I've just had a phone call from a guest who is due to arrive in 6 days time. I have a strict cancellation policy and he is wanting a full refund.
The stay is only for 4 nights and in his original inquiry he wondered if he could just pay for 3 nights since on night number 3 he won't be sleeping in my house. I explained that we have a minimum stay of 4 nights and anything less isn't viable for us.
Now he's phoned to say he's not well enought to participate in the event he was going to, but he hasn't yet cancelled the flights. He wasn't specific about what was wrong with him and mentioned that he would be able to recommend our property to other people in future events which I felt was a way of trying to persuade me to accept his cancellation.
I've turned down 5 other inquiries for around the same dates and I doubt that I would be able to get another reservation at this late stage. I've organised a gardener and cleaner too.
I'm thinking of telling him that he should cancel on the web site to free up the dates and if I get another booking I'm happy to refund.
What do people think?