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[moretimeoffguy]

I have a guest who booked a month ago and has a scheduled stay 2 days out. My booking has limited cancellation policy (ie full refund >14days, partial >7 days, no refund <7 days). Guests are coming from Memphis and we are scheduled to get some snow here in Dallas. Guests are requesting a refund from me directly because Airbnb won’t allow them to cancel and receive refund. Wondering how I should handle the situation with the customer. Should I tell them to cancel and work with Airbnb? Will Airbnb take the money from me even though they have booked weeks out? Is this a valid reason to consider a refund? Hoping for some guidance and maybe perspective on this. TIA.

[ajax777]

First, ask the guest if they have purchased travel insurance, which is probably unlikely since they came to you. Second, the "easiest" option would be for you to just give a refund and ask for a waiver of the cancel penalty (if Airbnb hasn't already offered it). As for the host going through Airbnb, I'm not aware of Airbnb policy allowing guests to cancel pre-emptively but if the area has widespread issues from weather related events, they can cancel and get a credit/refund. This is assuming they've already checked in, and Airbnb has the area within the impacted area:

"When a large-scale event occurs, we assess the situation to determine whether the Major Disruptive Events Policy applies. If it does, we activate the Policy for the impacted area and timeframe where we anticipate that the Event will prevent or legally prohibit completion of reservations. Reservations outside of the defined area and timeframe may not be eligible, though hosts may still be able to cancel without adverse consequences if they are unable to host. We continuously monitor these situations and adjust coverage as needed to reflect changing conditions. If you believe this Policy applies to your reservation, please contact us to inquire about eligibility."

[ChrisFromTheOC]

Dallas looks like it was a shitshow.. hope you gave them a refund and Airbnb waived the fees..