‘Please Beware’: Friends Book $20,000 Airbnb 3 Months In Advance. Then Coachella Weekend They Get A Cancellation Notification. But They Didn’t Cancel It—And Neither Did The Host

A woman says she and her friends booked a $20,000 Airbnb for Coachella weekend. Then they claim an alleged glitch ended up canceling their reservation without them knowing. 

TikToker Sarah Lee (@surahlee) booked an Airbnb with her friend for Coachella’s second weekend three months in advance. Then, a little over a week before the weekend began, she says her friend D received an email letting them know that the entire booking got canceled.

Lee describes the situation in a video with over 397,000 views, saying, “ I don’t know what is going on. If it’s a scam, if this is happening to you, just be on the lookout because I’m actually… shaking.”

Now, commenters are wondering whether other people have experienced any “widespread” guest booking glitch.

Does Airbnb really have an issue with inexplicable cancellations? Or is there a reasonable explanation? 

Is The Airbnb Cancellation Glitch Real?

Some commenters had theories as to how the Airbnb was canceled. One suggested that the host omitted that they canceled the Airbnb themselves, writing, “This seems like the host tried to cancel on you but before he had time to update the listing with new inflated prices, you guys already rebooked.”

Other viewers argued against this. “I’m a host and you cannot cancel and re-list… If we do cancel it would show we cancelled it. Your friend might have touched something and [expletive] up. Airbnb doesn’t glitch like this. Maybe possible but it definitely isn’t the host… It would show that.”

There have been similar situations in the past where Airbnb has canceled a stay right before it happened. For instance, a couple traveling to Cornwall reported that Airbnb inadvertently canceled their booking with no explanation. While they were fully refunded and eventually received an additional £1,500 voucher, the situation did seem to frustrate the couple, who were on their honeymoon.

In most situations where Airbnb cancels instead of the host or guest, guests are not charged a cancellation fee, similar to the incident with the honeymooners that the Guardian reported.

While Lee claims that there’s widely reported glitches that are similar to what she and her friends experienced, there’s no direct evidence that there are any glitches causing Airbnb bookings to be canceled with cause. Any evidence supporting the idea that there have been widespread booking issues with Airbnbs near Indio, California, which is where Coachella takes place, appears to be anecdotal. 

How Much Did Lee And Her Friends Pay To Re-Book The Airbnb?

The rebooking inadvertently led to Lee and her friends getting a discount on the Airbnb listing, but they had to pay a cancellation fee for the initial cancellation. Airbnb kept half of the cost of the original booking—$10,000—while they paid $14,000 to ensure the initial dates they picked for the property were secured. All in all, the group paid $24,000.

Lee says her friend D called Airbnb to dispute the extra charge. When Lee posted her first video, they were still out $4,000.

Commenters jumped in to try and provide solutions for the group. Some suggested reaching out to the Airbnb host to request a refund. In comments, Lee said the host already told them they couldn’t help. 

Airbnb Responds To Supposed Glitch

Via email, Airbnb told BoardingArea that viral rumors about a glitch in its system are inaccurate.

The representative said, “We are not seeing any notable uptick in cancellations over Coachella weekends and we’ve reached out to a small number of guests who raised concerns on social media to provide support. We know host cancellations can disrupt plans, which is why we have deterrents—including cancellation fees, calendar blocks to prevent rebooking, and a ban on relisting for a higher price—as well as 24/7 guest support.”

The representative also helped establish how a situation like Lee’s may occur.

“When a guest elects to pay for a stay in installments via Pay Part Now, Pay Later, they receive a number of automated reminders of upcoming payment deadlines,” they said. “If payments are not made by the scheduled deadlines, the stay is cancelled. In this case, the booking guest didn’t pay an installment, leading to an automated cancellation, and we contacted both the guest and the host to assist. There was no glitch—rather, policies in place that are designed with both hosts and guests in mind.”

BoardingArea reached out to Lee via email. We’ll let you know if she responds.

@surahlee

COACHELLA AIRBNB CANCELLATIONS BEWARE!!! I rly did not think this was gonna happen to us lol

♬ original sound – Sarah Lee