Two listings flagged for removal with no reason given

[Alison3]

On December 18, 2024, I was notified by email that two of my 8 identical listings were scheduled to be removed on January 30, 2025. They are currently unlisted. When I contacted Airbnb no one was able to give me a reason why the listings were being removed. The appeals process was sent to me and I submitted one for each listing. A representative called with the outcome being, "I'll forward this to the appeals team and someone will get back to you." I have yet to hear from anyone from that department, although I spoke with two other people and gave them the same information.

I only want to know the reason that these two listings are being removed. Is it inactivity? Is there something wrong with the listing? I have been hosting for almost 10 years and have achieved Superhost in all but one eligible quarter.

Honestly, it's okay if those two listings aren't shown as there has never been a night where more than 3 Airbnb bookings came through. I just don't want this to happen to any of my other listings AND I want the reasoning.

Does anyone have any insight?

[Joelle43]

Hello @Alison3 

I went onto your listing page and you seem to be missing rooms 2 and 6 I think?  Inactivity isn't a reason for being delisted to my knowledge but Airbnb have recently introduced AI to detect listings that are considered as duplicates as some hosts were duplicating listings to get around bad reviews.

You may have fallen fowl of this process which is not run by humans and can lead to errors being made - your case I think.  The cover photo is the same for all 8 listings and this may have confused AI.  If the inside decoration is similar, this will also confound the beast.

I'm assuming that there were no reports left by guests of any serious issues that could have lead to you being delisted for these two properties?  No warnings by Airbnb of any complaints?

Others have suffered the same fate, unfairly too and you'll need to be persistant especially as you don't want the same thing to happen to your other listings.

I'm including an Airbnb link below on how to appeal if you haven't already done so Alison:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1303?locale=en

Best of luck and keep us posted of any progress🤞

Joëlle

[Alison3]

Thank you, @Joelle43 , for your response.

Yes, all of my listings are identical as they are in the same house. No listing is assigned to any specific bed, which allows me to assign guests to beds that "work." 98% of my clientele are hiking on the Appalachian Trail or visiting Shenandoah National Park and are used to mixed-gender accommodations. However, many of my Airbnb guests are not. If you've ever stayed in a hostel, then you will understand that guests stay for one night or a couple of days, which can make bed assignments challenging with only 3 separate rooms for the 8 beds. Therefore, I keep the listings the same.

You are correct that listings 2 & 6 are missing. Those are the ones that were flagged for no known reason. That is all that I want to know: why were they unlisted? Honestly, I don't need 8 listings, or more than 4 for that matter. I just want to know why the "power that be" decided to take action. I'd prefer that none of my other listings be removed.

In the article you gave, there was a link under Listing Suspensions. When I clicked on it, this was the response: 

"No issues here!

If issues are reported in the future, you'll be able to find that info here. It may take up to 1 day for the latest info to appear."

 

For Listing Removals, it says: "Listings that have been identified for removal will be shown in Listing issues found within Insights."

I have yet to get an answer about the two listings being suspended/ removed. And, lastly, here is the last message that I received from the "support team": 

If you have any additional feedback regarding this case. Please officially share your thoughts with our entire team at www.airbnb.com/feedback. We're happy to consider your comments for future policy improvements.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and for letting me get these thoughts together to present to the team. If it is an AI error, hopefully, they'll take care of it and remedy the situation.

Regards,

Alison

[Joelle43]

Hello again @Alison3 

Great that you've checked that your profile shows that there are no issues - always a good start😊  And which seems to confirm that it is AI taking over again.  

What concerns a lot of us is that there isn't a verification done by a trained CS person who would be able to see where a listing flagged by AI as a duplicate, isn't one at all.  No listing should be delisted without a second opinion and without also allowing the host to explain themselves.

Hopefully things will sort themselves out soon but you might have to push them along.  Let us know if you make any headway
All the best
Joëlle

[Alison3]

The issue has been resolved and I feel that it's rather comical so I will share it with you. Joelle43, I believe that you were correct in that my listings got caught up in AI hell. LOL  Additionally, I will remove half of the listings as the most reservations on one night have been 3.

From Airbnb:

We have received your appeal, but need more information and action from you. You’ve indicated that your listing(s) is a professional hostel with staff onsite 24/7.

If this is accurate, please provide any additional details and supporting documentation about your staffing (e.g. photos of the front desk, a 24/7 staff schedule) in this message thread to help confirm that your listing(s) meets this description. We also recommend that you consider updating your listing description(s) to mention that you have staff onsite 24/7 to help guests know what to expect. Having staff onsite at all times helps ensure a smooth experience for guests. -

Please take action or reply back to this note within five days for each of your listings that meets this criteria; otherwise, we won’t be able to process your appeal and it will be denied.

Thanks,
The Airbnb team

My Response:

Please be so kind as to provide the link stating the requirements for "professional hostels." I have been unable to locate this information.

Open Arms Hostel & Inn is a licensed lodging business within the town of Luray and the state of Virginia. It meets all requirements for doing business. A front desk and 24/7 onsite staff are not required in order to do business in my locality.

As the only "staff" is me, I communicate so that I am on-site to greet them and "ensure a smooth experience for guests."

Thank you in advance for providing me the guidelines for hostels.

Regards,
Alison

My listings originated 9+ years ago as "shared rooms" and will continue to be so.

Airbnb

Hi Alison,

After carefully reviewing your appeal, we’re happy to inform you that the following listings(s) have been reinstated:

- Open Arms Hostel - bed #2
- Open Arms Hostel - bed #6

Your calendar has been reopened, and you’ll be able to start adding availability for your listing(s) again. Your reservations will not be canceled.

If you have submitted appeals for any other listings, we are reviewing the information you provided and will share our decision in a separate communication.

Thank you for your dedication to your guests.

The Airbnb team