Party policy updates, Superhost status extensions, and more in Catherine’s latest Host Update

[Airbnb]

If you watched the first Host Update from our new Global Head of Hosting Catherine Powell, you’ll know that we are working on rebuilding our business around hosts, and giving you more transparency along the way. 

Today, we’re sharing Catherine’s latest Host Update with you. In this video, she discusses important priorities and insights for hosts at Airbnb right now. These include how Airbnb is handling parties, active steps being taken to support Superhosts, and why it can pay off to commit to higher standards for cleaning. 

Once you’ve watched the video, we’d really love to hear from you. Please let us know what you’d like us to cover in future Host Updates with Catherine.

Thank you.

[Catherine-Powell]

Thanks for the question @Mike-And-Jane0, I recognize this is tricky. Guests cannot cancel bookings made after March 14th under the policy because of COVID, unless they get sick. But, in a limited number of instances, Airbnb has been required to cancel bookings in response to local health or emergency laws that prohibit certain stays. So, the statement about our policy you copied is accurate, but it doesn’t apply to situations where Airbnb rather than guests or hosts has to cancel. I hope this helps clarify and I am happy to have someone on my team connect with you directly if you would like to discuss. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Catherine-Powell This now makes perfect sense although I would suggest that Airbnb add themselves to the EC policy.

It has been a concern to me that if it became illegal to host in my area/country there was no way of cancelling the reservation without penalty. You have now confirmed that Airbnb will do so which is great.

[Katie]

Hi @Mike-And-Jane0, 

We'll look into what happened with that post, apologies for any confusion it caused. I hope @Catherine-Powell's reply now clarifies your point!

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

How very odd...

Your reply back from Catherine appears on page 1 of this thread on a desktop where it started, but on a mobile device it's been relegated to the bottom of page 3.

I'm saying nothing... Just an observation at the moment.

Post: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Party-policy-updates-Superhost-status-extensions-...

[Stone43]

Seems fishy to me too ! NOTED 

[Susan1188]

Dear @Catherine-Powell  

Thanks for this video and thank you for reading and reacting the comments on the last one.

I was happy to hear about the measures to stop parties (at least it's a start), and to hear your explanations about extenuating circumstances, which need to be synchronized with TOS and clarified urgently as others have noted above.

As a host with 20+ years experience in short term rentals (3 years with Airbnb), I have always managed my properties responsibly and given excellent hospitality to my guests.  This should be apparent to you after the first 6 months or so on your platform. 

Surely it would be beneficial to you, to empower hosts like me to solve their own guest problems, instead of requiring a customer support arbitrage at every turn.

I have found myself constantly texting and calling client support in the past 3 weeks. 

You have removed any power from the host to take charge of any situation, and the guests know this, as a result we must involve CS in every little thing, like children in a kindergarten asking for the teacher to take their side in every dispute.

This is not sustainable for you or for us.  Surely it would benefit you to trust us more to handle the most frequent situations.  We need to be able to take charge, and do things like sometimes cancelling and refunding penalty free or blocking the ability of an abusive guest to leave a dishonest review.

In order to empower hosts and decrease the number of client support interventions that are required, you should provide more transparency to your good/proven hosts:

- Hosts should see a guest history showing the number of cancellations in their past: initiated by the guest and initiated by the host.

- Hosts should see the refunds and discounts the guest has received in the past.  If the guest is demanding a discount or refund, this history is necessary for the host to know.

- Hosts should see the number of thumbs down the guest received

- Hosts should be encouraged to get ID info, not dissuaded from it

- Security deposit should be paid up front or at least held on the credit card, like it is done at a hotel or a car rental agency

- Airbnb should provide guests the option to take trip insurance (like done on Ryanair)


Airbnb's decision, at the beginning of the crisis, to override hosts cancellation policies and offer a full refund in almost all cases, has been integrated into the minds of guests.

It is going to take much more effort and clarity to walk that back; We are seeing people book and simply expect to be able to cancel at any point up to or after arrival day.  Even booking non-refundable, and saying that they will be cancelling if something goes wrong!

I hope your Mickey Mouse ears are listening, I'm sure they are.

Kind regards,

Susan

[Ute42]

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@Susan1188   

The airbnb businessmodel is based on the policy that they want to decide on all bits and pieces. This requires them to have a CS departement bigger than Texas which recently has shrinked down to the size of Rhode Island. Everything has gotten way too complicated.

I don't want anyone to tell me how to run my business. I've been doing this for so many years, I just want to be left alone.

[Stone43]

Susan I am sick of Airbnb  telling me how to run my business as well . or Airbnb does notting about BAD GUEST !

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Susan1188,

Thanks for the detailed feedback and suggestions.

I agree that we can provide more controls to hosts in certain areas of the reservation process. There are a couple in your list I hope to address soon.

There's a lot to do - thanks again for sharing the great feedback.

Catherine

[Lizzie]

@Cathie19, I just wanted to tag you into the update here as I know you wondering about Superhost Status information. 🙂 

I hope you are doing well. Speak soon. 

Lizzie

[Cathie19]

Thanks @Lizzie  for this update. Thanks @Airbnb & @Catherine-Powell for listening to superhosts like myself, who will not be able to honour any “stays” or “days” criteria, for the next twelve months, due to location, short tourist season, border restrictions, Covid19 etc etc. 

My current listing views are abysmal!!!  😭😱

I think it has been hovering around 11-12 for the 30 day period. 

As previously discussed, we are too small a city to economically handle local guests,  as the NT government has local tourist voucher incentives for registered hotels and other tourist park accommodation. “Locals” are not going to choose Airbnb in this mix. Our tourist season effectively ends at the start of the Wet Season: beginning of October, till May 2021.

So thanks again for the understanding..... 💐

[Stone43]

Cathie I am a super host and i get bad guest and Airbnb never Address the issues  with Bad guest when you get them ! NOTED !  4 months later never addressed !

[Becky88]

Hi @Catherine-Powell,

Congrats on your new role and thanks for these videos/messages. I'm glad to see Airbnb intending to better support hosts, and hopeful that this will lead to real change.

Regarding parties, I'd like to suggest that guests who break this rule (or other Airbnb Policies, for that matter) ought to lose their ability to review a listing.  When a host rightly breaks up an unauthorized or illegal party, it doesn't seem right that the guest can then retaliate with a negative review.  True, the host can respond to the review, but damage is already done with a low rating, and a host reply calls even more attention to the review.

This idea would require a way for the host and Airbnb to act on the booking immediately, before the guest checks out, which I think is sorely needed.  The new party policy focuses on preventing guests with bad intentions of booking in the first place, and increases potential action against guests after they have left, BUT it would be great if hosts had support when a party is actually in progress.

I'd like to be able to submit a "Party-In-Progress" report online (no need to reach a CS rep), with details/photos of the party, and an option to ask Airbnb to cancel the booking.  This report would trigger an Airbnb message to the guest, disable the guest's ability to review the listing, and open the ticket on the investigation that Airbnb already does, albeit days/weeks after the fact.

Thanks for reading - I look forward to more of your updates and news on host support!

Becky

[Ray156]

Couldn't agree more @Becky88  . I've been hosting since 2014 (yes this is my first community post, and yes.. shame on me for not engaging till now!) and I've had many issues where guests break rules (parties, pets, etc.) Instead of highlighting this in a public review, I've done so privately or in person... as my concern over a retaliation reply, then essentially arguing in reviews keeps me from doing so.

Having the ability suggested to highlight something "in the moment" as it's occurring would be a great help, and I think if communicated to guests a potential deterrent to issues occurring in the first place. @Catherine-Powell possible to consider this as a feature?

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Becky88,

Thanks for your welcome, and your feedback on the parties policy updates. The reviews system is something I am hearing from hosts on again and again over the past few weeks, and it is on my list of things to tackle, so thanks for your insights into how this interacts with the party issues.

For now, we plan to monitor the current changes and their impact on the number of party-related issue we are seeing, but we will also likely look to make further tweaks to the policy, and I think your suggestions are valid, particularly the 'party in progress' idea.

I will continue to keep you updated on our progress via my Host Updates, and please do continue to share your thoughts on the policies and systems we have in place - I am listening.

Thanks, Catherine