I have been an active member of the AirBNB community since early 2017. I love using airbnb for my travels. It makes traveling a lot more “homey,” and it is nice to have the space (rather than cramming into a tiny hotel room). AirBNB is usually the first site I go to when I look for accommodation, so I got to thinking whether customers should be able to negotiate the price of an AirBNB.
Before we get into it — *Disclaimer: I am not a professional, nor am I licensed to provide financial advice of any means. Please take this information as you will. I have also adjusted the numbers on the AirBNB prices to avoid any legal issues — but the net (Original — Negotiation Price is the same!)*
Inspiration to Negotiate
Over the past few years, I have stayed in over 15 airbnbs. Negotiation on the price of an airbnb was never something that came to mind throughout those years. About a month ago, I began watching the show “Million Dollar Listing,” and it inspired me to negotiate my next AirBNB stay. If you are not familiar with the reality show, it essentially follows around several top real estate agents in Los Angeles and New York. The agents are constantly negotiating the prices of properties, and it is truly inspiring to see their success.
Before I decided to try negotiating on AirBNB, I wanted to know whether it was even possible to do so on the platform. After some research, I found out that AirBNB has an option called a “special offer” for hosts. The “special offer” essentially allows the host to give the guest a better offer on their stay. After you inquire about the AirBNB, the host can decide to send you a “special offer.” With my newfound knowledge on AirBNB negotiation, I decided to commit myself to receiving several “special offers!”
Time to Negotiate
I knew I was going to spend a month with my boyfriend in New York City this July. Several of my friends also wanted to plan a trip to upstate New York for a weekend getaway. It was time to negotiate the price of two different “vacations.”
Both trips were extremely different, so I knew I was going to have to use different strategies to negotiate. For the monthly New York City stay, our budget was $2600. We would be paying around $1300 each, and we did not want to go above that price point. I began my search on airbnb, and found several apartments in the $3000 range that I fell in love with. I created a sample message which said the following:
Hi (AirBNB host’s name),
My boyfriend and I are searching for a place to stay throughout the month of July, and we came across your beautiful listing. We would love to book your place, but it is slightly above our budget. Would it be possible to provide us with a discount? We are extremely respectable guests who will treat your place as their own. Thank you in advance, and we hope to hear from you soon!
New York City Results
One day after sending this message to four airbnb hosts, I received 3/4 replies. This was shocking to me, as I genuinely expected them to ignore my inquiry. Two of the hosts immediately responded and inquired about our budget. The third one responded to us saying they already have someone interested in the apartment — but would let us know if there was a vacancy. I believe the fourth host that I reached out to did not respond at all, yet I did notice that this host had zero reviews on their apartment. Their response time (shown on their AirBNB profile) also mentioned that it took them several days to respond to an inquiry.
These two facts about the fourth inquiry led me to believe that AirBNB negotiation may work best with experienced hosts.
Below is a break down of the original prices and the prices the hosts agreed to go down to (negotiation price) of the four AirBNBs.
AirBNB 1: $3,332
Negotiation Price: $2,700
AirBNB 2: $3,230
Negotiation Price: $3,000
AirBNB 3: $3,107
Negotiation Price: None, this AirBNB was occupied by another guest.
AirBNB 4: $2,960
Negotiation Price: None, this host has not responded yet (today marks 4 days post the initial inquiry).
As you can see, this experience has shown me that negotiation is definitely possible on AirBNB. If you want to get the best deal, you 100% need to negotiate.
Upstate Weekend Trip Results
Going into a negotiation with my friends involved was a bit of a different story. We found two beautiful properties that we loved, and we did not want to lose them by upsetting the hosts. There was evidently a lot of demand for the weekend of our trip (3 night stay), as most nice houses that could accommodate 7+ people were already booked. My friends agreed and allowed me to negotiate on a price that would allow us each to save $40 ($40 x 7people = $280 of total savings).
AirBNB 1: $1,845
Negotiation Price: $1,550
AirBNB 2: $1,600
Negotiation Price: Host denied us the ability to book and did not leave a comment on our negotiation initiation message.
Takeaways
If you do not have anything to lose, you should always try to negotiate your AirBNB. If the property is not something that you need to book immediately, you should always negotiate your AirBNB. It is important that you are careful not to cross any lines when negotiating or insult the host in any way.
At the end of the day, the host is going to decide whether they want you as a guest or not. They will also decide whether to give you a “special offer” or not. There is nothing wrong though — with asking for a discount! You shouldn’t be shy when it comes to these matters, and you can always keep it open ended. Don’t just assume that a host will drop to your budget. It is very likely that they may compromise with you and meet you somewhere in the middle!
I hope this article has given you the courage to try and negotiate your next AirBNB. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever negotiated an AirBNB and your experience!