HOSTFULLY should clearly warn hosts about VRBO cancellation penalties when canceling inside PMS

I wanted to share a recent experience that exposed what I believe is a serious workflow issue between Hostfully and VRBO.

I had to cancel a VRBO booking because the guest did not meet my minimum age requirements. During the cancellation process in Hostfully, I was required to:

1. Select who was initiating the cancellation
2. Enter a required cancellation reason

Like many hosts would assume, I believed this required reason field was somehow passed along to VRBO and would be considered when reviewing the cancellation.

That assumption cost me.

What actually happened was VRBO treated it as a standard host-initiated cancellation, automatically suspended one of my listings, and effectively delisted it for 48 hours.

I was eventually able to obtain a waiver directly from VRBO after submitting evidence and explaining the situation, but only after the damage was already done.

The main issue here is not the waiver process — it’s the lack of transparency during Hostfully’s cancellation workflow.

If Hostfully knows that cancellation reasons entered in PMS are not considered by VRBO for penalty review, that needs to be made crystal clear before a host proceeds.

At minimum, there should be a warning such as:

“Warning: For VRBO reservations, canceling as host through Hostfully will trigger VRBO host cancellation penalties by default. The reason entered here is for internal documentation and is not used by VRBO for waiver consideration. Contact VRBO directly before proceeding if you believe your cancellation qualifies for an exception.”

As an Elite VRBO Partner, this is important information that hosts need upfront — not after their property has already been suspended.

Suggested improvements:

Add a clear warning during Vrbo reservation cancellations stating that the reason entered is not transmitted to Vrbo for penalty review.
Clearly state that host cancellations through Hostfully will trigger Vrbo penalties by default.
Recommend contacting Vrbo first before canceling for guest eligibility or house rule violations.

This would provide hosts with the transparency needed to avoid unnecessary penalties and suspensions.