You may consider them to be extenuating circumstances but neither I nor AirBnB consider them to be extenuating. AirBnB apparently have in their T&C definitions of what extenuating means, eg dangerous weather of hurricanes tornadoes, etc.
The host made as part of an offer, not promised, an option to refund 2/3 of the rental. There is no proof from the information given that the guest accepted that offer.

You did not say or make clear in your post, nor anywhere for that matter, that you actually accepted her offer of 2/3 refund if property was re-let. Instead your very next sentence to that offer you wrote ” I asked again for mercy that I could not afford to just leave $450 out there” which implies that you did not accept her offer but tried for more. If you have written proof that you accepted her offer, it changes the situation completely.

Since you now say that you did in fact clear it with your immediate manager it is very unfair of your company holding you alone liable. The responsibility should have then passed to your manager. It puts you in a very difficult position.

If a final decision has been made, what difference to that decision would there be if the case had been left open until the 14th day? Final decision means final. And barely missing the 48 hour deadline still means you missed the deadline.

“If the host does not want to show mercy that is the host’s prerogative.” – Of course, but when she does in writing, she should have to carry through on that offer.

“Similarly if a host has made a final decision and wishes to close the matter then that again is the host’s right.” – When money has exchanged hands, and the contracted dates for the reservation and/or the window of time for refund has not passed yet, the case should not be closed!

“You should have confirmed with your company before booking if it complied with their policy.” – I did with my boss, but the higher ups vetoed the whole thing. There was a misunderstanding, since there’s not any clear written policy on Airbnb rentals at my workplace….but there should be now!!!!

“Have you asked your company for mercy and gone to websites for advice as you have done from the host or have you just accepted their decision without complaint?” – Of course I pursued every option on both sides! I’ve also spoken directly with the company credit card holder, whose disputing the charges with Airbnb. Next is filing complaints at BBB and the Federal Trade Commission. Interestingly enough, I also found this host’s business page on FB too, so I may leave a review there, since I can’t on Airbnb.

“It appears you did not wish to compromise at all for you rejected the host’s initial offer and tried for everything if your favour. When the host rejected your second plea for mercy, you then blame the host for ceasing negotiations.” – No, you don’t understand how it all went down, and it’s very difficult to explain with Airbnb and the host throwing me back and forth via phone and email. The fact remains that she offered 2 options, reschedule or cancel with possibility of 2/3 refund upon rebooking (see screen shot), and since the cancellation and rebooking occurred, 2/3 refund should be mine.

“You say you were thinking of hosting and would not do as this host has done. Thinking and actuality are very different when you have bills due and you have allowed guests to cancel on a whim without penalty and thus no income.” – It was not on a whim, and not at the last minute, and I never thought she should leave empty-handed. Of course it makes sense to pay a reasonable penalty, which I offered. I still think I’d handle my guests more reasonably than a system that will gauge someone who barely missed the 48 hour mark and fell within the 14 day window, while quickly double-dipping through another guest. As it stands, she and Airbnb did better now than if I could’ve kept my reservation! There should be a sliding scale/pro-rated fee schedule that is fair to both the guest and the host.

“If you do not want to accept the risk and consequences of unexpected events then you should take out travel insurance and not expect others to bear the risk for you. That is the purpose of travel insurance.” – I’m not familiar with any offered through Airbnb, and will have to find out if my work place has any that may apply in this situation.

Wow, that’s super encouraging to hear. Good for you! 🙂

As a host, I might state a strict refund policy if I was having particular problems with people canceling at the last minute, but I would also take situations case by case and be more reasonable in these sort of situations where the guest was upfront and told me there was a problem they couldn’t avoid right away. Obviously, she started out handling it this way, but then renigged. Why? She was able to rebook right away, so there was no loss to her. In my opinion, policies are meant as a framework, but to have a successful, ethical business, one should use common sense and treat the customer the way they would want to be treated.

Ummm, yes I would consider this situation extenuating circumstances if I were the host. It really wouldn’t be any skin off my teeth to give back 2/3 of the entire rental cost, like she promised, when she also was able to rebook since the person notified her right away that there was a problem.

If the host does not want to show mercy that is the host’s prerogative. Similarly if a host has made a final decision and wishes to close the matter then that again is the host’s right.

If a host does not want to accept the risk of loss of income due to cancellation and reflects that in the cancellation terms, then it is not fair that you accept the risk then wish to absolve yourself of the risk and place the onus on the host when your plans change. It was you, after all, who broke your company’s policy in booking the accommodation. You should have confirmed with your company before booking if it complied with their policy.

Your company was to pay for your accommodation since you used a corporate credit card. Since you violated your company’s policy, I assume your company expects you to bear all costs. Have you asked your company for mercy and gone to websites for advice as you have done from the host or have you just accepted their decision without complaint? Are you treating each equally or holding only the host to account?

It appears you did not wish to compromise at all for you rejected the host’s initial offer and tried for everything if your favour. When the host rejected your second plea for mercy, you then blame the host for ceasing negotiations.

You say you were thinking of hosting and would not do as this host has done. Thinking and actuality are very different when you have bills due and you have allowed guests to cancel on a whim without penalty and thus no income. Would you charge the same rate if you knew you were assured of a receiving a certain amount of money for a booking or if you did not know if you would receive any money at all until the guest actually stayed? Risks cost money and are usually reflected in the price as occurs in an airfare with no changes or cancellation as opposed to a ticket which allows changes and cancellation.

If you do not want to accept the risk and consequences of unexpected events then you should take out travel insurance and not expect others to bear the risk for you. That is the purpose of travel insurance.