Airbnb 2022 Summer Release: What you need to know

[Airbnb]

Our 2022 Summer Release represents the biggest change to Airbnb in a decade. We’re introducing:

• Airbnb Categories: A new way to search that makes it easy for guests to discover millions of homes they never knew existed

• Split Stays: An innovative feature that pairs two listings when a guest searches for a longer stay

• AirCover: The most comprehensive protection in travel, included for free with every stay

Get all the details on the Resource Center, and tell us: Will you be updating your listing for Airbnb Categories and Split Stays? How will you update it?

[Kristina46]

You are talking nonsense. You did not sign a contract with them. You never gave rights to anyone. You are using their platform to advertise your rental and they set the terms. You must be a new user.

But it pointless to keep arguing with someone who clearly doesn't get it. If you think you have a big court case go for it. 

[Helen744]

@Kristina46 this has been a misinterpretation on your part, the entire conversation .By pretending that Airbnb have removed everyones rights to ordinairy law processses by suggesting that 'agreeing to terms ' does that then you are,and have been arguing with your own imagination. I suggest in future you dis continue 'imagining' what other people say or imagining the law and listen to what they actually have said . Maybe while you are at it you could draw your own conclusions by reading some of the threads from hosts who have lost entire businessses ,homes etcetera in this last month .Rock on H.

[Kristina46]

Seriously stop harassing me.

You have no idea what you are talking about. Re-read the TOS we all agreed to. There are two options. In technical legalese, choose either: a.) Take it, or b.) Leave it. 

We don't have a 'contract' with them. Where are you getting that idea? 

You can't sue them. You can elect to participate in binding arbitration to address a dispute, and lots have. Many have even prevailed.

Hosts may have lost business from these changes, yes. I am even one of them! It's unfortunate but there is literally nothing we can do about it. Except hope that maybe Airbnb will come to their senses and rework some of these radical changes they made to the platform. But if it happens it won't be because a few hosts whine. It will be because they are losing revenue on service fees due to a search and booking process that is too confusing and error-riddled and customers are going elsewhere where it's easier.

But we have no grounds to sue Airbnb, who has always claimed they were merely a listing platform and have created a TOS that makes certain you don't.  It would be like suing Craigslist. 

But since you seem to be an attorney and know everything about 'rights,'  by all means sue them. A billion dollar company versus little ole you. Better have some time and money to litigate too. Let's see how far you get. 

And stop harassing me.

[Peggy137]

Wow. Just wow.
My airbnb is my income and it just fell off a cliff. 
I own a house in Sedona, I'm retired, and now find I have to jump through a ton of hoops to possibly bring in some kind of income. 

I get that you're all billionaires but a lot of us have depended on Airbnb for our income and are now effectively screwed. 

What kind of game are you playing with our lives? Did you stop to consider that before you did this?

[Natasha-and-John0]

Hi Peggy, it’s natasha , this happened to me too. Someone is suggesting we take legal action.

[Peggy137]

Hey Natasha, I just called my lawyer about a class action lawsuit and they'll contact me tomorrow. Let's stay in touch. 
I don't think it's ok to change the terms of an agreement that bankrupts your partners, but they might have gotten their wording just so to prevent lawsuits. 

Keep in mind they just went public and now need to show a profit, so this is the future of airbnb.

[Nancy1633]

@Peggy137 

Hi Peggy,

Pls make sure your lawyer reads this article: https://time.com/6175183/airbnb-aims-to-solve-overtourism-are-tweaks-to-its-app-enough/

Chesky lays out the premeditated scheme to steer travelers away from "tourist destinations" in black and white.  On the record.

[Helen744]

@Nancy1633, this article shows a naive man with too much money who because of 'his social consience' combined with his meglomania  is actually attempting to manipulate hosts homes as if they were his own . He seems to have disastrously entered the 'twilight zone'where up is down and down is up.Until he recognizes that those people who are hosts are predominately 'hard working Joes' who are attempting to supplement their income any way they can see how and actually providing a service to their cities and towns by allowing ,workers nurses doctors tourists archaeologists,fishermen  and all manner of  people to overnight, and get rest in towns where they need to be ,thus providing income for that town ,then we will all be subjected to this malarkey. Homelessness is not caused by Airbnbs it is predominantly caused by governments not providing social housing and selling off old stock without replacing it. although it is more complex . there is no social contract for those who own private property to provide that for social housing . We are not a socialist world domination site. It is time Chesky made up his mind if he is a socialist or a business person because his twin consciences do not appear to allow him to 'redistribute 'his own money , only the money of others. as perfectly illustrated by the responses from his personal polit bureau. or 'the reps. H

[Susan1188]

This!!

Absolutely explains that Airbnb is trying to "redistribute" travellers away from the "popular" places.

I think, people know where they want to go.  Most people do. I'm in a prime location. People will always come here.  But now I have to be on booking, tripadvisor, and other platforms to capture most guests who want to decide themselves on destinations and not go someplace 20 hour flight because it now appears first page of their airbnb home screen.

I was just about to ditch all other platforms and go full airbnb.  I have made a 180° about face and am setting up a channel manager and opening my listings on booking, tripadvisor, and other platforms to compensate for the expected drop in bookings from airbnb.

I'm changing my model full about face, it's very sad because it was going well and my guests loved it. 

[John5097]

Another observation. 

As mentioned  after searching for our city, Charleston, two guest, it defaults to Any Week, so the each of listings display random weeks, most in the winter months, when listings have other weeks available before that in more popular months. Some, including mine, has displayed a week in 2023. So guest assume that's the first week available and keep scrolling and clicking. 

Then click on Amazing Views, and it zooms back out to a cluster of high end multi million dollar beach houses hundreds of males outside the search destination, professionally managed, all displaying the first 5 nights available that are all in the popular summer months. 

[John5097]

I also posted this screenshot of the TOS  back in another topic on the previous update on March 30th 2022. 

Found here: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Another-update-which-will-increase-guest-refund-requests...

[John5097]

So while probably legal they the Summer Update is actively misrepresenting regular listings availability to favor high end investment properties. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@John5097  yes, that was their intention - to drag guests from popular locations and from top season and to offer them other, less-known destinations and out of season availability.

Why they decided to pack it together with "categories",  1 week stays,  lux properties promotions, and pay-for-placement it's a mystery.

Sorry to say but Airbnb overrated the mental capabilities and patience of the average ABB guest. 95% of them will not find their way through this maze a nd switch to BC

[John5097]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 For Amazing Views, they are offering expensive multi bedroom beach mansions during the most popular on season, July, August. This is when the beaches are packed. For Folly Beach there line of cars ten miles long bumper to bumper, inching forward just to get on the island, and once on the island there is no parking and people just driving around in circles in the summer months.  They also have the first 5 days available. 

For regular listings only off season is shown for 7 days.  

So this is to distribute views and bookings to multi million dollar investment properties during the most busy season. 

There happened to be a new bi partisan anti trust bill passed last week targeting Google but might also apply to this situation with Airbnb. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/19/new-bipartisan-bill-would-force-google-to-break-up-its-ad-business.h...
 
I agree guest aren't finding their way through the maze. All the most popular listings haven't booked that I can tell and follow bookings, rates closely. 

 I booked the summer months ago. I've gotten some reservations but mine is always booked before anyone else, and not booking as many weekends six months out like I was before the change. Now I changed it to 9 months so I have 7 days avaible and show up in the default search. But don't think that's helping.

So far I've only hosted on Airbnb exclusively. But if occupancy rates decrease I'll need to consider other options. I really enjoy messaging guest and the reviews and have become very knowledgeable with the Airbnb ecosystem, before the change.

I'm not going to even worry about it anymore. Maybe the catigories are working elsewhere. I'm in the "Sun belt" and one of the fastest growing cities in the US. Nothing but huge out of state investment companies for a long time now. Massive developments on a massive scale. So this this is kind of minor compared to the housing developments that are going up everywhere unless you are trying to book your place on Airbnb. 

I'm surprised more antitrust laws haven't been enforced with the credibility of the Aircover but I'm just a little guy and companies are very skilled at these situations. Easier to just find some other options. 

I hope it works out with your listings! 🙂 

[John5097]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

The link I posted above only specified Google, but other news reports included other big tech companies like Amazon. The way I understand it is says that big tech companies like Amazon or Google, can't be both the search tool and give its own products a preference. What Airbnb is doing, the way I see it, would be like searching for a Sony TV on Amazon and Amazon showing that the soonest it can be delivered is 5 months for everyone else except the company they are are partners with or have payed an extra fee, and that one can have it delivered in 24 hours, although its in stock and ready to ship from all the other listings. And Amazon explains that its more eco friendly to have it delivered from their partners, which may not even be true.

They may not do this everywhere. Maybe most places the Amazing Views and other catigories function as designed and have better options for customers and only in select places like the beach mansions in my area are to extract extra profit, but limiting the choices. 

Anyway, I think its become counter productive and a waste of my time. Live moves on. This isn't a new situation to me. I do my own thing and it work out for me. A big part of that is moving on. I'm not giving up on Airbnb. I have two years into the platform but its been constant adjustments. I've made my adustments, and did just fine when occupancy rates dropped 80% in the area.