No-show

A no-show is a booking that is never fulfilled and never cancelled — the guest simply does not turn up. It costs the property the revenue of an unsold unit that was held out of inventory, and unlike a timely cancellation it usually comes too late to resell the night. Properties manage no-shows through their cancellation and payment policy: taking a deposit or full prepayment, requiring a card guarantee, or charging a no-show fee for the first night. Tracking the no-show rate also helps forecast realistic occupancy and informs whether deliberate overbooking is worthwhile. For campgrounds, no-shows are common with unpaid or provisionally held pitch reservations, especially in changeable weather, which is one reason many sites move to deposits or prepayment at the point of booking to protect peak-season availability and revenue.