HI There I am curious about insights as to why folks have a calendar open to all exchanges, but then deny requests without explanation. I am planning a trip to Spain in September and have been denied without explanation multiple times. If there was an explanation of…“oops, didn’t update my calendar, or can’t host for that many nights”, it would be one thing, but without explanation, I can’t begin to understand how to best use my time in requesting exchanges. Thanks for any insights!
Hello . Please read this : ✅ Did you know? A green calendar doesn't mean an automatic yes!
It might help to note any flexibility you might have so if someone has changes in plans they know what you can do. Also make sure you aren’t asking when you don’t match what they have available. For example sometimes I have gotten requests that don’t match my capacity for adults. It helps if you explain how you fit the location if there is a mismatch. People say no for a variety of reasons, sometime you can guess. Maybe they want someone to stay a longer part of the available time or your stay will break up a long stretch. Sometimes you have not mentioned something that they consider critical to notice (a pet or some plant watering). People will not mention these things to you in a response. Other times they just do not find you a match and you need to move on. Keep in mind you want to avoid short term rental terms like “booking” or “reserving” as the language in your request may result in “no” from some hosts.
When I’ve done this when I have availability it’s because the message I receive doesn’t make me want to exchange with that person, and invite them into my home, for one of any number of reasons. The “is your place available” one liners are the worst, but so are the essays that are clearly copy/pasted to everyone, and don’t mention anything about my specific listing. Or they have some bad feedback, or they are using freebie guests points (which my listing says I don’t accept), or their group size is too long…
The auto-reject is a handy feature for this.
Welcome to the Forum! Some really handy replies here from some of our members. Please do take a look at the article posted by Etienne, it responds to your query exactly