Cancel new booking so that current guest can extend stay?

[Rosalie77]

Hi everyone,

I need your help please!

My current guest (has booked for one month) wants to extend his stay for another two weeks, but I already have a booking for a weekend during this time. My guest wants me to cancel that booking, but I'm not sure if this is the right decision. 

Would really appreciate your thoughts on this!

Thank you in advance!

Rosalie

[Maia138]

Wow, I'm surprised at these comments because canceling a booking can be problematic for the host and their ratings. 

We generally don't turn away new bookings... 

Our policy has been to let guests know in person *when they check in* that our rooms do get booked and changes are often last-minute, so if they think they may want to stay longer, please let us know ASAP so we can reserve those dates (and let us know again and ASAP if those plans change). 

Unfortunately, this is tricky because we may set aside dates that could be open and available for bookings. And then we have to open those again anyway when the guest wants to formerly book (and pay for the reservation). 

The takeaways are: The guest paying for a reservation gets confirmed. The guest thinking about making a reservation (or extending one) may be out of luck if they don't pay for and confirm a reservation as soon as possible.

Last tip: Connecting in person with the guest and advising them to stay in touch has also been helpful. We get a repeat bookings from guests who understand the system and enjoy their stay with us. (We are Superhosts!) 

Hope this all helps! 

We're working with Airbnb Support to maybe improve this system, but this is our best take as we know it today. 

[Maia138]

We chatted with Airbnb Support and here's an update.

So, it appears we're handling this situation correctly per current Airbnb guidelines.

As a Host, in this situation, we've: 

1. Accepted the new reservation (paid booking).
2. Informed the current/previous guest that, unfortunately, the extended dates they would like are no longer available. 
3. Reached out to the current/previous guest to find other solutions, if possible.  

Per Airbnb Support: 

1. Host: DON'T cancel the new guest (paid booking). "We take cancelations very seriously."
2. Host: Inform the guest that, because extended dates aren't available for the previous/current guest, they must follow the check out date in the original booking/reservation.
3. Optionally, hosts may work with the current/previous guest to present alternatives (like finding another place or changing their dates).

Airbnb Support: Please add this information to the Airbnb Help/knowledge base for Hosts and Guests. Thank you! 

[Quincy]

Hi @Maia138,

Since this thread is from 2021, I'd suggest starting a new post to share your insights. You can do this by clicking the "Post" button up top and starting a new conversation so it has more visibility.