When are infants overcapacity allowed in a reservation?

An infant is considered a child younger than 2 years old. If your property allows children, most booking channels will automatically permit at least one infant to stay over your maximum capacity at no additional charge. However, policies vary significantly depending on which platform guests book through.

Infant overcapacity policies by booking channel

Airbnb

Airbnb has the most flexible policy regarding infant overcapacity:

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

Booking.com

Booking.com allows a more limited number of infants over capacity:

• Guests can bring 1 infant (under 2 years old) over capacity
• Infants typically stay for free on this platform

Holidu

Holidu offers the most generous infant overcapacity allowance:

• Infants under 2 years old stay for free
• Everyone else counts as an adult
• There are no restrictions on the number of infants allowed over maximum capacity

VRBO

VRBO has a different approach to infant policies:

• Infants and children both count as adults
• Infants are not allowed over capacity

Important information about infant overcapacity policies

There are several critical points to understand about how these policies work:

Policies cannot be changed

These infant overcapacity policies are standardized across each platform and cannot be modified. They form part of the terms and conditions you agreed to when listing your property on each channel. You cannot customize or adjust these rules for your specific property.

Description restrictions cannot be added

It is not possible to add restrictions or special notes about infant overcapacity in your property description. You cannot specify that infants are not welcome or set custom limits on the number of infants allowed.

Disabling children bookings is your only option

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

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

Please note that selecting this option will prevent all child bookings, including those with infants.

Cancellation penalties apply

If you choose to cancel a booking because an infant exceeds your property's capacity, this action will be considered a host cancellation. Host cancellations may result in penalties from the booking channel, including potential impacts to your cancellation rate and listing visibility. It is advisable to review your capacity limits and infant policies before accepting reservations rather than canceling after the fact.

Summary

Understanding your booking channels' infant policies is essential for managing guest expectations and avoiding disputes. Most platforms allow at least one infant over capacity at no extra charge, with Airbnb and Holidu offering the most generous allowances. If infant overcapacity is a concern for your property, disabling children bookings entirely is your most effective solution. Always review booking details carefully before accepting reservations to ensure they meet your property's requirements.