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