Elevate Issues

[Christie230]

Anyone found any luck in getting elevate to update?  This has been a nightmare.  I have 40 properties and elevate categories are off base on 90% of my properties and affecting my rentals.  I have requested removals and additions.  Some are rejected and some are sitting out there for over 2 weeks.  AirBNB cant help me I have gone over and over this with them, one person insisted it was an address problem, one person made me send them  longitude and latitude, basically Im being pushed around because the only support people you can actually speak with do not even understand elevate.  I get a copy and paste statement and then they close the ticket.

[Joan2709]

@Christie230 

I wouldn't worry about it too much anymore. As of a few days ago, you can't search a specific location by category any more - the whole strip has been removed. You will only see categories on the main page before you start searching by location, so not sure it even matters any more.

It does appear that Airbnb is abandoning categories, but no announcement or notification was made that I am aware of. Airbnb CS confirmed this is not a bug and is intentional. 

[Christie230]

@Joan2709 My concern really isn't the search because when you select my area the real filter works fine.  Those categories are dead weight and if your searching an area they go away.  I never even use them, my concern is how is displays at the top of each listing its misleading.  Some say 20 minute walk to the beach which is not correct.  There is no rhyme or reason to how it chooses the amount of time it takes to get to the beach.  I can't see how this is benefiting anyone.  Other thing is that in elevate it says category has been removed, however ABNB doesn't show that in my property setup.  I had added beach to many of my properties but then the next thing I know its displaying long walks to the beach when its less than 5 minutes.

[Joan2709]

@Christie230 

Multiple Hosts with the same issue with the proximity callouts. Only Airbnb and Elevate can address this for you. Here are some previous threads with the same problem:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Ask-about-your-listing/Elevate-categories-algorithm-assign-wrong...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Ask-about-your-listing/Wrong-Map-related-to-the-wrong-beach-in-A...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Ask-about-your-listing/Inaccurate-description-on-both-of-my-prop...

@Rebecca, would you kindly add this to the other listings with the same problem and forward to the appropriate Team at Airbnb?

[Christie230]

@Rebecca @Bhumika  

I have a property right next door to one of mine.  That persons property rents more than mine because it says 2 minutes to beach, but mine says 20 minutes.  They know this is an issue but they continuously push us aside as we lose business because of elevate.  If I was the only person I would understand, but I am not.  I am one of many.  I would have hoped that ABNB was concerned that their choice to use elevate is a factor in our revenue decline.  15 nights they rented, in the same time period i rented 8 nights.  Two properties side by side, but there's say its only 2 minutes where mine says 20 minutes to beach.  I have since gone change my title of my property to include 2 minutes but the damage is done.  The real kicker is I have 3 of the units.  Two say 20 minutes to beach the other says 3 minutes to beach.

[Joan2709]

@Christie230 

There are quite a few listings under your profile...

Can you please show the link to all 3 listings (the two that are wrong, and the one that is correct)? Also can you post the screen shots showing the two listings saying 20mins to beach and the other showing 3mins to beach? 

- In the mean time, do you have specific location set on the listing (not general) under Location in the Listing Editor?

- You said you changed the Title to "2mins to Beach" as the first words? If not, I would do that. You can also add "2mins to Beach!" as text to your cover photos.

- I would also add something to Other Details explaining that Airbnb has a bug with distances to beach and you are actually 2-3mins from beach NOT 20mins. 

- You could also even add a photo to your top 5 photos either with the map of your location with an arrow showing the property, or a drone shot showing your location in reference to the beach with an arrow.

@Rebecca 

[Christie230]

INFORMATION UNDER HOSTED BY SECTION

says 20 minutes walk to beach

in amenities - Shared beach access 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1116927299079401196?source_impression_id=p3_1747096468_P37QvkDw263gSmLl

says 20 minutes walk to beach

in amenities - beach not selected in amenities

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1115517677133770487?source_impression_id=p3_1747096458_P3y6SG708Y7_I5GP

nothing about beach access

in amenities - Shared beach access

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1158890084888664735?source_impression_id=p3_1747096455_P3H0k_ofxhvDDtUd

This shows how close the walk is to the beach crossover for all units in the area

https://a0.muscache.com/im/pictures/prohost-api/Hosting-1158890084888664735/original/abc852dc-f541-4...

_______________________________________________________

Another unit in that section by another host

says 3 minutes walk to beach

in amenities - Beach access – Beachfront

They have theirs listed as beachfront in amenities (which it isn't actually beachfront), but it says 3 min walk.  

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1217334208729891941

Another unit in that section by another host

says on the beach

in amenities - Beach access – Beachfront

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1237876515252707902

says 3 minutes walk to beach

in amenities - beach not showing in amenities

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1021893841181301881

These are just a few most of my properties are wrong.

One thing I have noticed is when i select my beach amenities, it has to be shared or private beach access and the i select if its beachfront or not.  Other host just say beach access and then beachfront if its beachfront.

Maybe I should put them all as beachfront to see what happens, which isn't accurate but I would like to get the 20 minute walk off the site. It doesn't seem as though those elevate categories are doing much these days.  ABNB support really doesn't know when it will be fixed.  Sometimes they tell me to wait 14 days, sometimes they say 30 days and then sometimes they tell me to change the longitude and latitude, then wait another 14 or more days.

A new property was added that is 5 minutes to beach.  Says Beach - Beachfront.  in the categories in the property settings elevate has already assigned a 20 minute walk to the beach, beach and surfing.  We don't have surfing and you cant be ON the beach and 20 minutes to the beach.  The 20 minutes to beach has not shown up yet on the property, I have gone into elevate to have it remove beach from the property.  I have no idea what will happen.  I am frustrated as so many others are that ABNB is not putting this as a high priority.

[Joan2709]

@Christie230 

Thanks for providing the links, perhaps one of the moderators can forward this to the appropriate team at Airbnb?

@Rebecca @Bhumika 

While this issue is ongoing, I suggest you update the Titles on these (3) listings so “Beach 3min Walk” or “Beach Access” appears FIRST in the Title. The thumbnail photo in search shows only 35 characters or so and you want your most important feature (walk to beach) to be the first words in the title so guests will see that first in your title when searching. The name "Blue Water Villa" and "Island Realty" don’t really need to be there and are taking up valuable space in your Title. You can put the name of the properties in the description if you like. Titles should include your best amenities:

Current Titles

Blue Water Villa Y-Knot-Beach 3 Min Walk

Blue Water Villa A-Beach 3 Min Walk-Island Realty

Blue Water Villa H - Beach Access - Island Realty

Suggest New Titles - Something Like

Beach 3min Walk! Deck/Pets/BBQ

Smoke Alarm/CO2 Alarms Missing?

Your listings don't show a smoke alarm/CO2 detector as indicated by strike through on wording in amenities?

Since you have charcoal BBQs, propane and allow smoking outside on the decks, I strongly suggest you add smoke alarm/CO2 alarms to the listings.

[Rebecca]

Thanks for the tag here @Joan2709. @Christie230 we've been closely following the thread and have already passed this to the Airbnb team to look into. 

Hopefully they'll be in touch with you soon. 😊