My guests wants to change their reservation or to be more accurate to postpone their reservation.

[Eleni45]

My guest who where suppose to arrive tomorrow for 10 days, just wrote me a message asking me if he can postpone the reservation for Octomber because a matter of health. My cancelation policy is strict so i wanted to ask what is the best way to manage this change. ask them to cancel and make a new reservation or just change the reservation to other dates? The problem is that now is too late for someone else to make another guest reservation for these dates so basically we loose money. How can i manage this?

[Elena87]

@Eleni45 - How it might go -

Option 1 - Reject the amendment to the dates - The guest can then decide to cancel but perhaps they will ask airbnb to overide your cancellation policy with Airbnb’s extenuating circumstances policy if they qualify.  The guest may have travel insurance too.

Option 2 - Accept the changes and hope you get a last minute booking. Downside is sometimes guests play the system and can cancel this new booking and walk away penalty free as it is outside your cancellation policy.

Option 3 - Ask guest to cancel - ride with your cancellation policy - offer a partial refund to the guest if you can fill the now free dates  - you can offer a goodwill special offer to the guest for alternative dates later in the year

[Eleni45]

thank you very much for your help.

[Cormac0]

@Eleni

as @Elena pointed out there are some rouges who have found a loophole in the system where they amend a booking and then cancel which leaves you with an empty space and them with no penalties.

I and others have proposed a solution to this problem where by Airbnb would refuse to cancel a revised booking without penalties, to no avail I may add…

Regards

Cormac

The Explorer’s Club Krakow III