Blocked dates - host cancellation

Laura4624
Level 2
United Kingdom

Blocked dates - host cancellation

Good afternoon

 

I am hoping someone with a similar experience can help me. I had an enquiry in November of last year but I had to decline due to the pandemic and the uncertainties that this year possibly may have. The guest was fine with this but asked me to cancel the reservation as Airbnb informed her that this had to happen. So I did. I have since had another enquiry but the calendar is blocked. I have read so many stories similar to mine but couldn't find a positive outcome. I have tried to chat to the  Airbnb chat bot but as you can imagine that was of no help with this particular query.

 

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

Kind wishes

 

Laura

4 Replies 4
Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Laura4624 

A cancellation by the host results in penalties from Airbnb. One of them is blocking the dates involved in the cancelled reservation.

Your started the message with "an inquiry which was declined". This is not the same as "a reservation which was cancelled".

 

 

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Laura4624  I think you're a little confused.  If you had 'declined' the request to book the dates would not be blocked.  You must have cancelled an actual reservation, and unless you convince Airbnb it should be penalty free then the dates are blocked, there should also be a host cancellation note on the listing and they charge you $$.  Your guest was also full of s** that they couldn't have cancelled the reservation, of course a guest can cancel at any time, but sometimes it results in them losing money.  I would call Airbnb, tell them it was a COVID cancellation and ask them to remove the penalties.

 

ETA...you are going to need to look up Airbnb's covid cancellation regulations that were in place at the time of the cancellation and have them ready to read back to the CS person or cut and paste them in the message system, assuming that the regs will support you getting a penalty free cancellation.  Don't expect anyone at Airbnb to know their own rules.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Laura4624  Your listing appears to be new. You really need to spend some time learning about the difference between Inquiries, Booking Requests, declines, cancellations, and all the rest of the myriad things there are to inform oneself about regarding hosting. There are many articles and tutorials available in the Help section of the main Airbnb site. 

 

Starting off your hosting with a cancellation for which you receive penalties isn't a great way to launch. Read about all the things and if you find any of it confusing, need clarity, or have questions, come here for more advice.

 

I would also suggest you work on your listing description. "About the space" should be where you describe your rooms, your amenities, etc, not just talk about the golf club. Guests want to read about the space they will be inhabiting. There is also a spelling error- "exiting" instead of "exciting". Check out the listings of other hosts here to get some ideas about how to write a listing description.

Dale711
Level 10
Paris, France

Hi @Laura4624 

Welcome to the community 😊

It seems like you have cancelled the reservation, as you mentioned the 'calendar is blocked.'

 

Do message or live chat with the team ( not an Airbnb bot ) keep the request of the

' I STILL NEED HELP' box. Usually, the team will respond to you within few minutes. Acknowledge your concern to the team.

 

Do check out the great post from @Dave-and-Deb0,

Reservation “Inquiry” or “Request” - What's the Difference:

A Community Help Guide  

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Reservation-Inquiry-or-Request-What-s-the-Difference-A-C...

 

I hope you can resolve it, Happy Hosting 😀