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

[Lizzie]

Hello @Ann10,

You can also find this thread at the top of the Airbnb Updates board here in the Community Center. (All discussion boards can be viewed by clicking on the 'Discuss' tab on the header bar and click 'All Discussion Rooms'. This might be handy for future update topics you are interested in.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Ann10]

@Sean119-Thank you! Somehow ABB now has an A+ rating at BBB even though they have over 200 complaints. How is that possible when other companies w less complaints have an F rating. I wonder if someone got paid off. Or maybe one of the hackers that always hack ABB and my account,  got paid to hack the BBB. It doesn't make sense. I think it used to be an F. I wonder how that happened. There are people on there complaining about how the host cancelled on them a few days ago and ABB didn't return their money or help them get another place. So, the whole 48 hours thing so nonsense. 

[Liz127]

@Lizzie  it seems so obvious from the MANY hosts who don't support this change that it is unwanted, yet Airbnb are not listening to us. I have a large property listed, and the chances of getting rebooked greatly diminish within a 14 day window. Hosts should have the option of using this feature, but it should not be forced on us. You are going to lose hosts to other booking sites.... 

[Sean119]

@Lizzie  I am lubed up and ready for May 1!  

[Ann10]

Maybe they have an A+ because they resolved over 1000 complaints made to the BBB. Still they have 97% negitive reviews there. Maybe if we complain to the BBB here-https://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/rental-listings/airbnb-inc-in-san-francis...

we can get some relief. I know I had a complaint that I made to pissedconsumer.com got partially resolved. I had to take legal action to get all of my money. Except I ended up letting them bunde the bad things they did to me togather so they could save money. I really regret that now, cause I really didn't get everything I deserved. No good deed goes unpunished. I don't know, my lawyer told me don't be too much of a problem cuz they will kick you off. I don't like being kicked off. I prefer quitting myself. 

[Natalia282]

I just want to say that my listing has been permanently deactivated on ABB and only listed on other platforms now. I encourage each one of you to do the same, ABB has reached new heights of treating hosts appallingly with this change.

[Shannon199]

For everyone's FYI - If the original thread was closed before, it seems to be reopened again....

Now 55 pages, over 800 hosts opposing the new policy. The moderator says that Airbnb is listening, to what end seems debatable. 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/New-strict-cancellation-policy-update/td-p/652735...

[Ann10]

I just noticed that if you do nothing. If you don't switch to 48 hours grace period or if you didn't, you will still have the old cancellation policy. So, never switch it on. Not even to experiment. It's probably a glitch, but I know from experience that it takes them months to figure out glitches. 

[Ann10]

@Lizzie- I did what you suggest. However, since I didn't know which thread you transferred, I had to go through 1000s of threads to find it. So, I gave up. Surely there must be a link, just like there is to this thread.

[Laura1674]

2 weeks is not long enough - this could leave me with a significant number of unbooked nights

[Sean119]

Not sure the ABB Strict Policy change will impact me too much at this rate....

While ABB chases transactions fees, other platforms deliver solid guests.

[Ann10]

@Sean119- I'm with you! Also, all my listing that are on super strict stayed on 30 days and I never voluntarily changed to 48 hours grace period and I'm still on regular strict for the other listings. However, I'm using the ones that are still on 30 days. The thing is ABB pushed me back because I wouldn't fall in line so like you, I got filled up w VRBO. I'm not sure how you were able to put your calendar up. I feel like things are working out just fine for me and I don't have the stress of having to deal w the ABB "customer service", "case managers", and "mediators" because I now have more control over my bookings and the deposits. I can also get paid immediately w Paypal. Less interaction w ABB means less risk and less stress for me. Because in the past I had to take legal action to get them to do the right thing and get them to pay me MY money. I thought maybe I had bad luck w them, but it seems like they are getting worse in their treatment of hosts. I don't see how that can have a good outcome in the long run. Oh, I do see how I can post the calendar. Tomorrow!

[Ann10]

@Lizzie- See like this-https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/An-update-on-changes-to-the-Strict-cancellation-p....

There are hundred of discussions rooms. I can't spend all day looking for the right room. Pls if you can it would be great to have the link. Someone said the thread was hidden. Can I post a new thread? 

[Lizzie]

Hello @Ann10,

As @Sean119 supplied you with the direct link above, I thought you would have used that one instead, but here it is again: New Cancellation Policy Update. 🙂 You can also find this using the Search bar.

This discussion is actually at the top of the Updates board and therefore you won't need to wade through hundreds of discussion topic there to find it. Hopefully the Airbnb Update board link will help you in the future.

This discussion has never been closed or hidden and it is still possible to comment there. If you are finding you receive an error message when trying to reply to a post, try refreshing the page and hopefully this will resolve this. Please let me know if you are experiencing this though.

I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Alastair0]

So in a nut shell, if we have a strict, super strict or easy policy then the guest is shown it before they book. No problems then is there>.....

Last year, two of the world’s biggest hotel brands, Hilton and Marriott, introduced stricter cancellation policies after reviewing their hotels’ booking and cancellation patterns. From June 2017, Marriott increased their fee-free cancellation period from 24 hours to 48 hours. A month later, Hilton followed suit, and for some properties, 72 hours.

“Recovering from a no-show can be difficult. You have an empty room and trying to fill it at the last minute can be a real challenge,” says Debrah Dhugga, the Managing Director of Dukes Hotel in London and Dubai. “Given that the majority of the bookings we receive are online, ensuring that the cancellation policy is visible is critical,” explains Dhugga.