accurately when making reservation requests, including infants and children (Travelling with children)." Now most people would not even know where to find this and it is not on the booking page when you choose the number of guests.  

Airbnb needs to change the way guests book when it comes to inputing the number of guests.  By guests showing up at a host's listing with more people than the host is expecting puts the guest and the host in a difficult position.  It is essentially starting the Airbnb experience out as a negative experience.  Any number of things could happen including 1) the host turning the guest away or only allowing the number of guests in that were booked or 2) putting the burden onto the host by now having to charge for extra guests.  This is not good for the Airbnb brand and you can bet the host will not be getting a favourable review even though the situation was not their fault.

I would like to see Airbnb add a box for the number of children that will be staying just like the airlines and hotels have on their sites.  This would also help out for those hosts who have not checked off "Family Friendly" as the search would not even show their listing if the children box is filled out.

What are your thoughts and experiences of extra guests showing up at your doorstep?  Should this be something that Airbnb should implement or leave it as it is?  

Please share your thoughts below AND complete this quick 2 question survey: http://goo.gl/forms/7otIJChX7d (Results of the poll are here: https://goo.gl/9lTWbD)

Here are a couple of examples of what Airbnb could include:

 

[Deborah0]

Thanks @Dave-and-Deb0 for bringing up this important and often vexing issue, and for doing a poll to help.  

You are quite right that guests bringing more persons than they booked the reservation for, is a continual and significant problem for hosts.  I have seen a huge number of posts on this issue, in the years I have been participating in the Airbnb host groups.  It is in fact one of the most common problems that hosts have, who rent out entire apartments/houses.  (Not as much a problem for those offering a room in their home, but it still happens even then, with children showing up unexpectedly ).  Either the guests "sneak in" extra people, bring children without having asked in advance if it was okay to bring children (some hosts don't accept children and/or have homes that are not "child friendly" and which in fact may have features which are dangerous to small children, such as an unfenced pool or steep stairs) or they bring children and insist that they should not have to pay for these, since hotels don't charge for small children.

 There is a considerable misunderstanding in such guests, that booking a host's home, is most definitely NOT the same as staying in a hotel.  (I like to keep saying this, because I think it bears repeating, particularly when anti-Airbnb foes shriek that  we are "turning homes into hotels": our homes are NOT hotels!)There are many ways that guests may not appreciate the difference between a home and a hotel, but in terms of bringing in extra people or children, we see therein one of the most common of these misunderstandings.  I have heard countless times from hosts, in their posts on the forums, that they are frustrated by yet another guest who thinks they shouldn't have to pay for small children, since "hotels dont' charge for that."  Guests will even sometimes argue with hosts over this, as though they think that the host's rules are open for argument and can be overcome by argument.  

I agree with you @Monica4, that the issue of guests being dishonest and sneaking in extra guests, is sufficiently common that hosts need to have effective methods to contend with this.  I think the idea you suggest, of being able to terminate the guests' reservation immediately with no refund, would be an effective deterrent and fair to the host.  Airbnb ought to support hosts being able to enforce their own house rules, and one good way to do this vis a vis number of guests, is to require all guests to provide the names and contact information of everyone who will be on the reservation, at the time of booking.  Airbnb should clarify to guests that unless host permits them to have visitors over to the house and/or to bring extra guests without asking (some hosts will allow that), then if they bring extra guests when this is prohibited, or bring visitors when this is prohibited, their reservation will be immediately terminated and all fees will be forfeited.  Hosts  could check one of several boxes to indicate their rules on this issue.  Guests would be able to amend the list of those in their party at any time with host approval and/or additional payments as needed. (If host doesn't approve of additional guests they could not bring any extra)  

Of course, one of the biggest difficulties for the host who rents out a separate unit listing, is that they aren't right there in the house to see who is there.  So sometimes the host has no direct evidence that there were extra guests --- or if they find extra people there, the guest may claim those people are only visiting, not staying overnight, when in fact they are staying overnight.  So in order to terminate a guests' reservation while holding back their payment, there needs to be more than a hunch on the part of the host, that there are more guests present than there ought to be.  

One may not be able to do much about guests who book for 4 people, check in with 4, and 2 hrs later when the host has long gone, call the other 5 friends to come over, saying, "the coast is clear, the host is gone now so we can violate her rules now and sneak you all in! " And then have 9 people staying in a place that accomodates 4, when they paid for 4.  

But at the very least one can do something if a guest has booked for 4 and shows up on the doorstep with a party of 9.  

[Marie21]

You are right Deborah

i had a booking for 2 gents and the whole family of 5 show up for a month stay

when i asked them how come they are so many guests he told me they were just coming for few days

and off course i found out later they stay the full month

Airbnb put us host in difficult situation 

[Sara2]

@Monica4This could have been the kids sleeping in different beds every night you could deter this by only making up the four beds paid for and hiding away the extra sheets and blankets so four people four sets of linen

when my kids were small and we had more beds than needed in hotels in America they thought it great fun to bed hop ,the three kids and I needed two double rooms but no child stayed in their "own bed" the girls would want to watch one to show in the evening and my son another

As I have now worked in a hotel and seen the massive amount of staff and machines we were not creating extra work but with our small profit margins on ABB it is an issue

My current host refused to let me change his sheets so today I just went in and did it after he went to work

horses for courses!!!!!!

[Donna12]

We are at a distinct disadvantage... a guest can sneak in as many people as they like...if you say anything, they will invent a cobweb and mark your entire prperty at 1 star.... i have brought their extra guests more towels, saying kindly no worries and no charge my gift to you for Christmas etc.... NOW ON THE DEFENSIVE SINCE THEY HAVE STOLEN FROM YOU they will trash you in the reviews.. YOU ARE SO RIGHT.. we have no PROTECTION ... air bnb offered to evict a mentally disturbed guest without refund.. then let him put 1 star on everything for another property... WE HAVE NO PROTECTION AND ARE CRUCIFIED no matter how kind or how much we give... the power lies in the hands of the guest always...even those theat lie and steal with extra guests...funny they asked me for additional sheets on an upstairs bedroom... my answer there is a luxuriious king with bamboo sheets downstairs, why would you want to sleep in a small bed... HA... because they had a hidden guest and didn't want to say so.  

D

[David-Kiran-Maria0]

@D. Am sorry but looks like you're throwing up your frustations here, let me explain: 3 rooms 6 guests, if you receive a booking from a couple you of course lock the other 2 rooms, if the couple are friends and sleep separately you lock the third room. Also gave a sneak peek to your feedbacks and seems they're all very good, so I (we) finally don't see what is your real prob and why the easy upper case sentences, it reminds me a flaky host 2 blocks from me complaining why she didn't show up on airbnb query suspecting there is an airbnb cheat while getting on her profile I saw many of other her properties were showing up on first page after a query with a rating in-between 4-5. ***

[Monica4]

No need to be rude here. I have the same problems and feel discouraged entering my house finding that extra people have used it without paying. You may check in every guest, but that does not prevent more people sneaking in after you have checked them in and using your  sofa cushions or the floor to sleep on. Some listings, like mine, have very old antique doors for which the keys have long been lost and we don't want to destroy the antique look. Also, no house is friendly that has locked doors. I do not want to suspect every guest. I think 80% of them are honest folks but the other 20% that cheat make us feel "used" for want of a better word. And it doesn't just happen to female hosts, as you seem to imply.

[Susan189]

i had same issue, i am also looking for a solution about dishonest guest. 

[Sam64]

Ha if cought the booking is terminated with no short notice. This is a good idea for the competitors that soon will come up with something similar like Airbnb....

[Rita10]

I have a booking for people coming and there is no time of arrival or considered time of departure.  This would/could be a courteous element to add to the booking form so the Host can prepare and be available for arrival/departure times.  I like to greet my guests upon arrival as is the case at any motel.  The friendly face is what the guest first sees inside the establishment.

[Kara1]

@Rita10   I ask all guests to call me when they're a half hour to an hour away so if I am running errands or out in the garden and all muddy I have time to get back home or get cleaned up before they arrive.  It's especially easy as the next towns down the road are 35 minutes to the west and an hour to the east, so I just say when you hit {town's name} please call me.

[Rita10]

I have a booking for people coming and there is no time of arrival or considered time of departure.  This would/could be a courteous element to add to the booking form so the Host can prepare and be available for arrival/departure times.  I like to greet my guests upon arrival as is the case at any motel.  The friendly face is what the guest first sees inside the establishment.

[Monica4]

There is one important situation to note with regard to the number of guests booking v/s the number actually staying. You will note that many listings for entire houses/apartments will show the occupancy number at the top of the listing - for example 6 people 4 beds.....

Hosts who want one set price for the house will put that amount in, say $ 200/ night.

What then happens is that the listing will show "extra people: no charge".

How do you think a guest will enterpret that? Any number of people over the number of 6 may also stay overnight even if there are not enough beds? Of course! They can bring air mattresses and sleeping bags!

I had my house listed for a short time for one set price and noticed this glitch. I contact airbnb and was told that there is no fix for this. Intentionally or not, airbnb is inviting guests over and above the set number, to stay for free.

I found the way to fix it. The house needs to add a value to the number of guests over his/her maximum. For the above example, the host needs to ad $100/night for guests over the number of 6 guests. You will then see the "extra people: no charge" statement disappear and that line will be blank in the listing.

No matter how hard I tried to get airbnb to get this fixed, there was no interest. I have to wonder why.

[Kelly3]

@Monica4

That is a good point I haven't really thought about! When they see 'extra people - no charge' they could take it for their benefit.

Sometimes I get people asking they are only X number of people, so asking me if they can get a discount - I wonder if this is also similar problem. I put $20 for extra person after X number of people, then some guests might think 'oh we are less than X number, we should ask for a discount'.

As Airbnb changed (yes, I think their business goal changed since 3~4 years ago), it is really important for Airbnb to be very 'business' clear - for all sides, Hosts, Travelers, Airbnb.

[Kara1]

My listing they can rent by the room ($60) or the whole house ($180).  I have 3 rooms with space for 2 people in each, plus the couch can be made up for 1 person and in warm weather 1 or 2 can sleep on the porch.  If they rent the whole house, they can use all these spaces as well use the twin size aerobed or their own sleeping bags if some want to sleep on the floor.  I charge an extra $10 per person over 10 guests, but that usually isn't a problem since I state in the listing and make sure to emphasize in our emails that it is a typical 100+ year old house and so there is only one bathroom.

[Jo13]

@Monica, thank you so very much for addressing this and providing a fix. I've been having the same problem.

"Intentionally or not, airbnb is inviting guests over and above the set number, to stay for free." I also got this impression. My listing is located on a property where guest/resident numbers are determined by the body corporate rules, which are governed by law. I hope an easy way to set "no additional guests" is added soon.

Thanks again!