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.

[Bronwen3]

I Totally agree.  I have raised the travel insurance issue with them, no luck.  What's more my husband has serious underlying health problems and Airbnb refuse to cancel reservations under the exten policy after 14 April, despite a doctors letter saying we should not be accepting guests.  I can only think that they are hanging onto the deposits they take on booking.  Its pretty cynical.  I would want to give guests as much notice of cancellation as possible so if they want to they can find alternatives, although travel wont be much fun for the next three months at least. They wont even honour their own policy when it comes to the host needing to cancel as my husband is more important than the money right now.

[Martin-And-Jamie0]

Has anyone noticed the ability to track the cancellations has suddenly disappeared? As of this morning I was comparing my previous bookings, upcoming reservations to the cancellations I am getting. So far with 3 locations we have lost just below $25,000. When I just went back into Progress section to see what cancellations I just received. The column to check Cancellations is now gone. I hope AirBnB turns it back on because if there is State or Federal Aid later I want to have an exact figure of how much we did lose.

[Alison695]

Like many others I'm shocked at this unilateral and possibly illegal action. I've written to Brian Chesky (see below) 

I'm thinking of writing to guests and explaining that I need to cancel their booking but would like to give the option to rebook so that there is certainty on both sides. That way the client can assess their risk and make an informed decision and we can clear our calendar for guests who won't 'benefit' from this one-sided cancellation of contract. It's a tough call but at least we won't have the dreaded ping of another cancellation at 2 hours notice (really?) or 2 days notice without any chance of an alternative booking. I think we're all going to suffer anyway but at least a few guests who understand the predictament that hosts have been put in might in the end be helpful. And Airbnb have calculated I'm sure that most hosts won't cancel so it would be interesting to see what happens if they see a wave of people doing this and explaining why. 

What do others think? 

If I do  it I'm more than happy to share my standard text for others to crib / use / improve upon. 

Here's the email to Mr Chesky. I'll let you know if I get a response that's not from a Bot! 

Dear Mr Chesky

I’d like to register my protest at your unilateral decision – taken without consulting me as a host –to rescind my contract with my client and allow clients for the next month to cancel penalty free. I’d like to know on what basis you have decided to do this. There has been no travel advice given to abandon holidays in the UK and no ‘incident’ as you disingenuously put it in Ringwood, my locality.

I would also like you to explain why you think it is legally acceptable to tear up the contract on which I’m relying for my livelihood whilst guests are at worst losing their holiday. I see no evidence that you are requiring guests to even consult their travel insurance and see whether they can claim on their own insurance. This is outrageous unilateral action which does not even begin to share the pain 50-50 let alone protect the livelihood of the host.

This is my main source of income and is extremely worrying for me. As far as I am concerned – and it would be interesting to test this in law in the UK – you are acting as my agent in marketing my property and may not take such action as you are not a principal party. If you rely on the casuistry of terms and conditions to suggest otherwise, then I would suggest that you will be holding on to unwilling hosts who will desert you like rats leaving a sinking ship if someone has the sense to present us with a better option.

I think you should take longer to think through the repercussions of actions such as these, and whilst I am currently preoccupied in worrying about how I might take action to find some alternative income, in the longer term I shall be thinking about whether there is a Small Claims Court action here, and also my future relationship with Airbnb.

I consider this to be a gross violation of the trust between Airbnb and hosts and extremely one-sided in regard to the difficulty and financial sacrifice of hosts versus guests.

I’m sure that you are monitoring your community site and will see that I am far from alone in feeling like this.

I look forward to your comments.

Yours faithfully

Alison

[Jenny349]

I just received this from our great leaders:

A Message from our Founders

With the current global crisis, we know that many of you are experiencing a significant loss of bookings and a large number of cancellations. The last few days have been incredibly challenging and confusing for everyone. It’s our goal to be as transparent and proactive as possible.

First and foremost, we are going to get through this crisis as partners – our success is dependent on the success of you, our hosts. We are working day and night on a plan of action that will help you get through this extremely difficult time. We will share this with you as soon as possible in the coming weeks.

Second, with the World Health Organization declaring a pandemic, we made the difficult decision on Saturday to put in place a global policy allowing all guests to cancel eligible reservations for a full refund – including all Airbnb fees. We know this decision has caused incredible hardship for many of you. Many hosts were already accepting cancellations outside of established policies. You have asked us why we did this when some other companies in our space have not. We want to make sure you understand our thinking.

This pandemic is leading cities and nations to undergo extreme measures. In this crisis, our first priority is the health of the public and our communities. We did not want guests making the decision to put themselves in unsafe situations and creating a public health hazard because of a commitment to their bookings. We believe this is the responsible thing to do given the guidance of governments and health experts.

While it’s clear to all of us that the coronavirus has deeply impacted our community, we know that this moment will pass and travel will be back. As people are starting to use Airbnb for long-term bookings and stays close by, it’s clear that we need to be a part of helping all of us to get through this as quickly as possible. The desire to connect is in all of us, and we will be together again, but for now our priority is to do our part to keep everyone safe.

We are partners, and we will get through this together.

[Alison695]

breathtakingly nauseating!

[Anne-And-Cameron0]

I wish I got that email. I never get notifications, just cancellation notices and a $10k loss. No big deal, who wanted that money anyway

[Dennis566]

They are going to have a plan for us in the coming weeks......COMING WEEKS??? 

I'll just tell that to my bank....."Don't worry....I'll have a plan in the coming weeks." 

The airbnb plan is "Go to HELL you hosts"  That's their plan and it is a **bleep** shame.

[Adriano78]

To the guys of airBnb : No need to "work day and night" on a plan of action, I have the solution : just pay the bills, mortgage and insurances of your hosts while your unfair policy is active.

[Zivka1]

What !!!

they still call us "partners"    ?

[Alex1497]

https://twitter.com/AirbnbHostClass/status/1239190037323014145?s=20

We should take legal actions

[Eleanor134]

What a lot of disingenuous twaddle!

[Dennis566]

I totally agree.....Airbnb doesn't give a rats a$$ about the hosts....they just assume we will be kissing their butt when this is over....but I for one will be switching to others sites.

[Adriano78]

@James207

Your PAST Airbnb Bookings Are NOT Safe from a 100% Refund

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj6mtgjvPrM&feature=youtu.be&

Airbnb is now refunding your past guests. Taking old bookings that have canceled weeks ago and giving them the extenuating circumstances loophole even though they canceled prior to Airbnb modifying the policy to include the USA. Strike Three Airbnb

[Jenny349]

Many hosts were already accepting cancellations outside of established policies.

How about that for a sweeping statement! 

Proof, please.

[Jeff-and-Pam0]

LET'S GO TO THE TOP!

If you have a LinkedIn Premium account, write to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianchesky/

If you don't have a premium account (that allows you to message anyone), ask a friend or your kid who may have one! 

Also tweet Brian Chesky on Twitter: @bchesky

Please join me in pitching journalists (local, national, international). This is a great story. The goal is to get Airbnb to develop a better plan—that is fair to hosts—for reservations after April 14, 2020 (the end of its current extenuating circumstances plan.) Here's my message to Brian Chesky. Let him hear from all of us NOW! Please write or tweet him today. 

Hi Brian, Airbnb's response to the coronavirus is completely unfair to hosts. Of course we are all having to adjust to the coronavirus outbreak. However, Airbnb's "extenuating circumstances" policy makes the host eat 100% while guests and Airbnb walk away unscathed. We must work together. Hosts around the world demand that Airbnb support its hosts.

1. Guests already agreed to a cancellation policy upon booking. 2. Guests are using Airbnb's lax policy to cancel for any reason. 3. Guests should abide by the cancellation policy and be allowed to use the "credit" toward a future stay. This is what the airlines are doing.  4. Guests should use their travel insurance first. As one host noted, "Risks of travel are managed by travel insurances and not by hosts."

Airbnb's overall lack of support for its Hosts is appalling. We supply the backbone of your business model. Without hosts, Airbnb would be nothing. As the coronavirus criss will likely continue beyond April 14, Airbnb must stop throwing hosts "under the bus" and develop a response in which all parties work together. One host recommends that Airbnb offer its own travel insurance program. If guests don't buy it, they must adhere to the cancellation policy that they agreed to. Rates and cancellation policies work together. "If hosts had not had a ‘Strict’ option, they would have sensibly put their prices at the higher ‘buffer level’.—says another host.

This is not about selfish Airbnb hosts; hosting is our livelihood and most of us go out of our way to make sure our guests have a 5-star experience and as a result, our good stewardship has been essential to the the Airbnb brand. 

PLEASE SHOW YOUR LEADERSHIP AND ADDRESS THIS NOW.  (I included the link to this forum.)