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I think guests are smart enough that the experience can vary widely. I stayed at an Airbnb that was a bootleg studio. No sheets on the bed, just a comforter which is all that’s needed for Los Angeles but no sheets?, wifi didn’t work, bootleg studio, shower and minimal amenities.
When I left, like a hotel, I left the used towels on the floor but washed all the dishes and didn’t make the bed… They charge a $30 cleaning fee.
I saw them once or twice and just said hello but no real interaction. They gave me a negative review saying I left the place a mess and that I was unfriendly… WTF???
I had a similar experience last year. Airbnb called me and asked me if I’d accept a one night stay because the guest had arrived at two local Airbnbs and had been horrified by them both. (Not the same as cancellations, but similar).
There were bugs in one and in the second it was completely unprepared - bed not made, no cleaning done at all etc.
Although she was a new user she had the sense to photograph the problems at the listings and call Airbnb at once. So they relocated her to me - it was a one night booking and she was a great guest.
Oh by the way, at that time we were pet friendly. (We’re not now because the homeowners’ association changed the rules). Once the Airbnb rep had determined that yes, I would host the guest, he then informed me that she was travelling with four dogs!
However, the guest - and the dogs - were lovely. All’s well that ends well.
I always loved sitting in airports listening to the poor gate agents get noticeably more desperate and aggressive to accommodate passengers on their overbooked flights: “Hello passengers, we are currently seeking those willing to be bumped to our 11:15 flight in exchange for a $250 voucher for use in any or our domestic flights. Please come to the counter if interested.”… “hello passengers, (repeat)… in exchange for $1,000 voucher plus an overnight hotel.” And lastly… “could passengers Smith, Doe, Ramirez, Won, and Brown please come to the counter?” “So… you guys are getting bumped to our 11:15 flight. Sorry. Nothing you can do. Here’s a meal voucher.”
For flights arriving in the EU, with EU based airlines.
For flights departing the EU, with all airlines.
(EU = 28 countries + Guadeloupe, Fraench-Guyana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Maarten, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands + Iceland, Norway and Switzerland)
If you are denied boarding because of an overbooking…
1. You ALWAYS have the right for a compensation:
Flights < 1500 Km € 250,00
Flights > 1500 Km within EU AND All other flights > 1500 Km and < 3500 Km € 400,00
Flights > 3500 Km (intercontinental) € 600,00
If the airline offers you an alternative flight, you accept and you arrive at your destination with a delay of less than 4 hours, this compensation can be reduced by 50%.
Connecting flights one ticket: If you are denied boarding on your second flight because of (possibly) arriving late, you are entitled to compensation.
Connecting flights two tickets: If your first flight is delayed and causes you to miss your second flight you have no right for compensation. In case of a delay of more than 3 hours, depending on circumstances, you could get a compensation from the first airline.
2. The airline has the obligation to offer you the following possibilities:
Reimbursement of your ticket. In case you already took the first flight(s) of connecting flights, they also have to put you on the first available flight back home.
An alternative flight to your destination at first opportunity.
An alternative flight at a later date, with the same conditions as your original flight(s), depending on availability.
You can only chose one of these options. The compensation stands as described above.
If the airline doesn’t fulfill it’s obligations to offer you an alternative flight or a flight back home, they have to pay for your travel expenses.
If the airline doesn’t offer you any choice and simply reimburses your ticket, they have to also pay for the extra costs of buying a ticket (with the same conditions) with another airline.
If your outward and return flight are on different bookings, the airline will only have to reimburse the flight you were denied boarding to.
If your outward and return flight are on one booking, and you are denied boarding on the outward flight you are entitled to compensation, and the airline should offer to reimburse both flights, or give you an alternative for the outward flight.
If you cancel on them, as a previous poster said, it will show up on your listing, which in turn, will cause future guests to think twice before they book with you. It will also bring your ratings down. This is frowned upon - big time.
In the past, my long term guests have worked around my other bookings.
Lines 2 to 5 of my post explain for which flights these rules apply. Yes, all EU related.
BTW I knew they existed, but I did get them from the internet . I’m not a walking encyclopedia of passengers rights .
Similar rights must exist on other continents or in other countries, although probably less beneficial. Maybe other people can comment on passenger rights in their countries.
US is turrrrrible. I get so annoyed with airline economics because carriers enjoy all of the privileges of government intervention (massive bailouts, anti-competitive mergers being waved through, etc), but there’s not really such thing as a passenger bill of rights.
But on the other hand… de-regulation and giving airlines carte blanche is the single reason why prices have plummeted, and is what makes flying affordable.
I still can’t account for why flying is still a more enjoyable experience on Middle Eastern and Asian carriers, and relatively lousy on American and European airlines. Maybe unions have something to do with it, but the progressive pro-workers rights part of me doesn’t want to admit that.
Flights from Athens in September regularly overbook to London in September because of the large numbers of Greek students studying in the UK who don’t turn up for their flights. At least they did 20 years ago when a friend and I were travelling back from there. Airline staff asked for volunteers to be bumped and by agreeing twice we got a night in a nice hotel with a pool, and recouped almost the whole cost of our return trip. We didn’t need to get back particularly early, so were quite disappointed when we were finally able to board the third flight!
When I flew 20 years ago they were always overbooking. Now, almost never. The last time I volunteered (in the past year) wasn’t due to overbooking it was due to too much weight on the plane. After I volunteered and everyone boarded someone had the great idea to unload some fuel from the plane instead. So the flight was delayed and when I got on the plane there was no overhead bin space for my bag. Nice reward for volunteering, thanks.
When leaving Frankfurt to SF, we were offered 600 E each with hotel and meals on Lufthansa to take the same flight the next day. My son was really sick and I had to do a damn Airbnb cleaning or I would have!!!
Be aware that a guest can book for as long as they like, but in reality, it’s a month by month thing. Your guest could book for 3 months, turn up on day one and decide your place really isn’t for him. He could then jump on Airbnb and alter his reservation to end in 30 days.
Hi @Zandra, while I understand what you said to theoretically be correct, it did not work that way in my case.
My current long term guest decided to cut her 13 week stay short by 5 weeks. She put in a change request and Airbnb automatically accepted it for her on my behalf. I had zero say in the matter.
. I’m not a walking encyclopedia of passengers rights 
.