How do you feel about hosting EC guests?

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

How do you feel about hosting EC guests?

I have a handful of guests who knew months ago that they would not be traveling. Mainly cancelled weddings. They waited for EC to be extended. Originally I offered various concession- discounted rates, partial credits for next stays etc but they decided to wait and see if EC gets extended. They are now asking to rebook for next year. Those properties are closed for now and converted to LTR so this is not an immediate issue. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, what happens is this wedding is cancelled again for whatever reason? Or their circumstances change? They have obviously found their way to the inner workings of EC. On another hand, someone else that books instead might have done this to another host and I would never know. I don’t do character check when guests book. The main difference between these people and others who are cancelling is that they were waiting for months with no consideration to having a block on my calendar. Airbnb should have just allowed guests who booked before March 14 cancel instead of extending it two weeks at a time. It is clear they would eventually let everyone do it. What should have happened is they should have said- you have two weeks to decide. Cancel now, get a credit or hosts policy applies. But that is a whole other conversation. 

11 Replies 11
Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@Inna22,

You always pose some great scenarios and questions. If not already set, I would change my cancellation policy to Strict and the booking window to a three month lead time before scheduled arrival, and inform the guest that's the period when they can re-book.  I would also strongly recommend that they should purchase travel insurance or use a credit card that provides travel insurance as payment for their reservation.  Most importantly, I would convey to them the impact of waiting to cancel does to your business.  If you get a sense that they don't get it or don't really care, then don't accept their booking.

 

I cannot add anything that's not already been said about what "shoulda, coulda, woulda" been done regarding Airbnb's administration of the EC policy.

Ian-And-Anne-Marie0
Level 10
Kendal, United Kingdom

@Inna22 

 

I believe the root of your problem is the EC Policy.

 

Extenuating Circumstances do not apply if you you have your own direct booking site or you list with a platform who do not have any EC policy.

 

Register a domain to match your listings.. "Innas-place" or "NamedListing". Ensure it matches the description your listings go by... and build from there.

 

Guests are quite happy abiding by a 50% cancellation policy in a contract they agreed to. There is no need to refund 100%. In fact, for your scenario - with direct bookings we made, guests who basically couldn't make their mind up about what dates to book for next year, simply cancelled losing their 50% deposit. Crazy, but thats people!

 

EC guests who play the system awaiting dates to fit their accommodation I would just tell them their dates are unavailable. (Because I wouldn't want them).

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 closed my site about a week ago. Chicago requires a $5000 license to run one. And they did come knocking for it. Dont even get me started on this one! I would never get enough business to justify it. 

Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Inna22 normally I would say work with them but as @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 mentioned they booked, waited out several months and then cancelled. As you have said they probably did not even consider you at all for when coming to this decision. My general thought process is if in doubt about how to deal with with something, my body is already telling something is wrong- if renting long term works then just continue. You could always go back to STR post for once you feel happy to return, if at all. Good luck.

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

One of the problems here is that it was not always the guest necessarily deciding by themselves to wait it out, but Airbnb reps telling them to do that exact same thing. This happened with a few of my guests. They were not covered by the EC, but as soon as they called CS, were told to wait it out. So, it's not just the guests who are accountable for tying up our calendars.

 

Personally, I wouldn't take bookings from most of the guests who cancelled with me. There was one who took the 50% hit and very graciously too. Unfortunately, I was unable to rebook the room in order to refund her the remainder, which I would have done if I was able. She still wants to stay with me at some point in the future, so hopefully I will be able to give her a discount of some kind.

 

As for the rest, most of them did not behave very honourably. Even if they initially showed some concern for me, in the end, with encouragement from Airbnb, they just took the money and ran. Can I blame them? Maybe not. Do I want to host them in the future. Probably  not. Others were aggressive and sometimes extremely rude. They would never be welcome here, sorry. It's not that I have a chip on my shoulder, but I just don't want further dealings with those people. I doubt very much though that they would be cheeky enough to try to rebook with me.

@Huma0 Yes, some got truly disguising. I even pointed out to a couple- do they really think I would do anything for you after you called me names? It is fascinating that they think they are doing me a favor by returning to me 

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Inna22 

 

I can't believe that after calling you names, these people would have the cheek to try to rebook with you. Did they even apologise for the way they had communicated?

 

I had one lady who was not covered by the EC at that time. She asked me if I preferred her to cancel or postpone, but the dates she wanted to postpone to were only a couple of weeks later and I was pretty sure that this pandemic was not going away that quickly, so I said I would prefer she cancelled. Had she wanted to push back a couple of months, I would have agreed, as I did with another guest.

 

That was all cordial, until she called CS, who told her the would probably extend the dates and she should wait (meaning a last minute cancellation as her stay was not that far off). She then became extremely angry and basically accused me of trying to mislead her and steal from her. She said, "Now I see the REAL reason you wanted me to cancel, not postpone, so you could get paid twice."

 

Actually, I had explained to her previously that I would try to get the room rebooked with a long-term tenant and, if that happened, refund her the remainder (which in the end I couldn't do because she kept my calendar blocked). She decided (but only after speaking to CS) to accuse me of trying to earn money from the room twice, which makes no sense given that I said I would give that money to HER.

 

Now, I had no idea at the time that Airbnb would extend the EC dates. This was very early on and, although hosts had been begging for answers about this with no response. However, any guest who called up, it seems, were told the dates would be extended. So, I heard it first from her. Still, she accused me of having know this (how?) and trying to rip her off.

 

I told her politely that I did not appreciate her accusations, at which point she because very rude indeed. In the end, I felt relieved that she wasn't coming. I know those were exceptional circumstances, but she was so unpleasant, who knows what kind of a guest she would have been.

@Huma0 That describes pretty much everyone who couldn’t get money back on the spot. I couldn’t get money back for a trip I planned. Of course I was bitter about it but I was not nasty to the hotel (it was booked through a site, they could do little about it)

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Inna22 

 

It didn't help that Airbnb were heavily PRing their full refund policy. So, when guests found out they were not entitled to the full refund, they got angry and often blamed the hosts. Most guests seem to think that A.) The host gets the money upfront and B.) We are making money for nothing and therefore "losing nothing" (this girl's exact words) if they get a full refund. I saw so many angry guests posting on Airbnb's UK FB page, demanding their refunds and railing against hosts. Really, we did not stand a chance.

 

I learnt that anyone who doesn't have the common sense to understand that these listings don't sit in some sort of la-la land where the mortgage, bills, local taxes etc. pay themselves and that their booking made months before prevents us taking other bookings, is not worth reasoning with. If they don't get it in the first place, they are never going to get it. The more you try to explain, the angrier they get.

 

 

@Huma0  to your point, in the beginning I tried to plea with these people and explain to them that I have three kids, this is my job, tried to humanize it. One was arguing on behalf of her church and I thought surely the religious person would appreciate how it was not cool to leave a family struggling. No. Not one acknowledged that aspect so I just gave up. It almost felt like I was begging.

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Inna22 

 

No, we shouldn't have to beg. I lost most of my self-employed income right at the beginning of this (as well as all the Airbnb income) but did not mention this to guests. They just banged on and on about how difficult it was for them losing some of their payment, with no consideration to what it was like for the other party.

 

However, I sometimes tried to explain that Airbnb was my business and that I could not afford to refund everything. The room had been reserved for several months for them, preventing anyone else from booking and there was a mortgage, bills and taxes to pay regardless of whether they stayed or not. The pandemic was neither their fault nor mine, but it would be fair to split the loss rather than put it all on the host.

 

Frankly, it's a waste of time. People just want their money back and do not give two hoots about how it effects anyone else. The exception to this was one guest, whom I didn't have to explain anything to really. She just got it. The rest couldn't care less. As far as they were concerned it was THEIR money, full stop.