escapefromphl, you can do the same with Airbnb properties if--like the hotels you dealt with--the host is willing to give you a break for whatever reason. (A host is allowed to refund any/all of a prepayment, at the host's discretion.) Some hosts will do this, some won't--just like some hotels will do this, and some won't. You got lucky a few times with hotels, but the exact same thing could happen with an Airbnb reservation.