Hosts provide Travel Insurance to Guests

[Hugh0]

This morning I received a message from Customer Experience

"Regarding the cancelled reservation with your guest XXXXX, Airbnb has confirmed that they are experiencing a medical emergency.
XXXXX was able to provide sufficient documentation of an extenuating circumstance, and the reservation has been cancelled and cleared your calendar for these dates. 
We also would like to inform you that we have refunded your guest in full. As such, we will not be able to provide you a payout for this reservation.

As you have already been paid out for this reservation, we have applied an adjustment to your account in the amount of $967AUD. 
This amount will be deducted from your next payout until it has been reconciled. Please plan accordingly."

I have a Strict Cancellation policy. This was accepted by a guest with a sick husband. They booked about two months in advance. 5 days before arriving they contacted me to cancel as her husband had got worse. 

I note that I have been confined to bed for the last 5 months with my own "Medical Emergency". I rely on the income from Airbnb Hosting, more so now that I am unable to work.

For the record, the guest did not have a "Medical Emergency". They were aware that they had a health issue when they booked but they did not contact me when they knew it was getting worse. Rather, they waited till 5 days before the check-in date to cancel. I offered to refund them any days that were booked. None were.

Airbnb thanks me for my understanding. I do not understand at all.

• I do not know why the guest’s health issue takes precedent over mine.
• I do not know why Airbnb did not contact me to discuss this
• I do not know why Airbnb has made me the de-facto travel insurance for this guest. When I fell sick overseas in January and was unable to travel for a month, I did not expect the hotel to accomodate me for free and the Airline not to charge me for change of dates. I relied on the Travel Insurance I paid for incase something unfortunate occurred.

My mortgages, strata levies, council rates and staff wages still have to be paid for the period the guest cancelled. It costs me money to host. This cancellation has cost me more than just the profit on the booking. 

Despite my extended illness, I have:

• not cancelled a single booking
• replied to every enquiry
• attended to every guest need.

I am aware of the Airbnb policy on extenuating circumstances. I do not understand why the Hosts extenuating circumstances are not taken into consideration in the application of this policy. 

[Jessica101]

What are the best alternatives to Airbnb that hosts have found? Or am I better off just doing this all (payment, insurance) on my own? I thought I would continue to use Airbnb just to facilitate payments, but since learning that they don’t always pay in accordance with the cancellation policy guests agreed to, it seems I need to find an alternative setup that doesn’t turn me into a travel insurer (albeit without the benefit of premiums). Any advice from others that have started this process would be appreciated : )

[Matthew285]

@Jessica101, only you can decide which platform (or no platform) is best for you. It seems like you are doing some of your own research to figure out what will be your best fit.

Please be aware that although the people in this thread have legitimate complaints and have (I feel) been treated shabbily, reading a conversation thread which is dedicated to hosts who have had cancellation problems might give you a skewed view of how often these things happen.

We are relatively new hosts ourselves, but we already have had a cancellation or two. But only one was at the last minute as was due to those California wildfires.

Look around and read a lot. This Community is an excellent resource for AirBnB but don't forget people mainly come here when they have a problem, so browsing here might give you the impression that things go wrong all the time. Things do not go wrong all the time; most of the times things go very well and the guests are terrific people.

I found this Reddit thread on AirBnB vs VRBO/Homeaway. (Please be aware this discussion happened in an AirBnB subreddit.): https://www.reddit.com/r/AirBnB/comments/6c9n59/any_advantages_or_disadvantages_for_hosts_or/

Here is an overview article of several platforms:

https://www.exploringlifesmysteries.com/vrbo-vs-airbnb-vs-homeaway-vs-flipkey-vs-windu/

Here is a page where one person considered the various platforms:

https://blog.evolvevacationrental.com/homeaway-vs-vrbo-vs-airbnb-vs-flipkey-vs-tripadvisor-vs-bookin...

Best of luck! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

You might also consider asking your question as a new question (press the "Start a conversation" button), as it is a very important one, and merits its own discussion thread.

[Michael303]

Travel insurance. It has existed since the beginning of modern travel. It protects both the host and the guest.

[Robin-and-Mami0]

I think  Airbnb's resolutions to refund guests on Doctor notes  is intentionally flawed to  favor their image at the cost of hosts.  Travel insurance is common.   Airlines don't just issue unconditional credits for free.  Etc, etc.

1) 

"For any trip, think about signing up for traveler's insurance. Airbnb doesn't offer travelers insurance for guests, but traveler's insurance is a relatively affordable option that can protect you in case of an injury or emergency on a trip. Some policies even cover lost baggage and travel delays. Check with your local insurance provider for details on your options."

2)  United Airlines charges passengers  $50 and requires them to rebook on a Doctor's note.

3) Delta doesn't refund on pregnancies

etc.

[Robin-and-Mami0]

For the 5 years before working with Airbnb I was never exposed to guest cancelation for any reason. My rental agreements referred guests to travel insurance carriers and let them know it was their responsibility to buy it if they wished to avoid cancelation loss expenses.

Since then Airbnb's policy has lead to 2 cancellations for health reasons causing me to diversify-spread my risk by signing up with additional vacation rental sites and using the iCal feature to keep calendars synchonized.

I think it's unfortunate for Airbnb, hosts and guests that Airbnb resolution center will refund guests for illnesses since 1) Airbnb recommends travel insurance 2) Guests are not required to disclose any medical conditions to hosts prior to booking 3) hosts like myself recommend to guests at the time of booking and give them three travel insurance company referrals - giving guests plenty of time to get travel insurance sometimes even after they discover they can't travel and before check in.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/241/i-m-a-guest--what-are-some-safety-tips-i-can-follow

Prepare for the unexpected
...For any trip, think about signing up for traveler's insurance. Airbnb doesn't offer travelers insurance for guests, but traveler's insurance is a relatively affordable option that can protect you in case of an injury or emergency on a trip. Some policies even cover lost baggage and travel delays. Check with your local insurance provider for details on your options....

Excerpt from my House Manual sent to the guest immediately upon booking:

Travel Insurance
Just a friendly reminder that if you haven't already considered Travel Insurance, this might be a good time to consider it. Travel insurance is insurance designed to cover the costs and losses and reduce the risk associated with unexpected events incurred while traveling. It is a useful protection for those traveling domestically or abroad. Here are a few carriers.
Alliance Travel Insurance
Insure My Trip
Travel Guard
You can find more Insurance Carriers on your own

Hotel Chains by size in descending order.

None of them are absorbing the cost of travel insurance:

#1 Windyham - biggest hotel chain in the world

Offers their own vacation rental travel insurance - at guest's expense

https://www.wyndhamvacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/vacation-rental-insurance

#2

Choice Hotels

Doesn't offer travel insurance

#3 Marriott

Offers LIMITED travel insurance in conjunction with Citicards - essentially-effectively at guest's expense
https://creditcards.chase.com/marriott/cardmember/premier_benefits/protection

Airbnb offer's travel insurance - they volunteer their hosts to bear the risk!

The simplest way to handle this is to explain travel insurance up front - prior to booking and let guests know it's their responsbility to purchase it or guests will be taking the risk themselves.

This part of the Airbnb - Host relationship is 100% unfair and unprofessional. Hosts are not Insurance companies. This policy is not customary.

Airbnb has refunded 2 of my bookings in the past 3 months due to pregnancy and death in the family. This is what travel insurance is for.

[Cynthia43]

I agree with you completely, as Airbnb just did this to us too for a guest who booked while already sick. The host from Sydney at least received a much nicer email from Airbnb than we did. Hosts have to be careful about booking to guests who are already ill, given that Airbnb will not take that into consideration and will give the guest a full refund no matter what the host cancellation policy is.

[Protection0]

guests can purchase travel insurance online at www.travelprotection.insure.  It is a nationwide insurance policy.  Standard and cancel-for-any-reason coverage is available.

[Michael303]

I ask all of my guests get travel insurance. But, guess what? The skilled customer service folks at AirBnB will just give them a full refund anyway?! The skilled customer service folks at AirBnB do not read our message threads to determine that the guest has insurance?! This is my response to AirBnB:

This guest has travel insurance. Why was this reservation cancelled? The guest is going to be reimbursed 100% for their entire loss by the travel insurance company? Why would we not receive this revenue?