Host cancelled less than 24 hours before check in

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Nick88
Level 7
Murfreesboro, TN

Host cancelled less than 24 hours before check in

I booked a room about 2 weeks ago and the pickings we're already slim then.  I've messaged the host right after booking with the usual "Hi, how ya doin?" stuff, and about a week before the reservation I asked about check in times.  The response was 6pm.  I was a little put off by the late check in time but didn't say anything and I figured we'd just find some way to kill time until then.  

 

Last night I went to sleep extra early (7:00PM) because I planned to get up early and finish packing so we could hit the road by 9AM.  I woke up this morning to find that I received a AirBnb cancellation message at 7:28PM that my reservation has been cancelled.  No message from the host, no appology or explanation, nothing.  

 

AirBnb obviously refunded my money and gave me what I think is a 10% credit.  But nearest thing available at this point is about 30-40 miles away from the booking that was already 25 miles away from where we are visting.  Now I'm suppose to accept this, or get a refund and book something else.  Booking even the cheapest hotel at the last minute is now going to cost us 2-3 times more than if we had just booked it weeks ago when we made this AirBnb reservation.

I understand that things happen, but how can I ever book with AirBnb again and have a resonable expectation that I won't waste a bunch of money planning a trip and have my accommodations yanked from under my feet at the last minute?  I'm stuck deciding between either cancelling my plans, or paying twice per night what the entire weekend would have cost me.  

 

This is beyond infuriating and AirBnb won't even give me the satisfaction of leaving a review because they left a "The host canceled this reservation the day before arrival. This is an automated posting." review on my behalf.

Cancellations like this are devastatingly expensive for the guest.  There should be a heavy penalty for host who do this without explanation.

1 Best Answer
Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Nick88.....Oh Nick I am so sorry for you....and you are 100% correct, a cancellation like this can cost you a lot of money in associated expenses. Nick, on this hosts profile there is a flag with a caption...'Report this user' ! Flag this host because we do not need hosts like this in our community...it is a stain on all of us.

I know it is of no help to you but Airbnb take host cancellations very seriously.

1/. This hosts calendar will be blocked for the days that you had booked.

2/. A notification will be put on the hosts review page that they cancelled a guests booking...and that is the 'kiss of death' as far as future guests are concerned! Nobody wants to book with a host who has a track record of cancelling bookings!

3/. They will have a financial penalty taken out of their future hostings.....a fine for doing the wrong thing!

4/. The host will be ineligible for 'Superhost' status for one year.

Nick, on behalf of this hosting community please accept our apology and please don't tar us all with the same brush. Most of us strive to make a guests experience something that they will look back on fondly for many years!

Cheers....Rob

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200 Replies 200

We had a booking with a super host for 11 people and the host cancelled 2 hours before checkin!  My husband I went to the property the afternoon of check in and spoke with the cleaning staff.  We asked if it was ok to view the property and she said "sure".  She also gave us information on a place to go to lunch and buy food.  The host then arrived and we had what appeared to be a very friendly talk outside the house.  We said that we would be returning at 4 for check in and left.   Others in our group met us at a restraunt and just as we were  about to go shopping for food, Air B&B called to let us know that the host had accussed us of trying to check in early and cancelled.   The host also said that a member of our group went to the house the week before our reservation and scared the current guests.  This again was a lie.  The closest member of our party lives a 6 hour drive away from the host's home. 

To add pain on to injury, Air B&B's refund arrived the following day yet we had to pay for the new reservation on the day of the cancellation.  

This host should be band from AirB&B

Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Norma172 actually the host is right to be upset, maybe he thought you will be problematic guests. People don't usually go to check out the places before the actual check in time you agreed on. I personally wouldn't cancel your reservation but I also wouldn't allow you to enter before the time we have agreed upon. 

You should never go to an airbnb early and never go to "view the property". I get annoyed when people ask if they can come by days before the reservation to "view the property".  I have never allowed that. You've already viewed the property through pics in the listing and agreed to rent it from those pics.

 

Showing up early & unannounced like you did would have most hosts upset. The chat with the hosts probably wasn't "friendly" as you think. Something was said that made the host realize your group of 11 was going to be a bad fit for his/her property. 

 

Look at it from the hosts perspective cancelling on you 2 hours before and losing all the money for that reservation seemed like a better option than allowing you to stay and the host keeping your money.  Whatever you did and said caused the host to  accept losing at least 1 nights money. He wouldn't be able to rerent it that fast. 

Booking with a super host does not provide any assurance that they will not cancel. I have had two places cancelled within the last three months. Both places were with a super host. The most recent cancellation means I will have to pay an additional $450 for lodging.  Airbnb customer service has only exacerbated my situation. 

@Janet588 :  certainly any Superhost who acts in the manner you described,  without reason,  will not be a Superhost for long.

Yeah, they will. Just had one cancel on me 2 days before our stay.

exactly! Superhosts care a lot more and are not more expensive. 

this is a big lie , a superhost is the one who cancelled on me a day before 

We just had a super host chance. Beyond frustrating 

Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Nick88 I am so sorry this happened to you as a traveler.  While you are not privvy to why the host cancelled, please understand that host cancellations have very strong penalties for the host. @Boo1 is not quite correct. Not only will the host not be able to book the days with another guest, but Air BNB can levy a penalty that will be taken from future bookings.  I wonder if Air BNB can assist you with finding an alternative booking that will be acceptable to you.  Please contact Air BNB by calling 855 424 7262.  Good luck!

Actually this just happened to me yesterday. Host canceled at 7:34 am while i was boarding a plane to stay there later that day. Air B and B said because it’s her first ALL penalties waived. Seems I am the only being penalized at the stress it caused to my family including my two small children and finding a new place last minute that cost more! 

I am 99.9% sure that the same “superhost” cancelled on me last week, on a different listing of theirs. (Tampa area?) I was trying to find some details about the beds a couple of days after booking, but couldn’t get to the actual listing, just my travel confirmation. I came across your review of a different property of theirs and saw how they’d cancelled you, so I messaged the host to ask about the bedrooms and confirm my plans for this week. Husband messaged me right back with info and yes, good to go...then the next day I got the cancellation notice. Now they seem to have pulled their listings (or maybe Airbnb did?) and I wasn’t able to leave any kind of review. Luckily I had a week to rebook but that’s not ideal, either. This is my first time with Airbnb and I hope this rental works out! 

David126
Level 10
Como, CO

Bad for Hosts to cancel, they are financially penalised and lose Super Host staus or can not get it for a year.

 

And that review means most people will be wary of booking with them.

 

Odd that you are having difficulty finding somewhere else, lots of posts on the site saying how slow bookings are, can not comment on the reason for cancelling as we do not know.

David

Guests can't review if the stay is cancelled in advance,  can they?

no, they can't. AirBnB claims that a cancellation by the host will be added automatically to the host's reviews. But actually I do not see this anywhere on my cancelled offer.