Covid related partial refund request

[Kelly1159]

Looking for advice.

The renters coming this evening just informed me that the other family they were traveling with has Covid and cannot join them. The one family is still coming but are asking for a 50% refund to cover the other family’s portion of the stay.

Since we don’t charge per person, but rather a nightly rate, I’m inclined to decline their request. However, I don’t want to be insensitive and understand these are very unusual times. Would a 10% refund be acceptable, or still too insensitive? Thoughts?

[M199]

@Kelly1159 

HE, double toothpicks!  NO!

Why should you take a loss?  Their friends/family can suck up the costs.  

Hosts get penalized enough, why would you want to set another precedent.

[Lorna170]

@Kelly1159   You rented them the entire house. They knew what the cost was. The house does not get cheaper or smaller if half of the guests can’t arrive.  

This is why guests should have travel insurance.  

[Sarah977]

@Kelly1159  Pretty cheapo of the guests. Up to them to work it out with their friends.

I suppose they might be thinking that they would have booked a smaller, cheaper place had they known their friends weren't coming, but that's not your problem.

If you wanted to be compassionate and offer them say a 10% discount, I would make that contingent on you locking off one or two of the bedrooms, depending on how many they will now need. Otherwise you could give them a discount, only to find they availed themselves of all the beds and bedrooms, giving you just as big a cleaning and laundry job as if there had been a full house.

[Anonymous]

@Kelly1159  It's not insensitive at all to stick to the price that the guests accepted when they booked. But I find that it's more effective to gently decline an audacious request than to make a counter-offer. Taking a 10% pay cut will not make the guests happier or buy a better review ; it only signals that you can be manipulated into more discounts and refunds. 

[Helen744]

helen@744 I recently had a couple stay who initially said there friend could only stay one of the three nights booked expecting a discount . I ignored that but when the guest was not turning up on the day of arrival in fact two hours before arrival and they asked to change their booking . I told them that it was not usual to expect a change on day of arrival but I would change it but then asked that they do not used the third room which I simply closed . they were perfectly happy but its just a day to day thing really H