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

[Deborah82]

Yes @Mary996 I have no idea what happened there… I believed I hit the reply button. Then again, possibly not? Who knows. My apologies for any confusion I may have created.

[Emilia42]

Thank you. This is needed. But I fear that any time a host kicks a guest out for partying it could be assumed/seen as discrimination. Let's hope guests don't learn and catch on to this "hack" to get their reviews to stick!

[Sarah977]

So hosts can "dispute" the review? Why should they have to put any time or effort into disputing it? As far as I can tell, all guests who get kicked out for partying leave bad reviews and ratings. Why should they be allowed to leave a review at all?

So the guests have a party, trash the house, the host has to try to put the place back together before the next guests arrive and spend their time with CS "disputing" the 1* review?

Why do all Airbnb's solutions always stop short of an actual solution? 

[Fiona251]

You are so right.  Whereas I haven't had the "party" problem at my place, I've had a couple of guest problems that I reported to Airbnb.  I found the CS to be soft spoken and giving off a very "loving" vibe, and completely USELESS!  One particular circumstance, there was a guest staying at my house under an assumed name.  I called Airbnb and the CS tried to call the guest but he did not answer.  I stated that I would bang on his door and awaken him.  "Oh no!  You mustn't disturb him.  You need to be nice."  I pointed out that I was a super-host with all 5* reviews; "nice" was my middle name!  Suffice to say that that particular situation was handled by me with ZERO help from Airbnb.  There were a couple of other incidents where the CS was just as ridiculous with his/her dispensed advice.  I think they're trained to soothe and assuage the upset host and protect the dead-beat low-life guest to the enth degree.  Obviously hosts are complaining about this party abuse situation, so Airbnb cannot ignore it.  And thus, they make a minimal effort to kinda-sorta "protect" the host.  Just MHO!

[Sarah977]

"How can I share my ideas with the Host Advisory Board?
The Host Advisory Board is actively working to determine the best method for the host community to share their ideas and feedback."

So here we are, over four months after this was posted, and the Host Advisory board "actively working to determine the best method..." has still not come up with any method. 

[Stephanie]

@Sarah977 

We have an update on that for you shortly - I'll drop you a message when it's published 🙂

Thanks

[Hugh0]

Maybe they should just read these threads.

The host issues are constant, repeated, clear and very long standing 

[Pam5]

Thank you so much @Catherine-Powell so excited to be here and to serve our community. 

[Jue0]

@Pam5 Congratulations Pam! You deserve this! So excited too

💃Vas-y

[Pam5]

Thank you so much @Jue0 it has been a pleasure serving with you and the rest of the team. Thank you for everything. 

[John596]

Obviously, having guests organize private parties on our premises is not exactly what we are hosting our facilities for. In my opinion guests should refrain from having private parties while being our guests. Should the host and the guest, however, jointly organize a party such an event would be acceptable.

**[Personal information removed in line with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Christine615]

Dear @Catherine-Powell 

I'm writing because I am LIVID! Is anyone listening to us as hosts? I've done the focus groups, the community chats, and Zooms. When you've needed something I've been there for Airbnb and I've been a superhost. I lobbied the Council to make Airbnb legal (after you phoned me multiple times to request the help). But I AM FED UP with AIrbnb saying one thing and doing another.

First you say you want to avoid parties but you allow someone to contact me at midnight who is 18 and local and wants to do a "quick getaway" with friends at my place the very next day. Everyone knows those requests are parties in the making. Ten minutes later Airbnb dings my phone to warn me I don't want to "miss out!" on the revenue and encourages me to accept. After midnight!

Today I got a request to book from a new user with ONLY A PHONE NUMBER as verification. No photo. No full name. No city or state. No state issued ID.

So what about host safety does Airbnb not get? Airbnb once allowed a felon (male) to book himself into a local host's home (female) who then performed x-rated acts in front of her and asked if she wanted to see his guns? He left before she got to the phone to call the police  (was later in a 12-hour stand-off with a SWAT team who found meth and guns in his possession days after he left her home). She's leaving the platform.

Here's what needs to change. Hosts create a list of questions for guests. Not that optional thing guests may or may not read. Not the vague "guest agrees to comply with hosts rules."

A list of questions the guest must answer that appears in their message to book. AND NO GUEST should be on this platform whose only vetting was a phone number. And no one should be on the platform until their credit cards are verified.

Customer service for hosts is getting worse as you do more automation.

Your staff requested an 11pm Zoom with me to ask how I converted from guest to host. They asked what was needed to convert other guests to hosting. There were only one other host on the call who has more than one listing and even she said she was leaving the platform. I don't blame her.

I started as a guest years ago. The host and I formed a relationship before I booked. She could see my FB profile and I could see hers (Paris). Now you send me anonymous people who have no track record and no credentials?

DO BETTER! Either do the appropriate background check or get out of the way and allow us to have the same information I'm required to give to a hotel. It will cut down on fraud and increase host safety.

[Christa-And-Zach0]

Honestly, the fact that they only allow verified IDs as a requirement for Instant Book speaks volumes. Why is my safety not important, just because I don't want local people booking parties with 24 hours notice? Bookings during the pandemic became a disaster - I was forced to turn off Instant Book because of the amount of parties. It's just nonsensical. Everyone should have an ID for booking, period.

[Fiona251]

I made ID a requirement to book and I got a guy with a fake ID.  Airbnb were vague and unhelpful with the situation and could never fullY answer my question "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"  Apparently you can post any rubbish you want on the profile.  There are no checks and balances.

[Jean174]

I agree whole heartedly with everything @Christine615  said above, @Catherine-Powell 

I have not had a problem with parties or events recently at my property.  But I really go the extra mile to correspond with guests, and if they do not provide answers as to what their intentions are, or I get a queasy feeling, I trust my gut and I just don't book them. I probably lose quite a few good bookings this way and spend many extra hours communicating, but what else can we do until Airbnb steps up!

If guests are not communicative, provide wishy washy answers as to why they are visiting, I just do not book them. It is an awful lot of work, but I can tell quite a bit about a prospective guest by their correspondence with them.  I also insist on two previous reviews, so they are not using my property as a testing ground for how Airbnb works.

Airbnb should INSIST that the a guest provide:

o  A COMPLETE profile with information about who they are, what they do and where they are from.  Ninety percent I see are blank with only the date they joined Airbnb.  Many have moved and not bothered to update their profile.

o  A REAL picture (not a cartoon, avatar or Moray-patterned photo clipped from a magazine -- I have seen all 3!) so you know who is on site and who you will meet and greet at check in.   How can a guest sign up as Anthony Michael, for instance,  then change their profile name to Ant Mic with a profile picture that was clipped from a magazine?

o  Verify the ID of the individual booking AND the other guests -- for ALL HOSTS, not just for instant bookings.  Could be a dangerous person who could damage your property - who knows?  Are you willing to risk a $1M property to make $2K?  We are assuming tremendous risk and it is very stressful.

o  I want to see a COMPLETE profile before someone can book.  

o  Guests like self check in but I find that when you meet them in person and lay out ground rules,  it goes a long way toward preventing problems.  I know that is not always possible due to arrival times and location of the property.

o  I also say NO PARTIES, FILMING, OR EVENTS, or your reservation will be cancelled and you will be asked to leave immediately in my initial email and in my guidebook.

We walk a fine and precarious line between Welcoming and being gracious and protecting ourselves and our properties.