Last minute cancellation in NYC

[Oliver429]

I have been with Airbnb since 2012, traveling around the world. Only positive reviews and never had a serious problem until now. 

Last week I was in Chile, (Patagonia and Santiago) and even though I got caught up in the rioting there were no problems. 

Closer to home, I needed a place to stay for the night on Wednesday, in New York City. I picked a place near Microsoft HQ (where I was at an event) earlier in the day and had the booking confirmed. 5 minutes before I was going to check in the Host canceled. No real reason was given, just that he didn't have space. 

This left me in NYC at 9 pm at night with a very long day on Thursday. There simply wasn't time to find anything on AirBnB so I ended up in a (very) expensive hotel for the night. Very stressful and I am out almost $500 through no fault of my own. 

I feel just giving the host a negative review is not really enough. Airbnb should have my back. 

[Emiel1]

@Oliver429 

The host will be penalised like this:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/990/as-a-host-what-penalties-apply-if-i-cancel-a-reservation-for...

[Ute42 · Accepted solution]

.

@Emiel1 

I think the host should pick up @Oliver429  's  hotel bill. I think hey have that sipulation on booking.com if a host cancels short notice.

[Oliver429]

It would seem to be the fairest solution in cases like this. 

While I understand things do happen that are out of our hands, there really must be a fair expectation of having a bed for the night. Without trust, the Airbnb model fails. 

Next week I am speaking in Canada, staying in a hotel paid for by the organizers. I am not sure if I would now trust Airbnb for business travel...

[Sarah977]

@Oliver429  I think it's pretty dicey to just Instant Book a place the same day as I wanted to check in. If I were a guest, I'd message the host first to make sure all was in order to accommodate a last minute booking. There's all kinds of reasons someone might not be able to host last-minute, and may not have had a minute to block the day from bookings. Of course a host should have their calendar up to date and if they can't host a day that appears as available, not wait until 5 minutes until check-in to contact the guest and cancel. But hosts are just human- you have no idea if the host had to spend the day at the emergency ward because their kid just fell off their bike and broke an arm, whether the plumbing just burst and they've spent the day rushing around getting it fixed and mopping up the flood, etc.

Yes, when you book an Airbnb, there's always a chance of a last minute cancellation, as opposed to booking a hotel. But guests also cancel last-minute. It can go both ways.