Advise on a reservation

[Ettienne2]

Hi fellow Superhosts,

I’m looking for some advice on a guest who booked my place for two weeks in late August 2026 (a very high-demand period for us). I’ve sent her two messages through Airbnb, just to confirm basic details and open communication, and while I can see they were read, I haven’t received any reply.

I know the stay is still far away, but because it’s a long booking during peak season, I want to make sure this isn’t just a “placeholder” reservation that might get cancelled much later, leaving a large unbookable gap.

My questions for other hosts:

1. How long would you wait before taking further action?

2. Is there a tactful way to message her again that encourages a response?

3. Would you involve Airbnb support at this point, or is it too early?

4. Has anyone had a similar situation where a guest reads but doesn’t reply for months? What happened?

I’m not trying to pressure the guest, just make sure the booking is solid so I can plan my calendar and avoid last-minute surprises.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ettienne2 there is nothing you can or should do. If you worry about cancellations then make sure all future bookings are taken with the strictest cancellation policy possible.

to answer your questions

1) An infinite time

2) No

3) Involving Airbnb is just crazy as they typically don't help even when there is a legitimate reason to talk to them.

4) Yes but they still turned up due to our Strict policy perhaps.

[Greystone0]

Hi @Ettienne2 ,

In cases where I have asked direct questions and not gotten answers, regardless if I can tell if they read or not, I send a text or call.  And then follow up with a message post just re-capping any details or simply write in the message board thanks for fielding a call/text looking forward to hosting you, blah blah.

In our case, like you, we like to thwart placeholders and try to plant seeds that if guest is unsure about their reservation they should not make the reservation. We can't easily make up a cancelation for some time periods, just given the dynamics of our market and it's especially painful for a high season.

We don't market our high season dates in advance on this platform for this reason. We DO offer on this platform any dates still available as time draws near and in practice this means we often go without bookings on this platform which is far from ideal. We understand that new cancellation policy that allows this to be adjusted is coming and this would solve this, just as an aside.

Good luck!

[Shelley159]

Hi @Ettienne2 

Here's what I'd do (you asked ...), although it may not be as expected.

Seeing as it's high season, I would have absolutely no issue if this booking is just a placeholder. The closer to the time this guest cancels, the better for you from a financial perspective (assuming that you're in a popular area where guests would like to book). I'd be far more concerned if someone blocked my off-season dates for no reason - those are difficult to get re-booked at good rates.

Hosts cannot accept pre-bookings and cancel them closer to the time for a higher price (obviously!), but if a guest cancels on you and it's high season and you get a better price ... that would be fine by me. The only curveball is if you wanted to plan your own vacation around the August bookings - that could really mess up your plans.