When are infants overcapacity allowed in a reservation?

Understanding infant policies across different booking channels is essential for property managers. An infant is defined as a child younger than 2 years old. If your property allows children, most booking platforms automatically permit at least one infant to stay over your property's maximum capacity at no additional charge.

Infant policies by booking channel

Airbnb

Direct answer: Airbnb allows up to 5 infants over your property's maximum capacity when children are permitted at your property.

Here are the specific details:

• Infants are defined as children under 2 years old
• Children are defined as ages 2-12 years old
• Infants stay for free if your property allows children
• Children (2-12 years old) are priced the same as adults
• Guests can bring up to 5 infants over your maximum capacity

Booking.com

Direct answer: Booking.com permits 1 infant under 2 years old to stay over your property's maximum capacity at no additional charge.

Key points to remember:

• Only one infant is allowed over capacity
• The infant must be under 2 years old
• This infant stays for free

Holidu

Direct answer: Holidu has no restrictions on the number of infants allowed over your property's maximum capacity.

Holidu's infant policy includes:

• Infants under 2 years old stay for free
• All other guests (including children 2 years and older) count as adults and are charged accordingly
• There are no limits on how many infants can exceed your maximum capacity

VRBO

Direct answer: VRBO does not allow infants to stay over capacity. Infants and children count as regular guests and must be included in your property's maximum occupancy.

Important VRBO considerations:

• Infants count as full guests
• Children count as full guests
• No overcapacity allowance for any age group

Important policies you should know

You cannot modify these settings

These infant overcapacity policies are part of the terms and conditions you agreed to when listing your property on each platform. You cannot change, modify, or add restrictions to these policies through your property settings.

Disallowing infants entirely

If you prefer not to allow infants exceeding your property's capacity, your only option is to set your property to "children not allowed" in your amenities settings. To do this:

1. Go to Configuration in the top-left side of your dashboard
2. Navigate to Amenities
3. Navigate to Children
4. Select Children Not Allowed

Keep in mind that choosing "children not allowed" will prevent all bookings from guests with children of any age, including infants.

Cancellation consequences

If you cancel a booking because an infant exceeds your property's stated capacity, the booking channel will consider this a host cancellation. Host cancellations may result in penalties, including:

• Reduced search visibility for your property
• Lower host ratings
• Potential suspension from the platform
• Financial penalties depending on cancellation timing

It is important to review booking requests carefully and understand the infant policies before accepting reservations.

Summary comparison table

Quick reference for infant overcapacity policies:

• Airbnb: Up to 5 infants over capacity (free)
• Booking.com: 1 infant over capacity (free)
• Holidu: Unlimited infants over capacity (free)
• VRBO: No infants allowed over capacity

Next steps

Review your property settings and ensure your listing description accurately reflects your comfort level with infant guests. If you need additional support managing your bookings or have questions about specific reservations, contact your booking channel's support team directly, as they can provide guidance specific to your account and property.