Our host neglected to update their calendar to require a three-night minimum. I therefore successfully booked and paid $3436 for two nights. I was excited and let our party know it was booked; they sent me their share of the cost on Venmo, etc. Then the host emailed me that it was a ‘purely business decision’ to cancel my processed payment and reservation. Translation: they can get more than my processed $3436 and they are greedy.
This type of transaction destroys the integrity of Airbnb. Mind you this is a “Superhost” that completes benchmarks such as:
1. Completing at least ten trips in their listings in a year (translation: they aren’t struggling to get reservations, so why are they so greedy?)
2. High Response Rate (translation: they quickly respond to let you know they can get more than your $3436, so they are cancelling your reservation)
3. Five-Star Reviews (translation: if we wouldn’t have unfairly cancelled your booking you would have loved it)
4. Commitment – Superhosts honor confirmed reservations — they rarely cancel. (translation: how ironic. This ‘Superhost’ is a joke)
Lastly, this host has a very strict cancellation policy – only a 50% refund up to one week prior to arrival, except fees. Why is it so easy for them to cancel with impunity? That just doesn’t sit well with me and makes me question the morals of Airbnb and its hosts. The Airbnb motto of “Belong Anywhere” should be updated to “Belong Anywhere as long as you’re the highest bidder.”
If the host cancelled your booking, it is very likely that he will he losing his superhosts status for a whole year. If you Instabooked with them then it is likely he is abusing the “Penalty Free Cancellation” which is only offered for Instabook hosts only in the event if the host feels unsafe with the guest or if the guest has broken house rules. If you feel thats the case then you should report to Airbnb that you feel the host didnt have a justifiable reason to cancel your booking.
“Airbnb Superhosts are Super Greedy Opportunist ”
“That just doesn’t sit well with me and makes me question the morals of Airbnb and its hosts”
While I understand your frustration with airbnb, i think its important to keep an open mind and not generalize all hosts based on this negative experience.
Hope you can resolve your issue!
Actually hosts do get penalized for cancellations: there’s an automated message on the listing stating “host cancelled within an x number of days” and several cancellations in a row will either result in financial penalties or a substantially lower ranking in search results……