CRITICAL BUG with co-hosting (lack of) access--WHEN WILL THS BE FIXED???

[Jo-and-Ivan0]

I'm both the primary host of a listing--supported by a co-host--and serve as co-host for a couple of listings.  

Since early December, my co-host and I have encountered a number of technical glitches specifically having to do with a cohost's access / security privileges, which are negatively impacting the guest experience.

In a nutshell, though I'm officially a co-host of a particular listing, I lost access to the message thread with a guest.  The thread disappeared entirely from my Airbnb Inbox, and if I try to access via the Calendar view the booking and then the message thread, I got a "You don't have access to this thread" error.  When the guest replies, I *may* re-gain access to the message thread, only to lose it again later after I send a reply.  Similarly, if the guest wishes to alter the booking, I can't review the request or approve it.  

I have received (some of the) notifications sent to my regular email--however clicking via the regular email while I'm on my laptop or iPhone gets me the same "access" error message/glitch.  In some cases, say when the (primary) host sends a message to the guest, I don't even get the email or mobile phone notifications anymore and had to ask my co-host/host if a message was sent.  Previously I would have received a mobile phone notification and an email.

The above "restricted access" issues have happened to me:

* Multiple times with the same guest/message thread

* More than one guest/message thread for the same listing

* More than one listing

* Regardless of whether I access Airbnb from my iPhone or laptop (via Google Chrome)

And it has only become more frequent in the last 3 weeks. 

The same is happening to my co-host when she's trying to help out on messages for guests booked at the listing where I'm the primary host.  Similar (lack of) access issues are occurring with respect to writing guest reviews.  As a co-host I was able to write guest reviews, but not since December.

All this despite our making NO changes to our listings, hosting/cohosting arrangements, etc.

I called Customer Service on at least two occasions before Christmas, and though they were able to replicate the issue, they refused to escalate and keep open a support ticket because apparently the Engineering is already aware of this and has been working on it. For the last 3+ weeks there have been no updates or resolutions, so we tried the following workarounds ourselves but none worked:

* Removing myself as a co-host and then adding me back on--or removing my co-host from the listing where I'm the primary host and adding her back on.  It worked only temporarily and we started to encounter the same issues again.

* Re-installing the app, clearing cache, logging out, etc.  Been there, done it.

Searching the Airbnb community for cohost (lack of) access issues has revealed I'm NOT the only host/co-host encountering this.  There were several similar posts from prior years but those seem to be unrelated.  I can't help but have the suspicion Engineering has implemented last month some non-essential oh-so-clever "coding enhancement" and in the mean time broke the rather MISSION CRITICAL security model governing host/cohost system privileges.

How are we able to stay on top of guest communications, enquiries, etc. when our system access is being hindered by these technical glitches--and seemingly little Engineering attention is assigned to resolve this ASAP???   There is SIGNIFICANT IMPACT to the guest not to mention the hosting experience...but let's not kid ourselves which one Airbnb priorities. 

[Paul1255]

Hi @Jess2685 this will not be good news if it's true. Can you share the email with us?

Paul.

[Sarah3183]

Here's that email:

I hope you’ve enjoyed the holidays and are ready to launch your big plans for 2020.
Since you have the co-host listing(s) on your account, I would like to share the latest news regarding this Airbnb functionality. As you might have heard, some co-host listings on Airbnb were acting up in December. It was not possible to access reservations, see them on the Multi-сalendar, or find guest bookings of co-host listings in the Inbox.

According to the official information from Airbnb, the co-hosting functionality is no longer supported by the official Airbnb API. It means that some of the co-host listings might experience difficulties receiving updates.

Note that after the Teams’ functionality introduction on Airbnb, the issues with co-hosting might happen more frequently. To protect your business from losing reservations and incurring penalties, we recommend deleting all co-host listings. We’ve prepared an article with step-by-step instructions on what to do if you prefer to remove all your co-host listings.

If you have more questions, just reply to this email.

Best regards,

Oxana Ivanova
Senior Customer Experience Specialist
+1 (425) 222-2922
support@igms.com
www.igms.com

[Paul1255]

Thanks @Sarah3183 that's really useful and speedy.

@Stephanie it's unclear if Airbnb are trying to fix the co-hosting issues we have been having, so we can operate as normal- or if the issues are part of a bigger plan to close down the co-hosting function.

As you have the ear of the tech team at Airbnb, are you able to provide some clarity for the many people who are looking for answers?

Paul 🙂

[Susan17]

@Paul1255 

"According to the official information from Airbnb, the co-hosting functionality is no longer supported by the official Airbnb API. It means that some of the co-host listings might experience difficulties receiving updates"

Jesus wept. What an absolute sh*t-show. Over two months of messing co-hosts around, causing them untold stress and hassle, jeopardising their income and screwing up their ability to do business - without any communication from the company whatsoever as to what was going on - and then the co-hosts have to find out about this from an outside company? I've run out of pejorative words to describe this bunch of gangsters... 

Doesn't surprise me one bit though (as per my earlier post in the thread) They pulled a similar stunt in the summer of 2018 when they suddenly discontinued the split payout facility for co-hosts- unleashed a "bug" that caused havoc for co-hosts for months on end.. then in the middle of it all the pandemonium, shut down the split payouts. It was almost as if they used the "bug" as a diversionary tactic.

One thing's for sure - even if Airbnb come back now and say that they're not pulling the co-hosting facility for regular hosts - they'll be lying. They might keep it stumbling along for a short while, until the fuss dies down, before quashing it completely (their usual MO) - but 100% guaranteed, it's on the way out - whether it's today, next week, or next month.. it's going. 

Everyone needs to make alternative arrangements asap. 

[Paul1255]

@Susan17 

Yes you're (as usual) on the money and right 🙂

Looking into alternative routes that will enable me to continue to be able to support the hosts I work for who came to me because their listings were destroyed by the very same "professional partners" Airbnb are trying to funnel everyone into using.....

Absolute madness on so many levels, I sometimes struggle to get my head around it all.

[Jo-and-Ivan0]

Thank you @Susan17 .

I'm not a "professional" co-host.  My primary host and I have the joint hosting arrangement so we're able to answer enquiries and manage guest comms promptly, still hold our day jobs and lead our private lives.  If co-hosting were to go away, it doesn't impact our income, as opposed to some of the people in the Airbnb community.

Nevertheless this is absolutely appalling and devious tactic if it's true--basically putting co-hosts through hell and nudge us out.  This from a business that's supposedly built on trust, and the most disappointing part is, I could see Airbnb doing this.

[Shawn245]

Wow yes please tell us if Airbnb is shutting down co-hosts

[Emily487]

@Stephanie 

-Any specific and new information from Those In Charge? 

-Are the emails from IMGS that hosts have posted here accurate and will co-hosting be phased out/turned off?

[Susan17]

@Jo-and-Ivan0 @Emily487 @Paul1255 @Shawn245 @Sarah3183  et al.. 

I've spoken with several trusted sources today, and all confirm that yes, Airbnb is moving away from the co-hosting facility for small hosts, and that "the Teams feature is Airbnb's long-term focus" (Much of what I was told was off the record, so I can't repeat it here, but I use the phrase "long-term" above, very loosely) 

The emails from iGMS are accurate, as confirmed by the owner of the company, and the same information was imparted to all of Airbnb's integrated software partners. 

[Paul1255]

Thanks @Susan17 and thanks for chatting on the phone earlier, really appreciate your support x 

[Susan17]

@Paul1255 

Ditto, P! x

[Susan17]

The following is what Uplisting has been advising hosts using its channel management service

[Channel info] Airbnb co-host listing issues & what Airbnb recommend 🚨

If you don't use co-hosted listings (and don't intend to) you can ignore this message!
​
For those that do, you've most likely heard or experienced the issues with Airbnb co-hosted listings. Common issues are:
-Bookings not appearing on your Airbnb (or channel manager) calendar
-Can't send messages to bookings you can see

These co-host listing issues have been ongoing for a number of days now and show no signs of being resolved.
Those of you using co-hosted listings on Uplisting are being affected in the same way as if you were using Airbnb as a co-host on the Airbnb app or website.

What are Airbnb's plans with the co-hosting feature?
Discussing co-host issues with our Airbnb partner team lead us to believe Airbnb are pushing further towards Teams and away from co-hosting. We've been invited to integrate with their new Teams integration as a pilot, however, Teams is a significant change for those of you who rely on property owners sharing their listing with you via co-host. This is not possible via Teams.

Airbnb recommends to us that property managers work only with account owner listings.  (emphasis mine)

Preparing for a future without co-host listings
These outages are one thing, but if you are using Uplisting (or any channel manager) with co-hosted listings, you need to prepare to migrate. Why? Co-hosted listings are not supported on the official Airbnb integration and there are no plans to change this.

Uplisting is no longer supporting new co-host listings and will be working with members over the next few weeks to migrate existing co-host listings to 'owner' listings (we'll be in touch to explain how). This will provide a much more reliable and feature-rich experience in the long run.

What are my options?
Our recommendation is for you to move away from co-hosted listings. You have two options:

1. Connect the account owner Airbnb account to Uplisting (you can connect 100's of Airbnb accounts to Uplisting if you need to). You'll need the login credentials for the Airbnb account to do this.
2. Create a new listing on your own account (the downside being you lose existing reviews etc).

💡One concern we've heard from members is account owners don't want to share their credentials. There is a solution with our new Airbnb integration:

-Ask your client to set a temporary password on their Airbnb account
-You connect the Airbnb account to Uplisting
-Inform your client they are safe to change their password

We're continuing to monitor the situation

[Paul1255]

@Susan17 very interesting read

[Susan17]

@Paul1255 

The thing is, every  small independent host on the platform (including homesharers) needs to be rubbing the Airbnb stardust from their eyes, paying very, very close attention, grasping exactly what's going on here, seeing the bigger picture, and understanding that this decision by Airbnb doesn't just affect co-hosts, but ultimately, has far-reaching and potentially calamitous implications for every last one of us.

The writing on the wall couldn't be any clearer if Airbnb came round and painted it on the front of our homes in 10 foot high neon letters 😞

[Paul1255]

@Susan17  100% agree! The landscape on Airbnb is changing for all of us, and no one is hosting on Airbnb for fun so the impact will be terrible.