Get to know our 2022 Host Advisory Board members

[Stephanie]

First off we want to wish a heartfelt thank you to last year’s board members, in the inaugural year of the board they played a pivotal role integrating with our teams and helping us keep day to day Host perspectives front and center in our work.

As we move into 2022 the Host Advisory Board mission remains as important as ever, giving Hosts a seat at the table to represent the voice of the community in shaping the future with Airbnb. They will continue to influence key Host policies, programs, and products that we launch.

We’re excited to have @Anna1403 , @Merrydith0, @Nutth0, @Omar202, @Pam5 , @Peter1, @Shinya0, @Susan208, @Till-and-Jutta0, @Vinícius0 and Pooja  all returning from last year to continue serving and I hope you’ll join me in welcoming the new members…

@Claudia331, @Daniel1651, @Delphine348, @Felicity11 , @Jennifer3225, @Kirk124, @Michael-O-Reilly0, @Ted--Pauline-And-Keo0 , @Ronaldo-And-Carla0, @Francisco-and-Yajaira-Ho0, Sebastian, Deirdre and Nadia

You can expect to see our HAB members’ voices and perspectives represented in education and announcements we share throughout the year. We’re looking forward to seeing what we will accomplish together this year. You’ll probably have noticed some of the members posting around the CC already and contributing to our Hosting discussions.

HAB members represent the wide diversity of backgrounds and are selected due to their tremendous contributions to our Host Community. In order to get to know our 2022 HAB members better please visit the HAB landing page for more information.

Thank you,

Stephanie

[Mark116]

@Colleen253 It's unfortunate that such basic things are a struggle.  Getting someone who wants to book your property to RESPOND to you within 24 hours shouldn't be a monumental achievement.  A solution to put the full house rules or cancellation policy of the property in front of the guest to help ensure they know what  they're booking should also not be difficult to achieve. 

And this is my issue with Airbnb and the Host Committee, they are working on visionary goals when the nuts and bolts of the platform are falling out on the floor.

[Huma0]

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@Mark116 wrote:

@Huma0 

The other issue is guests who make a request to book and then disappear, seemingly thinking they have actually already booked the place.  So they don't see or answer follow up messages, which now we have decided this year to ask guests to confirm they read and agree to the rules is a problem .  The last request we responded in FOUR MINUTES from the time of the request with our standard XXX we're happy to accept as soon as we back from you XXX and still  had to decline because the person never responded until after we declined them.

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This is a more common one for me. It happens ALL the time. I had a recent one that I had to decline (and I really chased him and waited until minutes before the deadline) only for him to respond saying his notifications were not turned on and he hadn't seen my messages. I agreed to accept his booking but it's so annoying to waste declines on guests you're perfectly happy to host. I would prefer to reserve those for the guests with a million red flags (although I always try to get them to withdraw the request).

There are two issues here:

1. Why do most guests have notifications turned off? If someone sends an enquiry or especially a request to book/makes an instant booking, they should be reminded to turn their notifications on. Also, the notifications need to actually WORK. The system is super glitchy, e.g. I don't get notifications about a guest requesting to book until 12 hours later! I.e. I get a reminder but never go the first notification. Other notifications often arrive hours late.

2. If hosts are only given 24 hours to accept/decline, guests need to be made aware of this. They should be reminded when sending a request to book to keep an eye on their messages in case the host has any questions. Or, better still, give hosts 48 hours to decide, which would be more reasonable given that we are often dealing with big differences in time zones. Or, EVEN better still, scrap the whole acceptance rate. I understand why Airbnb doesn't want hosts constantly turning guests away, but there is not even an option to select 'guest is non responsive' when you decline. 

Or, let's make it even more simple, each host gets three pre-booking questions. The guest must answer these (let's put them in a simple form to fill in), to request to book or instant book. It should be set up so that they simply can't proceed until they have filled in the form. It's not rocket science.

[Burke10]

Have y'all ever heard of Beta testers?  I don't mean people that drink the cool aide testing the future platform, but random hosts testing it out?

[Till-and-Jutta0]

It’s a good idea to „test” new functions with a limited group of hosts before rolling them out. From time to time I participate in such tests.

[Burke10]

Like hidden pet fees. 

[Merrydith0]

My experience of HAB 2021

When I first joined the 2021 inaugural Host Advisory Board I thought I would ‘get in there and fix all the problems hosts had’.

It was very naive of me, some of the experienced CC hosts questioned me on it, and rightly so. 

In reality change is slow and measured.

What I’ve learnt from my first year on the HAB is that whilst Airbnb want to be fair to hosts, they also have to be fair to guests, because without one the other couldn’t exist. This creates a complex set of policies that try to be fair to both, but in some areas don’t succeed. Yet!

I still have faith, but it will take longer than I originally thought.

In hospitality we have to learn that the customer is number 1 and while we might not always like how they perceive our listings, it is their reality and our job is to try to satisfy their needs.

If both of those things match we can achieve 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Easy?
Right?
Well it’s not easy but I think it’s easier than finding the perfect solutions for worldwide hosting policies.

Over the last 12 months I’ve sat in on meetings where Airbnb were looking at changing particular policies or products and they wanted our input. I would have an opinion, based on my host community, but HAB members from other parts of the world would sometimes have a different opinion based on their communities. 

This is one of the hardest lessons I have had to learn. Hosts in different countries may have similar needs and similar problems, but not necessarily similar needs for the rectification of a problem.

I was casually discussing a proposed policy change. I assumed that, because Australia is open to tourists, now was a great time to update it. I didn’t see a problem with it, but then I found out that hosts in Thailand and some other countries that had a different perspective on it.  Many hosts have wildly different circumstances. So what is the right answer? 

I believe, there is no ONE right answer for every host’s needs, and that is why the work of the HAB is often difficult. No matter how hard Airbnb try to make hosts’ lives easier, it won’t satisfy every host’s need.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are lots of reasons why a policy will work well for some hosts, but not be so good, or even be bad for others. Not many things will be perfect, but we will continue to strive for perfection.

I am grateful to have been asked to return to the HAB for 2022 and I promise to represent the host community with an open mind, work with passion and heart, and do the best job I can.

[Sarah977]

@Merrydith0  Thanks for chiming in here.

There are plenty of things Airbnb could do for hosts that we have been asking them to do for years, which is totally ignored, that have nothing whatsoever to do with guests. So how about the HAB bring that stuff to the table if everything else is such a balancing act?

There is no reason whatsoever why they have to keep making changes to our hosting pages, which are more and more difficult to locate things on, where things are hidden and non-intuitive to find, and where every time they change things it wastes hosts' time trying to figure out where they have moved something to. 

The changes to the calendar make it difficult to see properly by those whose vision isn't so great anymore. This has been given as feedback to Airbnb and ignored.

There is no reason to bury our house rules, cancellationn pollicies and health and safety section way down at the bottom of the page where most guests never bother to scroll down to. This benefits neither hosts nor guests and leads to problems for both.

What it sounds like is that the HAB is only given things to work on that Airbnb wants you to have input into, not have you actually bring hosts' concerns to the table, therefore, with all due respect, it doesn't appear that the HAB is representing us in any effective way, just repeating Airbnb's "it's tricky" excuses. 

[Laurelle3]

@Merrydith0 from Tasmania welcome back for 2022, thanks for giving your an update of working with other host ambassadors. Yes I can see that there can be many issues from different countries, as countries  have different government, state and local council rules which we abide by. Cultural expectations and personal differences can be difficult to deal with and access because what is accepted by one culture is not by another. 

Today, Australia is made up from over 300 cultures and 48% of its people were born overseas. As a host one, has to have an open mind for interpretations and communication which plays an importatant role.

Yes, I find some of the changes can benefit us or can be a hinderence. I use IB and answer the booking with a welcome note. Then send a note a week before to keep in touch with address and any instructions reminding the check in time. Yes, most of the guests don't make contact again unless I prompt them with my messages. I feel when guests make their booking they have made an inpersonal  contact except answering questions if asked or agree to the rules set by hosts. I think some hosts might need more assurance but we are all different and this is when issues can arise. 

I am not sure but I think some of the issues that some hosts have is because they are managed from a distance. We live onsite and are here to deal if any problem that may arise.

I must say the calender (joined 2020) I have 1 and is on the ipad is friendly as it shows  the month and can be scroll down and see upcoming months. The 2nd is on the laptop (updated programm) and I find this calender not as friendly as it scrolls across the page. Maybe it is the user (me). 

Thanks again to all the Host Ambassadors trying to their best  by volunteering to help Airbnb to go forward for hosts from around the world who may have different expectations,  issues and ideas of how Airbnb should operate.

Airbnb is a service that provides me with paying guests to supplement my income without private advertisement, or having to pay for an agent and I have controll over who stays in my Airbnb.

[Ted--Pauline-And-Keo0]

Aloha!  I'm from the Big Island of Hawaii.  So glad to be here to help and contribute so that all in the Airbnb Community have a positive experience.

[Gillian166]

how interesting, a HAB member who popped into the CC for the first time, made this post, and was never seen again. 

[Delphine348]

Bonjour !

Hello everyone, 

I am usually active on the French language Community Center and leader of the Seine et Marne (Fontainebleau, Disneyland Europe) Airbnb Community club.

I created an environmental non profit association in my village with 14 people wanting to stop the water treatment plant sludge application in our fields. We federated 200 people and won the challenge.

Hosting since 2020 first French lockdown, I am still learning through different social exchanges: here on the CC, FB groups, club exchanges, Tourism office meeting...

I engaged in the European Commission consultancy on Fair STR market where I took the opportunity to express my voice as a host during the workshop they organized.  I also joined the Hosts French Federation created in 2020 to become our voice soon for any  government or cities regulation projects, work in progress and worth it ! I am trying to be a sustainable host and aiming a Green Key label when I will be ready to apply.

I am very glad to join the Host Advisory Board this year and lucky that some of the 2021 members are still there helping me to fit in quickly. 

In life, I tend to act when I want things change, so being part of the HAB seems to me a good opportunity to express hosts voices closer to Airbnb teams, even if some of you think that this voice is low.

I believe I can rely on all community members to share their concerns in a constructive way so that I can understand better what I should stand for.

HAB members are coming from 17 countries around the world, exchanges and cultures are so fruitful and benevolent. 

[Laurelle3]

Welcome great to hear from you both @Ted--Pauline-And-Keo0  and @Delphine348 you sound that you are busy working for your community.

[Louise0]

With the exception of Till and Jutta, there are many, many more hosts with greater tenure as hosts, more and better ratings and who are consistent and more frequent contributors to the CC than the members of the HAB. Given this, my question is how were HAB members selected given there were so many stronger candidates? 

The whole process seems very opaque and, on the surface at least, my impression is that Airbnb selected members who they believed would essentially shut up and do as they were bidden rather than objectively assess and evaluate Airbnb's proposals. 

Prove me wrong.  I'll wait.

[Robin4]

@Louise0 

And Louise, a month has gone by and you are still waiting!

Louise, you are one of the most knowledgeable Airbnb hosts, not just here in Australia, but the world. You have the runs on the board and you understand exactly how this company runs. You don't shoot from the hip, you deal in facts and figures and your opinions are to be respected.

You along with me and most other experienced hosts here would have received the invite to apply to join the HAB when it was first floated. For your reasons, you didn't, just as I didn't. As a host I could see no tangible good coming out of it.

I am not trying to be disrespectful to the HAB members. Till and I think Ziggy were the only ones I got to meet via the regular Zoom meetings and I have no doubt they're into their HAB duties with all their heart and soul.

But this company have proved over the years, operational decisions from the boardroom come from accountants, strategist and annalists, they don't come from the rank and file. I know because for some time I was part of the Global Development Team. We were never asked for our opinions, we were given a set of options to make a choice from......"Which of the following options would you support, A,B,C or D". Never once was I as a host asked what I felt would improve my hosting.....I was simply given a set of hosting options that Airbnb were prepared to accept! The road-map had already been fleshed out, we were just haggling about the details!

And that is why I chose not to be involved this time around, I have got enough going on in my life and if am going to volunteer my time, I want to feel it is being helpful and useful! I don't want to simply be another company PR person, I want to do what so many others here want to do, be able to be a good Airbnb host!

Had I joined something like that, my first objective would have been to send out a questionnaire to the top 100 or so hosts here on the CC asking for a breakdown of their 5 wish list hosting items, and advising others in the group to do the same.  That way a proper hosting strategy could have been put together with meaningful recommendations for the company. You never know, if there was enough clout there they might have actually taken some serious notice instead of shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Nobody has ever approached me or anyone else that I am aware of and asked for my opinions. I wish the current HAB all the best, your hearts are in the right place and it would be lovely to think that you can effect changes that will help the hosting community, but every time we want a progress report, we run into a wall of secrecy....and that is unfortunate, it doesn't instill us with confidence!

You are right Louise, the whole operation is very opaque!

Cheers........Rob

[Burke10]

Louise0, our listings will probably disappear now, but I'll 2'nd what you wrote.