Host tried to force me to cancel... then canceled on us

[Carly255]

I booked my first Airbnb for a weekend away with my parents and young children in a low-population town with limited options. We were delighted to find something that would fit our needs for the weekend. Nearly a month after booking, the host reached out to me asking if I would be willing to cancel so a long-term guest could extend their stay. He even offered me an additional $50 to do so. I politely declined, stating we had other plans in place, and there weren't any other accommodations that would fit our needs for that time (we would have shifted a week or so, but other places were booked months out or didn't fit our needs.) I didn't receive another message from the host so assumed things were ok.

Then a month later, 31 days prior to our reservation date, late at night - he decided to cancel on us anyway. He messaged me saying he has no other choice but the other guest needs to stay, and offered me an additional $100 for the inconvenience. 

It's rather discouraging to know other guests receive priority over those who plan ahead... I have little motivation to ever book again.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Carly255 Sadly there are occasional hosts out there who do the wrong thing. This host will have been fined but that is of little consequence to you. Have you tried invoking the Aircover guarantee with Airbnb? If not you should ask them to find you another place.

[Rebecca]

Hi @Carly255 👋

Sorry to hear that happened to you and your family. I wondered if you've found an additional place to stay, and if @Mike-And-Jane0's suggestion of reaching out to Airbnb Support has helped? 

Looking forward to hearing from you. 😊

[Carly255]

Unfortunately... Airbnb help wasn't so helpful. The very first place they recommended to rebook at... was in fact the place that had canceled on us. There wasn't anything else available for the original weekend we had. 

I did manage to rebook on my own - changing to the next weekend - this host has been amazing and super responsive. We even extended our own stay (the place wasn't booked the day before and when I reached out the host was more than happy to accommodate us.) 

The place we ended up booking - Airbnb support said was NOT going to be available regardless of the availability showing it was. I booked it anyway - no problems. 

I do realize this is probably an uncommon occurrence, but for my first booking, not off to a very convincing start.