How we’re giving hosts a seat at the table

[Airbnb]

 

You may have seen a letter from our CEO Brian Chesky this week with some important announcements for our community. In case you missed it, we’re launching a formal program to give hosts a seat at the table, and an opportunity to take part in our company’s success.

It’s made up of two equally important parts:

• Airbnb Host Advisory Board: A diverse group of hosts on Airbnb who meet regularly with Airbnb executives to represent the host community's voice and make sure that hosts’ ideas are heard
• Airbnb Host Endowment: A fund that is intended to provide support to our host community now and in the future, which we expect will be initially funded with 9.2 million shares of Airbnb stock 

You can read much more about the programs here.

We’re looking forward to introducing the Advisory Board before the end of the year.

[Lynnie1]

None for us @Maire36! Only U.S. residents.

[Richard1633]

@Katie  @Airbnb This would be a great thing to allow hosts the opportunity to invest further into the success of this company ahead of the IPO.  For those hosts who do this full time or even part time, it would be a terrific business move to allow us the opportunity to purchase shares before every other investor in the world gets to jump on board.  It is our business relationship and partnership we have that will help drive this company forward.  Why not give hosts at least Stock Options or warrants based on what we do.  It is the hosts working with Airbnb's platform that make this company what it is and will be in the future?  Strengthen this relationship and it will be much harder to fail in the future.  

[Katie]

Hi @Richard1633 @Maire36,

I just wanted to link you to a previous reply I shared on this here. 

Airbnb is a global community of hosts and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. In fact, 85 percent of hosts on Airbnb are outside of the United States, and securities laws hinder our ability to share equity practically in many countries.

The endowment is designed to be able to support our global host community 😊

[Doug-and-Sister-Kathy0]

WE as hosts need to see the guests' real photos,. and their reviews.  I liked it so much better when we could see who the guest is and what their reviews were from past hosts.  I don't use Airbnb that much anymore because of the changes and the fees.  

[Sarah977]

There's nothing preventing you from reading  guest's reviews before deciding whether to accept their booking. You just have to click on the circle with the initial or silhouette in it, which will take you to the guest's profile page.

@Doug-and-Sister-Kathy0

[Francesco1366]

@Super47

I agree with you, for example Host Voice was a very functional tool, full of bull**bleep** and the most useful issues never won, but at least democratic and transparent: if we had grown up it would have been very helpful.

However, it is absurd to think that Airbnb gives us the tools to grab him by the neck. We must unite in something simple and concrete.

Finally, in my opinion you are more effective if you don't talk bad about Airbnb money/business. It is his business, we are not the owners and we even can not understand well. It's not polite. 

[Super47]

@Francesco1366

In the coming week or two, Airbnb's public S-1 filing will drop. Every dog on the street will be talking about Airbnb's 'money business'. Being (up until now) a private company, Airbnb may have been able to keep their 'money business' secret for the last 12 years - but when a company is seeking $3 billion in investment from members of the public to keep their operations afloat, they forfeit all rights to being able to hide behind the very convenient mantle of privacy protections in relation to their financial affairs.

Additionally, on a personal level, Airbnb has this year alone retained tens of thousands of what should have been my money, while palming my guests off with single-use, non-refundable vouchers for unvouched, undocumented "attested" cancellations (vouchers which become null and void and are then rendered worthless to the guest btw, should they find themselves having to cancel a subsequent stay they booked using those vouchers, due to 2nd wave or whatever) I have every right to talk about Airbnb's money business, as has everyone else. And trust me, everyone should and very soon will be talking about it. 

[Francesco1366]

@Super47, thanks for your message. Of course you have every right to talk about. But we are not an economical forum, It seems to me that you almost always talk about it to say badly. Not polite 😄 You are an Airbnb client, you gave it money but it got you many more. It seems to me it treated you well, how it spends that money is out of your business. But of course you can talk about whatever you want. 

[Super47]

@Francesco1366

Why on earth do you think the overwhelming majority of Airbnb hosts use the platform, if not - first and foremost - for economical reasons??

If anyone doesn't like what I have to say, then they're more than welcome to scroll on by. But my opinion is as valid as the next person's, my comments are provably accurate and true, and I retain the right to express my thoughts as and when I see fit - as is everyone's right in a democratic environment (to which you refer elsewhere in this thread)

By the company's own definition (and its ubiquitous go-to defence in its worldwide legal battles) Airbnb is 'just a booking platform' - therefore an economic entity -  not some sort of hippy-dippy, happy-clappy cult, where freedom of speech must be curtailed, at all costs. Oh, wait... 🤔

[Francesco1366]

@Super47 , of course you're right. However, if I go to buy a PC from a PC shop, my economic reason is my personal, my need to buy a PC, different from the economic reason of the shop that has to sell it to me. I look at my balance sheet and not specifically at that of the shop. It seems to me that doing so, in some cases, takes us away from discussing our economic reason, which is more important.

I really appreciate your comments and opinions which are as valid as mine and everyone else's.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Francesco1366 

You have it wrong. Airbnb changed their Terms and interfered with host/guest contracts and robbed hosts their money and livelihoods. As business partners they are allowed to take their share for the effort and service they provide, but they are not allowed to rob hosts by changing their rules for their benefit.

@Super47 

[Francesco1366]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0,

thanks for your message. 

I am very critical of Airbnb. In particular, in Italy it has in fact flooded the market with a lot of illegal rentals and this somehow has damaged the entire market and also my interests. However, I recognize that Airbnb has been "better" than others who would have liked to do the same. The fault is also a lot of the Italian State. I am also very critical of the community because, for example, while this was happening it did little or nothing to avoid it by focusing on futile topics.

However, I think I will never reach your conclusions which I believe are extremely exaggerated and incorrect according to the same rights that should protect all of us, even Airbnb.

Finally,  we weren't talking about this though, so I don't understand what I'm wrong. I think that your conclusions are part of those useless topics that keep us away from getting a better treatment which I hope we will get one day. Of course everyone can talk about what they want, even what I think is wrong.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Francesco1366 

However, I think I will never reach your conclusions which I believe are extremely exaggerated and incorrect according to the same rights that should protect all of us, even Airbnb.

Whether you never arrive at my conclusion, or you do, those facts I base my conclusion on are the basis of what has already happened. If you cannot recognise that, then you might as well kiss any hope of future 'better treatment' bye-bye.

You may avoid accepting those facts but that is the problem and reason why hosts continually fail in getting a better treatment - because they allow themselves to be abused in the first place and not take a firm and justified stand against it.

Talking about talks about providing solutions is just a distraction from the existing problems which will never be made right and which Airbnb are profiting from in the meantime by the exploitation of hosts by the denial of their contractual entitlement. As long as hosts are willing to continue futile talks and not take action when it is required they will continue to be abused.

"Next time will be better" is not the solution needed. The solution is needed now and for actions which have already happened. and incidentally too the subject matter of this thread. "Hosts having a seat at a table" as equals... You are wrong because you appoint Airbnb as a fair and balanced business partner. It is plainly evident by their actions, they're not.

[Francesco1366]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0,

I never told that Airbnb is "a fair and balanced business partner". Honestly I think does not exist a such business partner. Didn't you notice that I wrote that I am indeed very critical and gave an example about what? "Next time will be better" is not my though. But if anything, if we do what I think is right, we will get a better treatment. I am absolutely not saying that we must not act.

What are our contractual rights (or anyway rights) denied?

Thank you

[Jeffrey434]

100% I've been robbed by airbnb recently since they felt they wanted to change their rules and then when asked to cite when and where I agreed to said rules they could not fulfill the request. I smell class action lawsuits.