Cancel a confirmed reservation when necessary, for example, due to maintenance issues, overbooking, or other unforeseen circumstances.
Both guests and hosts can cancel reservations. When a reservation is cancelled, the dates become available on all booking channels, and any associated automated messages cancel automatically.
Learn about all available reservation changes and updates you can make.
Before you begin
- You can only cancel confirmed reservations.
- Ensure the listing is connected to the booking channel, with a "Connected" status in the booking channel’s integration page in Guesty. A cancelled reservation only syncs between platforms if the listing is connected to the booking channel.
Limitations
Review the following limitations before canceling a reservation.
- For disconnected listings, cancel the reservation in both Guesty and the booking channel separately. For Airbnb disconnected listings, follow the specific steps below.
- Restoring or editing cancelled reservations isn't supported. Create the reservation manually if needed.
- Deleing reservations isn't supported.
Important:
If a guest uses an invalid payment method, the reservation isn't canceled automatically. Set a notification for failed payments, and charge the guest again. Then you can collect a new payment method or cancel the reservation manually.
Cancellation types
There are three types of reservation cancellations.
Guest-initiated cancellations
Guests can cancel their reservation at any time, even after check-in, provided the check-out date is in the future.
When a guest cancels:
- The cancellation syncs to Guesty, usually within one to 24 hours.
- You receive a cancellation notification in your Guesty Inbox.
- The reservation status in Guesty changes from "Reserved" to "Closed". Learn more about reservation statuses.
Process any refunds according to your cancellation policy.
Guest-initiated cancellations don't impact your search ranking on the booking channel.
Host-initiated cancellations
When you cancel a reservation as the host, a manual cancellation in Guesty records as "canceled by host" in the booking channel. This may negatively affect your status on the booking channel and your cancellation rate. Some booking channels suspend listings with high cancellation rates.
Group cancellations
When you create a group reservation, Guesty generates multiple sub-reservations as separate events in the calendar. Cancel sub-reservations individually.
Auto-decline for Request to Book reservations
Guesty's auto-decline is not a reservation cancellation feature. Rather it automatically declines reservations after a certain window period to protect your response rate and maintain your host status, such as Airbnb’s Superhost or Vrbo’s Premium Host.
Request to Book reservations receives "Reserved" status. The following action must be taken or it will be automatically declined:
- Airbnb: Respond to the request 23 hours and 50 minutes before it expires.
- Vrbo: Respond to the request within 42 hours before it expires. Request to Book reservations are referred to as "Quote and Hold".
- Other booking channels: Respond to the request within 24 hours before it expires.
If you take no action, Guesty automatically declines the reservation, changes the status to "Expired", and notifies the guest.
Cancellations based on multi-unit and sub-unit status
The table below shows how Guesty handles cancellations based on the status of a multi-unit and sub-unit.
| Multi-unit status | Sub-unit status | Cancellation available |
|---|---|---|
| Connected | Not connected | No |
| Not connected | Not connected | Yes |
| Intentionally disconnected | Some connected individually | Disconnected listings only |
Channel-specific information
Check the reservation's source and take action based on the channel. When you cancel a reservation via the channel, Guesty syncs the status update unless otherwise specified. Follow the instructions below to cancel the reservation in Guesty according to your channel.
Reservations with check-ins in the next 24 hours
If a reservation has a check-in within the next 24 hours, contact Airbnb to cancel the reservation. Learn more about Airbnb's Host Cancellation Policy.
Reservations with check-ins in more than 24 hours
For reservations with check-in more than 24 hours away, request cancellations through Guesty. Airbnb must approve the cancellation, which may take a few days.
- To remove a block from your calendar sooner, contact us. However, this can lead to discrepancies between Guesty and Airbnb.
- If a cancellation doesn't sync to Guesty after 24 hours, check if the listing is disconnected or suspended.
Auto-decline
Guesty automatically declines Airbnb booking requests if no response is provided within 24 hours. You have 23 hours and 50 minutes to respond before the request expires. This process is fully automatic and doesn't require any manual action on your part.
Cancel a disconnected listing's reservation
If a Guesty listing isn't connected to Airbnb, cancel related reservations directly in Guesty.
Note:
This cancellation doesn't sync to Airbnb.
Disconnected listings are indicated by a banner on the reservation page and widget.
Address privacy for cancellations
Airbnb provides host privacy by limiting guest access when a reservation is canceled.
-
Default behavior
During the cancellation window, guests see only a general area or map pin, not the exact property address. The full property address, host last name, and phone number are shared closer to check-in for active reservations.
-
After cancellation
Guests can review your cancellation policy to understand refund eligibility but generally won't see the full property address. Visibility depends on whether the property’s privacy settings are enabled. Enable Address privacy for cancellations on Airbnb to protect sensitive property details.
Ask the guest to cancel the reservation using their confirmation email link or in their Booking.com account when possible.
For host-initiated cancellations:
-
Cancel via Guesty: Use this option if Guesty is the listing's connectivity provider, and the guest is a no-show or has used an invalid credit card.
Report fraudulent bookings directly to Booking.com.
- Cancel via Booking.com: For all other cancellations, initiate a cancellation request in Booking.com’s Extranet. Submit cancellation requests up to 48 hours before check-in through the Extranet or Pulse app. If cancellation is needed less than 48 hours before check-in, ask the guest to contact Booking.com customer service. The reservation is canceled once the guest accepts the cancellation request.
- If Guesty isn't the listing’s connectivity provider, cancel the reservation in both Guesty and Booking.com.
Cancel reservations in Expedia. Changes to Expedia reservations sync with Guesty based on who initiates the change or cancellation.
Cancel these reservations in Guesty. Contact us to cancel a manual or direct reservation made for a multi-unit listing.
Direct integrations include:
- Guesty Booking Engine API
- Guesty Booking Engine
- Google Vacation Rentals
Cancel via Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy.
Pilot users: Cancel a reservation via Guesty to free up your calendar, then report it to HomeToGo to avoid commission charges.
All other users: Cancel a reservation via HomeToGo.
Cancel an owner's reservation in Guesty.
- Cancel in Rentals United or the connected booking channel where the reservation was made (except Vrbo).
- Cancel Vrbo via Rentals United reservations in Guesty.
Cancel in Guesty, then report it to Rentalz. Rentalz deducts the cancellation fee from your monthly commission bill.
Updates to the reservation status in Siteminder don't sync to Guesty. Always cancel or update the reservation in both Siteminder and Guesty.
Both guests and hosts can initiate cancellations on Vrbo. The process varies based on who starts the cancellation.
Guest-initiated cancellations
If the guest requests a cancellation on Vrbo via the chatbot or other Vrbo tools, Guesty receives the cancellation request, cancels it as “traveler”, and sends a message to your Inbox.
If a guest cancellation on Vrbo doesn't sync to Guesty, verify that you imported the reservation correctly. If not, cancel it in Guesty manually.
Host-initiated cancellations
When you cancel a reservation as host in Guesty, a pop-up appears requesting you to specify if you are canceling as the host or on behalf of the guest. Guesty syncs this information to Vrbo.
If you need to manually cancel a reservation due to payment-related issues or unexpected circumstances, cancel it in Guesty manually.
To maintain good standing with Vrbo and avoid penalties, submit a waiver request to Vrbo. For details, see the Vrbo Partner Cancellation Fee Policy.
Note:
Cancelling as a host may negatively affect your Premier Host status or result in listing suspension with Vrbo. To avoid this, ask the guest to cancel the reservation on Vrbo, or contact Vrbo support to process the cancellation.
For all channels not listed above, cancel the reservation in the relevant channel. The cancellation then syncs to Guesty.
Cancel a reservation in Guesty
Cancel a reservation in Guesty from the reservation page, the Multi-Calendar, or the Inbox widget.
Follow the instructions below to cancel a reservation via the reservation page.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the side navigation menu, click
Reservations. - Click the relevant reservation.
- At the top-right corner of the Overview tab, click
and select Cancel reservation from the dropdown. - Enter the cancellation details in the right side panel.
- For manual reservations, select who canceled the reservation, the cancellation reason, and any relevant notes. Once selected, the cancellation reason can't be changed.
- At the bottom-right corner, click Cancel reservation.
- A red note appears under "Overview" to indicate that the reservation is canceled, who canceled it, and why.
Follow the instructions below to cancel a reservation via the Multi-Calendar.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the side navigation menu:
- Click
Multi-calendar. - Click
Inbox.
- Click
- Select the relevant reservation.
- On the right-side panel, click
. - Click Status & channel.
- Under "Status", click the current reservation status and select Canceled.
- In the pop-up, fill in the relevant information:
- Person canceling (required): Ensures accurate reports and statements that are calculated based on your cancellation policies and rate plans.
- Cancellation reason (required).
- Notes (optional).
- In the pop-up, click Cancel reservation.
- In the bottom-right corner, click Save.
The reservation status will change to "Canceled".
Refunds and charges for cancelled reservations
Understand how cancellations affect fees and accounting:
- Fees: Fees manually added to a reservation remain as non-canceled invoice items. Add a guest’s cancellation fee to the invoice according to your cancellation policy or rate plan. You must manually issue refunds because they don't process automatically. If needed, you can waive a guest’s cancellation fee.
- Request to Book and inquiries: If you don't approve a Request to Book or an inquiry, neither you nor the guest is charged. However, the channel or Guesty may charge a cancellation fee.
- Rate plans: If the listing has an active rate plan and you mark a reservation as canceled by the guest, Guesty automatically calculates and displays the cancellation fee in the invoice. View it in the "Guest invoice" section of the "Balance due / Payout" page.
- Vrbo users: If a reservation is canceled in Guesty and not in Vrbo, you must collect any refund or cancellation policy fees manually by adding a line item in the guest folio as non-accounting users or accounting users.
- Accounting users: When a reservation is canceled, reservation-related charges or expenses cancel automatically. Payment-related or recurring charges and expenses aren't affected. Learn how canceled reservations affect the accounting folio and owner statements.
