Guest want to Alter their Reservation (again)

[Yannis21]

Last year (Feb 2020) I got a reservation for May 19 - May 25 2020. The guest couldn't make it due to a change of their plans and a cancellation of the event he would like to attend to. He asked if he could alter his reservation for next year (May 2021). He asked for 100% of refund and I politely refused as my policy for that is strict. So I accepted his alternation request. The problem is that he made another alternation request today for March 2022 (!) with no message attached this time and he "reduced" his stay for just 3 days (thats 50% less than his previous booking). I think he is trying to play it smart and safe to get at least 50% off back. I am thinking of declining this request. Will the guest be able to write vengeful review in case of no show? What do you suggest me to do?

[Till-and-Jutta0]

> Will the guest be able to write vengeful review in case of no show? 

If the booking will not be cancelled, the guest still can leave a review.

[Ute42]

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@Yannis21  

You are obviously working with a strict cancellation policy.

If Your guest cancells now, today, Your guest will have to pay a 50% cancellation fee.

If Your guest does not cancel until the day of check-in and then doesn't show up, the guest will be able to leave a review, but he/she will have to pay 100% of the rental price. Because if a guest doesn't cancel 14 days prior to check-in under strict cancellation terms, no money will be refunded at all.

So yes, in case of no show Your guest can leave a review, but that's an expensive review.

If I was in Your shoes, I would just reject the alteration request. As Your guest didn't send any message with the alteration request, I would also just write nothing.

[Dale711]

Hi @Yannis21

Welcome to the community! 😊

@Till-and-Jutta0 are  correctly point out.

When you decline the guest alternation date request, you must write why you refuse the request. As the reservation has been confirming, you prefer to keep the date as it is. 

Do a great communication with the guest no matter what happens, this is highly appreciated in the Airbnb terms and services, especially in the hospitality services, as well for a positive references to Airbnb.

Happy Hosting 😀

[Colleen253]

@Yannis21 Yes, the guest can still write a review in the case of a no show. So far all this guest has done is tie up multiple dates on your calendar and waste much of your time. I agree you should decline the latest request.

My standard response to alteration requests is no, with very few exceptions. I advise the guest to cancel. They will receive their refund according to my cancellation policy, and if I am able to rebook their cancelled dates, I will refund them the remainder. I advise them to cancel asap, as the sooner those dates are opened up, the sooner they can be rebooked. 

[M199]

@Yannis21 

Reject the change request, in my opinion.  Maybe in 2022 the guest will again request another reservation alteration.

What is it costing you in time and effort to accomodate this guest?  If the world (🤞) gets back to a reasonable normalcy, my feeling is that you and all hosts will have lots of guests to accomodate.