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.

[Juan63]

@Donald28 It’s on your property, in your backyard. Doesn’t make a difference.

[Donald28]

Correct & thats is exactly why I am successful doing airbnb and airbnb experience. I am 100% a hands on host. Nothing gets by me because i live here too. 

It's the "hands off" absentee hosts that ruin airbnb for the rest of us. The people snatching up the LTRs and subletting them as STRs on airbnb. They are the reason for ordinances prohibiting STRs in certain areas due to loud parties, lessening of the affordable LTR market etc etc. 

[Sheila22]

Donald28. There are different kinds of Hosts.  The ones who are being decimated by Airbnb at this time are the ones who do rely on it for income and the book regularly and consistently throughout the year.  This type of Host is collectively a small fraction of all Airbnb hosts, but they bring in significant income to Airbnb.  In truth Airbnb is probably the wrong platform for us.  The only reason I started booking with Airbnb is because they had a very smooth interface and took payments online at time when the other "Entire Place" kinds of websites were too antiquated and were not catching up as quickly in terms of developing a smooth running app that drew in a lot of traffic.  I believe Airbnb is a better place for people who are willing to set up a cot in their living room to make an occasional buck, which is how they started.  I think Airbnb is having a difficult time catering to both kinds of Hosts.  This has actually been a long time coming because Airbnb's treatment of these Hosts has been problematic well before Coronavirus. 

[Kristin108]

@Donald28 

You comments, and opinions are NOT wanted here! 

[Donald28]

**[Inappropriate content hidden - Community Center Guidelines]

[Sheila22]

Donald28.  So funny. 

**[Inappropriate content hidden - Community Center Guidelines]

[Jenny-And-Victor0]

Is anyone else getting emails from Airbnb with guests requesting to cancel for free and receive a full refund for reservations beyond April 14th? 

I just got one for a reservation on May 30th. 

[Wendy1071]

https://www.curbed.com/2016/12/13/13933554/airbnb-vacation-rental-alternatives

[Donald28]

Why is it mostly just the hosts that live in expensive areas of the world are complaining so loudly? 

[Martine596]

Really not fair on hosts. I'm getting cancellations for the whole of March and April. On HomeAway I have the choice to refund or not. I chose as have many other hosts to let people reschedule within two years within a similar season. This spreads my losses of two years. People who have insurances don't get that option. At least 50/50 would have been fair. I can't afford to loose all that money. 

[J-Anna0]

They sure did!!! And, they also threw me under the bus by letting a **bleep**ty guest break my rules and steal my things and denying me any reimbursement. To boot, air bnb allowed them to leave a retaliatory 1 star review. (1 am a 5 star super host). So between that and now this behavior from air bnb, I am really reconsidering this platform for future listings and I don’t recommend it to potential future hosts. 

[J-Anna0]

We need to hold air bnb accountable. Start posting these stories ok social media: twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. tag your local news teams.

[Jean-Pierre198]

Attention all Hosts Airbnb are not honoring Hosts strict 50% Cancellation policy

We should claim the 50% due to Host

With reference to the COVID19 Issue

Airbnb Stated - " we are in this all together "..

So Why are airbnb refunding guests 100% -- resulting in a 100% loss to hosts . This is discriminatory favour to Travellers over hosts

A Cancellation policy is a legally binding agreement and must be honoured no matter what

[Trevor26]

Agreed. This was grossly mishandled by Airbnb. I have 2 rural and isolated listings that are well suited for social distancing and with kitchens to cook in, etc for guests stay out contagion's way while still being able to explore the surrounding wilderness. Airbnb's policy to allow guests to cancel without penalty up the the hour that a reservation begins, incentivizes guests to wait until the last minute to cancel, and this bogarts the calendar and prevents other guests who are truly seeking refuge, from booking. And that is exactly what guests are doing, canceling at the last minute, without an opportunity for hosts to fill their calendars back up and potential guests not being able to find much needed refuge. It is not fair for hosts to take the full hit on this. As hosts, our top priority is the health and well being of guests and our community as well. Money is less of a priority, which is why guests who are making the decision to choose health over money should be allowed to make that decision for themselves and absorb the cost without Airbnb's incentives to screw over hosts. A better way to do this would have been for Airbnb to allow guests to cancel with the contingency that the guest's refund would be contingent on those dates being filled by another guest, thus incentivizes earlier cancelations rather than last minute cancelations, allowing both hosts and guests to properly plan. Good health is also contingent on livelihood and this dagger in our livelihoods will have serious repercussions. 

[Dylan-and-Lizette0]

Take note AirBNB... Let us know when we can expect our earnings.

VRBO COVID-19 Emergency Policy

Updated March 18, 2020
 

On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of coronavirus, known as COVID-19, to be a global pandemic. Here’s what Vrbo is doing as part of our COVID-19 Emergency Policy:
 
Vrbo is refunding 100% of money it makes through traveler service fees when someone must cancel a trip due to COVID-19.  

We ask that Vrbo partners (homeowners and property managers) handle cancellations for trips booked before March 13 with stays that fall between March 13 and April 30 in one of two ways (even if those trips are outside of the set cancellation policy):

Option 1 (Default): Offer a credit for full value and flexible stay dates within the next year (at no additional cost) to travelers who can’t take trips now due to COVID-19. 

Option 2: If the traveler is unwilling to accept a credit, we advise partners to issue them a refund. If partners are unable to accommodate a full refund, Vrbo expects partners to provide at least a 50% refund if the traveler cancels during this time.

Here’s how Vrbo will enforce the policy stated above:

• Vrbo will reward partners with additional visibility in traveler searches. The more partners do now for travelers, the more we will reward them moving forward (so a 100% credit/refund will count more than 50% refund).  
• Partners who do not abide by these standards (offering a 100% credit/refund of at least a 50%) will be disadvantaged vis-a-vis those who act within our policy.
• Any intimidation of travelers (such as suggesting that travel is safer for them than staying home or dismissing the severity of the crisis) will result in permanent removal from Vrbo and Expedia Group.

Here’s more on what Vrbo is doing as part of our COVID-19 Emergency Policy:

• Full Refund of Vrbo’s Fees: Vrbo is refunding 100% of money it makes through traveler service fees when someone must cancel a trip due to COVID-19, whether the cancellation is government-mandated or not. This goes in effect for all stays booked before March 13 with a night between March 13 and April 30. Travelers don’t have to do anything to collect the refund; it will happen automatically over the next few weeks. Travelers do not need to call and confirm.
• Rolling Out Automated Refunds: Our teams are also working to make refunds and date changes to bookings easier for partners. Details on this new process will be communicated in the coming days, so we ask that partners wait to call our customer service line until that happens. We acknowledge that credits for future dates will be administered between our partners and travelers, so we only ask that the arrangement be acknowledged in writing — ideally via our secure messaging system. 
• Automatically Waiving Related Cancellation Penalties: If partners need to cancel due to this event, we will automatically waive the cancellation so it does not impact ranking metrics or Premier Partner status. Partners no longer have to call Vrbo Customer Service to get the cancellation waived (just select COVID-19 as the cancellation reason code and refund at the minimum 50% to be eligible).

The new policy we are implementing is not perfect, but in this unprecedented time we believe it strikes the best balance of protecting travelers, partners, and the public.  We are actively rolling out operations to support this policy. 

Please review this page for continued updates.