No response from guest who booked 10 months ago

[Neil229]

A guest instant booked with us last September for this July, and I’ve been trying to contact him through Airbnb messaging, text message, and now voice call (a first) to confirm the booking and exchange basic information about key location etcetera.  I’ve been trying to make contact for the last month and have received no response whatsoever.  

I’ve had many guests in the past where communication was very “light” as it didn’t seem necessary, but this booking seems different as it was made so long ago.  We are less than two weeks away from them arriving and I’d like some kind of communication from them, and I’m getting a weird feeling about it.  I’ve had over 40 bookings equaling 100’s of guests and have never felt uncomfortable even once - but this one is bugging me.  

I’m almost at the point that I’m ready to cancel it and accept the loss of my Superhost status and weather all the rest of the punishment Airbnb will sentence me with for such an abrupt cancellation.  I have never canceled a guest before.  

This is my home. It doesn’t seem like a lot to ask to simply return any one of my polite and respectful requests to just tell me that you remember booking with us almost a year ago.   Every single guest I’ve had so far has done so without any issue and it’s been a great experience every time.  

Any advice would be appreciated

[Paul1255]

@Neil229 

No need to cancel from your side....don't do it!

If you have exhausted all avenues of contact (you have, but try whatsapp too) then get in touch with Airbnb CS and let them know that you can't get hold of your guest.

Ask them to make contact on your behalf - this has happened to me a couple of times, and both times the guest gets in touch straight away 🙂

If they can't then you could ask Airbnb CS to look into cancelling on your behalf if needed.

[Helen3]

With guests I message them twice, then if they don't respond to the message or an email through the Airbnb email, I call Airbnb and ask them to contact the guest. This has always worked and the guest has responded. @Neil229 

If Airbnb can't reach the guest then they can cancel they can booking.

I am not sure why you would want to look at cancelling the booking yourself  and facing the penalties involved of doing so, when as an experience host, you know Airbnb can handle the cancellation in these sort of circumstances. It seems rather an overreaction to the situation you find yourselves in with this guest.

[Rachel0]

@Neil229 What ever you do, don't cancel the booking.  @Paul1255 and @Helen3 are absolutely right in their advice.  This happened to me a couple of month ago, when guests, who had booked before last Christmas for early June 2019, refused to respond to all my messages. I got on to CS and they were able to see all the messages I had sent and cancelled on my behalf, penalty free.  Lo and behold, the next day the guest (she was from Canada!) did message me, hopping mad that the reservation had been cancelled and demanding that it be reinstated.  I refused. 

[Neil229]

Thanks for the responses everyone,

I called customer service and she told me that Instant Bookings can be cancelled, penalty free, up to three times (online - it's possible to cancel more, but CS must be involved to be penalty free). 

So that's that! 

All the best

[Helen3]

Yes and why would you want to use up one of your penalty free cancellations? @Neil229 

That's why we suggested you ask Airbnb to cancel.

Do have a look at airbnb help centre and the useful tutorials and guides on this community, they will help you become familiar with how Airbnb works.

[Emilia42]

What if they don't remember they made the booking 10 months ago? Unlikely, but if they don't, you get a no show and a good payout. Sounds like the best kind of hosting there is!

[Sarah977]

@Neil229  I don't understand why you cancelled the reservation without asking Airbnb to make contact with the guest. As others said, you've now used up one of your free cancellations for no reason. 

For all you know, the guest was away on a camping trip with no reception, didn't have their notifications turned on so wasn't even aware they had messages from you, may be in the midst of some crisis situation, could be anything, rather than just ignoring your messges.

I've also had a couple times when the guest didn't respond, and a quick communication to Airbnb resulted in the guest messaging back within a day.