Booking 2 holidays for the same dates, one abroad one in uk. Is it fair?

[Watermelon221]

As above.

Two families I know have booked a 2 week cottage break in the uk (school summer holidays) with Airbnb and also a holiday abroad (Airbnb) for the same dates.

They plan to cancel the uk holiday if restrictions change to make going abroad easier.

Apparently they can cancel for free up to 1 week before so plan to decide then based on guidelines / rules at the time.

Although I’m sure they are right in what they say- that they can cancel and get a full refund- is this morally right?

@Karwomannghia

Don’t you still have to pay the Airbnb fee if you cancel? Either way, no -it’s selfish.

No, friend is notoriously thrifty so would not waste money on cancellation fee… it must be right that there is no penalty or deposit to pay

@Crunchymum

We use Airbnb and I've never had any accommodation that has such a cancellation policy? It's always 50% if you cancel by X date and you'd lose the lot if you cancelled a week before your booking?

I’ve several Airbnb’s booked which I can cancel til few days before

"But would you deliberately book more than 1 at the same time knowing you’re not going to use one and then pull out at very short notice?"

Yes. In this current climate, I would.

It's not great. But so many eg booking.com are putting the fact you can cancel for free as their main highlight. You can see why people would do it

Honestly, I think it's a bit tight when it's Airbnb.
For sure there's some people who have multiple listings, but most hosts are renting out their own homes/spaces.
In the first lockdown, all bookings were cancelled overnight. Guests got their money back automatically (and rightly so) but hosts equally lost their income with zero support from Airbnb itself - zero. So it was a good marketing position for airbnb itself but hellish for hosts.
I personally would consider double booking for a hotel or similar which can mitigate its costs across multiple rooms or similar, but for airbnb hosts who only have the one space, it's tight.

I don't book two holidays simultaneously but I have booked places on several occasions where I have hoped my preferred alternative becomes available and then cancelled the first booking. Booking with the intention to cancel unless unexpected circumstances seems reasonable, but the two at once options I think are unreasonable.

I guess people must be prepared for it and pretty sure they can fill the booking at the last minute if they have to. I wouldn’t do it, but we planned to holiday in the UK this year anyway and have had our booking in place pre- Covid. If we were to cancel at the last minute there would be a hefty cancellation charge (unless we couldn’t go due to restrictions). I do hope the prices calm down a bit when foreign holidays are possible again. UK holidays are expensive enough as it is without price hikes!

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Personally I think how we treat others says a lot about us.

I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't book multiple tables in a pub or restaurant so I could choose on the day either.

I am self employed and wholly understand the losses sustained when someone does this. And the leisure industry is already on its knees. They have to choose between being as flexible as possible to encourage bookings and taking the hit when people abuse that.

I agree

I think one thing this whole Bloody Covid has shown is how cravenly selfish people can be.

I don't think morals have anything to do with it. The rules are set this way to provide people with the option to change last minute, that is the whole point. By the ops reasoning it would also be immoral to make a last minute bargain booking due to someone's cancellation.

I have had many holidays though I have had to move multiple times and one at half term (2 nights in an amazing Beach Hut place in Bognor) that I had to cancel 6 days before because guess what - yep outbreak at DD school and she had to self isolate. The owners were lovely about it and it was snapped by within 2 hours

One way or another the tourist industry is going to have an unpredictable and interesting summer. The aviation industry and places such as TUI need some people to remain confident in them - at the same time people need a holiday - having multiple options I think is fairly common.

As long as you give them enough notice I suspect the bookings will be taken. I have booking.com bookings that are no prepayment needed and free cancellation.

@Watermelon221

As above.

Two families I know have booked a 2 week cottage break in the uk (school summer holidays) with Airbnb and also a holiday abroad (Airbnb) for the same dates.

They plan to cancel the uk holiday if restrictions change to make going abroad easier.

Apparently they can cancel for free up to 1 week before so plan to decide then based on guidelines / rules at the time.

Although I’m sure they are right in what they say- that they can cancel and get a full refund- is this morally right?

If the vendor has said you can cancel, then they are doing nothing wrong. We have an Airbnb booked in the UK that we can cancel for a full refund a week before, which we may do if restrictions are lifted and grab an abroad holiday instead (we haven't booked abroad though)

@Watermelon221

Possibly, that’s why I asked the question.

It doesn’t seem a very sustainable way to run a business though does it?

It feels a bit off to me, but like you say if the option is there then it’s ok to do it. I just wondered if the option was there to make life easier for people if they had to cancel (through things beyond their control like illness) not because a better option came up!!

It doesn't matter what the reason is, free cancellation means exactly that. It doesn't stipulate covid, illness, isolation as having to be the reason to cancel. As another poster mentioned, free cancellation isn't a new thing, it's been around for yonks

We did this. Not AirBnB but a holiday cottage booking platform.

I must admit I felt a bit guilty but when it became clear that a holiday in Spain may not be possible I wanted an alternative. Last year we only had 1 week to look for something else when Majorca was moved to the banned list at the last moment. and I didn't want to stress out again.

We made the decision to cancel Spain already 4 weeks ago, so the UK one is the one we will use. The cottage was booked with a cancellation notice and I do think it is reflected in the price, there were cheaper ones without it. But I also wanted some form of comfort to make a last minute decision.

The booking in advance and not turning up is an issue for free tickets, I realise that but what is the alternative? As a member I do expect the ticket for free (we are NT members) and I had booked three tickets for a free museum but I fell ill the day before so only DH and DD went. These things happen and people will not come. Unless the venue keeps a percentag of tickets available for walk-ins/same day bookings, people will do this.

Bookings will be snapped up again within a couple of hours. Not immoral at all. In this climate of uncertainty people will hedge. If you can’t afford to then maybe don’t go on holiday?

The host sets their own cancellation terms for Air BnB so it varies from property to property.

I am meant to be away right now in the Highlands but had to cancel because the friend I was going with has covid. Luckily we deliberately chose places with free cancellation because we were sure something was going to go wrong and we got all our money back.

It’s not great but I did it. Booking.com allows it and I wouldn’t have felt too guilty- Uk very overpriced this year and if we had cancelled I think it would have been rebooked. We wanted the flexibility to choose and luckily found a booking platform that gave us that flexibility.
In the event we are going on the UK break.

I think it's wrong to do this. We have booked an Airbnb for next summer and I was suprised to see I had to pay 50% now, and should I cancel I lose 50% of the deposit.....i've never paid so much upfront before or had to lose anything if I needed to cancel a while before.....but that's what we have got to with people deliberately booking and cancelling. Added to the money lost by covid forced shutdowns for holiday let owners.

@CastawayQueen

Bookings will be snapped up again within a couple of hours. Not immoral at all. In this climate of uncertainty people will hedge. If you can’t afford to then maybe don’t go on holiday?

This maybe true of UK lettings in very popular spots but it is not true for everywhere. Getting last minute bookings can be really hard, and even more so if the reason for the cancellation is a travel restriction. Property owners are being pushed into offering free cancellation in order to get bookings. If it results in empty weeks then people will end up going out of business.

It's horribly selfish behaviour and I'm sure those who have done it know that

I personally think that if a business if leaving themselves open to this by having such a late cancellation policy then tough really. Yes, it’s unfair on other people, but really that’s not the fault of the business owner is it?

Enjoy your holiday @Watermelon221

I wouldn’t do this personally, but I totally get why others might, many haven’t had a holiday for a couple of years, if you have an employer that isn’t flexible and you want a holiday for a set date, and the t&cs allow it, you aren’t breaking the rules. Holidays are in high demand so even at short notice the cancelled holiday will sell.

@HotChocolateLover

I personally think that if a business if leaving themselves open to this by having such a late cancellation policy then tough really. Yes, it’s unfair on other people, but really that’s not the fault of the business owner is it?

Enjoy your holiday @Watermelon221

Thanks, we have booked uk cottage only, not risking abroad this year as couldn’t cope with the uncertainty.

We will not be cancelling unless any unforeseen circumstances.