Changes to Private Room listings

[Jessie-Rose0]

Hey! I just got the below email from Airbnb on redesigning my profile to fit in with the new private room rules.

My property is a little different to a traditional private room as it is a self contained flat (private bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room) within my home, EG you need to go through my house to access it but it is very private and a floor to itself (no shared spaces).

Do you think it qualifies as an 'entire place' rather than a 'private room'?

I don't really want to make some of the changes Airbnb is suggesting.

Any advice very welcome as I'm a little stuck! Thank you!

Email:

We’re redefining private rooms and redesigning your profile.

We’re contacting you to let you know that we’re changing what’s considered a private room on Airbnb. We’re doing this to help more guests discover the listings they’re searching for. This is your opportunity to review the changes and update your listing and profile info.

Starting in May, a listing must meet all of these criteria to be considered a private room:

- The guest has their own private bedroom with a door.
- The guest has access to a private or shared bathroom.
- The guest has access to at least one common space inside, such as a kitchen or living room.
- Hosts use their own name on their listing rather than a business or other name.
- The private room is not a shared room, hotel, resort, tent, camper van, standalone unit (such as a garden annexe) or any other type of property on this list.

You can find more info about what’s considered a private room in the Help Centre.

Make sure your listing and profile are up to date by following these steps:

- Consider changing your listing type. If your listing doesn’t meet the new private room criteria, you may want to select a new type of place that’s a better match. Your listing will no longer be displayed to guests as a private room in search filters or on your listing page. It will show up when guests search all listings.
- Update your Host name. If you host a private room that meets the other new criteria and your profile uses a business or other name, consider updating it in your account settings.
- Add more details to your profile. We’ve made some design changes and added new sections. Beyond the basics, you can now include personal interests like hiking and fun facts like your favourite song in secondary school. Make sure you’re comfortable with the information that’s included, particularly what you do for work, because that section has a new format.
- Update your profile photo. Guests feel more comfortable booking private rooms when they have a general idea who their Host will be. A well-lit close-up of your face works best. Get tips for taking a new photo

We hope you’ll take this opportunity to review your listing and profile info today.

Thank you,
The Airbnb Team

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jessie-Rose0 I don't think you can call it an entire place due to access through your house. 

It looks like you might need to be a Place to stay and then guest suite but it may undersell what you offer

If you indicate that your listing type is a room, but it doesn’t meet the requirements above, your listing may not be displayed as a private room to guests – in search or otherwise. Instead, your listing may be described to guests as a Place to stay and may be found in search results for any type of place.

If you make updates to your listing to meet the requirements above, those changes may be reviewed to determine if your listing will be displayed as a private room to prospective guests. 

your listing does not meet the above requirements, you can edit your listing type and/or property type, and find the description that matches the place you host. If you host a stay in a space attached to your home, but don't meet the above requirements, we suggest editing your listing within the Rooms and Spaces section. For example, you can select Secondary unit as what best describes your place, and select Guest suite as your property type.

[Andrew1813]

Mike-And-Jane0

You are answering with the problem. A private space is no longer private as it has to be a shared space. Therefore it cannot be listed as private if it does not have a shared space. But how can it be listed as a private space if it shared.

By listing as a place to stay you are minimising you customer base and as you state underselling yourself. Nobody looking for a private space will look under a place to stay they will look under a private space.  After investing money and making alterations to create a private space, my bookings rose. Now I cannot list it as Private because it is not shared.

But nobody will be able to list a private space because

It is not Private if it has a shared room.

I will not be investing more money to revert the property. After suggestions from Air BnB to make a selling point of self check in and spending Hundreds on digital door locks. I am not willing to offer entry codes to a guest for the entire property when I am not always home and the guest does not always read the house rules and check in times.

We are offered very little information on guests, not even a home address. And we trust Air BnB vets them correctly. I have already hosted four plus guests that turned out to be booked by another, therefore did not even know the guests name until after their arrival, they had no Air BnB account themselves so what vetting was carried out, absolutely none. The system offered by Air BnB is not secure enough for Hosts (who are generating the income for Air BnB) and is too heavily weighted for the guest.

Once again the goal posts are being moved to the whims of the guest with no security for the hosts.

[Margaret0]

Hi I read this differently and though that they want the guest to have access to another room in the house - (which they do in my house with a guest sitting/dining area/kitchenette. Its shared with other guests (not me though sometimes I use it during the day if noone is there)). I thought this was meant to disqualify listings that  only allow access to a bedroom/bathroom 

To confuse things the linked article on airbnb gives a different private room definition and says shared area  is one of bathroom/sitting room/kitchen .

[Andrew1813]

Jessie I am facing the same problem as you. 

I do not understand. To be considered as a Private Room the customer needs to access shared spaces. This then means it is not Private but shared, this is an oxy-moron and stupid.
our guests have access to private doored bedrooms, private doored bathroom, eating area, a kitchenette/cooking area with sink, fridge, microwave, mini cooker, induction rings. Their own private entrance with self check in.
We live in the lower floor separately.

Therefore we do not have a private space (because it is not shared an oxy-moron as private is private NOT SHARED), the customer does not have the entire space as we live on the lower floor. And it is not shared because they have the entire floor to themselves.

Air BnB encouraged self check in, now we have to offer guests complete run of our property when we may not be home. To now be listed we need to share our home, let strangers in at anytime as they have entry codes. We are not even supplied the home address of the customer. So we have to offer customers access to the silver cabinet.

I do not now know what to list under. 
Does this mean we have to leave Air BnB as we do not fit the narrowing parameters. Unless we have a ski lodge, yurt, shepherds hut, castle, farm, igloo or space station.

[Mary5435]

Hi Andrew, I agree with everything you say and I'm sure we are not alone.   I object to the narrowing of parameters.   My listing is absolutely fine as listed - but I have no idea where this latest interference with place my listing.   Come May will my position in listings be harder to access?   My guests have always left wonderful feedback so we must be doing something right.  Like you, any more interfering mandates from Air bnb will make me think seriously of leaving.  I don't think Booking.com keep moving the goal posts.

Mary Bower

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Andrew1813 if the suite has its own door to the outside then why is it not an apartment  hence an 'entire place'?

[Andrew1813]

Because it is not the entire place. We are in the lower floor. The front entrance and the upper floor are for guests. Yes it is an apartment but not the entire place. So once again Air BnB daft parameters not entire place so cannot be an apartment, not having a shared space so will not be private not shared so will not be shared.

Like many other I will now be not private, not shared and not the entire place. Am I unique, no.

Daft meddling from a changing company driven by profit margins and exclusivity of unique experiences. Is that what Air BnB was about. An air bed in a spare room.. Or looking at the TV adverts  for guests wanting a yellow submarine, or an idyllic island getaway with sun sand and nobody else anywhere near you.

They are forgetting where most of their income is generated, and if not careful rats can see a ship sinking into its own ideals and hubris.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Andrew1813 Have a look at our listings. We are in a massive building (Old Rectory) and we live in one end then there are 2 upstairs flats in the other end accessed by a shared stairwell and 1 downstairs flat with its own front door to the outside. These meet the criteria for entire place just as apartments worldwide. We are careful to say the garden is a shared space.

I really think your description is of an entire place.

[Frances3408]

@Jessie-Rose0. I'm not a lawyer but isnt a hallway a room and thus counted under "common space"?  If you have to get to an ABNB  private suite via a common front door entry and down a hall (however short) then arent you a private room (if thats what you want your listing to show?).

You cant really call it a whole listing either as that would be misleading unless you also have your own entrance. But you mentioned "through my house" so I am guessing the common hallway space has stairs up to your part which you also use.

References to not hotels and not using business names are interesting inclusions. Airbnb update wording confusing and leaves a lot to be desired imo.

[Gino16]

I have a bit of a dozzy to this whole thing, i operate as a business and not private home/individual. 

"

• Because guests are sharing your home, it’s important that they know who their host is, so the listing’s Host must be a person using their own name. Business names and other names are not permitted"

One of my offerings is a sleeping room.  this room is private with its own entrance.  for shared elements is an exterior covered porch area, and park restroom/shower facilities.  we describe it as a private room.  question then as a business how do i offer this as truthfully what it is.  so far all the information has been guiding to list as "individual" not as a business!  HELP!