If an Airbnb guest asked you for a discount, would you give it to them?
The answer is more complicated than you might think. That’s because asking for a discount can be a sign of a bad guest–but not always. And, if you turn down everyone who asks for a discount, you could be losing some great bookings.
If you don’t want to miss out on Airbnb revenue, be sure to keep reading. By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly when and how to give a discount on Airbnb!
Contents
When should you give a discount to a potential Airbnb guest?
The answer is simple—it makes sense to give a discount when you believe those nights would otherwise go unbooked. Discounted bookings are better than no bookings!
That’s to say, if a potential guest asks for a discount, it doesn’t always make sense to give it to them. If you think your place will likely get booked by someone else at the current rate, politely turn them down. When you do, who knows—they might just book anyway.
But sometimes it’s unlikely your Airbnb will get booked for those dates. This is especially true during low season and when it’s a very last-minute booking. In those cases, you might be totally happy with giving your guests a discount! Keep reading to learn exactly how to do that.
Pro tip: One of the best things you can do to increase your profitability is optimize your listing.
Are guests who ask for discounts worse?
Once you’ve decided it makes sense to give a discount for the requested dates, you have to decide whether or not it makes sense to give a discount to the specific guest that made the request.
This is important because you might have heard that guests who ask for discounts tend to be bad guests. The idea is that, if they’re asking for something now, chances are they’ll continue to ask for more and more throughout their stay. While that might be true in some cases, applying that rule to everyone might mean you’re missing out on great revenue opportunities.
In my experience, the decision is much more nuanced than flat-out turning down anyone who asks. I’ve hosted guests who asked for a discount and turned out to be some of the best guests I’ve ever had! I’ve also rejected a lot of guests who ask for a discount and, to this day, I’m glad I did.
For example, I once had a WONDERFUL guest who booked the day-of check-in. Before booking, she shared a lot about herself, why she was traveling, and eventually asked for a discount. I’m so glad I agreed because she ended up being an absolutely wonderful guest (that left a GLOWING 5-star review!) and those nights would have otherwise gone un-booked.
On the other hand, I typically reject guests who, in their very first message, demand that I give them a discount. I just think this is a bad sign that is telling of how they’ll treat me and my property throughout their stay.
So, don’t turn down every single guest that asks for a discount. Instead, make your decision based on HOW they ask.
How to Give a Discount on Airbnb
Now that we’ve discussed when to give a discount, you need to know how to give a discount on Airbnb (which can be harder to figure out than you’d think).
How to give a discount on Airbnb:
- From your Airbnb inbox, find the message thread with the guest you want to offer the discount to
- Tap “details” in the upper right-hand corner
- Tap “special offer”
- From there, you can offer a new rate for their entire stay, without changing the nightly rate for all potential guests
- Once you send the offer, the guest will have 24 hours to accept it before it expires
Pro Tip: When calculating the amount for your special offer, be sure you calculate the rate for their ENTIRE stay AND you include your cleaning fee or any other fees you have! This can be confusing, so I recommend triple checking you’ve entered the correct amount before hitting send.
Takeaway
Approving discounts when guests ask can be a great way to increase your Airbnb revenue. By using the tips in this blog post, you’re well set up to give discounts strategically and correctly.
FAQs
Can Airbnb hosts give discounts?
Absolutely! Here’s how Airbnb hosts give discounts:
- From your Airbnb inbox, find the message thread with the guest you want to offer the discount to
- Tap “details” in the upper right-hand corner
- Tap “special offer”
- From there, you can offer a new rate for their entire stay, without changing the nightly rate for all potential guests
- Once you send the offer, the guest will have 24 hours to accept it before it expires
How do I offer last-minute discount on Airbnb?
When a guest asks for a last-minute discount, you can send them a special offer using the step-by-step guide in this blog post. Giving guests a last-minute discount is a great way to fill nights that would otherwise go unbooked!
What to say when an Airbnb guest asks for a discount?
Giving discounts when Airbnb guests ask can be a great way to to increase your hosting income. I once had a WONDERFUL guest who booked the day-of check-in. Before booking, she shared a lot about herself…and asked for a discount. I’m so glad I agreed because they ended up being absolutely wonderful guests and those nights would have otherwise gone un-booked. Follow the steps in this post to learn how to give a discount on Airbnb.
How to send a special offer on Airbnb?
Here’s how to send a special offer on Airbnb:
- From your Airbnb inbox, find the message thread with the guest you want to offer the discount to
- Tap “details” in the upper right-hand corner
- Tap “special offer”
- From there, you can offer a new rate for their entire stay, without changing the nightly rate for all potential guests
- Once you send the offer, the guest will have 24 hours to accept it before it expires
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What questions do you have about Airbnb cancellation policies? Let me know in the comments.
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Do you recommend using the last-minute discount function in Airbnb?
Hi Dana! I don’t use Airbnb’s last-minute discount feature to automatically apply discounts to all last-minute bookings, but I do like using their “promotions” feature to manually discount unbooked nights as the dates get closer. This feature isn’t always available but, if it is, you should see it on the backend of your Airbnb calendar. The reason I do it that way is because it allows me to stay in control of my pricing (I don’t always want to discount last-minute bookings, just the ones that I think might not otherwise get booked). That said, all markets are different and you know your place best, so it’s totally up to you!