Guest is asking for a refund after checkout — what are my options?

Category: Guest Communication

By: Maria Gonzales

Posted: 2026-01-30T23:00:49.581Z

A guest who checked out 2 days ago is now messaging me asking for a partial refund because "the AC wasn't cold enough" during their stay. They never mentioned this during the stay and my HVAC is working fine (I had my handyman check). I think they're fishing for a discount after the fact. What are my options? Am I obligated to refund anything?

Reply by Nolan Peters:

You are NOT obligated to refund anything, especially if the guest never reported an issue during their stay. Here's how to handle it: 1. **Respond politely but firmly:** "I'm sorry to hear the AC didn't meet your expectations. I wish you had let me know during your stay — I would have been happy to troubleshoot or send maintenance immediately. Unfortunately, since the stay is complete and the issue wasn't reported at the time, I'm unable to offer a refund." 2. **Document everything:** Screenshot the message where they confirm the issue was never reported. Have your handyman document that the AC is working properly. 3. **If they escalate to Airbnb:** Airbnb's policy strongly favors hosts when guests don't report issues during the stay. The "Travel Issue" process requires guests to report within 24 hours of discovery. A post-checkout complaint about AC is very unlikely to result in Airbnb forcing a refund. 4. **Don't pre-emptively give refunds to avoid bad reviews.** This creates a pattern where guests learn they can threaten a bad review for a discount. It's called "review extortion" and Airbnb actually has policies against it. If they leave a negative review, respond professionally using the review response generator at https://strspecialist.com/tools/review-response-generator and note that the issue was never reported during the stay.

Reply by James Wu:

One thing I'd add: some guests genuinely had an issue but were too polite to mention it during the stay. Try to distinguish between "fishing for a discount" and "genuinely disappointed but non-confrontational." If the guest has great reviews, a history of being a good communicator, and this feels out of character — consider offering a 10-15% goodwill credit toward a future stay (not a cash refund). This costs you nothing upfront and might convert them into a repeat guest. But if the signs point to a discount hunter (no prior reviews, stayed the full duration without complaints, only mentioned it after checkout), hold firm. You're in the right.