Tips for avoiding preventable cancellations

Update your calendar often, set a price that works for you, and more.
By Airbnb on May 4, 2021
2 min read
Updated Feb 16, 2023

Highlights

  • Get tips to manage and update your calendar

  • Set a price and nightly rate that work for you

  • Get to know your guests

Once a guest books a trip, all they want to think about is sinking their toes in warm sand or exploring a new city, so a cancellation can hit hard. Cancellations erode trust between Hosts and guests, and can also lead to fees and consequences

Hosts do an incredible job of honoring reservations and going above and beyond to support guests every day. Here are some tips to help you avoid any preventable cancellations.

Making sure your calendar is updated

Omar, a Superhost in Mexico City, suggests following travel trends and planning ahead. “Understand your local travel seasonality—peak, high, and low season—in order to plan your calendar availability ahead of time for short, medium, or long-term stays,” he says. 

  • Block specific dates when you know you won’t be able to host. 
  • Determine how much advance notice you need from guests.
  • Plan your calendar for up to two years in advance.
  • Check your calendar regularly and adjust as needed.
Understand your local travel seasonality in order to plan your calendar availability ahead of time.
Superhost Omar

Choosing the right calendar and booking settings

Instant Book is a good way to save lots of time and energy, as long as your calendar and settings are frequently updated. 

  • Consider syncing your Airbnb calendar with your primary calendar (like iCal or Google).
  • Keep your calendar current to use Instant Book successfully.
  • If your calendar isn’t updated, you might get a double-booking or a booking for a date you can’t honor, which could result in a cancellation fee.
You can make your booking settings work for you by setting a minimum and maximum length of a stay, how much advance notice you prefer, and the amount of time you need to prepare for guests.

Setting a price that works for you

Creating a pricing strategy is all about finding that sweet spot where you’re attracting guests and happy with what you’re earning. 

  • Set a custom price for specific nights, weeks, or months.
  • Research the nightly rate for similar listings in your area.
  • To remove the guesswork, turn on Smart Pricing.

Getting to know potential guests

Ongoing communication with guests is key, and our messaging tools make it easy to keep up. 

  • If you want to know more about a potential guest, read their reviews.
  • You can send the same quick replies to all potential guests to connect and get more info.
  • Open the door to inclusivity by simply asking your guests, What do you need to feel comfortable and welcome in my space? 
  • Offer pre-approvals and encouragement to guests who contact you before booking. We’ve learned that guests sometimes reach out to Hosts before booking to gauge if they will be accepted and welcomed.

Above all, remember our nondiscrimination policy. By hosting on Airbnb, you’re agreeing to treat all guests with inclusion and respect.

Get more info about Host cancellations

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.
Airbnb
May 4, 2021
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