Hello AirBnB Community!
I was curious to know whether there is an option to "forgive" a strict reservation? I've spent hours trying to locate this information without success.
I've had a guest that has had a reservation for graduation weekend booked for several months now. She contacted me several weeks before the reservation to let me know there's a possibility they might not be coming. She didn't ask for a refund, only apologetic for any inconvences after explaining the situation.
The guest's reason for potentially needing to cancel seems legitmate to me, and I feel ethically called to forgive and refund their money if I can. We only do intermittent renting of our home for big events, so the reservation price is big $$$$.
The main reason why I selected strict is so people wouldn't mess around with us, but it might be nice to have a "Forgiveness policy" or clearer instructions for hosts that would appreciate being able to extend grace to people who really do need it.
If it is possible to have a full refund extended to guests, who needs to make the inicitive: guest or host? And, does the decision need to pass through AirBnB?
If anyone has experience with this, I would be most grateful for some insight. TIA!
~Diana