@Sarah977
It remains to be seen though, whether the hosts "most in need of support", as stated in the PR material, will actually be the hosts who ultimately benefit from this fund.
For starters, hosts can't apply themselves - it's by "invitation only". Not quite sure what criteria the "specialized" team will be using to identify and invite applications those who fit the "most in need" category, based solely on our listings and profile info..
To qualify, hosts who offer a place to stay must:
- Only share their primary or secondary residence – no more than 2 active listings
- Show a reliance on Airbnb as a vital source of income
- Have a verified identity
- Have been a Superhost for 1+ years
- Have lost a significant percentage of their earnings due to COVID-19
When initially deciding who gets "invited", how can the team possibly determine from their side whether or not a host relies on Airbnb as a vital source of income? Or what percentage of earnings a person has lost due to COVID-19? For all they know, a host who has lost their Airbnb bookings, might just do it as a side-gig, and may very well have a highly-paid day job, or another lucrative business or two on the go.
I strongly suspect that the lucky recipients will be carefully and strategically selected, with many amongst them best placed (and most likely) to spread the awesome news of their good fortune, and Airbnb's amaaazing generosity. As a 10 year, 22-time superhost who doesn't own multiple properties, have had my calendar almost completely wiped clean and had literally zero income in March as a result of COVID/EC (and very little for the preceding winter months) - and will now also earn a pittance for the entire months of April and May - theoretically, I should be right up there with those at the top of that invitation list.
I'm not expecting to hear a dicky-bird from them, of course.