Managing changes to an Airbnb reservation

You can manage changes to Airbnb reservations in Airbnb or Guesty. When a change to a reservation is needed, we recommend asking your guest to send an alteration request via Airbnb, which you can then approve or decline. Alternatively, you can initiate a request and send it to the guest for approval directly from Guesty.

This article explains where to make changes to a reservation, how to initiate or respond to an alteration request, and how to make changes that will be reflected only in Guesty.

Reservation alteration types

When altering a reservation via Guesty, its total price is recalculated automatically according to the alteration type.

You can change the total price directly in Airbnb but not request it via Guesty. If you change the total price in Airbnb, the alteration is considered a special offer. Pricing rules don’t apply to reservations booked with special offers so fees won’t be added to the price automatically. We recommend including the fees in the adjusted price you set, however they won't appear as separate line items in the guest folio.

Changing the estimated time of arrival or departure (ETA/ETD) is not supported in Airbnb. If you adjust these values in Guesty, they will revert to the listing's default check-in/check-out times when the updates sync with Airbnb.

Changes to the reservation dates

Changing a reservation’s dates by applying length of stay requirements may make the reservation eligible for promotions.

For confirmed reservations, changing the number of nights impacts the added costs, but doesn't affect the original reservation price. The rates for the added nights are calculated according to the current price per night while the price per night for the original nights remains unchanged. If you subtract nights from a reservation, the remaining nights keep the original price. Fees and taxes calculated per night update when you add or remove nights from the reservation.

Example: A reservation was confirmed for two nights at a rate of $30 per night. The price per night was since optimized by a revenue management tool and is now $32. If you add a night to the reservation, the price per night for the original two nights remains $30. The price of the added night is $32. Fees and taxes charged per night are calculated according to the original price for the first two nights, and according to the adjusted price for the added night. Fees and taxes charged per stay or per guest are not affected.

Changes to the number of guests

Changing the number of guests for a reservation doesn’t affect the original reservation price. An extra person fee may apply if it is set. Taxes charged per guest are recalculated according to the updated number of guests but fees and taxes applied per stay or night are not affected.

Example: A listing’s occupancy is four, and an extra person fee of $25 is applied for additional guests exceeding two. A reservation was confirmed for two guests for two nights at a rate of $30 per night. If you add a third guest to the reservation, the price per night remains $30, and an extra fee of $25 is applied. Other taxes calculated per guest are charged according to the updated number of guests.

Altering the number of children in a reservation is not supported.

Changes to the reservation listing assignment

Effect on the reservation price

For a reservation in a "Confirmed" status, moving the reservation to another listing will not affect the reservation price, even if the new listing has a lower or higher price. Fees and taxes also remain the same and don't change according to the new listing’s pricing.

Available listings for reassignment 

You can move a reservation to a listing

• Under the same Airbnb account.
• That is available on the relevant dates, or that has a "flexible" block.
• With the same currency.If needed, change the listing currency.

Use our troubleshooting guide if you’re unable to move a reservation to a different listing.

Relocate a reservation mid-stay

You can't relocate an ongoing reservation to another listing if the new listing has been occupied during the previous days of the reservation.

To overcome this, you can split the reservation. We recommend shortening the dates of the current reservation, ending it on the day of the split, and creating a new reservation for the second listing, starting from the day of the split until the end of the stay.

Switching between sub-units in a multi-unit

When a guest requests a reservation alteration, changes will sync across platforms. However, if the reservation is moved to a different sub-unit in a multi-unit, changes reflect in Airbnb only. You'll need to manually move the reservation to the sub-unit in Guesty. 

Example: You accept an alteration request to move a reservation in a multi-unit from sub-unit A to sub-unit B, and change the check-in date. The updated check-in date will display in Airbnb and Guesty. Availability for the listings will update in Airbnb but will remain unchanged in Guesty.

Learn more about what data is synced between Airbnb and Guesty and where to manage it.

Approve or decline a guest alteration request

Guests can request to change their reservation by submitting an alteration request via Airbnb. Requests are received in the Guesty Inbox as part of the message thread with the guest.

Learn how to troubleshoot cases when you’re unable to approve, decline, or send an Airbnb reservation alteration request.

Once you receive an email notification, refresh the page to pull the alteration request details. You’ll then be able to approve or decline the request in Guesty by following the steps below. Alternatively, use the “Click here” hyperlink in the notification to approve or decline the request in Airbnb.

Step by step:

1. Sign in to your Guesty account.
2. In the top navigation bar, click .
3. Locate the relevant conversation thread.
4. In the right-side panel, click Approve or Decline. 
5. To save and sync your response with Airbnb, refresh the page. It may take a few moments for the request to be updated.
   

   

The guest’s request and the approval or decline of the request will be recorded in the reservation log.

Send an alteration request to the guests

When you create an alteration request in Guesty, the request is sent to the guest and Airbnb for approval. The relevant listing must be active.

Only the following alteration types can be requested:

• Changing the reservation dates
• Changing the number of guests
• Moving the reservation to another listing

The reservation price is recalculated automatically based on your changes. You can’t adjust the total reservation price via Guesty. 

Follow the steps to create an alteration request.

Step by step:

1. Sign in to your Guesty account.
2. In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Operations mode.
3. Click Reservations.
4. Click the relevant reservation.
5. Click at the top-right corner of the “Summary” section.
6. Select Request edit.
7. In the pop-up, change the desired fields and click Next.
8. Review the updated price breakdown.
9. Click Request edit from Airbnb.
10. Refresh the page.

A summary of the alteration request will be displayed on the reservation page, under the “Summary” section. You will receive a notification in the Guesty Inbox only after the guest approves or rejects the request.

The alteration request is also recorded in the reservation log at the bottom of the reservation page. Use the log to check who created the request (the host or the guest).

Cancel or change a pending alteration request

There can only be one active alteration request per reservation. Therefore, to change an existing alteration request, first cancel the existing request.

Step by step:

1. Sign in to your Guesty account.
2. In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Operations mode.
3. Click Reservations.
4. Click at the top-right corner of the “Summary” section.
5. Click Cancel request to edit.
6. In the pop-up, click Confirm.
7. Create a new alteration request (if needed).

The cancellation is recorded in the reservation log.

Change a reservation only in Guesty

You can make changes to an Airbnb reservation that reflect only in Guesty and don’t sync to Airbnb. Use this type of alteration for internal operational purposes, such as tracking and documentation. Also, only apply internal changes if they don’t affect the guest's stay, for example updating the guest's details or switching the assigned room with another room of the same type and price. 

Changes made in Airbnb later will override internal changes made in Guesty.

To make an internal change, the listing must be active. Changes to reservation dates can’t be made as internal changes. Instead, send an alteration request for the guest's approval.

If you move a reservation from one listing to another listing internally, the latter listing’s calendar will be blocked in all channels, including Airbnb. However, the former listing will remain blocked in Airbnb, since the update didn't sync from Guesty to Airbnb. This may cause disruptions in syncing updates to the reservation from Airbnb and in receiving future messages from the guest, including the guest’s payment details. Also, you can only move the reservation internally to a listing under the same Airbnb account.

Follow the steps to make an internal change to an Airbnb reservation.

Step by step:

1. Sign in to your Guesty account.
2. In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Operations mode.
3. Click Reservations.
4. Click the relevant reservation.
5. Click next to "Summary" and select Edit Reservation.
6. Apply the relevant changes to the reservation and click Save.