reimbursement

[Elizabeth280]

My guest suffered a lock out for his first night, which was completely my fault.  I have since corrected the problem and learned a very valuable lesson at his expense. He was reimbursed completely for that night and did have to find alternative housing, which is he claiming was three times more expensive than my rental.  He stayed his second night and I refunded him an additional 100$ for the second night as I felt horrible.  He is now asking for a full refund for the second night, including the cleaning fee.  What is the appropriate etiquette here?  I want to be a good host and know that I made a horrible error, but also don't want to get taken advantage of.

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

Sounds like he's just being greedy now.  You have already refunded him the cost of the first night plus an additional $100.  It's unfortunate his last minute accommodations were so expensive, but you have already gone above and beyond.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Elizabeth280

To be fair, if it happend to you, you would be furious. You would expect the host to cover your first nights accomodation (in full) and then offer a refund of some type.

All you have done so far is given him his first night back which doesn't (it seems) even cover a third or what he had to pay, and you are also offering another $100. Would that seem enough you you?

I would ask him for his receipt for his first night's accommodation and take it from there. 

So far it seems that he is the one  out of pocket and he is quite rightly angry.

Good luck - not a nice situation to find yourself in, and even worse for your guest.

[Jess21]

There has to be a limit here, though. If he booked st the four seasons for $300 a night, that's not appropriate to ask her to pay. If he booked at a nearby airbnb equivalent or cheap hotel, that's reasonable. 

[Elizabeth280]

I appreciate all of your input and is the reason I am posting.  I would like some feedback from experienced hosters.  I did obtain his receipts and he rented three hotel rooms a 200/piece for to my knowledge five 21 year old guys.  I would appreciate continued feedback.  

[Jess21]

I think you've done enough. If he wants more he can take it to airbnb and see how they resolve it. A reasonable action would have been to find a place at a similar cost to your home which he was locked out of. You refunded him plus gave him $100 more... I think you're fine. 

[Helen3]

OP not clear from your post did the guest try to call you or Airbnb when they couldn't get in?

In your siutation I would offer to cover the cost of a decent 3 star hotel and some sort of gift as an apology.

[Zeke0]

Ultimately, the decision is up to you and what you feel is right for them. Personally, I'd provide a full refund since their original reservation was only for 2 nights. If they had stayed longer, then I'd reimburse up to 3 nights. Why? At face value, yes, they didn't get to stay one night so they should have that refunded.

But how has it affected the experience? If it were me and my friends, I can only imagine what kind of headache I'd be going through. I've been planning the boys trip for a week, 2 weeks a month, months even and now half of my stay was ruined. Relaxing after a long drive/flight? Can't, I have to now look for other places to stay because I'm stranded in a city I'm unfamiliar with. Wanted to sit with the boys around the fireplace while drinking a few beers together? Not going to happen when we're all in 3 different hotel rooms. Oh and guess what, now I have to bring my luggage into my hotel room, unpack sleeping clothes/clothes for the next day, repack everything. Also, I can't spend all day at the slopes because I have to check out from the hotel at noon and head back to the rental. It's disruptive, it kills the whole experience, my plans for a smooth, relaxing weekend have been interrupted.

It's really up to you but I think it's a lesson learned and hopefully you'll setup something in place so it doesn't happen next time. You're running a business and every business should have a budget for losses.

[Jess21]

@Zeke0 I agree partially. The issue is really what would a hotel do in the same situation? Refund you the night and maybe give you some credit to use at the spa or restaurant. A hotel wouldn't pay for your stay at another hotel, refund you, AND give you a credit to use. I agree that her error may have ruined his trip, but I don't agree that this should result in such financial lashings. Airbnb is paid each booking to be a middleman if needed and in this case she should reach out to Airbnb for their advice, I think. Ultimately no solution will be 100% perfect for her or the guest, but there must be some limits here. Also, be prepared for an ugly review. Oh, and why didn't he call Airbnb when he was locked out to get them to cancel and relocate him? I do think that makes him partially at fault.

[Zeke0]

@Jess21 But that's the thing, when we talk about the advantages of Airbnb, we don't describe ourselves as a hotel, we advertise that we're a better alternative to a hotel because, in my opinion, we are. The reason a hotel gives credits for a restaurant or spa is because the overhead costs less than the actual listed price. If they give you a credit to one of their restaurants, the $30 prime rib costs them $20, whereas a $30 refund would cost them $30. Unless a host is getting a partnership, distributor or wholesale price, any thoughtful gift/credit that host provides to a guest is the exact cost of a refund. The difference is, the host is hoping it's enough to satisfy the guest so they don't ask for a full refund. Also, if a guest has a problem with a room, a hotel can easily move them to another or even provide a free upgrade because they have multiple units. Most hosts only have one space and if a guest is unable to stay due to a host/unit issue, they have to find other accommodations.

Anyhow, the beauty of Airbnb is that each host and listing is different. People run their own listings the way they want and each one is a different experience for guests.