Can I decline an Airbnb request?
You can respond to an inquiry with an answer, a pre-approval, or by declining. Declining an inquiry signals to the guest that their needs aren't a good fit for your space and encourages them to request another listing. But none of these actions directly affect your acceptance rate.
Both guests and Hosts can decline trip change requests. If you decline, the proposed changes don't take effect, and the existing reservation details remain as is. There are no penalties for declining, but if you're a Host, there are a few issues to consider when responding to a trip change request from a guest.
First and foremost, be polite! Taking the time to craft a nice message is worth it. Thank the potential Airbnb guest for their inquiry and apologize for not having the property available at their requested time. If you feel that you need to give a reason for your refusal, do so, but keep it short and professional.
You can also decline an inquiry, which prevents the guest from sending a request. Make sure to review our Nondiscrimination Policy before you decline. Turning down a lot of requests can impact your reservation rates and where your listing shows up in search.
In response, the host will need to either accept or decline the request within 24 hours before it expires. Regardless of whether the guest sends a booking inquiry or reservation request, hosts will receive an email notification advising when either of these are received.
Before we get into exactly how to decline bookings, let's review some of the most common reasons why Airbnb hosts decline bookings: Scheduling conflicts. Sometimes hosts forget to update their calendars. They may have to then decline dates for which their properties should have been marked off as unavailable on Airbnb.
- Understand the reason for the request. ...
- Brainstorm several solutions. ...
- Firmly, but gently, decline the request. ...
- Give a reason for declining the request. ...
- Offer alternative resolutions.
If you are looking for wording you can say something along the lines of, because of the high demands of the holidays, I am completely booked. Thank you for considering me.
If your reservation request is declined by the host or expires (hosts have 24 hours to respond), no charge is made for the reservation and you're free to book another place to stay.
Before you've accepted a reservation
Declining an individual trip request won't negatively impact your listing's placement. However, your search result placement may be impacted if you frequently decline requests.
How do I respond to an inquiry on Airbnb?
- Invite them to book: This is the fastest way to clinch a reservation after an inquiry—all the guest has to do is confirm your invitation.
- Send a special offer: Depending on what they're asking, try suggesting a different price, date, or listing that might work better.
Can I cancel or decline an inquiry? Yes. When a prospective guest sends an inquiry about your property, you may check their account and if you don't find them trustworthy, decline the inquiry.
Your message is the place to demonstrate that your expectations are in line with what the host is offering. Still stuck? Here's a cheat sheet for how to write a good Airbnb message: Introduce yourself, clarify what dates you are looking to travel, give the purpose of your visit (Is it to visit family?
fully booked; sold out; booked up.
adjective. (Hospitality (hotel): Reservations and checking in and out) If a hotel or restaurant is fully booked, it has no rooms or tables left for a particular time or date. Sorry, the hotel is fully booked.
- Ask for clarification.
- Explain what's going to happen next.
- Be honest.
- Reframe the “no” using positive language.
- Make the customer feel heard.
- Offer alternatives.
- Explain the reasoning behind the current design.
Hosts have 24 hours to accept or decline your request, but the vast majority reply within 12 hours. Chances are, it'll be even quicker: More than half of all trip requests are accepted within one hour of the Host reading it.
- Go to the listing and click Check availability.
- Select dates, number of guests, then click Reserve.
- If you are shown Confirm and pay, you can book instantly.
- If you are shown Request to book, you can add payment info, review the policies and terms, and message the host before you submit.
- Go to Reservations.
- Go to the reservation you want to cancel and click Details.
- Click Change or cancel reservation > Cancel reservation.
- Select your answers to the questions that follow, and click Next.
- Confirm the details and click Cancel reservation.
Haven't heard back? Most Hosts respond within a few hours, but time zones and lack of internet access might slow things down. In the meantime, try reaching out to other Hosts in the area. Just be careful not to send more than one trip request for the same dates to ensure you don't end up double booked.
