Charging extra for "events" or "gatherings" above the guest amount

[Sunny Malik]

Hi everyone, 

I’m fairly new to hosting on Airbnb, especially when it comes to managing a larger property that accommodates big groups. I have a 6 bed / 6 bath Airbnb that’s been attracting group bookings, which is great, but I’m running into a recurring situation I’d love some advice on.

Often, guests book for the maximum overnight capacity (around 16), but then ask if they can have many more people visit during the day. For example, one group booked for Christmas and now wants to host 30–35 people at the house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, even though only 16 are staying overnight. I'm no scrooge but that's more than double the people and really extending its max use. I’ve also had similar requests for birthdays and other gatherings, where the number of daytime visitors far exceeds the overnight guests.

I understand this can create extra wear and tear, as well as a bigger mess to clean. My current thought is to charge an additional “deep cleaning” fee, but I’m unsure if that’s the best approach. Do other hosts here charge extra just for cleaning, or do you also adjust the nightly rate to account for the higher usage on those event days?

Any tips or strategies you’ve found helpful would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Sunny

[Ian Tyndall]

It will be interesting to hear what others have to say, but I do not allow for any events that push beyond the nightly limit of guests. 

My homes are in residential neighborhoods and having 30 people show up is not going to go over well with the neighborhood. Even if it is for a 1 year old birthday party. All the cars and people walking around the house will draw unwelcome attention.