Hi am hoping to get some other opinions on an issue I’m have with a guest who is requesting a full refund for her two night stay. (A couple with two kids)
On route to our place today - which is a 4.5hour drive for them (a usual distance to drive in canada) she was stopped at a highway closure due to a mudslide. There were 3 alternate route or detours she could have taken - one adding just 40 minutes to her original trip, one adding about an hour, the third would add 3 hours. They waited in the town with the closure for 1.5 hours, before deciding to just head back home the 4 hour drive rather than make a detour. Also I should note, our cabin was their specific destination for a weekend trip (they were not just traveling through in a road trip). The guests got stopped around 3:30, turned around at 5pm, and at 8:30pm the update was give that the highway would reopen at 9pm (to single alternating traffic). From there we are a 25 minute drive.
I do not feel right giving the guest a refund since there were multiple other routes she could have taken which would have successfully got them to our locations, or if they waited a few hours in town, they would have got though anyway.
I did also send this guest a heads up the night before that this particular highway (it is the most direct route) has been closed and open numerous times over the last 48 hours due to mudslides, and there were alternative routes they could take incase it was closed. At the time when they left Home the route was open, but I don’t see how their route decision should be my issue and have me pay for their choice?? If they chose another route they would have gotten here successfully.
In addition, we had 4 other groups of guests in the last 24 hours who made the effort and route planned wisely and made it to their cabins through these closures (and actually more highways were even closed at that time) without any fuss at all.
If at all, I especially feel a refund for the second night should be out of the question, since all highways are back open and they could easily make their reservation for tomorrow night. If they decided to get a hotel in town for the night, just in case, and drive out tomorrow morning to continue with their booking then I would have reimbursed them for a night probably. What gets me is that they didn’t even make an effort to try another option and simple turned around and went home and now want me to pay for it.
Maybe my thoughts are wrong though - I’d like to know what others think about if they’d give the guests a refund or not?
