Clarification on essential amenities: Hosts can choose

[Airbnb]

Earlier this year, we announced that hosts will soon be required to provide a specific set of amenities in each listing that we consider “essential” to a comfortable stay.

Since then, we heard it was impacting some hosts’ ability to host successfully. So now, we’re giving you the choice.

You can choose whether or not to include the essential amenities in your listing. Having said that, we strongly encourage hosts to include them. Guests come from regions all over the world, and many tell us is that these five items are the minimum that they expect to find in a listing.

The five essential amenities include:

Toilet paper

Soap (for hands and body)

1 towel per guest

1 pillow per guest

Linens for each guest bed

We’re currently exploring the best way to keep guests informed about which amenities are provided in each listing so that accurate expectations are set.

Please, only select the Essentials option if you really are providing those items in the listing. Keeping listings as accurate as possible is a really important part of building trust with guests and setting you up for success as a host.

Listings that have Essentials selected but don’t actually provide the five items listed may be subject to penalties, including removal from Airbnb. 

Read this Help Center article for more details on essential amenities.

Thanks for being a part of the Airbnb community and for everything that you do to provide great guest experiences!

[Richard850]

Exactly.   How can someone be listed as a superhost who doesn't provide sheets, towels, toilet paper, unless they are categorized as Airbnb -Less than. 

Why would guests want to pack linens, towels, or have to find toilet paper for their room when they are travelling in a new area? Hosts who will not provide the essentials should be highlighted, as a warning to potential guests, so more guests can decide to go to true Superhosts.

[Deborah393]

The Airbnb system is at fault to controlling and inflexable, the old stayz allowed you to inform your prospective guest about you unique space and location and how you personally operate. Now we are all the same and controlled by a machine 

[Stephen341]

Isn't that the truth but don't rule out the hosts that can only see things there way.

[Helga85]

Hi

I supply all the essentials...ie toilet  paper, towels, linen, soap as well as providing tea, coffee & cooking oil etc...but now my guests expect me to provide firewood as well even though it is easy to pick up a bag of fire wood at the super market when they pick up their groceries...I could not find anyway of adding this as an extra so I had to put the price up per night...I'm not sure how this will go...I would like the option of being able to say you can bring your own or I will provide.

Cheers Helga

[Deborah393]

Unless you have see how the alternative operated you would never know, very sad American style franchising Mac Donalds style, very generic , argueing about dollars and cents and supplies rather than unique experiences, so sad  to have a robot control your booking process.

[Deborah393]

When Airbnb arrived on our shores our charges and cost increased by 600 %, we have had to pass these costs on, (not great for our existing return guests) we have lost control of our booking process and been punshed for refusing party  animal bookings, now we are being told what to supply to our existing client base who now have to pay these increased charges. I think the Airbnb system is for the lazzy unimaginative We in Australia are developing our own individual web sites in a movement against these control international monsters that are rading our local communities. Supply forced amenities is just the tip of the icebeg ! So you will have nothing to compete with because you will all be the same and at the mercy of these greedy American companies. 

[Deborah393]

The discussion is about if we should be forced to supply the REQUIRED supplies not if we do or we do not, if do well and good, if you do not it should be your choice. But forcing you to do something is really draconian !

[Sheila225]

Two brand lines: Hotel and Hostel. I would expect no linen at a hostel.

[Deborah393]

Oh Airbnb please forgive me for not supplying towels, please forgive me for rejecting 20 % of enquirys to MY property because they are party animals ( we are scared to be shut down by a 2 strikes and your out for 5 years law supported by you) sorry you did not receive your exorbitant fees for doing nothing apart from controlling how i operate my short term rental accommodation, I hope you do not delist me for all these terrible misdemeanours. It would be really helpful if I would be given permission to refuse people who would disturb the amenty of my neighbours and distroy my property & who do not supply information when requested prior to accepting a booking. I am aware that your business model is bulit on the premis of Maximum bookings regardless of the concequencess to hosts. Your system may work for internation visitors but it does not work in regional areas of Australia that do not get many International visitors and rely on local city weekend travellers. Please change your requirements for this segmant of the industry rather than creating a generic inanppropriate system. No wonder you are being shut down or at war all over the world.

[Michele638]

I supply linen towels, shampoo. conditioner hand wash, washing powe, toilet paper and staples in the kitchen. 

This is something I find guests in particular ones who travel from OS really appreciate. 

But I do not supply essentials for any longer than a few nights, eg there is no room service option. I ask guests to go to the supermarket and buy extras if they run out.

[Deborah393]

So do we except towels cheers Deb

[Karen-and-Chase0]

I am baffled by this as on vacation I would never travel with bed linens and towels in my suitcase...or toilet paper for goodness sake!!!  This sounds more like camping. I would also be concerned about my mattresses as I would assume many people might sleep on them without sheets! And how would one know?

[Deborah393]

We do not suupply towels how many times do we have to tell you , the whole concept is rediculous

[Deborah393]

We do supply sheets etc. but not towels , go figure, nothing to do with bed buggs but simply the rediculous Airbnb requirement

[Deborah393]

Its pretty clear that lumping all the the supply requirements is rediculous apart from the bed buggs that everyone has