I had a reservation from June 3rd to June 7th. The couple arrived, saw the space, I gave them a full tour, and they were absolutely satisfied. After spending the first night, the next day they informed me that there was a smell in the house, which only the woman could detect—she is pregnant.
They inspected the entire place and discovered that in the attic—which was sealed and not accessible to guests—I had placed mothballs (naphthalene) to repel insects, as the house is located in the countryside. The mothballs have been there for an entire year, and until now, no other guest has ever complained about this. Also, I was never informed that the woman was pregnant.
As a result, they requested to cancel the rest of their stay and asked for a refund. However, I had declined other booking requests to prioritize this particular reservation. Now they are asking for at least a partial refund for the nights they will not be staying, since they have already left.
I believe I should be compensated for the blocked dates, since I turned down other potential guests.
Additionally, the guest has now submitted a change request through the system, modifying the booking from June 3rd to June 5th.
What can I do to avoid accepting this change, ensure I receive the amount for the original booking, and also prevent them from leaving a negative review? The issue they encountered is clearly not my fault—it stems from a personal sensitivity due to the pregnancy, which I was not made aware of.
