Airbnb completely threw their hosts under a bus regarding Covid-19

[James207]

Why exactly are we being told to bear 100% of the financial burden of this? Oh, right, because Airbnb doesn't actually care about the hosts or their financial well being.

And we aren't Marriott, or United or Airbnb that will probably get bail outs from the government.  We just get slammed with the fall out.

The costs for cancellation should be split 50/50. If the guest took out travel insurance then it won't be an issue for them. It always, always seems to fall on the hosts to eat the costs if there's adverse weather or events and guests want to cancel. It's incredibly frustrating.

[Pouyan2]

it's looks like a secret agreement between Airbnb or Booking and Insurance companies, otherwise they have to pay a lots of traveler lost.

[Sheila22]

This is STILL THE TOP POSTING!!  So what are we all going to do about it?  Are you guys boycotting Airbnb?  Did you unlist?  Does someone have a real class action suit moving forward that we can all join?  What can we all do together that will send a strong message and also help strength our furnished-rental business moving forward (I'm boycotting the word "hosting."  Cancelling all Aribnb terminology.)

[Sheila22]

We are also having these conversation in a private forum (not on Airbnb's website).  It's a private FB page "Airbnb Hosts United."  (OK, so I used the word "host" but that was before I decided to cancel Airbnb-speak -- also, we need the SEO benefit so we could be found.)

[Alison695]

I'm thinking about sending this message to guests - what do you think? Any new bookings would not be covered by the extenuating circumstances policy. 

BTW ...Longer term I will certainly dual list - all loyalty to Airbnb now being clearly misguided! 

Dear Guest,

Please may I ask for your help?

Airbnb (the company) has decided unilaterally to allow guests to cancel penalty free in the period 14 March to 14th April. Guests can do this at any time, even an hour or two before their booking. They just have to press a button and an algorithm message gets sent to hosts telling us that the booking is cancelled and we lose all our money. There is no sharing of the pain between host, Airbnb and the guest; there is no requirement for the guest to even check their travel insurance. The lost income has to be absorbed entirely by the host. In the last couple of days since the wholly one-sided ‘extenuating circumstances’ cancellation policy has come into effect I have lost 4 bookings worth £500+. This is my main source of income and it is worth around £1500 to £2000 per month to me. (So not a King’s ransom!) Losing £500+ in two days with a very limited number of bookings in the next few months is deeply worrying as I have a large mortgage and other indirect costs to pay.

In order to create some level of certainty, I’d like to ask you to have a think about whether you’d like to keep your booking and then let me know. If you’d like to keep it, I will cancel it and ask you to re-book which will have the effect of nullifying the extenuating circumstances policy. I will have certainty on the income and you will have knowingly confirmed your choice to keep the booking. If you don’t want to keep the booking, you can cancel without penalty.

If I don’t hear from you I may have to make the decision to cancel the booking so that the diary is clear for an alternative booking. I would never normally dream of doing this to a guest (I have never cancelled a guest’s booking in 270+ stays by guests) but the level of uncertainty and vulnerability this has created for me as a host is really very difficult.

I do hope you understand and I’m more than happy to talk this through with you on the phone but I wanted to drop you a line first so that you could understand what the impact is on hosts. If you are interested you can see the upset and worry this has created in the community thread on the Airbnb website where there are 500+ posts on this subject. 

Please drop me a line with your thoughts when you have had the chance to read this.

Thank you very much for your understanding

Kind regards

Alison

Do feel free to amend / cut and paste as you wish - two can play the game of using personalized (huh?) template letters 

[Alison695]

I'd really value others' thoughts on this!

Has anyone tried doing something similar? 

Thank you

[Wendy1071]

I cancelled a guest's reservation for them (they were nervous to do so). Airbnb blacked out the month's stay because of it and wrote a note that I cancelled in the reviews.   Be careful of doing this, they said they wouldn't penalize either guests or hosts but that's not my experience.  I can't reach anyone on the phone and keep getting unhelpful form letters.    The answer?  - Do an online search of "the best 9 alternatives to Airbnb" 

[Sheila22]

I heard from another Host that she was penalized for cancellation even though they said they wouldn't.  How can they get away with being so dishonest?

[Donald28]

How can anyone rebook when they have no idea how long this pandemic will last? 

[Alison695]

1) Thanks Wendy that's helpful - albeit worrying. 

2) Donald.... anyone can rebook if they a) have the travel insurance that covers them or b) want to take the chance c) don't think it will impact them d) see it as a safer option than their current environment.

[Helen350]

@Alison695 Someone booked one of my private rooms on Mon 16 March, for a 7 day stay commencing Thur 19 March. Today, Weds 18th March, she cancelled, no explanation. The reservation page shows I WILL be paid, a sum that looks like it IS in accordance with my 'moderate' cancellation policy, i.e. the amount I will receive looks like Day 1 in full & Days 2-7 50%. - I'm assuming this promised payout is because she booked AFTER 14 Mar.? So there is hope !

@Anne-And-Cameron0 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Helen350 

The reservation page shows I WILL be paid, a sum that looks like it IS in accordance with my 'moderate' cancellation policy,

That would too be in accordance with the revised Extenuating Circumstances policy, so is indeed positive progress.

[Kristin108]

Dear Alison659,

I am in a similar situation, so I understand your frustration. And your letter seems honest and  comes from the hart.

However, I would recommend that refrain from sharing the details of your financial situation with guests, and or strangers...

You might want also want to consider a more neutral tone explaining your situation and outlining the facts.

I know I am feeling a bit desperate myself... And my tendency is to be upfront and transparent as that is how I was raised. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that most people don't really care...

I am considering writing to my future guests, and if you would like, I will forward what I come up with to you.

Best of luck.

[Alison695]

Yes please Kristin and I’m sure your advice is good on not over- sharing and adopting a more neutral tone. I guess it’s easy for fear and anxiety (rampant today as I look at my empty calendar) to overcome betteg judgement! 

Thanks again for your thoughts and your offer Kristin 

[Michelle982]

@Kristin108 I completely agree with you. I have laid it all out in a polite way to my guests asking for a 100% refund and basically begged them to consider taking half the pain and going 50/50 with me as it is neither our fault nor theirs. But unfortunately, the ugly side of human nature has raised its head time after time and not one guest has had the good nature to help out another human being. So @Alison695 I wouldn't hold your breath with any guest agreeing to this, but I admire your idea! All the best to both of you and lets hope we all make it through the other side of this horrible situation with our homes still belonging to us.

[Anne-And-Cameron0]

I know this will fall on deaf ears, but I am on my knees begging here please AirBnb don't extend the 4/14 cutoff. I am bleeding chips here and can't stomach losing another $10k. I know the rest of my year is going to get canceled, but at least I will get some of it back to help pay the bills. 

I am sure you are giggling as you read this, but please find it in your heart to help us hosts once in the history of your company. Please.