I don't think that's an unreasonable preference (I work for Airbnb) and it's not for everyone. There is however, consequences, for hosts who do cancel on our guests last minute and we take those types of violations seriously unless it was an extenuating circumstance. Hosts can be penalized with financial penalties, they lose their Superhost status and eligibility, and this information is posted to their review section. Repeated violations also will result in suspension from the platform.