@Airbnb
This post, by no means reflects the assistance that I received from my case managers Alicia & Malia. I greatly appreciate all of the assistance that was provided as I looked to rebook my vacation.
Over the years, I have had great experiences using Airbnb services. From vacations to one-night layovers, Airbnb has continued to deliver while increasing its standards. Until recently, guests were penalized heavily (under a strict policy) for cancel a reservation at the last minute. I believe this to be a great rule that promotes Airbnb hosts because it provides compensation for the time the host was booked, and now having limited time for a new booking, the host at least comes out with something gained.
Unfortunately, as an Airbnb traveler and Superhost, there are a few things that I wish were better. As many of you may know, arranging a vacation with 6 guests comes with lots of variables and moving parts. To simplify this chaotic process, I hopped on Airbnb and booked the place to stay 2 and half months out. Yay! Reservation down, time for flights.
Sadly, that was not the case. Recently, I was on the receiving end of the cancellation as a traveler/guest. So, in other words, the host cancel my reservation within 5 days of traveling. So back to those variables that I mentioned: Flights are done, travel to/from airport has been arranged, and event planning has completed as well. But, how does any of this works without a place to stay?
Thank you Airbnb Support. The support team quickly reached out about the cancellation and was on top of assisting us with the rebooking with a 10% credit. Surely that would be enough. Well, on second thought, the vacation is four days out, it’s beach season, Memorial Day Weekend, and the Tampa Bay Lightning are in the semi-finals of the playoffs. So, now I go from finding a nice play with a mid-range price point to a standard place that cost 500 more dollars. So the 10% credit is, now, $400 short of a new booking.
I thought this would be a quick and simple process, where Airbnb would notice the timelessness of this case and understand that the increase in the market value wasn’t proportional to that of the market value 3 months prior (when I originally booked). However, all I received from Airbnb was that this was very unfortunate for me and that the host would be penalized. As a Superhost, I am completely aware of this. So I ask again for them to extend more of a credit line to cover the additional cost. Given the fact that the new property would have been much cheaper in pricing three months ago, I find this only fair. But, yet again, they inform me that they can only add an additional $100 dollars, leaving $300 dollars to be paid on top of my original reservation amount.
The fact that I am a Superhost gives me a lot of insight from a different perspective than most guests. So I know how much work goes into making sure that each and every guest has a great experience. But this is the one time where I felt like Airbnb lowered their standards. Not only did they not rectify the situation, they basically stated that I have to pay more money for being the recipient of a cancellation. Now, let’s compare this to a Hilton, a Sheraton, a Marriott, a Le Meridian; many of the hotels that I enjoy reserving. The thing that separate these hotels is that the customer’s experience greatly outweighs $$$; if a customer has an awesome experience, not only do they become a lifelong customer, but they also inform others of the great experience, leading to new customers.
I’m sorry to say, but Airbnb really dropped the ball here. They risked loyal customers for $400 dollars, which does not come close to the amount of money that we spend through Airbnb. I am very thankful for those who tried their best to assist me, but I do hope that a new policy is created soon.
