AirRented

It can be so disappointing when you find the perfect Airbnb for your trip, only to see that it’s just outside your budget. Especially when the nightly price is so close to the price you are looking for. But when it comes to the final total, the cleaning and other fees add up to an expensive booking. So can you negotiate Airbnb prices to get that perfect trip? Yes, you can.

As a host, I often get asked for discounts on my nightly price, even though my pricing is very good value. My property is regularly a little cheaper than local competition. Despite this it doesn’t stop people from asking anyway.

Take it from me, enquiring about a discount or reduced price doesn’t hurt but you need to do it the right way. You also need to know when is the right and wrong time to ask.

What kind of trip warrants a discount request?

I’ll be honest, I personally don’t like it when guests ask for a discount on a one or two night stay. When I first had someone message me asking me for a discount, I’ve got to admit, I felt a little bit insulted.

However over time I learned that it’s often part of the hosting process. Many guests do chance it and see if they can get a better deal. The many full price bookings I received showed that I was indeed pricing fairly and accurately.

My pricing is also so competitive that I know a guest will be getting a good deal. I don’t mind however if they are looking to book longer stays of a few weeks.

If you’re looking to stay for longer, go ahead and ask – I’d probably do the same myself. Airbnb in particular allows hosts to set automatic price reductions for longer bookings and some of these can be quite substantial, being 20% or more as weekly discounts. It doesn’t hurt to push this a little further.

I don’t actually host longer stays anymore due to personal reasons and I actually prefer short one or two night bookings. My advice, if it’s just one night away, I wouldn’t bother. In most cases it’s not worth a host reducing their single night pricing by much, if at all.

Tips for negotiating

Like I said, hosts are running a business and want to keep their calendars full. If you can help them achieve this quickly and they know they might have trouble filling the calendar -or will lose too many days in between bookings – you might get a host willing to go lower.

• Don’t offer a ridiculous price. Requesting a substantial and unrealistic discount is a waste of both party’s time (even if you think your price is fair!).

• Don’t bother asking for one night booking discounts. Asking for a discount on one night isn’t going to be attractive to a host.

• If you’re getting a discount, there needs to be a trade-off. If you have a history of good feedback from previous trips that were all 5 stars, this can work in your favour. Zero history of trips on the platform isn’t going to warrant a discount in my opinion. There needs to be a positive for the host that even though they are getting a lower nightly price, there will be a justified reason.

• If your host agrees to the discount you’ve negotiated, don’t push your luck further. If they say yes, don’t ask if they can give you an even greater discount. You got money off – accept it gracefully.

• Remain upbeat and friendly but remember to not be pushy. If you’re pushy, the host will likely not want to host you even at full price.

• Also remember, the more time you waste waiting for a host to respond to a negotiation, the greater chance the place might get booked up by someone else. If your proposition isn’t attractive, the host isn’t going to be keen on responding quickly.

Accept rejection

As above, don’t be pushy – know when to quit when a host has politely said ‘no’. Hosts are running businesses and for many, this is their full-time income. They need to make a living and if they can get the full price and know they will be booked, they might say no.

More often than not, a host has calculated their margins and pricing down to perfection. Peak seasons can mean that they might not need to heavily discount to get bookings.

As the platform grows in popularity with more and more properties this can work with and against you. In super competitive spaces, a host may have perfected their pricing so they can’t discount any further. On the flip side, if the local area is ultra competitive they might be grateful for the booking, particularly if they’re struggling to get any or if they are new.

New hosts will be more likely to accept a request of a discount in order to build feedback early on in their hosting journey. When I first started, many of my enquiries were asking about discounts and I considered them.

Don’t be disheartened if they say no. The Airbnb platform is huge and you’ll definitely be able to find something else that’s within your budget.