Guest departing early -requesting refund

[Jenifer104]

My current guest has reached out stating they have a family emergency and after staying one night as much as they love it, they have to leave.  They have asked if I would consider a refund.
What is the process for this as I’ve already received my payout and obviously cannot rebook my property, but feel empathy for my guest.

[Alicia753]

@Jenifer104 First, consider your established cancellation policy on Airbnb. Since the guest has already stayed one night, your cancellation policy will largely guide how you proceed.  You can always choose to provide a refund that is more generous than your policy dictates but still as your policy applies, it's your discretion if you will provide a refund. Hope this helps! 

[Helen3 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jenifer104 

You can feel empathy for a guest without ending up out of pocket yourself. Just explain to the guest that you will not be able to get a replacement booking at this late stage and as sympathetic as you are, you are sure the guest wouldn't want you to be out of pocket because changes in his situation means he can no longer stay.

Say you would be happy to support any claim he wants to make on his travel insurance in terms of confirming the amount paid for the accommodation

[Mary1523]

Here's what I would do. Show empathy, say unfortunately costs already incurred including cleaning but you would be happy to offer them another night for free if they book at least 1 night another time....And the dates have to be agreed up front. An extra night for me in addition to a booking doesn't incur any additional cost especially if its on a quiet day.

Hotels do this even if there are issues with the room stay, they won't refund, but they'll upgrade or provide a 'credit' for another night as long as you book another night with it. 

Hope this helps

Regs

Mary