Host cancels Labor Day Weekend Reservation today with no Explanation!

[Jennifer2550]

Hi Airbnb Community,

The host of my reservation for Labor Day weekend canceled today with no explanation. I have had this reservation for months. I have tried to reach out to Airbnb 800# and online because everything else is either booked or the price is now twice the price.

What is the policy about this? Seems unfair, as a guest if I had canceled this late, I would not get a refund, but a host can do so without any consequences. I don't care about some $50 fee or not being a super host. That doesn't solve my problem or help the guest.

Really starting to think about stop using this service because this is the second reservation that I have had a problem with in the last week.

Does anybody have any suggestions? 

Best,

Jenny

[Debra300]

@Jennifer2550,

I know it's very disappointing and frustrating to have the host cancel your reservation so close to the arrival date.  You are correct that the penalties the host may incur will not help you find another space that will fit all of your needs.  In no defense of Airbnb, because they have their share of issues, but you would be in the same predicament if the now canceled reservation had been made on another platform.  I recommend that you always purchase travel insurance or use a credit card that provides travel cancellation coverage.  You will not be covered for COVID-19 related incidents, but it comes in very handy for many other trip related situations, like the one you have now.

I have seen other people mention that they've had better luck reaching Airbnb customer service via Twitter or Facebook.  

[Jennifer2550]

thanks @Debra300 for your feedback!  How would travel insurance help me with this reservation?  I thought it only helped if the guest had to cancel?  Also, do you know why Airbnb doesn't sell it?  Sometimes when I book, it does come up and I buy it, but I think that is reservations on VRBO.  I tired to purchase it for a recent Airbnb reservation and searched for it on Airbnb.  They referred to some where else and I believe the article said they don't sell it.

[Debra300]

@Jennifer2550,

You're right, travel insurance does provide coverage for many of the events that would cause the traveler to cancel, but one covered event is if the rental is unavailable for check-in or uninhabitable during your stay.  Since the holiday weekend is quickly approaching, I would not want you to be in a worse predicament of a day-of-arrival cancellation.  If you do a fair bit of traveling, you may want to consider an annual policy.  Just remember, you could be traveling relatively close to home, like the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and still incur a travel incident.

I've seen a recent post stating that Airbnb is making recommendations for travel insurance in Canada and the US, but they are not selling it like Vrbo: https://www.airbnb.com/d/travel-insurance.

[Anonymous]

@Jennifer2550 it used to be the case that when a host canceled a booking last minute , Airbnb automatically granted the guest a short term voucher worth 10% of the cost of the stay, valid for the dates of the original booking. Unfortunately, this is of no use if literally all of the Airbnb homes in your destination are already booked. To be clear, though, the only thing the host owes you directly for your inconvenience is a full refund - not an explanation, nor further compensation. 

Travel insurance does not always cover scenarios where you as the guest cancel a booking - that tends to be a premium - but it's far more typical for it to cover additional costs incurred when your transport or accommodation cancels on you.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jennifer2550 The host willl have an automatic review posted on their listing saying 'host cancelled xx days prior to stay'. If you see these reviews on listings (especially if there is more than one) it is often an indication that you should avoid them.

I realise this doesn't help you and I hope that the type of hosts that cancel at short notice are few and far between - Of course some do for legitimate reasons such as previous guest trashing the place.