What to do if your Airbnb host cancels your reservation at the last minute
You are a planner. You don’t wait until the last minute so you book your Airbnb accommodation and then your Airbnb host cancels at the last minute! What do you do?
It’s been a long year and you are really looking forward to that holiday. In March you booked and paid for your flight. Hotels cost a fortune, so you found a stunning accommodation on Airbnb that is just perfect. You check the availability and the price and instantly book it before it is snapped up by someone else.
Now, all that you need to do is count down the months until year-end-break….
But there is a problem.
Two weeks before your magical holiday is about to begin you are notified that the Airbnb host has decided that he would rather use the accommodation himself and promptly your Airbnb is canceled. You now have to scramble to find alternative accommodation for a family of six which is scarce and at the last minute any accommodation you do find cost a fortune.
This has just happened to a family from Johannesburg, South Africa who received an SMS saying the accommodation in Plettenberg Bay has been canceled leaving them and their family who will fly to South Africa from overseas stranded.
Airbnb host cancels at the last moment
Dena confirmed that when she received the SMS, she called the host to get more information “the host was incredibly rude, said he needed the house and hung up the call. There was no apology from the host nor was there any offer to help find alternative accommodations.” Dena confirmed that Airbnb refunded her money but she felt frustrated as there was no way to contact Airbnb to report the host’s behavior. Dena also tried to call Airbnb but could not find a telephone number on the site. Thankfully she found another accommodation to accommodate their family of 6 over the busiest time of year.
This is not an isolated incident as others report a similar incident such as this tweet:
Kobus did confirm that he did find another accommodation that same day and the process was disappointing but painless. Kobus also confirmed that the host was “host wasn’t very helpful. I found a new accommodation on the app pretty easily they refunded me the difference between the rates (the new one is slightly cheaper) on the same day. Super impressive Airbnb also responded to my tweet to ask if they can help almost immediately”
I reached out to Airbnb to understand how they protect their guest from such negative experiences.
How Airbnb protects its users
“Over 60 million guests have stayed on Airbnb, and on our peak night this summer nearly 1 million people were staying with Airbnb hosts worldwide. Cancellations are incredibly rare but we know there can be circumstances where a host needs to cancel a guest’s reservation” Airbnb replied in a statement to my list of questions.
Of course, Airbnb is only the facilitators as each property is run and managed by the “host” however, due to the negative impact a cancellation has on a guest’s trip, Airbnb has implemented a number of measures around cancellations:
- If a Airbnb host cancels any reservation within seven days of check-in, they will be charged a $100 fee. And if they cancel more than one reservation within a six-month period, they will be charged $50 per cancellation.
- If a reservation is canceled, an automatic review is added to the host’s listing page to say that they have canceled one of their bookings. The host has the ability to respond and explain for future bookers the reasons for the cancellation
- Hosts that cancel a reservation will not be eligible for super host status and the benefits that bring for one year after their most recent cancellation
- The host’s listing calendar will be blocked for the dates the canceled reservation was due to take place and they won’t be able to accept another booking for the same dates
The fact that the calendar is blocked for the canceled reservation date is a great way to ensure that host do not cancel a guest’s accommodation as they think they are able to sell those days at a higher price to someone else.
What about the money?
When it comes to the money, Airbnb protects is users by holding the money and it does not pay it out to the host until 24 hours after the guest has checked in. Therefore, if the host cancels or the listing is not what a guest expects, the money can always be refunded directly from Airbnb and no fights need to be had with the host.
If a guest does find that their host has canceled their reservation, they have two options:
- Transfer their payment to a new reservation and if the new reservation is less than they originally paid, Airbnb will refund the difference.
- Receive a full refund of their payment.
“Guests can contact our customer services team at any point if they have concerns about a reservation or need help finding somewhere new to stay in the rare event of a cancellation. The contact details can be found on their booking itinerary and our customer service team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in a variety of languages.”
5 tips for booking through Airbnb
1. Read the reviews from travelers that have already stayed at the listing. Airbnb’s review system provides in-depth information about listings, graded across six criteria: accuracy, cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, and value. And keep in mind that unlike some other sites, Airbnb’s reviews are authentic. Travelers can only leave a review of a place after they’ve actually stayed there. You can also see in the reviews if the host has previously canceled a booking.
2. Look for the “Airbnb logo” watermark in the top right corner of the listing photographs. Also, look for the phrase ‘Verified Photo’ underneath the images. This means that a professional photographer has been to the listing. You can be reassured that the listing is as described!
3. Only book and pay through Airbnb. Airbnb gives peace of mind by handling all transactions and communication through its secure platform. This way your money is protected and the payment is not released to the host until 24 hours after check-in. You have recourse if the accommodation isn’t as advertised.
4. Get to know your host (and their home). The Airbnb experience is unique and authentic because you’re booking with a local person. That means every home will be different. Take advantage of the many tools Airbnb offers to get to know your host (and their listing) before you book. Read their description thoroughly, including house rules and amenities. Check their cancellation policy and see if there is a security deposit. And go to their Host profile page to read more about them.
5. Communicate with your host using the Airbnb messaging service before and after you book. That way you can ask any questions about the property. Let the host know any special requests you might have. You can exchange messages either through the website or use the iOS or Android app.
Extreme Bonus Tip:
Book a hotel at the same time that you book your Airbnb accommodation. Choose a hotel that offers 100% money-back cancellation fee. Most will do that if you cancel within a few days before checking in. In the event that your Airbnb cancels, you have a backup plan at a rate you are happy to pay.
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Just happened to me as well. Absolute rubbish. this dude cancelled mine and everyone else’s bookings 2 days before my flight. Because the booking was over super-peak period and for 8 nights, it’s been hell trying to find a decently priced accommodation at such short notice. Here is his sob story: “We are very sorry that we have to cancel your reservation as we now have legal problem with the house rent. We were inspected by police for illegal house rent to tourists. Honestly, we have been caught 2 times before for illegal rent to tourists and this morning we were caught for 3rd time.
So, the house is being closed by police now and we cannot accommodate you anymore.
If we rent house, we will be jailed…. hope you may understand our situation…..
We don’t know how to say sorry about the cancellation and hope you can quickly find another place for your stay in seoul….. so so sorry……
Regards,
Kate and Jason”
I’m half decided to expose his full details online – but I need to cool down first!
AirBnB had better find some better way for poor users to flag rotten apples and receive feedback…. but this will be my last time on such a rubbish service.
My Airbnb host canceled my five bedroom house in Washington DC two weeks before my trip to my daughter’s wedding. They have had my $2400 for nine months and this host has apparently done it before. Now, the only options are $4200 and Airbnb offers a mere $200 cancellation fee. This illegal practice needs to be stopped.
Similar situation has just happened to me. A host in Dupont Circle, Washington DC. confirmed my booking dates for the January 2017 Presidential inaugural back in June of 2016. Saturday the 22nd of October I get a change reservation request from the Host stating that I can keep the reservation by paying an additional $9,000 for the four night stay. When I declined the change the host immediately cancelled the reservation. Airbnb says while this is “discouraged” it is not against their company agreements with hosts and I am basically on my own. I should have probably just accepted the change then disputed the charge on my Credit Card as extortion after the stay was over.
Today our host told us hat the house was not available 1 hour before check in… they did not cancel the reservaion and we did not get refunded, even though they said they will. If we dont get our refund we will make their name and address very public.
Our Airbnb in Oslo was cancelled 11 days before our arrival. We were already in Europe. We found another Airbnb unit, it was unsavory, but bearable. It very much disrupted our stay in Oslo.
I think that the host cancellation charge should be the same as the guest cancellation charge, i.e. 50% -100% of the total rental. That cancellation fee should go to the guest along with a full refund of the original rental. As it is, the guest takes the full risk of a rental.
Same for me. I booked for a Cape Town house at new year, back in April. Airbnb have had my money for 7 months. I contact the host this week to arrange key pickup and she says ‘sorry, cancelled for renovations’. If I hadn’t contacted her until three days before arrival, I wonder if she wouldn’t have even let me know. Bloody rude. Won’t use airbnb again – they simply don’t give a damn. Treat is as ‘aren’t you lucky you get a refund’. No commitment to reliability, and I can’t even leave the selfish woman feedback about her lack of respect…
Airbnb need to offer insurance to cover a guest when the host cancels because it is very difficult to secure alternative suitable accommodation at short notice.
I came across with similar situation when 2 weeks before my family ski holiday to Seoul. I settled my booking and payment months ago with this apartment owner in Myeongdong, Seoul and the nightmare happened when I received the “cancellation” notice…just two weeks before my family trip. It seems like no obligation by the host for cancellation and they can simply cancel the booking for convenience, BUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE GUEST!!! I had to rush looking for other alternative, which are more expensive, less convenient and most importantly EXTREMELY TIME CONSUMING. Airbnb MUST increase the host penalty to stop their irresponsible cancellation as it is super seriously impact our holiday plan.
I just had a “superhost” cancel on us a little over a week before our family Christmas vacation. We had to scramble to find a new place which turned out to be much more expensive. I was not allowed to review the host that cancelled and so far airbnb has NOT updated his profile to show that he cancelled. I received a small amount of compensation from airbnb (<$50) for the cancellation, but it did not even come close to compensating us for the extra out of pocket. This guy is still listed as a "super host". Not impressed with airbnb. Certainly would not use them for business since their reviews don't accurately reflect reality.
I was about to book with airbnb for my japan trip. Im not sure after reading all the comments. Thx!
Most airbnb owners are decent and these stories are rare, however I understand your concern… I didn’t book my last trip with airbnb for this exact reason.
I agree, there should be a way to comment on this practice on the Host’s page. There is hardly any disincentive to mess people around.
But are these cancellations rare? who tracks the actual numbers?
Happened to me just 3 days before I was to arrive in Washington dc. Leaves me really high and dry. I had booked several months in advance of the inaugeration and it is impossible to find anything reasonaby priced. The Airbnnb penalty is a joke considering the chaos such behavour precipitates. I will not be using Airbnb again untill they come up with a more apropriate penalty
Booked/paid in full 11/9 for a 2 week Mid-March stay in Gold Canyon, Arizona. Cancellation E-mail arrived Jan 22, with no explanation. With golf and spring training travel at ultra peak we are faced with over 50℅ increase for similar accomodations, not to mention airline change fees, as new place availability is out of sync with cancelled unit.
We have used Home-Away to rent homes throughout the U.S. and South America for years. First time with Airbnb ended this way…No More.
I personally recommend reserving at a real hotel (Hilton, Marriott) as backup, just in case this sort of thing happens. I can always cancel that reservation a day in advance – just in case!!! I also speak with my host before booking to get a sense of who I am dealing with. I am not a fan of booking automatically. They will understand my needs and let me know if they can guarantee that time is locked in if I pay.
good tip to book with a hotel that has free cancellation !
I just had a host cancel the Airbnb reservation WHILE I WAS STAYING IN IT. I checked in around 2pm and at 9:30pm, received an e-mail that the host was canceling it. Airbnb’s customer service was of no help, and the host even walked in on me while I was in the bathroom.
Airbnb sent me a list of other places I could book, but they were all very far away, and when I asked Airbnb to help me find closer ones, they said it was too late at night, and said I should find a hotel (but refused to tell me that they would cover the cost, as I am in London and hotels are much more expensive). I will never use Airbnb again — particularly after one customer service agent told me that I needed to leave the apartment, even if it meant “sleeping on the street.”
There is no penalty if the listing is instant booking. I had a host who cancelled my reservation because she had also listed the same property on booking.com and could get guest through booking.com. She could easily get away with it!
Without some kind of insurance or guarantee, it will be very risky to use Airbnb and Homeaway as well, especially if u r traveling with family.
can you sue airbnb and the host for “damages” (ie – additional cost to find something similar in quality for the same nights? My host just canceled days prior to our stay. It will cost me double now to find something and I will definitely be taking airbnb and the host to small claims court. I’ll report back.
That’s ridiculous! Did you contact airbnb?
I had a similar situation in which a host cancelled last minute. I contacted the Better Business Bureau after getting nowhere with Airbnb. At first Airbnb ignored my BBB complaint, but BBB was persistent and Airbnb finally refunded the full $130.00 difference between the cancelled booking and the place I was incredibly lucky to find at the last second. This was graduation weekend in a fully booked college town. It is entirely too easy for a host to cancel. My daughter arranged a one night getaway through the similar VRBO just last month and the host cancelled on her when she was within 20 minutes of arrival. This is completely unacceptable, and, frankly, neither of these websites goes to bat for the client. I’ve learned my lesson. From now on I’ll stay at hotels.
Fie a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. That’s what I did when a host cancelled on me last minute and I was forced to pay $130 more for a different place — which I was lucky to find at all for graduation weekend in a college town. It took some back and forth, but Airbnb finally coughed up the full amount. If hosts were liable for finding a suitable substitute accommodation and paying the difference, the cancellation rate would plummet. As it is, the guests are left unfairly holding the bag through no fault of their own.
I’ve successfully used Airbnb for several trips over the last 5 or 6 years. I only had one host cancel, while I was traveling in New Zealand. I was staying with an AirBnb host in Wellington, when I got a message that my airbnb in Queenstown had canceled. This was about 10 days before my reservation. Queenstown is a very popular vacation destination, and i was unable to find any listing in my price range other than a few quite a distance from town. My Wellington host called a contact she had with AIrbnb New Zealand, and they were quite helpful. He called back within an hour to say he found a host with a room avaialbe and he would charge me the same rate as the one that canceled. (his normal rate was about 25% higher).
I don’t know if you can prevent a host from canceling, but at least when they do, airbnb should do their best to fix the situation. (after all, there can be legitimate reasons for canceling, friends had a host cancel 3 days before arrival due to a power outage after a storm that was going to take several days to fix)
Thanks for the feedback!
Just happened to me too. Shelley in Fort Lauderdale manages several properties I think, and sent a request for an additional $100/day. Then cancelled booking. If AirBnB wants to be picking up business travellers, it needs to be a reliable service.
wow Ron – have you contacted Airbnb directly?
I already had good experience with airbnb, nice hosts and good places.
But especially when i booked an accommodation on special and busy weekends i had twice some troubles.
For this August i booked a flat in Reading (UK) for the Reading Festival (over 90’000 visitors) on year ahead. Two months prior to the festival, the host told my that the flat isn’t available because of “construction work” on the busies weekend in the town? Really? i didn’t believe…He offered me a smaller flat for nearly the same price…I declined and he forced me to cancel the reservation, and i did it. Sure i get all my money back, but it was hard to find something new. I think he could release the flat to others for much more money…
And just now I had a host who haven’t wrote me back for more than 7 days and also airbnb wasn’t able to contact him. So they cancelled my booking one week before my arrival. Sure I’ll get the full amount back. But its impossible to find a similar accommodation, airbnb mailed me a list with other flats, but all out of the city… again, its a busy weekend, a big beerfest in Germany. I am really thinking about to take a hotel and claim the amount form airbnb or the host (if I can contact him).
I will NEVER EVER use airb&b again! Planned a large family weekend, where everyone had to arrange their schedules to meet during this weekend. I paid in full over a month and a half in advance. 4 days before, I get an email that the reservation is cancelled, with NO explanation why. Plus, they don’t even attempt to help me find another place equal in price or accommodation. It took me over a week to research the location that we picked. TERRIBLE, I will tell everyone and anyone that will listen, I will go on every comment site and the B.B.B. Total inconsideration and unprofessionalism! Unheard of in 2017, shady site/app.
***********DO NOT USE AIRBNB***********
I just had a horrible experience with airbnb today. I booked an apt in Manhattan 4 months ago. I usually receive an email from the host a few days prior to my trip.since I received nothing I started emailing on Monday. My trip is tomorrow!. As of today, no responses from my emails, phone calls. Then I spent my entire day at work today on the phone with various airbnb reps who are in call centers in a foreign location. It was like talking to robots who just kept repeating the same things to me. The absolute worst and most frustrating experience. Not one of them did anything to help me and they all told me something different They do more to protect the host even when he defaulted on me and left me stranded with a group of 6. They kept telling me that they have to give the host several hours to reply….it was already less than 15 hrs from when I was going to depart for the place where I clearly no longer had accommodations. I kept telling them my situation of having a runner in the NYC marathonin our party and the city was completely booked. They don’t care!! One rep assured me they would provide me with alternate accommodations either thru airbnb or hotel if necessary. NOT TRUE!! They just send you a list of available properties and if you want a list of hotels the area they will send that. They were all useless to me and caused so much stress and anxiety. I have been up all night looking for hotel rooms for 6 people for the same day now. Costing get us $800 more for last minute hotel ….I am seething. I will call the bbb… DON’T EVER TAKE THE RISK NO MATTER HOW MANY GOOD EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD. There is no protection for consumers.
I had this happen. Host cancelled 30 min after I arrived. I Called Airnb and they found me a hotel room, Airnb paid the cost difference.
Just had a host cancel on a home in Seville, Spain 3 days prior to our stay. Our group included an elderly couple and we had to scramble to find a suitable place. As others have noted, our host’s ‘Superhost’ status has not been revoked and there is no way for us to leave a public review. We found a place for the same $$ but it was less than comfortable and not as conveniently located as we really needed. Plus the anxiety involved in trying to find a last minute booking in a busy city is not what we planned for our family vacation. There should be some compensation to the guests for this kind of experience.
I just booked them got to the house in the host told me that airbnb said do not give me the key
This sounds like an amazing plan actually
Always good to have a ‘Plan-B’ Have used Airbnb on three separate occasions and the owner/host has cancelled on two of them less than a month before. I don’t spend my time trying to find alternative accommodation. I tend to book a cheap hotel close to where I have my original Airbnb accommodation. If this seems excessive then it may be,but this company listed a 13% of cancellations in 2016 from owners….a little to high for my blood. There should be penalties for these owners cancelling at the last minute. Have Airbnb find a alternative accommodation and bill the original host the cancel fee. This would put a stop to there flaky and meaningless refunds.
Your response is ridiculous. It’s all about customer service. How silly with your selfless comment.Shameful.
“how silly with your selfless comment” ? This one I gotta hear. Please Sir. Can you elaborate as to why it is Ridiculous and Shameful.
I booked a condo in downtown Atlanta where I was working a festival, it booked 3 months prior and paid in full. 24hrs before I arrived I received a cancellation notice, I wrote the host and he said he had ask Airbnb to stop taking reservations over a month ago. They assigned me a case worker which changed every day, and all they really did was send me links to places not comparable to my previous reservation. They will not assist you with booking. Luckily this was not an out of state trip, and I was able to do the long commute back and forth after working 13 hr days. They do not care for their guest at all, beware!!!
14 people to Paris in June and now with just 2 weeks notice the hostess cancels. Whoopee I get my $2,000 deposit back. WTF? She had my money for 3 months. WTF? Good lucking getting anything now!
Similar problem to many above Host cancelled one of his properties in Belfast a week or so before my stay there. He offered me a larger apartment at the same price but cancelled that at the last moment. That meant a last minute booking of a Hotel at a cost of £100 more for the two days plus £20 in parking charges as the Hotel had no private parking, despite saying it had. I was offered a derisory £12 or so for the inconvenience.
No way should anyone believe the ‘Rare and uncommon” wording associated w/airbnb’s policies.
My Daughter had a reservation for over 6 months to attend a festival in Toronto, her reservation was cancelled 2 days prior to departure, The rest of her party who left and arrived 3 days prior and also had reservations w/ANOTHER host had their reservation cancelled as they were de-boarding their plane, All young people, 18-22 w/no REAL life experience as to wtf to do next.
If cancellations are such a rare and uncommon aspect, These kids (young adults) should all go and grab some 6/49 (Lottery) tickets.
– No accountability
– No guarantees
– No REAL deterrents at all for bad hosts.
We booked an apartment in Tokyo for two months. A few days before we flew out the host couldnt be reached. We called AirBNB and then the host mysteriously managed to write to us, telling us that the place was no longer available but he didnt cancel the place. We then had to look for emergency accommodation and it´s impossible in the summer in Tokyo to find a flat for the same price rave.Airbnb gave us some extra credit but it doenst cover the difference of the new place and the new place is much smaller and my friend is sleeping on a couch. It´s very stressful and we were thinking of cancelling the hwole trip. What a nightmare…never again. I am a host myself and will stop my listing, too unpleasant this whole experience. I know AirBnb is only in for the money but if things go wrong they should cough up and make things 100 percent satisfactory again!!! It´s not as if they didnt have the necessary funds.
Had my host cancel my 31 day booking. Anything available is $2000 more and out of town.
I will: when you make an agreement with someone you take a responsability. If you then break the deal, you shall reasonably reimbourse becaouse you are in the position to take the decision, a position of strenght. If a hotel cancels your reservation you can sue them, as you can for an air company or any other service provider engaged with you. It is simply a rule of civility and respect for the business.
Airbnb shall make clear the consequence of cancellation not only for the guest but also for the owner. I assumed that the cancellation fee was the same for both, but now I learn how Airbnb acts in a dishonest way by infringing a well established business principle. These new economy companies prosper in the jungle of new services but ultimately charge the risks on the other (e.g. Uber, where the rights and warranties for the drivers has been destroyed and absorbed by the company).
I will simply try my best to avoid airbnb risks in the future, and now I understand much better the reasons of the prices of the hotels and I blame the greed of airbnb which at these conditions, with these risks for the user, shall be much cheaper, while usually it adjusts to the hotels prices just by keeping these risks well hidden in the folds of the user agreement (another dishonest practice of many internet companies).
I am in Europe and had arrival day cancellations within hours of check in on TWO separate occasions in one month. Both issues were related to water leakage. Also one of the replacement properties, had BED BUGS! You have to HOUND Airbnb for additional compensation. Demand to talk to a manager. It’s terrible that I plan and book months ahead to save money, then a host cancels literally last minute, and you’re left booking places all over town at current rate. In my case, in peak season. I have used Airbnb for years, but this time around I the quality of the hosts and support have diminished. They don’t care, it’s just a money grab now. The hosts say they take the majority of the burden, but as a guest, I am out a lot of money and most importantly, my holiday time.
i had the same experience. I booked a week in Berlin and two days before the host said that if I paid extra it would be ok. Obviousely you do not trust people like that There might not even be accomodation when you get there. However I am starting work in Berlin so I do not only complain to AIRBNB. I will also make an official complaint to the local police in Berlin about fraud committed via Airbnb.
wow any time you get pawned off on the third world english challenged call centers you KNOW they do not even care about your business. I do not think i have ever once had any issue resolved when I had to speak with people in India or Indonesia or where ever else they have these robots. I am getting concerned about my booking in two weeks…I see other people have posts that the host has canceled less than a week before arrival …..
Have just had a booking cancelled, no message whatsoever just an email to say I have received a refund! I understand emergencies happen but my booking is 8 weeks away so don’t understand at all and Airbnb are yet to offer any explanation!!! What a sham
I just experienced the same thing – I booked a house way back in January this year for my family to stay in for my son’s wedding. It was cancelled yesterday – a week before the wedding – NO COMMUNICATION from the host, only the refund notice from Airbnb and PayPal. Our weekend wedding plans are ruined and it was lucky that I could get some hotel rooms at such short notice. Turns out that our host has his house on STAYZ as well and obviously hedges his bets. $100 fine is nothing and not being able to leave feedback is totally unfair. I have contacted fair trading here in Australia but I don’t think that this will get me anywhere either. The hosts should be penalised much more severely. They are ruining people’s holidays and experiences with very little consequence – it’s disgusting and I will never use Airbnb again. Hotels are the way to go!
Airbnb is a terrible company! The host canceled the house that I booked 3 month ago, 12 days before our trip! My family are flying from 7000 miles away for this thanksgiving trip and airbnb told me that there is nothing that they can do! The worse thing is that there is literally ZERO houses left that I can fit my family of 7 in, in Thanksgiving!
I have to get a hotel which separates us first of all but more importantly I have to pay extra 600$ for the last minute booking.
I HATE airbnb! Never again. I won’t stop telling everyone about how terrible they are. The least that they could do was giving me the price difference, but they just said there is nothing else that we can do about! SHAME!
I totally agree, after having 6 weeks in Paris cancelled 4 days prior. We had difficulty calling Airbnb, tried booking another site, said we allready had a booking. Need to beable to contact Airbnb, we had to use facebook. What is good for thGoose is good for the Gander!
Same thing just happened to us a week ago.3 weeks before our check in date the host decides to cancel die to plumbing problems! We were so excited to get such a nice place for a reasonable price. Huge disappointment when she cancelled. Where to find alternative accommodation of the same value over the festive time ……Can’t contact Airbus in any way, shape or form …..frustrating!!
I would like to find out, those who have done long term booking (1 month or more), when the host cancels, did you get your money back immediately?
How is that a host can have a “STRICT” cancellation policy and keep 50% of the booking if a guest cancels. But a host can cancel a booking AT ANY POINT and have to pay a measly $100 that doesn’t even go to the inconvenienced guest (who has added stress, potentially a ruined experience wasting time searching for new accommodation and potentially costing them tons more money). I booked a condo for 31 days, the host cancelled the end of my stay (shortened it by 10 days) after I’d already checked in and stayed 1 night!
Moreover, the cancellation penalty goes to rbnb and not to the guests who is the one that ends up loosing. The host doesn’t care about the 100 euros penalty when they can earn 500 extra by renting in the lady minute to another guest … Insurance companies refuse to rembourse for cancellation when you book with rbnb … for a reason
I had a similar situation and Arbnb needs to do more. They need to protect the host and the person renting. I’ll pay a insurance to them if would have helped me for that piece of mind of a cancellation or unforseen even. Nevertheless, the cutomer service at Arbnb I thought was incredible till I had to cancel my reservation the morning of my stay since the host tried to relocate me to another location without Arbnb being aware. I was refunded in full but was left completely stranded in Miami going around to local hotels for a last minute reservation the same day three days before new years. I was even told by the Arbnb rep I would get a call in 45 minutes which never came. They need to do more and put a better system in place so that these situations are better dealt with. No one or family should be placed in a situation of this sort. I’ve been looking around the internet and beleive this is grounds for a class action lawsuit. I’m forming a contract with Arbnb by using their services and they are forming one with the host to provide the service. The contract needs to protect all parties.
All really interesting comments. I have booked an Airbnb for New York and after reading all of these comments, I also booked a hotel with a free cancellation policy just in case. Good to know.
Booked a place 6 months ago on Airbnb for Eurovision in Tel Aviv. Yesterday the host cancelled and doubled his price. So I booked a 2nd place at £400 more, and today the 2nd host altered and trebled his price. Wtf. Not using AirBnB again. Disappointed in AirBnB hosts in Tel Aviv.
Booked a house in DC Jan 15 for last week in April. Cancelled today, no reason given nor were there any properties that met our requirements. No help from customer service. Will NEVER use again
If this is really as rare as Airbnb claims they should be able to pay to make the guest whole. I was told my room was cancelled two hours before checkin while I was in a foreign city with my bags in hand. Airbnb offered a refund or a 10% bonus to make another booking (€25). I ended up staying in a hotel that cost me an extra €500. Since this sort of situation is so unlikely why can’t Airbnb refund double what you paid. Not 10% and not just a credit on another booking. Airbnb would have actually profited by €75 from my misfortune, not to mention their cut of any new (more expensive place I booked). This was my third booking so my personal rate of being messed up is 33%. Airbnb should give out the actual cancellation rate. Perhaps they consider 5% incredibly rare.
Airbnb sucks! This was my second try and second cancellation with Airbnb. Booked accommodation for my son’s college graduation in Ithaca, NY, 8 MONTHS in advance and was just cancelled by owner/Airbnb with no explanation or warning days before checkin. Sure, they say, they’ll refund the money and I’m welcome to look for other accommodations. The whole city is now booked! Will NEVER use Airbnb again.
I tried to book an apartment just this week in Silema Malta for a six weeks holiday was just ready to book it only for the host to tell me it is declined coming from Australia we need to prepare early as my son is getting married there so with that in mind I wanted to make sure and secure the apartment, I am sure she just wants to hire the place for a much more expensive price on only very short lets as I wanted for six weeks she declined it say she does not do long let’s , as far as I know long let’s in Malta is over six months this person does no deserve to be advertising on this website , it is very frustrating this needs to be looked in by Air B and B I will probably never use this site again and I intend to tell all my family and friends os this bad nature I do not trust a website that is able to be run like this and this person needs to be taken of such a website
Hmmm. Well Rita Freeman, your situation is very different than what people are describing and complaining about here. Airbnb is people’s personal property and they can accept or decline any reservations they wish, for any reason they wish. It’s unfortunate they didn’t accept your reservation. But there is nothing wrong with doing that. It is not a hotel. What people here, on this thread, are upset about – is reservations that have been booked and then the host cancels a reservation that has already been accepted. Sometimes just days, or hours, before the guest arrives. Very different scenario.
I reached out to Airbnb both phone and email about the poor experience with my reservation being cancelled. The response was that comment is noted with no consequences to the Superhost. The host said that they accidentally cancelled and would contact Airbnb about this. I was not in the country & no WiFi when this happened and couldn’t respond to the host. I booked this place months ago. Luckily I found out about this a few weeks and was able to find a place outside of Airbnb.
What I am upset is that Airbnb told me if host accidentally cancelled their Superhost status should be revoked as described above in this article. Now when I look at these Superhost profiles I am unsure if they have cancelled reservations. Transparency is needed and there should be consequences for hosts who decide to cancel reservations. How can I trust Airbnb moving forward?
Airbnb cancel my booking jest 1 hour of the check in and the say the refund will be between 5 to 15 working day and they didnot help me at all
We all as consumers need to get together and file a class action law suit against this company and see how fast this practice stop!!
I just had an Airbnb reservation cancelled, the second one in four months. Both of my recent cancellations were with super hosts and involved me paying considerably more money to find suitable accommodations. Customer service this last go-round has been abysmal – worse than dealing with my cable company. I cut the cord with my cable company months ago and now after six years of using Airbnb, I’m cutting the cord with them, too. I sat down and figured out my cancellation rate with Airbnb. It’s 17%. This is too high a gamble for me. I’ve realized that Airbnb is just a glitzier version of Craigslist. As a consumer, you really have few protections. I’d be curious to hear what other people’s cancellation rates have been. Airbnb tries to make out that is is very rare – I’m pretty sure it isn’t.
Hi there,
I would like to tell the community about my experience using Airbnb for the wedding trip planning.
Few months ago in May/June (it is August at the moment), we have contacted one of the available villas in Palma de Mallorca to plan a family trip there to have a wedding ceremony. The place is called Sant Elm Castle and is an old castle transformed in the villa to accommodate quests for different ceremonies or stays. It had 78 positive reviews and the host Rafa was very welcoming when I first messaged him. He confirmed that the villa suits our needs and is available for the selected period of time (September 19th-22nd).
It sounded perfect and I had no doubt since number of reviews is quite high and the title “superhost” means something. So we paid for the villa, also booked all flight tickets for the family and started the preparation.
This week (the beginning of August) the host contacts me and says that he should do some renovations in the building and can not host us during the selected period of time. He offers a hotel that costs twice less for the same price and for two people(the initial booking is for 12 people). The Airbnb support sends me a message if I cancel the reservation myself because Rafa is a super host and they don’t want him to get the cancellation fee or loose his title.
To say I’m shocked is to say nothing. Surprisingly, all google review and all Airbnb reviews sections become unavailable for me. I can’t leave a comment or post a review about this experience. Now i start to understand why most of the places have mostly positive reviews. You simply do not have an option to share the experience if it’s not positive.
After long conversations with Airbnb support I finally got to the point that I’m not going to cancel any reservations and if the host can’t accommodate us he should do it himself. I got the refund of the price paid for the reservation but it doesn’t help me since all affordable villas in that area are now booked and the flight tickets are also fully paid (the dates can’t be changed). In the policy of Airbnb is mentioned that the support service should help me to find the equivalent place. Thus, as you can imagine it is not much time left and all places are either booked or too expensive.
I understand that Airbnb is not guilty of Rafa canceling the reservation. Though who is responsible for taking the risks when something like this happens? Who should inform you that “superhost” doesn’t mean anything and it’s another marketing trick the Airbnb as other service uses to take advantage of its clients. Why when I click on “pay” button I’m not told, if anything happens to your reservation all side effects are on you and you should remember that. Maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal if it was only me(or me and my friends) planning a vacation and all options were fine for us (hostels, hotels, villas or tent etc.). It gives enough flexibility to change the plans and still have some great time. In my case, it ruined the whole special and unique “moment” of my life. Who is responsible for that?
I will make sure all customer service authorities post this story to make people aware of risks they take when they use Airbnb and the risks they are not told about.
The happy end is that this place – Sant Elm Castle – is now available for booking for the same dates as my reservation was – September 19-22, 2019. Obviously, the price is higher than it was in June.
As I said, I can’t post a review to that place to inform other people about this case.
I hope they check community page of Airbnb. Thanks!
My cancellation rate is 100%, one booking one cancellation.
I booked on May 8th, for August 10th. All fine until July 30th, 10pm, when I got a text simply saying my reservation was cancelled and I had a refund, no offer of alternative.
It turns out the host had violated their terms and conditions and they had just cancelled all the bookings, without regard to the inconvenience caused or the imminence of the booking.
After 10 days of messing around they have finally told me they have a new policy of asking for official id, passport, driving license or ID card, which they didn’t need in May, so it is now impossible for them to book me anything else, as I don’t have it.
This is despite a new host willing to take the booking without any id.
The support agent I have been talking to has been completely incompetent, not knowing the rules, and the supervisor I eventually got hold of was just rude, suggesting I get a friend to book and pay, with their ID.
So Airbnb is quite happy to completely drop you in the shit at short notice, because of something completely out of your control.
The last laugh is on them, because I had a phone number for the first host, who seemed very reasonable when I just spoke to him, and will do it cheaper than before.
Our situation is that we got informed by the host that he is putting the house up for sale and potential buyers could enter the premesis for inspection during our stay at non given date and times. This violates our privacy and addressed airbnb about this situation asking for advice. The result was that airbnb cancelled our booking, full refund BUT host gets no consequences like looking superiors status, does not pay the 100 dollar fine etc etc. His weird is this?
Airbnb cancelled my November 4th-6th reservation in London UK 4 days ago due to “Host account under investigation” (Airbnb cancelled, not the host)
The listing was for a Radisson 4 star hotel in central London, and everything seemed very convincing. (Pictures, texts, address etc) so I made the booking and paid in full.
They have refunded me 100% of the amount paid, however, they will not offer me an equal alternative for the same dates. Prices now for 4 star hotels in London are double what I paid.
What I understand is that Airbnb did not verify properly this hotel listing before uploading it in their website and start accepting bookings.
Since they cancelled -and not the host- are they legally obliged to offer me an equal alternative for the same price, or not?
Their customer support and “manager” replies are the worst I have ever experienced. Still waiting for a final solution….
Do I have a case here ? Or I will be wasting my time chasing them?
Thanks for reading!
Hosts tend to generate money for them all year, while guests only for the couple weeks that they vacation. That’s why AirBnB values their hosts more than the traveler. Losing a host– in the long term– means more money lost than losing a guest, hence the rules are written to favor hosts.
Well, if the AirBnB reservation isn’t cancelled, you are kind of doing the same thing to the hotel that you feared the AirBnB host was going to do to you. Indeed those are the conditions the hotel offers, but AirBnB (lousy) conditions are being met as well when last minute cancellations occur. It is better to urge/demand AirBnB do more to help those subjected to last minute cancellations.
My “inconvenient” cancellation rate as a guest is about 10%. I often travel off-season so rebooking hasn’t been too difficult.
Having the same cancellation policy for the host as for the guests would be the right thing to do, but I can understand why that’s not the case. The guests pay money in advance, and Airbnb can control that money. The hosts don’t. So Airbnb itself would be on the hook if they committed to paying compensation to guests, and the hosts could just refuse to pay it. From Airbnb’s point of view, trying to get that money back potentially from a million different hosts across the world is probably a non-starter. And if they required large deposits from hosts, there probably wouldn’t be many hosts.
Hi Matt, Did you ever sue them? Something similar happened to me and I am in the same place as you were, namely wanting legal recourse for damages, loss of enjoyment and stress, etc. Had a host cancel on the morning of flights. He had done so 40 times in the preceding year, – a bait and switch artist – wondering if you took it further? Thanks. Ed.
I have reservations in 5 different cities in December 2019, two bookings have been cancelled by the host. 40% cancellation rate and there is still 4 weeks left for potentially more cancellations!
Our host just canceled our book 20 hours before check-in, imaging how hard it is for us to look for another house during Christmas holiday. Airbnb takes cancelation fee from the host but offers no compensation to guest. never trust airbnb