Guest Received Weekly Discount But Didn’t Complete 7-Night Stay

[Vishnu45]

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to get some clarity or advice on a situation I experienced recently.

A guest booked my listing for 7 nights, which triggered the weekly discount I offer. However, they canceled after staying only 5 nights. Because I have the Flexible cancellation policy, they were refunded for the nights following their cancellation, except for one additional night, as per policy. That part makes sense.

Here’s the issue: Airbnb still applied the weekly discount, even though the guest did not complete the full 7-night stay. According to support, the discount is locked in at the time of booking and can’t be changed, even if the reservation is shortened.

Under the Flexible policy:

• Guests can cancel until 24 hours before check-in for a full refund.
• If they cancel after that, the host is paid for each night the guest stayed plus one additional night.

My concern is that this allows guests to:

• Book for 7 nights to unlock the weekly discount,
• Cancel after a few nights,
• Still benefit from the discounted rate,
• And block the calendar, preventing rebooking at full price.

It feels like this policy unintentionally penalizes hosts, since the discount was meant to reward longer, completed stays.

Has anyone experienced this before? Were you able to get Airbnb to reconsider the discount based on actual nights stayed?

Appreciate any insights

[Lorna170 · Accepted solution]

@Vishnu45  Consider removing your weekly discount or change to a different cancellation policy.  

[Vishnu45]

Thank you! That’s a great suggestion. Only thing is that would make my listing less competitive in my market. I feel Airbnb shouldn’t be applying the weekly discount if the stay is cut short and guest doesn’t stay for atleast 7 days.

[Joan2709]

@Vishnu45 

This is similar to what guests do to get a steep discount 3month stay and then cancel after one month (although your calendar is locked up for a longer period).

@Lorna170, has 2 good suggestions.

[Vishnu45]

Thanks for your comment! Just to clarify—when it comes to monthly stays (28 nights or more), Airbnb gives hosts two options: Firm or Strict cancellation policies. In both cases, if the guest cancels after check-in, the host doesn’t have to refund anything for the remaining nights. You still get paid for the full 30 days or however many are left.

But in my case, it was just a weekly stay with a Flexible policy. The guest canceled early, and Airbnb refunded them for the unused nights and also the guest get to keep the weekly discount —even though they didn’t complete the full stay the discount was based on.

[Joan2709]

@Vishnu45 

Take a careful look at the polices for 28+ stays and how guests scam hosts. Guests will negotiate a steep discount for 3months locking your calendar, knowing they will only stay one month and then cancel:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Host-guides/Monthly-Stays-on-Airbnb-Guide-Revised/m-p/2066547#M2...

The only way to prevent what occurred again is as @Lorna170 stated: Remove your weekly discount, change your cancellation policy, or you could possibly remove your weekly discount and then offer a refund of XX.XX AFTER the stay is completed via the resolution center if they want to book a weekly stay.

[Vishnu45]

Thanks for sharing the post. Refund after stay seems to be a great option. Thanks for that suggestion.

Also, I don’t plan to negotiate with the guest or offer them great discounts even if they book for 3 months. The discount i will offer will be the same that i set on airbnb for the monthly stays. Doesn’t matter if they stay for 29 nights or 290 nights. The discount rate would be the same.

[Joan2709]

@Vishnu45 

Because of Airbnb's policies for monthly stays, guests have learned how to make up fake complaints and get a free stay, so use caution with that. 

[Vishnu45]

I see. Thank you for letting me know. Really appreciate it!