@Dorothy226 @Colleen253 @Lisa723 It occurs to me, given the past great reviews, and the change of name on the profile, that Samuel may not be the one who cancelled this booking- perhaps the listing is being dealt with by someone else now. Obviously one person can't effectively look after 13 listings- it has to be a team if some sort.
While the majority of the reviews seem quite genuine, the very first one on this listing gave me pause. The first sentence, about it being absolutely the best Airbnb in Waikiki, is rather suspect. Has the guest stayed at every listing there to make such a statement?
@Dorothy226 While it might not have made any difference, what you said about there not having been any communication between you and the host from the time you booked 6 months ago until this week, is a factor in a lot of these last minute cancellation scenarios I've read about.
If it's a long time between booking and booked dates, it's a good idea to check in with the host a time or two in the interim. You can ask some question, or just ask for assurance that all is on for your booking. This can sometimes alert you to sketchy hosts, if they don't answer you, or take days or a week to.
I think one of the riskiest things is just Instant Booking a place, and then months later, a week or less before check-in, either assuming the host will send you check-in details, or having to ask for them if they haven't been sent.
There is always some risk of late cancellation, from either a host or a guest, for quite legitimate reasons. The plumbing bursts and the house is flooded and uninhabitable, the host has a serious accident or illness and no one to take over hosting for them, etc. But if you stick to booking places where the host just has one-few listings and great reviews, rather than these property managed places, and make sure to keep some line of communication open, the chances of being cancelled on are slim.
