Airbnb Cancellation

[James1639]

Good morning

I wonder if anyone can help me. We had a villa booked for mine and my fiances wedding plus 12 other guests. Airbnb have now cancelled this 7 weeks before we are due there as they are 'investigating' the host. They have issued us a refund but due to the timing we are now without accommodation. They did offer alternative villas but they are no where near upto the standard we booked. Are they allowed to do this?

Thankyou

[Purnima4]

Hi, I think you should be thankful that AirBnB saved you from a blunder. Just think, how much chaos there might have been, in case there is something not perfect with the reservation. 

Still I do understand the whole turn of events will add on to preparations, right now.

But now is better than last min / after you would have checked in.

Take an option! And enjoy the last few days before the big day!!!

Wishing you both all the best for the D day & life ahead .. Congratulations!! 

[Mika8]

@James1639 ... unfortunately investigating the host  means very often, that a guest tells airbnb some pure lies about the host and the host did absolutely nothing wrong (e.g. because the guest get caught sneaking in people, or asked to pay for a damage or something else .. and the guest tell lies for retaliation). .. you'll find tons of such threads in this forum.

Therefore, I would get in personal contact with the host and probably the host is willing to do the booking on a private basis .. of course in this case, the best would be if you have the chance to visit the property upfront to be sure, that everything should went out right. 

[Purnima4]

Hi Mika, I guess I am a little new to this and that's why trust the system a little more.

But, if AirBnB is treating hosts bad & considering guests' words more than hosts'; then may be we should raise a serious discussion with them - cause its just their verifications and trust on which we accept guests at our home & if eventually those guests don't hold up and even AirBnB doesn't listen to us - it is just not a good scenario for hosts!

AirBnB should be held accountable for such events!!

[Mika8]

@James1639  .. and to your question: Yes, we all signed the TOS which allows airbnb to do such stuff, even if there is only one word and no evidence at all. 

[Anonymous]

@James1639 In this case I would strongly discourage you from following @Mika8 's advice. If you make private arrangements with the host and the villa turns out to not be as advertised, or an outright scam, you'll be in a much worse position than you're in now.

If you're not pleased with the other Airbnb properties available, try one of the platforms that specializes more in luxury properties. Alternatively, inquire with the tourist bureau of your destination, which may have contact with owners that don't list on global websites.

[Alice595]

@James1639  Read the reviews of the host’s listing you booked. If you don’t see anything questionable, you can make your decision to contact the host directly or choose other alternative. There must be a reason why you chose that listing when you booked.

[Helen3]

Hi @James1639 

Are you sure it was Airbnb and not the host that cancelled the booking? In the majority of cases when this happens the host will have done the cancellation. If this is the case I would have hoped they would apologise and explain why.

Unfortunately with anything you book be it a hotel, self-catering, or Airbnb bookings can be cancelled. There could be an illness in the family with your host, emergency building works, or it could be that the host has had poor reviews or it is not legal to do short term rentals in the area in which they operate and they have been stopped by their local government.

The important thing now is to focus on getting somewhere for your wedding. If you can't find something appropriate through Airbnb ask for a refund and look for somewhere  through another listing company or somewhere like Owners Abroad.

Good luck.

[Alice595]

@Helen3 

In @James1639 post, he mentioned specifically about the Airbnb is investigating the host. I would think that Airbnb canceled the booking.

[Mika8]

@Purnima4  ... oh yeah .. you're new .. we could talk in a while, when you know the system 😉

[Linda108]

Who to trust in this situation, @James1639 ,right?  Usually I agree that Air BNB will not cancel a reservation for frivolous reasons.  It is not in their interest to do so due to all the bad publicity from doing that.  However, I wonder if you have the link to the listing so maybe host input could be more helpful.  If you think it would be wise to disregard the Air BNB action and go private with the host, you would need to feel confident about the integrity of that host.