Several hosts cancelled in Thailand

[Sonja100]

Hello,

we have tried to find a accomodation in Phuket, Thailand for January and so far came across 3 (!) cancellations on previously accepted and available postings. Airbnb recharged the costs but we have serious doubts about the sincerety of the offers. It seems that the accomodations are available on Airbnb as well as several other websites and the hosts have all the freedom to cancel anytime. For us this means we have flights with a cancellation fee and are running out of options for housing in our pricerange. Does anyone have similar experiences ? We will definitely not book via Airbnb again as the risks for a party of five are simply too high.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Sonja100 - every time a host cancels, they are penalized and fined.  

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/990/i-m-a-host--what-penalties-apply-if-i-need-to-cancel-a-res...

Look for properties where the host has achieved Superhost Status as they will have been cancellation-free for over a year.  You should also consider making sure that your own profile is verified as this will provide you with a larger pool of properties to select from as some hosts will only rent to guests who are verfied.  Additionally, look for verified hosts.  

This is absolutely NOT the norm at all.  

[Sonja100]

Hello,

as far as I understand the cancellation fee for hosts is

• More than 7 days before check-in $50 from next payout
• Less than 7 days before check-in $100 from next payout

whereas if guests cancel they will only get 50 % refund of the complete travel costs. This is a huge difference and a high risk for guests. Why are the cancellation policies so different for hosts and guests ?  I think this model cannot be used in touristic areas where hosts have several means of avertising and a high demand. In my opinion the penalties are far to soft to prevent any kinds of misusage.

[Allison116]

That is terruble. Did these hosts previously have a lot of positive reviews? Maybe Thailand unfortunately is not the place to enjoy airbnb lodging and for peace of mind need a hotel. 

[Sonja100]

They had positive reviews, however we did not check the superhost status every time.