Catherine’s Host Update: reviews, party ban policy, and more

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi everyone,

I’m happy to be sharing a new Host update with you, which has important news about a topic I know is top of mind for many of you—reviews—along with news from our Host Advisory Board, about sustainability and introducing a new board member. (Welcome to the board, Pam!)

We’ve been listening closely to your feedback on our review system—specifically to how they relate to our party ban policy. For reviews written from today on, reviews from guests who violate our party ban will be eligible for removal. You shouldn’t have to trade off between reporting a party and getting dinged with a negative review. We want to close that gap. 

This is just the first step. We’ll continue to listen to you and work to shape our policies to better support you and our whole community. 

I’ll be in touch again soon with more updates. In the meantime, stay well, and happy hosting!

All my best,

Catherine

[Sarah977]

@Helen744  I thought you meant you were taking bookings from business accounts. If you are accepting these 3rd party bookings from regular accounts, you really shouldn't be- Airbnb will not back you up for anything on those.

These companies or agencies should have a business account on Airbnb, and if they don't I'd suggest you start telling them that's what they need to do for you to accept a booking from them.

Business accounts can book for employees and the business account holder is held responsible for the behavior of the guests. 

[Helen744]

A little different to that as in the way they decieve people. Some are in fact business accounts but with little or no communication .In fact if asked all would say so but it is the booking process . The id that comes up appears to be a regular family or couple or single individual . instant booking . Thats it . Messages sent thru airbnb are often ignored . It is not until someone rings after work to ask how they are going to get in that you become aware of the situation.For checkin I will send thru my mobile number . This is not such a huge part of my business but i have been caught out in this way and am aware that other hosts have reviewed these groups without flagging that they are not who you think they are. They work the system

[Helen744]

Hi Sarah, I would also like to flag that hosting work groups is never discussed openly on airbnb. These groups are often very hard on both hosts and the house and its furniture etcetera. Oil spots on linen lots of heavy and random dirt etcetera.There should be a way to add extra housekeeping to the fee as a separate charge once you realise that these groups are such.

[Sarah977]

@Helen744 Maybe have a different set of linen and towels for these work groups, stuff that's not as nice as you'd use for normal vacation guests. Remove carpets, etc. If possible.

And you say you clean once a week. I can imagine how filthy it must get in a week with a bunch of workers. It seems to me it would be easier in the long run to clean more often, so it doesn't get so bad.

Could you raise your cleaning fee for these groups?

There's probably not much discussion about hosting these kinds if groups because not many hosts do so.

[Helen744]

Hello Sarah it depends of course what area you live in . i imagine some areas are only this type of guest wheras others are a variety of differnt types of gusts . I get a lot of family groups during childrens holidays , international tourists. though not at the moment .  Adult couples travelling for  all types of reasons so the assumption that these groups do not exist is a little odd  . What do you call business groups? people who wear a shirt and tie are not even half of the business groups that travel . Certainly here. I will provide large bottles of shampoo etcetera and large soaps plus plenty of face washers . Also places and mats for boots etcetera.Helen

[Helen744]

Also the suggestion that I clean more than once a week would be too intrusive. I am not their private housekeeper or their mother. They cook and do laundry etcetera for themselves. Short term guests only get a clean at the end of their stay. Long term guests once a week. Yes it is a big clean but once a week is sufficient generally to keep everyone on track.I would like airbnb to provide a button to add a weekly clean rate for long term stays which at once a week can sometimes take a long time and it is best if it is negotiated for when everyone is out.

[Sarah977]

@Helen744  I'm not sure why you are intent on arguing with me, I was just trying to offer possible solutions to what you indicated was a problem for you. If it's not practical for you to clean more often than you do, then it isn't. It was only a suggestion.

I didn't say anything about "these groups don't exist" and I didn't say anything about "business groups". 

I was referring to business accounts, which is a different kind of Airbnb account than a normal personal account. A business account can book for employees or clients, a normal account can't- well, they can, but it's considered a third -party booking, which violates the Airbnb terms of service.

And of course I know there are different kinds of business groups. But a group of shirt and tie businessmen are probably not going to get your place as dirty as a group of construction workers who come home in dirty clothes and muddy boots. No reason you shouldn't accept those kinds of groups, they just might require a different approach in order not to have your house messed up too badly, that's all.

[Quincy]

Hello @Genie0, I hope you're well. Thank you for sharing this here as I think these are great points. I will make sure to pass this on to the team. 

[Clara116]

@Catherine-Powell I am also very frustrated with this ding to don't miss a chance for this $$ after a booking request. Especially when it's at 2am and the 20 yr old wants to visit her boyfriend in my town. And now the 24 hr pending seems to no longer have a time limit or expiration...I tried it and 2 days later accepted because the 24 hr expiration no longer seems to be working. We are getting less info on guests...and many more entitled ppl that have never traveled or shouldn't be and it causes much extra time effort and work for hosts. I had guests cancel day before arrival cause weather was gonna not be perfect....I said I would give a partial refund if able to rebook....I tried to do a partial refund. NOT possible ONLY FULL Refund...after so much frustration I just fully refunded but didn't want to. I was not going to waste more time trying to deal with a customer service rep ...but I dislike that I wanted to be fair and also guests can't just cancel last minute if its maybe gonna rain.  Things seem to be getting worse in several areas....not better. And iam sorry but there more important things to me than no parties....and guests learning they can do as they wish. Help us...I am not alone in this!

[Helen744]

Is there not a button concerning the time after which you will not accept guests?I dont accept new bookings after 8 in the winter or 9 in the summer. Am I missing out on a lucrative part of the market or are these late bookings mostly one night as we have a two night minimum because of covid and extra cleaning.?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Helen744go to your calendar/availability and there you can set "advance notice"

"Advance notice" can be set to "at least 1,2,3 or 7 days in advance".

Keep in mind 1 day in advance means anyone can book today until midnight to check in tomorrow. So it is NOT 24 h in advance.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no option to set it by hour

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 @Helen744 

Airbnb tell us that 1 day in advance means up to our latest check in time on the day before arrival. Our check in window is 4pm till 10pm so with 1 day advance notice we can get a booking up till 10pm the day before. Due to this Airbnb stupidity we now have a 2 day advance booking set which will just lose them revenue!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mike-And-Jane0  yes, but no 🙂

I got an instant booking on April 22nd at 8:40 PM for April 23rd. My check-in time is until 7:00 PM and I have 1-day advance notice

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 Ah so I guess Airbnb customer support just got it wrong again. No surprises there then!

[Christine615]

@Helen744  That 24 hour notice is a JOKE! I do not accept same day reservations. But the system still allows people to "request" to book even if it's 1 am and they want to check in a few hours later. And worse, 10 minutes later you get an annoying "ding" from Airbnb to remind you that you don't want to "miss out" on those booking dollars. Because obviously, local people contacting you after midnight are going to be the best guests ever! (being facetious).

I asked for general Airbnb information to be delivered by email.  I only want inbox messages to be delivered by text. But they eliminated everything. So I turned it back on and was searching for potential places to stay in another state in December (as a guest) and now I get constant chime/text reminders on my phone "Here's great places to consider!" I didn't ask for recommendations. I put my potential places in a favorites folder. I want a partner not a babysitter. Good grief!

Airbnb needs a makeover. There needs to be a tv reality show because Brian Chesky has no clue how messed up this platform is becoming and maybe seeing millions tune into the dysfunction will wake him up. 

I want a button that silences any communication except from EXISTiNG guest staying on the property between 11pm and 7am. Right now I take a peek then mute my phone. Because I know Airbnb will be bugging me to take the no photo, no bio, no review local who would just "love to stay at my place with a few friends."

Sigh!