The Guest did not Show Up

[Julie319]

I had a group of seven coming in yesterday that have not responded to any of my messages regarding check-in details (I've reached out through Airbnb, text and calling) and then did not show up last night.  First time I've had this happen and not sure what to do.  

There's been no communication since the reservation was accepted and they are also supposed to stay tonight.  

What are my options here?  I'm a little weirded out by the radio silence.

J

[Marzena4]

@Julie319 As you can read in airbnb help it is really up to the guest and airbnb to handle it. To my knowledge there is no button to mark a "no show" guest.

[Peggy-And-Mike0]

I had a similar experience and asked the forum for advice. What I ended up doing was to post a review that said the guest had been very communicative prior to the stay, but did not arrive and I did not get any further communication.  Then I said I hoped all was well.  I did this so that another host would know and because it is rude behavior.  We were ready as hosts and did our job.  I did refund all but one night's stay but I don't have an expensive place and it wasn't high season.  Other hosts said to just keep the money for all nights since we couldn't book a new reservation.  I think that call is fine either way depending on circumstances. 

[Helen350]

@Peggy-And-Mike0  I wrote an almost identical review on a no-shower who failed to let me know, nor explain afterwards, - for the same reasons as you.

She was a 1-nighter, so I did not feel guilty keeping the money for my efforts.

The change to the review form being 6 pages rather than 1 page is unhelpful here.. Previously you could write the prose section, give them a star rating for communication, but leave "cleanliness" & "house rule observance" blank - as they weren't there to make a mess or break rules. Now, however, it is impossible to leave star sections blank; you have to rate to be able to use the "next" button... So I've been forced to give 5 stars for cleanliness/house rules to no-showers/same-day cancellations as anything less would be maligning them for non-existent transgressions.

[Elena87]

@Julie319 airbnb policy is in the link below, in summary it means the booking should be cancelled and your cancellation policy takes effect. The policy is actually a bit vague, there is no given time scale to report a no show.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/309/what-if-my-guest-doesn-t-show-up-for-their-reservation

@Marzena4 is right, there is no way to alert airbnb about a no-show unless your phone or tweet.

[Todd-and-Reese0]

Almost two years hosting and this has happened a handful of times. One time they called to say they wanted to bring their child and we refused (against the rules and not safe at all for a toddler) and never heard from them again. One time a solo traveler from Europe never responded to our messages and never showed up. Another time, a couple on a road trip decided to stay a bit longer wherever they were and I told them I couldn't change the reservation and they needed to do it and never heard back. In all of these instances we just kept the booking and the money. If the travelers flake, it's on them. You did your job. Why should you lose income? This is a small perk we get as hosts for all the ones that do show up and make us work hard. It's like a paid vacation. Take it!

[Elena87]

@Todd-and-Reese0 There is a  notable difference between a no-show without communication and a 'change of plan' guy who communicates in advance.

Imagine a scenario where a traveller had an accident or some trauma enroute to your place - it's a no show with no communication. Would you just give a shrug of your shoulders and treat it as perk or should you show a duty of care to at least report it to airbnb.

Imagine the potential headlines in the National Enquirer (or Pravada), you never know.

We once had a lady book our place, first she got lost as she got off at the wrong railway station. Couldn't get her phone to work and eventually got here a couple of hours later, but she laid the blame firmly with me for that. I showed her the room and five minutes later she had vanished with luggage. No idea where she went. She didn't get back in touch, didn't cancel - I left the booking to run out in that case.

[Lindsey180]

Well said! This is our 3rd booking and we are 2 out of three so I guess we should expect this based on your reply. Thanks for making me feel better as a host!

[Maria758]

Hola @Julie319!

The responses below all have their good points, and I love hearing about the personal experiences.  That's really why I use the Community Center, because most often times than none, the answers to hosts' questions can be found in Airbnb Policies.  I'm a big advocate of making sure any decisions I make abide by the policies first and foremost.  

Here is what is says in the Airbnb Policies:

What if my guest doesn't show up for their reservation?

If you’re having trouble getting in touch with your guest before their arrival you may want to try contacting them using a different form of communication. We list the available contact info for your guest on the trip itinerary.

To check the itinerary:

• Airbnb message: Find your guest in your Messages and send them a note
• Email or phone: Go to Your Reservations, click on the reservation, and use the email address or phone number listed

Keep in mind that many guests don’t have access to a phone or have an alternate phone number while traveling, or they may also be in-transit or encountering travel delays that will affect their arrival time.

If your guest decides to cancel or not show up for an active reservation, we’ll uphold your cancellation policy and any payout for a canceled reservation will be released to you. If you’ve hosted before, the payout will be released upon cancellation. If you’ve never hosted before and this one of your first reservations, we may hold the payout for 30 days after the reservation was confirmed. Read more about payouts

A reservation is active if the reservation status shows as Accepted in Your Reservations.

Personally, I have yet to experience a "No Show" but I if I did, my initial reaction would be, "I hope they're okay?!"  I like to give guests the benefit of the doubt, while still maintaining proper procedures and making sure guests are not taking advantage of my sometimes lenient nature.

I have had some close calls, so from these experiences, I learned to put some processes in place, such as reconfirmation messages 24 hours (or more) prior and day of.  I know that seems excessive but it’s proven to be very helpful for us. 

I also have one for “in case of no show” which includes letting them know I am cancelling their booking, why and offering them a discount if they would like to book again.  You never really know what situation your guests are going through and you don’t want to lose potential future bookings, especially “word of mouth” recommendations.  Plus, I have a strict cancellation policy so they will be losing 50% and service fees as it is.

Even worse, what if they eventually show up at your door?!  At least in this way, you ended it cordially and there is room for mending the situation without any awkwardness, or lack of it at least.

If you would like to see our templates, send me a message and I’d be happy to share them with you.

Hope this is helpful

Happy Hosting!

Izzie, Co-Host

LOV Puerto Rico

[Iulia17]

Hi Izzie,

If you still have those templates, can you please share them with me?

Yesterday I had my first "no show" after trying to contact her through 3 different methods. Eventually, last night she contacted me (lost flight) and now she wants to change the dates.

Thank you,

Iulia

[Debra498]

Hello Izzie,

Thank you for offering to share your templates. I ma new to hosting, so they'll be very helpful.

I would love to getyour template for the  following:

* reconfirmation messages 24 hours (or more)

* no show

Thank you.

Deb

[Soren17]

Hi Izzie.☺️

I would love to have your templates as I had the first “no show” yesterday.

Kind regards

Soren Knudsen, Copenhagen, Denmark 

[Natalia1071]

Hola, Izzie i was wondering if you could share the template with me as i just got my first No Show yesterday I've tried to contact not sure what to do it's my 3rd reservation I'm pretty new at this. i would apreciate it so much. by the way I love Puerto Rico too!

[Eveny1]

Hi Izzie,

id also like your templates.  Tonight is my first no show.  I’m concerned for the guest and also about the idea of someone arriving at this time of night.

Thx for sharing,

Eveny

[Amanda2099]

Hi there Izzie

I've just had this to me (a no-show). I’d love to see your templates as well please.

thank you 

Amanda