My simple suggestions to improve communication between Hosts and Airbnb

[Annette33]

All of us who have been here for a while know that support by Airbnb for hosts is utterly lacking. Donna Boyer, the new product director At Airbnb said in the recent Q/A from 6/19, "We know it can be hard to reach our Customer Experience team. We're committed to building systems to make it easier for hosts to reach us, including making our phone number and messaging easier for everyone to find. "

That tells me that nothing is going to change anytime soon. It is just a verbatim repeat of exactly what Brian Chesky said in his host letter the week before.

I think there is way too much "building systems" instead of straightforward simplicity. In line withnthat, the Q/A with Donna inspired the following idea:

1. Have someone from the Airbnb product team be here in the forums at all time, to simply observe the cross section of daily questions and comments coming in and thus realize what is really of concern to hosts across the board. (That's a paid job for one or two people - heck, I'd be happy to fill that slot! ;
2. Have that person select one or two pertinent issues or questions daily and take them back to a designated and qualified higher up at Airbnb for review AND answering.
3. Have that designated liaison person from the Airbnb product team answer one or two such questions daily, with details and specific information, not a general "feel good" kinda thing- then post it back here. This should happen within one day, not put into a folder, like "we'll look into it"...no, have your answer ready asap. Make it part of the daily routine, nurture that connection. As long as there would be substantive answers forthcoming, I bet it would be very popular AND dramatically lessen the anxieties around here but create good will!
4. This idea (or any other one from any other host) is really not that difficult to implement - it just takes a commitment from Airbnb to sincerely want to improve communication. (Like how difficult would it be to simply post the phone number, instead of building systems about it??)
5. It's time for Airbnb to recognize what a gold mine of information they have available right here in the forums, as newbies as well as experienced hosts come here to post their concerns and grievances. It clearly crystalizes the ongoing problems/issues from the hosts's perspective - not from an Airbnb techie's perspective to try out yet another new thing.
6. Please nobody tell me to repost this in "Host Voice", that that would have a better chance of getting heard: That is precisely part of the ineffective "system building". If Airbnb wants to hear hosts, they would come here. Simple....
7. I sure hope Airbnb will continue to thrive and not follow Uber's example of how a great start up company gets bogged down and riddled with internal problems. We hosts are the back bone of the company, I enjoy hosting, and I am grateful to the company for giving me the opportunity. I just want them to be the best they can be!

[Jerry78]

I wish to exercise my option/wish to post my email address for the world to view...and for them to exercise their option what they want to do with it!

There's nothing wrong with giving my email address for the community!

[Helga0]

@Jerry78, lol, you have no idea what you ask for. My email addresses on small websites attract about 200 spams a day, I use dedicated addresses for that and weed them out when thei hit two thousand. A few hours of work not to miss the rare business contacts. 

Imagine to have your address on a glibal forum? You won't have any time left for hosting;-)

[Kirstie]

Hi @Jerry78,

It's great to see you're willing help users privately! Just to add to what @Helga0 has mentioned however, this is a public forum and therefore for your own security, we have removed your contact details. Like any other website, the Community Center can be viewed by anyone and the conversations are searchable via search engines and it is therefore important to not share any information that could be misused. You can find more information about this in our Community Center guidelines.

It is possible for you to communicate with other members of the community privately here via the Direct Messaging system. This CC Tutorial explains how to do so.

Thanks,

Kirstie

[Jerry78]

DON'T NEED "LEVEL 10" MODERATORS TO BABYSIT ME...YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO EDIT MY FEEDBACK...IF I WANT TO POST MY EMAIL ADDRESS...AND ANY OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION...IS MY OPTION!!! YOU ARE NOT MY PARENTS! HOW IS IT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO EDIT/DELETE POSTS...UNLESS YOU WORK FOR AIRBNB...! LET THE "REAL" HOSTS DETERMINE THE VALUE OF POSTS IN THIS SO CALLED "COMMUNITY"...DON'T TELL ME WHAT I MAY/CAN DO...IT'S NOT YOUR PLACE! ADDITIONALLY, WON'T RESPOND TO ANY REPLIES FROM THIS POST...NOT GOING TO WASTE MY TIME!!!

[Annette33]

@Jerry78 , yes @Kirstie is a moderator here, with great service to the community. Glad to hear you  will not respond any further to this post, we all appreciate it. Thank you!

[Pam98]

Does that Customer Support number work for Canada?  ..and thank you for posting it.. I've been looking for a week through the website trying to find something!!

[Dianna11]

The US number should work for CA too. 

[Annette33]

@Pam98, here is the best comprehensive guide, phone numbers at the bottom, and yes numbers for US and Canada are the same: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide-UPDATED/m-p/413245

[Monty-and-Penny0]

I have called from Sedona, AZ to supposedly Sanfrancisco, CA and have spoken to a live person and in the last 6 months hung up on 6 times and of course they have my number, however cannot call back.  I have been treated like the outcast of the "Commune" and KNOW there are others out there.  Would love to start a class action law suite against Airbnb.  

[Bonnie59]

i just joined Airbnb  a couple of weeks ago, and got my first booking today and I am totally at a loss as to the follow up.  i could use some advice from you that have been hosting for a while on the next step, how to request money, etc. 

.   Would be greatly appreciated

[Annette33]

@Bonnie59 , welcome to hosting, and congrats to getting your first booking!

A big part of hosting is to familiarize yourself with all the rules and regulations Airbnb has in place. To be here in the forums is an excellent place to get started: look around, read a lot, pay attention, nobody can tell you in a paragraph or so how it all works.

Hosting is much more than having the room clean and ready, it is running a business, you are the entrepreneur! A successful host is the one that knows about how the payments work: You don't request anything from the guest, Airbnb pays you the day after the guest checked in, provided you hVe set up the proper transfer of $$ from Airbnb to yiu. Also study up on how cancellations work, how to handle inquiries and requests, etc... It is all spelled out in the Airbnb help section, or here in the forums. Just a lot to learn, go at it, and eventually you will feel on safe footing about this hosting thing - good luck and much success to you!

[Bonnie59]

Thank you for the information............kind of think it is too overwhelming for me........time will tell.  I work full time, so this might not be something I can take on.

As you said,  lots to learn.

[Jim-and-Marcia0]

@Bonnie59 Welcome to Hosting!  I viewed your listing and see you have a very nice place.  

May I make a few suggestions? I see you offer two Private Rooms in your home for rent (each with it's own bed - queen or double), up to four people (two to a room), for $40 a night, no cleaning fee, offer breakfast, own a dog, and are open to instant booking. This would be screaming deal for a party of four people and you may find yourself overwhelmed with instant bookings.

1. Turn off Instant Book until you feel comfortable with hosting and can manage fast paced bookings.

2. Show photos of both rooms and label them Bedroom One - Double Bed and Bedroom Two - Queen Bed, or vice versa.

3. Charge $40 for one person (or two) and in the pricing section add $10-$20 for each additional guest. Be aware, you may have a party of two that share one room, or you may have a party of two where one sleeps in the first room and the other in the second room. If guests use both rooms, it will mean more cleaning for you.

4. Clarify that both guest rooms share the same guest bathroom, so you reserve the rooms together for one group, not to separate parties. The good thing, it will make it easier to host if the people are in the same group and know each other. It also makes it easier to manage as one space instead of as two separate listings.

5. Either charge an additional cleaning fee or build it into your pricing.

6. Since you have checked that you offer breakfast, clarify what you offer and maybe add a photo of that, so guests know if it's a full breakfast, or continental. Although, for your pricing, I can't see how you could offer breakfast too!

7. Add a photo of your dog, so guests clearly see you have a dog. Some guests might have allergies to dogs and might not catch the dog dish and tiny image of your dog in the kitchen photo, or read the listing well enough to see you noted the dog.

8. Add more information to your listing description that will give guests more insight as to what they can expect.

9. Create some reasonable property rules.... pick up ideas from other posts here in the community host forums.

10. Look at the listings of other hosts, especially those in your area, to glean ideas to fine tune your listing. Do this regularly to keep up with the competition and offer a great experience for guests.

All the best to you!

Happy Hosting!

Marcia

[Jerry78]

"I see you offer two Private Rooms in your home for rent (each with it's own bed - queen or double), up to four people (two to a room),"....

                                                                                                      WRONG!!!

This is NOT what my profile reads...read it again...you're a typical guest that doesn't read the listing...with an understanding!

[Annette33]

@Jerry78 , this is a thread about ideas on how to improve communication with Airbnb - it is not a thread for you to come in with completely unrelated stuff and aimless venting. 

Specifically about your complaint right here: it is NOT aimed at you - it is a very helpful comment @Jim-and-Marcia0 made to Bonnie regarding her listing. Can't you see how people highlight the name of the person they are talking to - or are you just trolling here....?

If you are looking for help or have something to contribute - fine, otherwise please just stop! Thank you.