Rejected Airbnb Categories - Beachfront Luxury Home

[Aaron1314]

Hello community,

We own a luxury beachfront home and have listed on Airbnb for the last several years with great success. Somehow after the last several months Airbnb and Elevate have removed critical categories and furthermore continued to reject our "beachfront" category that is crucial to our sales in this area. We are one of the only luxury homes right on the beach, within 50 ft of the water.  We have submitted many requests on Evolve, through the Superhost support and called Airbnb, to only go on deaf ears. This has been extremely frustrating considering we are one of the most successful homes in the Cabo Eastcape area and the notion we are not beachfront when it's very evident we are is really effecting our sales and inbound requests. It is very clear they are relying on an automated/AI system that manages these requests in bulk across millions of listings, but that is not to say there cannot be a solution or workaround. 

Any help would be very much appreciated, I am really out of answers and have wasted hours trying to get this resolved. 

Our home: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/59151734642538430

Rejected beachfront categoryClearly beachfront listing, even states in the title.

[Karen4131]

Hi @Aaron1314 

I completely understand your frustration. I’ve been through a similar battle myself to get the Lakefront category added to my own listing, which was critical for bookings. It took me several months and many support requests before I finally succeeded.

Here are some common approaches that are known to help break through to Airbnb:

1. Use social media: Airbnb often responds faster when issues are raised publicly. If you haven’t already, try posting your situation on Twitter https://x.com/AirbnbHelp along with some photos that clearly show your proximity to the beach. Sometimes the visibility helps to speed up the process.
   
   

2. Leverage guest reviews: Be sure to include guest reviews in all your communications that specifically highlight how close you are to the beach. Demonstrating that guests consistently mention your beachfront proximity can add significant credibility to your case. You already have some excellent examples in your reviews:
   
   

   
   

3. Keep reaching out to Airbnb support, and ask for escalation to a higher-level team. It may take some persistence, but requesting a detailed manual review by a more experienced agent could help ensure your case gets the attention it deserves.

   
   Also, make sure to send an email support@airbnb.com documenting all your previous contact with Airbnb support and your applications through Elevate, along with the reviews and other evidence mentioned above.

I really hope you manage to get this resolved soon. I know how frustrating it can be when a category is so important for sales and you're blocked by automated systems. Keep pushing, and fingers crossed it gets sorted for you soon.

Best regards,
Karen

[Oksana127]

Hello,

While Airbnb’s automated systems are meant to streamline processes, they can sometimes overlook unique listings, particularly in highly specific locations like yours.

Here are a few strategies you can try:

1. Revise Your Listing Description: While waiting for Airbnb’s support team to take action, ensure your listing description is as detailed as possible. Mention the beachfront aspect in the very first line and throughout the listing in various sections. Use phrases like "steps away from the ocean" or "just 50 feet from the water" repeatedly in your description and titles to compensate for the missing category.

2. Leverage Keywords in Photos: Another idea is to upload new photos with titles and captions that emphasize your beachfront location. You can write captions like "oceanfront view from the property" or "beach directly in front of the home," as these can sometimes help trigger Airbnb’s algorithms to better understand your listing’s uniqueness.

3. Utilize Social Proof: If you have guest reviews that mention the beachfront aspect, highlight those in your responses. This gives Airbnb more context when they review your listing and also reassures future guests who might be confused by the missing category.

4. Contact Airbnb Through Different Channels: Instead of just relying on Evolve and Superhost support, try contacting Airbnb through their social media channels (such as Twitter @AirbnbHelp) or even their community forums. Sometimes these alternative routes can connect you with a human representative more quickly.

5. Consider Direct Booking Options: In the meantime, consider driving traffic to your listing through other platforms or direct bookings, such as creating a website or promoting your property through Instagram. You can highlight the beachfront location there and use it as a workaround until Airbnb resolves the issue.

I hope this helps you gain some traction!  Best of luck!

[Elisa]

Hi @Aaron1314  😊
Welcome to the community, and thank you for asking this question here!

How is the situation now?

Our Hosts shared great advice with you. Did you get a chance to review it?

Warm regards 🌻

[Aaron1314]

Hi Elisa, thank you, we are eager to find a solution on this. We have tried all things your community has suggested and still no luck. We are going on 6+ months and till rejected categories. 

[Elisa]

Hi @Aaron1314 😊, 

thank you for letting me know!

I shared your case to the relevant team, as we are not part of the support team. They should contact you directly with further updates.

Warm regards 🌻,