An update on changes to the Strict cancellation policy

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

We recently announced that we’re updating our Strict cancellation policy. Starting May 1, 2018, guests will have the option to cancel for free within 48 hours of booking, as long as their check-in date is at least 14 days away.

In response to this announcement, many of you voiced concerns about Airbnb sharing your details with guests who may cancel. We take your privacy very seriously, so thank you for that feedback—it inspired important updates that give you more control over when your listing details and contact information are shared with guests.  

Here’s how we’re addressing your concerns

You can choose not to share your address, phone number, and last name with guests during the period that they can cancel for free. Guests will never see these details if they cancel their reservation during the free cancellation window.

To use this feature, go to Listing > Listing details > Edit location in your Airbnb account. Under Visibility for booked guests, check the box next to Share details with guests after the free cancellation period.  

This feature will be available to all hosts on May 1, regardless of their cancellation policy (Strict, Flexible, Moderate). And just in case you missed the announcement, here’s what’s changing for hosts who have a Strict cancellation policy:

• Guests will get a full refund if they cancel within 48 hours of booking, as long as their check-in date is at least 14 days away. This means that even if a guest books a reservation months in advance, they’re only able to get a full refund if they cancel within the first 48 hours after booking.  
• Guests can only get 3 full refunds per year. After that, guests will no longer be able to cancel for free.
• To discourage guests from making multiple reservations for the same dates and then cancelling, overlapping reservations aren’t eligible for a full refund.

This change helps hosts with a Strict cancellation policy compete with listings that offer guests more flexibility. Guests feel more confident booking reservations that give them room to make changes or fix booking mistakes immediately. The updated policy gives guests this flexibility, but only for 48 hours after they book.

Airbnb is committed to the success of all hosts and we know changes impact how you work. We don’t make changes like these without extensive testing, and after we change the policy on May 1st, we’ll continue to monitor the impact by providing the grace period to a portion of guests before making it available to all guests. As we roll this out, we’ll continue to listen to your valuable feedback.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Kerri36]

I agree with all your points, especially one free host cancellation...fair is fair!

[Judith248]

All well stated.

Especially, why is it that guests can do this three times a year whereas hosts can't cancel even once without losing their superhost status for 12-months?! Not a fair playing field, as usual!

[Mike340]

@Ziyin0

I tried to reply to your thread,but all I get is "an unexpected error has occurred"

Good point about the 50 pages of discussion and suggestions.

Unfortunately, it becomes plain to see that Airbnb are aligning their decisions on what competitors are doing and how best to attract guests.

There are more hosts than guests and those guests are being pulled to use various sites, not just AirBnb....and as such...it was a polite gesture to ask our views on the subject..but...they will remain in the bottom drawer until the competition for guest "bums on beds" gets somewhat easier....which I do not see happening for quite a while

Guests have the upperhand, that is very plain to see. 

[John1421]

I guess listening and hearing are 2 different viewpoints when it comes to what matters to Airbnb and the hosts it serves. Disappointed that Airbnb has chosen to disregard our input on this issue. Is what it is, but a truly tough pill to swallow. Such a shame because I have NEVER had any issues with using the "strict" policy and see no need to change. Time will tell.

[KandT0]

Well, this is where we should be able to stop bookers from seeing our contact info in the first 48 hours: https://www.airbnb.com/manage-your-space/XXXXXXXX/details/location-details -- But there is no "Visibility for booked guests" mentioned there and def no checkbox.

What a shambles. Says a lot about why the site and app has been so full of bugs and glitches.

[Maria1948]

@Lizzie so Airbnb has completely ignored all the comments on this and other threads- do you disrespect us so much? Other hosts have spent hours spelling out what we - your hosts who without you have no business- do not want this change. @Lizzie you ‘thank us for our great contribution ‘ and then now as the clock ticks down nothing has changed. My answer is going to have to incorporate this into my pricing thus making other platforms more attractive to guests. 

Very, very disappointed.

maria

[Ange2]

@Lizzie

- So Airbnb is essentially saying to 'strict' policy hosts, we don't need you anymore.

[Ange2]

@Lizzie

Can you put it in the top section, the other update and link is 4 weeks old and doesn't address the decison to roll it out as is with no changes and just the one concession for hiding information that doesn't work anyway.

[Wendy-and-Markus0]

@Lizzie-

Blocking our calendars for a full 48 hours is simply to long for a reservation that is due to start just within 14days. Yes, I understand 14 days is a minimum but still.. if it is a reservation within 14 days, now I have to find a way to fill in that reservation with only 12 days?

If hosts with a strict cancellation policy are being FORCED into the grace period... at the VERY least, this grace period should ONLY apply for bookings starting a full 32 days in advance.

[KandT0]

@Wendy-and-Markus0 Don't worry. I believe Airbnb is going to pay us if we don't get rebooked...

                                                                                                                                                            

[Christine615]

Same here - the option to "hide" and address isn't on my portal either. I'll check back after May 1.

I don't mind the grace period since I'm not in a hot vacation spot. But I can see how this would hurt people who are.

What I "DO" want is the option to hide my address until the grace period is over. I don't want people scouting for locations where they can look at a calendar and see when a unit is vacant because the set up a fake reservation.  It's a safety issue.

[Lila-And-Chris0]

@Bertrand48 

if you don’t mind my asking, what other platforms are you turning to? We’re in different markets ( I’m in GA), but I feel I must now also branch out. Disappointed to be put in a position where I feel this is necessary. 

[Ann10]

@Ange0-They are also saying we don't need you to hosts who don't want to use IB, SP, and Moderate for Business Ready. Business' don't need moderate, they have insurance. I've said this a bunch of times. I used to be on the 1st page w strict and booked all the time. When I wasn't my listing had a "Rare Find" banner on it.

Now, apparently they don't need anyone, even super hosts who don't fall in line because I was way in the back. I've now unlisted 2 of my listings, and I'm doing a limited experiment w the other. I accepted everything they have been pushing on me and I'm literally #1 again. The experiment ends tomorrow. 

[Ann10]

@Maria0- You can list on other platforms as well.

[Ann10]

@Mike0- I don't feel like it was a polite gesture because they knew all along they would disregard our concerns. In my opinion, they wasted our time. They should have said this is it, if you want to talk about it, maybe we will figure out how to protect your information, because we legally must, but beyond that we aren't changing anything so deal w it. Maybe they wanted to squeeze of bit more dough out of the people who will leave because of it.