A Message From Our Founders

[Airbnb]

We know it has been a challenging time for hosts in our community, and we understand that the coming days may be filled with more questions and even more uncertainty.

Today, Airbnb founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nate Blecharczyk renewed their commitment to supporting hosts during this difficult time and to keeping everyone in our community safe. In case you missed their message to hosts, we wanted to share their thoughts here:

Dear hosts,

With the current global crisis, we know that many of you are experiencing a significant loss of bookings and a large number of cancellations. The last few days have been incredibly challenging and confusing for everyone. It's our goal to be as transparent and proactive as possible.

First and foremost, we are going to get through this crisis as partners—our success is dependent on the success of you, our hosts. We are working day and night on a plan of action that will help you get through this extremely difficult time. We will share this with you as soon as possible in the coming weeks.

Second, with the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic, we made the difficult decision on Saturday to put in place a global policy allowing all guests to cancel eligible reservations for a full refund—including all Airbnb fees. We know this decision has caused incredible hardship for many of you. Many hosts were already accepting cancellations outside of established policies. You have asked us why we did this when some other companies in our space have not. We want to make sure you understand our thinking.

This pandemic is leading cities and nations to undergo extreme measures. In this crisis, our first priority is the health of the public and our communities. We did not want guests making the decision to put themselves in unsafe situations and creating a public health hazard because of a commitment to their bookings. We believe this is the responsible thing to do given the guidance of governments and health experts.

While it’s clear to all of us that the coronavirus has deeply impacted our community, we know that this moment will pass and travel will be back. As people are starting to use Airbnb for long-term bookings and stays close by, it’s clear that we need to be a part of helping all of us get through this as quickly as possible. The desire to connect is in all of us, and we will be together again, but for now our priority is to do our part to keep everyone safe.

We are partners, and we will get through this together.

Airbnb’s Founders,

Brian, Joe, and Nate

[Lisa-Myshall0]

Hi,

Did you hear anything back from ABB re applying for grant?

Many thanks,  Lis

[Mim0]

@Airbnb 

Shame on you !

I guarantee you that since the start of COVID-19 the manner in which the Company has treated their guests & hosts you will see a massive downturn in bookings & host number once every country gets the all clear due to:-

-restrictions on cancellation timeframes & processes 

-Offering Hosts opportunity to assist Frontline Workers but keep our calendars blocked from previous cancellations

-Removing Superhost statuses

-Applying Penalties to guests & hosts

-Ever changing guidelines that are company focused

- Staff reductions

-Restricting Staff’s ability to assist by making them “ Parrot” your strict criteria/newly created guidelines.

-Removal of Web based support

-Offering assistance only to those the Company feels has been impacted the most with impossible criteria  to be met

-Placing the Muti Billion $ Company’s needs before others

-Creating 2 sets of rules/guidelines & suggestions, 1 for hosts & guests & 1 for the Company. Do what I say, not what I do.

-Not hearing your customers both guests & hosts

- Not hearing WHO & Governments guidelines on duration of Pandemic, the ongoing restrictions & future impacts to all people Worldwide !

I could, along with others using this platform, list many many other reasons why Airbnb will lose customer’s & Hosts  however the primary reason is

Hosts-If something looks too good to be true, then it usually is

Guests-Know that any issues you currently experiencing or have had is NOT any fault of your hosts. Airbnb have done you wrong.

@Airbnb  you have held out your right hand with what “ Appears “ to be a wonderful gesture but have taken it away with your left hand all at the same time.

@Airbnb  You have given a sweet which is wrapped in an covering that is impossible to open

SHAME ON YOU @Airbnb 

- 

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[Regina205]

PLEASE send me the 25% refund for guests who canceled. I'm dying here with 4 Airbnbs in Augusta, GA. Help! Please help me!!!!!! Regina Edry (706-254-5060) 

Where is this payment? I need it today!!!

[Courtney328]

I’m in the military and the travel ban has been extended until 30 June. I made contact with the individual I made reservations with for Airbnb and she will not give a full refund. My date of travel was for 28-31May. I would reschedule but I can’t plan any travel until we are officially told to do so. Please advise and thank you and your team for their hard work during COVID-19. 

[Albert1743]

@Brian  Dear Brian, I have sent a complain letter about Customer Support Team via email to your goodself on 17Apr and copied to Belinda, Aisling and Chris. However, no reply was yet received so far.  The email addresses were brian.chesky@airbnb.com, cc to brian@airbnb.com, Belinda@airbnb.com, chris.lehane@airbnb.com, aisling.hassell@airbnb.com.  Please correct me if I was wrong.   I know that you are extremely busy in these days. Shall be grateful if you could get someone to look into the case. Being a guest under the impact of COVID-19, I did not get the refund as stated by you. I doubt whether your Customer Support team had carried out what you wanted to do. Apparently, they revoked your statements shown to the world and denied refund by  some operational excuses, however, those excuses were not making any sense to a customer. They kept on avoiding to address my concerns, and only said that the case was final and closed. I don't want to make things complicated and just want to fight for a  fair and justice review as a normal consumer will do. Thanks

[Melodie-And-John0]

To be perfectly honest and fair (as a hosts that has lost way too many bookings than I care to remember), the assessment in the letter is pretty spot on, the only part I strongly disagree with is the "We are partners",  we really aren't partners, were more like symbiotic parasites actually (I know that sound gross but its true), and thats Ok, my wife is my partner already, that enough for me.   "and we will get through this together" I agree with that especially if those in charge live up to their promise of going back to the foundation of the business they started and shoring it up.  Smaller hosts invested in their guests stay may pay a bit less than near corporation lodging providers but we're as steady and dependable as you could ever hope for.  Focus @Brian , @Anonymous and Nate will bring us together with common goals we can all live by and rely on for decades to come, Stay well, JR

[Shari74]

Where is the 1/4 refund of allowed cancellations promised by Airbnb.  I am destitute as this is my income.  So far I have received a grand total of $93 for applicable cancellations of over $4900.

[Alessandro749]

Brian, Joe, Nate,

I don't know if you are aware of the treatment that Airbnb is reserving for hosts here in Italy: it is cheating the hosts.

We are not receiving the fees due for recent post lockdown bookings. Despite the messages sent, support requests and calls Airbnb is COMPLETELY INDIFFERENT.

Despite the proclamations of encouragement to "look ahead" Airbnb is adopting a very incorrect hosts policy. While refunds have been paid to the guests in a reasonably short time, the hosts are essentially left to themselves. Airbnb has announced solidarity, promised support, but in the reality of the facts for the hosts the total nothingness. Airbnb has misappropriated host fees.

As if that wasn’t enough, Airbnb announced that it wants to collect the tourist tax (due to the Italian cities governments).

If Airbnb does not pay the hosts, it certainly will not pay the Governments of Italian cities either.

All this will cause the Italian hosts many legal troubles with the Governments of the municipalities because of Airbnb. These fraudulent behaviors of Airbnb are very serious.

It is actually DISCOURAGING the resumption of the hosts' activities NOT paying the fees due for successful post lockdown bookings and NOT paying the support fees according to the "Terms of mitigating circumstances for the coronavirus pandemic". All in the most complete indifference.

Is this the "sense of community" and the spirit of solidarity of Airbnb?

Now we know: all this in not acceptable. We want our money.