So a guest booked 36 hours ago for a 5 day stay starting tomorrow. He messages me at 2am today stating he booked the wrong dates and meant to book the same dates but in July, not May.
At this point he can’t get a refund for the trip starting tomorrow as per the cancellation policy. So he sent me an alteration request for the dates in July, except I only have 3 of the 5 days available in July so the dollar amount is exactly the same as the 5 day stay tomorrow. I am familiar with the fact that guests will sometimes do an alteration request for a far away date so that they can then cancel penalty free. I also am aware that mistakes *can* sometimes happen.
I feel bad that he only booked 36 hours ago, it seems likely it could be a mistake and he received a check in email which triggered him to realize he had the wrong dates. On the other hand, I already paid a cleaner to get the house ready for him and likely will not be able to book the dates since it’s now starting tomorrow. Would you all humor his request to change the dates and believe that it was a mistake, or be more cynical and allow him to lose the cost of this trip? I was considering offering him the option to cancel the trip (but not do the alteration), offer him a refund for any nights that get booked, or maybe apply some of the cost of this trip if he books the new trip for July. But I’m just not sure.