Hi Laura, yes thank you Airbnb for creating the SuperHost week. I like the changes.
That said, I would like to say that at least in Portland, Oregon the majority of hosts in our Host2Host.org community are experiencing a steep decline in reservations; January and February are usually decent months, we made more money the first month of hosting in 2012.
I notice when I or one of my host clients log into Airbnb that the Airbnb Plus Homes and Experiences are front and center and it took me a minute to figure out how to help my students do a search on the website for non-plus home hosts.
It seems that the model of Airbnb from nearly a decade ago has shifted alongwith it the novelty of staying with a host. I am probably outnumbered in this forum, as we live in and share our home, but One Host One Host and Live Like a Local has shifted to guests (now that Cannabis is legal in Oregon and the advent of Alternative Dwelling Units) want to have a private, personal, with no contact from hosts.
And with Airbnb going public soon, then Brian Chesny will have to be held accountable to stock holders instead of hosts.
Fred and I pride ourselves on being ambassadors to Portland, as we have both lived in Portland over 35 years and love it here. We are uncertain if reservations do not pick up if we will continue hosting, this saddens us greatly as we have made friends and enjoyed meeting and learning from the 20 countries that guests have come from.
I appreciate having this forum to share our joy, success, and frustration.
Kim and Fred
The Slater House PDX