Cancellation policies -- I am so confused
Jun 12, 2018, 12:33 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 43
Cancellation policies -- I am so confused
It is my first time arranging non-hotel lodging in the US. And I am totally overwhelmed with the variety of cancellation policies amongst the many platforms!!
At least with Airbnb, I can see which Level of strictness on cancellations is applied for a particular property. But I can't even see that important detail listed on the pages for TripAdvisorVacationProperties (unless I overlooked it in my scrutinizing the pages, LOL).
To try to answer this question, I just spent alot of time on the TA Help pages and still found only cancellation policy details that are relevant to hosts, not potential lodgers. Arrrgh.
Perhaps it is my suspicious nature, but it seems like the cancel risk is totally with the lodger -- you can't reserve without paying and once you pay, your money is committed BUT the host can cancel up the last minute (even tho they have all the money up front), and then what recourse is there for the lodger.... other than try to find another place and pay again?
Yeah, I am used to regular hotels and I get that this is a different game! I just want to make a reservation now for a stay many months out, without having to pay the full price upfront...maybe some kind of non-refundable deposit? In case something comes up as the time draws closer, I don't want to forfeit the entire rental amount!
At least with Airbnb, I can see which Level of strictness on cancellations is applied for a particular property. But I can't even see that important detail listed on the pages for TripAdvisorVacationProperties (unless I overlooked it in my scrutinizing the pages, LOL).
To try to answer this question, I just spent alot of time on the TA Help pages and still found only cancellation policy details that are relevant to hosts, not potential lodgers. Arrrgh.
Perhaps it is my suspicious nature, but it seems like the cancel risk is totally with the lodger -- you can't reserve without paying and once you pay, your money is committed BUT the host can cancel up the last minute (even tho they have all the money up front), and then what recourse is there for the lodger.... other than try to find another place and pay again?
Yeah, I am used to regular hotels and I get that this is a different game! I just want to make a reservation now for a stay many months out, without having to pay the full price upfront...maybe some kind of non-refundable deposit? In case something comes up as the time draws closer, I don't want to forfeit the entire rental amount!
Jun 15, 2018, 3:08 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: MSY
Programs: BA GfL
Posts: 5,925
I have no idea what the cancellation policies are for other platforms, but what I can tell you is that on Airbnb, the host does not get the money until after the first night of the guest’s stay. Airbnb itself keeps the cash between the time of booking and the time of the stay. And you can choose an Airbnb property that has a flexible, moderate, or strict cancellation policy—this is up to the host to decide. So if you don’t want to lose money if you have a change or cancellation, choose one of the less stringent properties.