Among Airbnb hosts, you'll find that asking for a discount is a red flag that a guest will be "difficult" and more hassle than they're worth. Many hosts will automatically decline guests who ask for discounts.
Having experimented with it a little bit, guests who ask for discounts do seem to be more "difficult" than most.
I've been thinking about why that may be the case. After all, what does it hurt to ask for a lower price?
I think the question reveals a basic orientation about the person. Some people frequently ask themselves "What's in it for me?" They try to bargain as much as they can for themselves, for as little as possible in exchange. "Win win" situations are fine, if that maximizes their return, but "win lose" scenarios are also fine, so long as they're on the win side.
Whereas others ask themselves "How can I contribute?" They look for opportunities to add value to both parties. They feel bad if a scenario turns "win lose", and try to correct it, even if they're on the winning side.
Now, people aren't typically one or the other. The "What's in it for me?" person frequently learns that "win win" scenarios result in a better long term payoff for themselves. And the "How can I contribute?" person learns that they have to attend to some degree to their own defense.
But in the "one time" games of many Airbnb transactions, the "What's in it for me?" orientation can result in a "win-lose" scenario for the host.
Having experimented with it a little bit, guests who ask for discounts do seem to be more "difficult" than most.
I've been thinking about why that may be the case. After all, what does it hurt to ask for a lower price?
I think the question reveals a basic orientation about the person. Some people frequently ask themselves "What's in it for me?" They try to bargain as much as they can for themselves, for as little as possible in exchange. "Win win" situations are fine, if that maximizes their return, but "win lose" scenarios are also fine, so long as they're on the win side.
Whereas others ask themselves "How can I contribute?" They look for opportunities to add value to both parties. They feel bad if a scenario turns "win lose", and try to correct it, even if they're on the winning side.
Now, people aren't typically one or the other. The "What's in it for me?" person frequently learns that "win win" scenarios result in a better long term payoff for themselves. And the "How can I contribute?" person learns that they have to attend to some degree to their own defense.
But in the "one time" games of many Airbnb transactions, the "What's in it for me?" orientation can result in a "win-lose" scenario for the host.