Changing our policy on avoidable Host cancellations

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Changing our policy on avoidable Host cancellations

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As our partners on Airbnb, Hosts do an incredible job of honoring reservations and going above and beyond to support guests every day. That’s why guests from around the world trust complete strangers with some of the most important days of their lives—from summer vacations and staycations to honeymoons and anniversary celebrations. 

 

But when Hosts cancel on guests for preventable reasons—like accidentally double-booking or wanting to host friends and family instead—guests lose the confidence to book on Airbnb, and this impacts all Hosts and hurts our entire community. 

 

Starting August 22, 2022, we’re updating our Host Cancellation Policy. The existing policy has been in place for many years and included small fees if you had to cancel a reservation. 

 

Get the full details on the Resource Center.

 

188 Replies 188
Jenny
Community Manager
Community Manager
Galashiels, United Kingdom

Hi @Michelle1016 

 

Just to clarify, the Community Center isn't a formal branch of support for Airbnb, and Online Community managers aren't Customer Service staff.  We're here to manage the community and make sure that it's a safe place for Hosts (and guests) to connect about their experiences amongst other things.

Any feedback that's provided by Community members in response to Airbnb updates is always collated and passed to the right people at Airbnb, and in previous cases (such as the Summer update) the feedback has resulted in further changes being made to updates.  

I am sorry that you're unhappy, but please be assured that your feedback is being passed to the relevant people.

Jenny

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Please follow the Community Guidelines

I fully agree with penalties to hosts. We currently wanted to come to Corsica for 2 weeks and both HOSTs cancelled reservation 3 weeks before and we were not able to find any adequate accomodation in the same location. And AirBnB does not offer any possibility to provide negative feedback on the HOST to the community as public feedback. 

This is really disciriminating and we are already looking into another accomodation platform that does not have this weakneses that discriminate guests. 

Martin, I don't think that word means what you think it means.  Just because hosts cancelled on you doesn't mean they are discriminating against you.  Guests who throw around buzzwords to make hosts lives' miserable is why hosts like to stop hosting.  There are many reasons for hosts to cancel - especially these days.  At least they gave you 3 weeks notice - that's very accommodating.  

 @Martin4343

whats discriminating? that you can not tell airbnb these two hosts did this? And do you think hosts can report guests who cancel with no really good reason? I think its fair play, this casus you provide. Not nice for you. What were the reasons given by the hosts?

@Jenny  Forgive us if we don't have faith in AirBNB being able to discern a valid reason from an invalid one.

When it comes to guests, AirBNB refunds money without even consulting with the host nor requiring proof from the guest they have a legit reason for getting a refund.

On other social media platforms, I am routinely (as in weekly) reading about hosts whose listings are being shut down because a guest had a party unbeknownst to the host until after the fact. Why are the hosts punished when a guest violates your policies?

And then when you read about a guest who doesn't have a good reason to cancel so they make up a lie (There's a camera in the bathroom) and get an instant FULL refund. Meanwhile, the host logs on to their account and finds it suspended with NO explanation. 

And let's not forget everyone's favorite scam - The Service Dog. Guest brings an 8 week old puppy that isn't even house broken and claims it's a service animal. When the host calls them out, guest leaves a 1* retaliatory review, throws a tantrum and AirBNB refunds their money.

What about HOST protections?

There is no penalty for GUEST misbehavior.

Jenny
Community Manager
Community Manager
Galashiels, United Kingdom

Hi @Stephanie365 

Thanks for taking the time to give us your thoughts.

 

As always, we're collecting feedback, and I've made sure yours is noted.

Jenny

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Please follow the Community Guidelines

Toetsie0
Level 5
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Its bizarre. Superhosts, and most hosts i assume, will only cancel for a very good reason. The double booking: when at the same day someone books the 2 persons room, and some other group grabs the 2 rooms together, there is a problem. In my 9 years that happend maybe 2 to 4 times i guess? Thats where i call the hostline, and make the problem go away, on the day the bookings happened. And THEN airbnb takes a bite of my not earned money? WHUUUT?? I just now after receiving and reading the email  with the plans turned off Instant booking for all three my possible combinations of rooms, and im really feeling offended by this.

Curious what other hosts do. 

 

 

@Toetsie0  you should link your ABB calendars to prevent this to happen

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1864/linking-calendars-for-multiple-listings

 

Airbnb linked calendar does not work if you have more than x2 listings linked = beware.

Airbnb know this, yet have not fixed in over x4 years, and now they want to fine us for their known bugs? = grrrr !

But.. i dont want them to be linked by Airbnb. I want to work it myself. 

 

Reasons for stay cancelation. 

 

1.st floods :))) - we were checking weather there and nothing around. 

 

2nd error in booking system - doublebooking - 4weeks after we paid -  and only 3weeks before our stay. 
we paid already 500 eur ferry to Corsica so have to go there and all possibilities are double or more. 

And I want to have a chance to write it down that everyone sees unreliable hosts. 

We are family of 5 so chance to do big mess is very low and we even nicely communicated to the hosts. 

 

Martin,

We are all sorry for your experience, but we are not all like that.

There always two sides to a story....

But we as hosts should not all be tarred / penalised with the same brush.

-Ben

I did the same thing. I decided to turn off instant book so that I am protected from any booking errors that may put me in the position to be penalized unfairly (I have lost trust in the decision making of customer service and worried that my interests and good intent will not be recognized or protected). I also decided to unlist (put on snooze for 6 months in order to honor existing reservations that have been made) five out of my six listings that are doing better on our other booking platforms and have left only our larger group type listing available on airbnb for now. I am going to see how this goes for other hosts and make a decision to turn listing back on or permanently deactivate them in six months.

Jenny,

Does a preventable reason count as your known IT bugs on Calendar linkaging not working etc (I have posted in detail on page 5). 

Also Kate, having a strict policy is to stop being mucked around by guests - which as we all know, often happens. We are not hotels, if you have booked somewhere and cancel - how are we supposed to make up the monies?

For those of us who have been around for years we are aware of some of the IT bugs that Airbnb has on showing listings in search, blocks versus street names, property names verusus numbers, calendar linking issues etc etc. None of these bugs ever seem to be fixed...and all we ever get (in the UK) is CS in Manila unable to do anything meaningful....

As someone else notes in this discussion, travel insurance should be used by guests - that is what it is for. Rather than turning hosts into guests travel insurance...

-Ben

Also what about the situation where the guest books last-minute and the host cancels immediately (or within a few minutes when they realize there’s a conflict)?  This would be in the most onerous category because the host is canceling right before arrival. And I just don’t see the big harm here