Guest feels uncomfortable sharing apartment

[Shaik0]

My guest check in and after a couple hours told me that she is not comfortable sharing the apartment with men. She apologize for not knowing that she is going to share with other men. I told her that my other guest are young male studying in nearby university. Furthermore I know their family since their parents came to view and book theirs rooms. Thus i dont see her fear. However, she still says she is not confortable and asking for refund after i get the money from Airbnb. She says she is ok to stay there until she gets the refund for remainder days. I am not sure if she is truly not comfortable or was invited by her friend to say in the house as her friend spoke to me about her discomfort too. I have a moderate cancelling policy, so what should i do?

[David126]

Guests can cancel, they do not need your permission.

Never pay anything outside the system, she cancels, AirBnB refunds her in accordance with your policy.

[Ali40]

Advise her to cancel the rest of her stay, and Airbnb will refund her whatever she is owed according to your moderate cancellation policy. I wouldn't question her feeling uncomfortable - except for the fact that she's willing to stay until she receives her refund. I would think she'd want to leave the uncomfortable place immediately. Do not cancel for her or you will be penalized by Airbnb.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Shaik0

I agree - tell her she needs to cancel and she will be reimbursed according to your policy. You can also say that if you manage to sell any of the extra nights she was due to stay then you will refund those to her as well. It sounds like an excuse to me - if you were that uncomfortable you would just leave.

[Patty42]

Discomfort does not equal abject terror, it is, discomfort. I wouldn't question it.

Follow your policy, tell her to cancel, let AirBnB refund what she's due under your policy.

[Dineo1]

Absolutely agree, although I do think there needs to be a greater level of scrutiny on both sides when writing up a description/before booking just so people are clear. It could also be just that the guest was fine and someone made an underhanded comment resulting in the discomfort and Shaik wasn't there to witness it. Many possibilities here so...

[Kim238]

 I don't want to be dramatic, but females are accosted by males on a daily basis. It's not a condemnation of males; it's just a fact. 

It does happen the other way around, but nowhere near at the rate of men accosting women and girls.

It happens at schools, at the workplace, in a parking lot...anywhere. And, if you read the news ever, females get attacked or harassed by men of all ages and status, so  because a man has a job or a wife and kids or is a student, doesn't mean that it won't happen. 

I JUST saw a post on this site last week from a female host who's male guest came into her bedroom at night asking for sex. The men who responded to her were angry at HER for putting herself in danger by having him there.

I wish we could all stop putting females in a no-win situation of either being called paranoid for being careful, or being called stupid, naive and deserving of the bad things that happen, for being trusting.  

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Once again, alternative thoughts here:  Every one of @Shaik0 listings say Private Room.  Shaik appears to be a man.  The guest choosing to select a male host's "private room" listing, at a minimum, means HE might be there.  She chose a listing where a man would be - from the outset!  Now, she may have an issue with sharing an apartment with OTHER strangers, but this is not the same thing.  If the guest had read the listing, and this was a problem for her, she should have booked elsewhere or, at least, asked a lot of questions about the property before booking. Additionally, if she had read the reviews, other guests mention the shared space.  While I am sure this guest will make an issue of sharing the space with men, IMO she made her bed here and is acting in a discriminatory fashion.  Sharing a space with other strangers does not qualify as an Eligible Travel Issue - but I'm sure Airbnb will encourage you to work with her to get some refund regarding this trip.  

@Shaik0 send her the links on how to cancel and tell her if she intends to cancel, she must go immediately, she cannot "wait to get her refund".  That's not how Airbnb works - she needs to cancel and go.  To help her and  you get up to speed about cancellations and what qualifies, here are some relevant and important articles to read and send your guest links to right now.    

https://www.airbnb.com/home/cancellation_policies

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/43/what-happens-if-my-guest-cancels

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/311/do-i-get-a-full-refund-if-i-cancel

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/169/how-do-i-cancel-my-reservation?topic=259

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/248/what-should-i-do-if-something-s-missing-or-not-as-expected-w...