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 allow at least one infant over capacity. Understanding these policies is important for managing your reservations effectively.

Infant overcapacity policies by booking channel

Different booking channels have varying policies regarding how many infants can stay at your property beyond the maximum capacity limit. Here's what you need to know:

Airbnb infant policy

On Airbnb, infants are children under 2 years old and stay for free if children are allowed at your property. Guests can bring up to 5 infants over your maximum capacity, while children aged 2-12 are priced the same as adults.

Booking.com infant policy

Booking.com allows guests to bring 1 infant (under 2 years old) over capacity at your property.

Holidu infant policy

On Holidu, infants under 2 years old stay for free, and everyone else counts as an adult. There are no restrictions on the number of infants allowed over your maximum capacity.

VRBO infant policy

VRBO treats infants and children the same as adults, meaning they count toward your maximum capacity limit.

Important restrictions and considerations

You cannot change these policies

These infant overcapacity policies are part of the terms and conditions you agreed to when listing your property on each booking channel. This setting cannot be changed, and it is not possible to modify or add restrictions to your property's description regarding infant overcapacity.

Disallowing infants entirely

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

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

This will prevent all children, including infants, from being booked at your property across all channels.

Cancellation penalties

If you choose to cancel a booking because an infant is exceeding your property's capacity, this will be considered a host cancellation. You may face penalties from the booking channel for this type of cancellation. It is recommended to understand and plan for the infant policies before accepting reservations.

Summary

Most booking channels automatically allow at least one infant over your maximum capacity, except VRBO which counts infants as adults. Airbnb allows up to 5 infants over capacity, while Booking.com allows 1, and Holidu allows unlimited infants. These policies cannot be modified, so if you want to restrict infants, you must disable children entirely at your property.