Is there a difference in benefits for giving a full refund, rebooking or giving full credit for amounts already paid by the traveller?
No, you’ll receive the same benefits for providing full refunds or credits or providing flexible rebooking options.
I gave a 50% refund to the traveller. Will I get benefits?
If you refund 50%, you’ll receive an increase in ranking. However, it will be less than if you had offered a full refund, credit or rebooking options.
If I refunded 50% and gave a credit for 50%, will I get the full benefits?
Yes, if you honoured the full amount of the booking, whether through refunds or credits, and we have a record of these refunds and credits, then your listing will qualify for the full benefits.
I had a traveller-initiated cancellation due to COVID-19 and didn’t refund at least 50% due to my cancellation policy. Will I be penalised?
Yes, you may be subject to marketplace penalties if you refund less than 50% for cancellations during the COVID-19 crisis, regardless of which party cancelled the booking. This only applies to bookings with stay dates between 13 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 that were cancelled after 13 March 2020.
How will you know whether I’ve offered a refund, credit or rebooking options?
We’ll be taking several signals into account, including information captured through our platform and from surveys sent to travellers regarding the outcome of their booking. If we’re not able to gather sufficient information about the booking, then your listing will not be impacted either way.
Are fees included in the refund amount?
Yes. Fees, excluding credit card fees and the traveller service fee, are taken into consideration for the refund amount.
I didn’t give a refund because the traveller had travel insurance. Will I still be penalised?
Under our COVID-19 policy, partners were expected to refund whatever is greater between what is contractually owed to the traveller or at least 50% or more of the entire rental cost (including cleaning fees, etc.) for stay dates between 13 March 2020 and 30 June 2020. Partners who refunded less than 50% of the total rental amount for bookings with stay dates between 13 March 2020 and 30 April 2020, may be penalised in our marketplace, regardless of whether or not the traveller had or used traveller insurance.
What happens if I had multiple bookings with different outcomes?
We’re analysing and aggregating the outcomes of each booking to determine whether the listing is eligible for a ranking increase and recognition on its property page.
How will I know if my listing received benefits?
If you gave full refunds and credits or provided flexible rebooking options to travellers during the dates specified for this programme, you’ll receive a notification via email and a feed card in your dashboard to notify you that these benefits have gone into effect. You’ll also be able to check your ‘Ranking Metrics’ page to see whether your listing’s ranking was positively or negatively impacted.
I’m a Premier Host. What happens if I refunded less than 50%?
If you’re a Premier Host and refunded travellers less than 50% for bookings with stay dates between 13 March 2020 and 30 April 2020, that listing may be ineligible for Premier Host status moving forward. If this is the case, you’ll be notified and removed from the programme. Your listing may be ineligible for Premier Host status for 12 months following your removal from the programme.
How long will my ranking be increased (or decreased) for? How long will the icon and messaging be on my property page?
Exact time frames are still being determined and will be based on relevancy to the traveller, which we’ll continue to monitor. It’s likely that these ranking changes, icons and recognition on your property page will remain in place for the remainder of the year.
Why did I get ranking increases or recognition for some of my listings but not others?
We’re analysing and aggregating the outcomes of each booking to determine eligibility at listing level. If the outcome of the cancellation for the traveller was different for different listings, then some listings may be eligible for ranking increases, and some may not. Additionally, we may have sufficient information about one listing in order to determine eligibility but insufficient information about another listing.
If I provided full refunds for multiple cancellations, will I get more of a ranking increase than someone who only provided a full refund for one cancellation?
No, we’re analysing and aggregating the outcomes of each booking to determine eligibility at listing level. There are no advantages or disadvantages if you processed more or less cancellations than someone else. If you refunded multiple cancellations at 100%, your listing will not receive a higher ranking increase than a listing that only refunded one cancellation at 100%.