I'm writing this is as a PSA to hosts after experiencing several recent incidents with regards to guest cancellations. Since the start of the pandemic, Airbnb has gone to lengths to portray themselves as being very pro-hosts through new initiatives and promises, but they reality is very different. I am a superhost with multiple residences and have been an avid partner of Airbnb for a while now but after my current reservations complete I am likely done using the platform unless significant changes are made.
On a recent week-long booking, my guest canceled three days prior to check-in, explaining their plans had changed. My cancellation policy was setup to provide a full refund in the even of any cancelations made five days or less prior to check-in. No mention of an emergency or any sort of extenuating circumstances was provided by the guest. I contacted support to ask why I had not been issued any refund but received no answer other than a link to the cancelation policies page. Subsequent follow-up requests went unanswered.
On another occasion, I had a guest "accidently" book a four day stay with a check-in date two days after the booking date. My cancellation policy again provided for a full refund in event of a cancelation 5 days or less prior to check-in The guest contacted Airbnb support who reached out to me, explaining that the guest had selected the wrong dates and needed to change their reservation for the following month. Knowing a refusal would likely cause problems and could threat my superhost status, I accommodated the request and let them switch the reservation dates. Because of the date change, I had to refuse a long-term stay request that overlapped with the new reservation dates. A few days after this, the guest canceled the modified reservation with no explanation. Of course, I was denied any recompense because I had permitted the date change. I later learned that the guest had used my listing as a holdover while she looked for and found cheaper accommodations, upon which she canceled.
These are two instances of an on-going trend that has only become more common. I am acquainted with several other hosts in my region and they have spoken of similar issues with cancellations. During the height of the pandemic I experienced several last minute cancelations but since guests could claim a COVID disruption there was no recourse available. Now however, it seems guests are not expected to provide any proof or explanation, and are able to subvert reservation requirements as they please with no consequences.
Between these issues and the deterioration in host support, I am all but done using Airbnb as a hosting platform. I had a recent support request for a minor issue go un-answered for 6 days, leaving me unable to accommodate my guest at the time. I ended up letting her stay an extra day free of charge to avoid a negative review, but I fear such issues will only become more common now that Airbnb has outsourced most of its support network to individuals with no knowledge of their terms of service. All of this coupled with the recent increases in service charges, which make it difficult to charge competitive rates while still being cheaper than hotels, I have serious reservations over the future of hosting on Airbnb.
