I’ve NEVER gotten a booking within two weeks! Who wakes up on a Tuesday, turns to the significant other and says “Hey, honey, let’s take a $1000 flight to the Caribbean and rent a large home starting on Saturday for a week”???
6 Likes
I think you are confusing the policy. They have 48 hours from booking to cancel. So long as 2 weeks in advance. Not up to 2 weeks from the check in day.
I’m not confused. It’s the same policy as TA has and is a crap policy.
Right now, Air guests book and I immediately send the directions and check in info and password info. No longer. I will be waiting until the 48 hour period has cleared so they don’t have access to my stuff until they are confirmed.
1 Like
I was replying to piton as it seems she/he is confused. I really don’t see the big deal. Your calendar at most is tied up for 2 days, and very likely the number crunchers at Airbnb find this leads to more bookings.
2 Likes
When someone books I send them a message to say “thanks for booking, these are you dates, I will be in touch with you 1-2 days before your arrival with access code to the front door” and then when Airbnb sends me a reminder email it usually reminds me to send it. Otherwise people will be “hey where’s the info” if it’s within that 2 day period. That way they have the address great, but no house access until I give it to them.
4 Likes
If you believe that, I have some land under the Kilauea Volcano vent to sell you. 
1 Like
Work on your material. If you are going to take jabs at other posters, avoid cliches.
It’s not a jab. Just stop being naive. Airbnb is not doing this for you and me. They are doing it for the guest. There is ZERO benefit to hosts to have a 48 hour grace period. ZERO! Nada, zilch. (Oh sorry that is another cliche. Cliches are cliches for a reason. They underscore a common truth. )
4 Likes
I had three cancellations from people using the 48 hour cancellation, since it was trialled a few weeks back. I did lose bookings, because I had someone else interested in the dates who couldn’t book. By the time the original guests cancelled, the other guests had found somewhere else and I didn’t get a replacement booking.
Before that I only had three cancellations in three years.
Clearly this 48 hour policy does encourage guests to book who aren’t definite about their arrangements and will mean hosts lose out.
I am certainly not getting more bookings as a result of it being introduced, as Airbnb claims and you believe.
2 Likes
This is the first step to look and book. That’s going to be where they book Brandt’s place but aren’t really serious about coming. Only it won’t be 48 hours. They can dump you anytime. They just want to hold a place until they find something else. Or any other reason! How on earth that benefits hosts is beyond me. And go ahead and believe their PR machine that it’s a win-win. Maybe when you’ve lost thousands on un-rebookable cancellations like I have you’ll understand. We ARE their travel insurance.
Putting all the risk on the host is not a winning strategy for hosts.
7 Likes
I think a billion dollar company that makes its money on properties being booked may have analyzed this and found it will increase bookings. My thoughts. We will have to agree to disagree. You clearly have done your own analysis.
Also I probably would refund guests in this situation anyway. Guest books 3 months in advance, next day has some reason they need to cancel, I’m refunding them anyway.
When guests cancel in peak period, we do not get rebookings - different areas, different client bases. Our guess are 99% international. We cannot turn around on 48 hours, I think this new policy should be a choice not enforced.
2 Likes
I agree with Brandt that Airbnb has experimented and number crunched and Airbnb has found that it increases bookings. If it didn’t they wouldn’t do it because it is more work for them.
That doesn’t mean that @Helsi or @konacoconutz or @Brandt will get more bookings. They don’t care about individual hosts. The concept of hosts in general, yes. (Did you guys see the lovely new ad on their facebook page? Still pimping the original vision of hosts cooking and eating with their guests) If a host gets fed up and leaves, they don’t care. There are 10 starry-eyed newbies ready to take their place. And I’d bet that it’s going to be the same with IB, and photo requirement. I wouldn’t be shocked if they got rid of reservations on the website and only had an app in the future. They are going to make reserving an Airbnb like reserving a hotel because that’s what pays the bills.
2 Likes
I agree the 48 hour cancellation period for those on strict cancellation is purely about encouraging more guests to book. However that doesn’t mean all hosts with a strict cancellation policy will get more bookings.
I have just had it confirmed via their social media that guests who book and then cancel within 48 hours will be given our full contact details, which is outrageous. I have asked why they can’t set it up so that guests only receive this information after they have a confirmed booking.
3 Likes
They can get the details and then cancel and get a full refund, including Air fees, correct? Then they can contact you directly to book and save on fees. (not saying you would allow this, I’m thinking of why this could be bad for airbnb) That seems more likely than a criminal using the information to commit a crime.
I’ve had more cancellations than the average host (I think based on the question posted in another thread.) I’ve never had a big problem with it. I don’t always get rebooked but I don’t think it’s affecting me overall because of the last minute nature of the business.
I am sympathetic towards hosts who don’t like the policy but I have yet to see a policy that has been changed back due to host outrage. Most hosts don’t even know it’s happening. We’ll see them post here in the months to come when it happens to them and they lose out.
Absolutely, yes they get a full refund including fees. So yes they could try and book directly, but as someone who shares my home I am more concerned regarding my safety and the safety of my home.
Hosts have had their places broken into by those they have let into their homes to check a place out prior to bookings, because they have given out their address before a booking.
I don’t like the idea a guest who isn’t booking has my details (as I mentioned I have only had three in three years, but now a further three in three weeks due to the 48 hour cancellation policy).
I know Airbnb won’t change something that gives them more bookings and more income but I have asked them not to release host details until the 48 hour period has past.
3 Likes
How absurd. I don’t analyze any more than you do. This is an opinion. Oh wait, that was meant to be a jab. Silly me.
Look the handwriting is on the wall. They might have crunched numbers but it was only something that they are doing to make this thing more attractive to guests…and that is all. In fact, no numbers needed to be crunched to give free right of rescinding to guests. All they had to do was look at what Trip Advisor is doing and do the same. They did the 48 first, but at least I can set my policy on Super strict with them. Right now, they are looking better to me than Air.
They are going to slowly rescind all the things that made this site, Airbnb, worth using. It’s going to become a free cancellation policy place, like it or lump it. Mark my words.
That is my analysis. Er, my OPINION.
4 Likes
But your market is vastly different from many. If I had your situation I would be on IBS and do the same as you. I’m a fly in destination where bookings at the last minute just don’t happen.
Losing $1000 over Christmas (and it was almost 2) was crushing. I had to scramble to pay my mortgage, and didn’t have the Christmas for my kids I wanted to have.
IBS… bahahhh, that is funny autocorrect, ima leave it.
1 Like
Kona is clearly the typical Airbnb market. If you are concerned about a last minute cancel with this feature, guess what, you were not booked to begin with. They only have 48 hours to cancel. Guests are not booked for 6 months then canceling 2 weeks from their stay.