WHY WILL COVID-19 BANKRUPT HOSTS AROUND THE WORLD?

[Michael303]

COVID-19 WILL BANKRUPT HOSTS AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE AIRBNB REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTENCE OF TRAVEL INSURANCE!

Travel Insurance is easy and inexpensive for Guests to purchase. The lack of travel insurance protection is completely devastating for Hosts!

For 3 1/2 years I have been trying to get AirBnB to listen. Well, unfortunately, a global pandemic is going to bankrupt hosts around the world because AirBnB refuses to make legitimate travel insurance available for booking guests.

VRBO and HomeAway do such a superior job offering travel insurance to their/ our guests.

1. If you drive a car without insurance and get into an "unforeseen" accident, you are responsible, not the person you ran into. If you book a trip without travel insurance and something "unforeseen" happens, you are responsible, not the person who is hosting you. 

2. I have to carry liability insurance, flood insurance, homeowners insurance with an added hotel policy on top of that on my building to protect me and my guests for short term rentals. I would carry travel insurance for all my guests if I could... no wait it do?! It is AirBnB's insane policy of refunds?! Hosts are not Insurance companies. 

3. I think it's beyond unfortunate for Airbnb, hosts and guests that Airbnb does on hold guest accountable for travel insurance. The simplest way to handle this is to explain travel insurance up front - prior to booking and let guests know it's their responsibility to purchase it or guests will be taking the risk themselves. Travel insurance has existed since the beginning of modern travel. 

4. Airbnb Actually Recommends Travel Insurance. (the AirBnB link is blocked by AirBnB) Airbnb offers refunds at the host’s expense. It is completely unacceptable as a policy and puts the hosts in an untenable situation of loss that cannot be recouped for last minute cancellations – which, by the way, is why trip insurance exists.

5. Suggestion: if Airbnb wants to act like an insurance company and refund guests their money then charge a fee ($35 – $45 to be competitive with trip insurance companies) for that service.

This part of the Airbnb & Host relationship is 100% unfair and 100% unprofessional. Hosts are not Insurance companies. This policy is insane. Travel insurance has existed since the beginning of modern travel.

Airbnb is hurting the small business owners who are the reason Airbnb is in business at all. Shame on them for allowing this and for interfering with legitimate trip insurance companies who protect the owners as well as the traveler when situations happen outside of either parties control. Airbnb clearly is not protecting owners and their businesses with this kind of policy.

[Adriano78]

i just receive this email from a host for a reservation from 29 april  to 2 may, i am very very upset :

"Hi Adriano, I hope you are well with everything that is going on. Are you able to cancel and allow us to get our money back or do we need to wait for the site to extend their policy on COV-19? "

This guest is very clever and she knows that if she waits  aIRBNB GONNA REFUND THEM COMPLETELY

[Emma690]

That's almost exactly what my guest sent to me and in the time it took me to reply, they had requested a refund from Airbnb and got it anyway!  

[Wyndham0]

Hi Airbnb, we think It’s unfair you are offering free cancellations due to covid 19 (unless you are covering the loss of funds) esp when people have travel insurance to cater for this.
We accept bookings in good faith with a cancellation policy.
There was no mention that you would do this please confirm ASAP.
I hope you have insurance for the cancellations that you are initiating through offering guests to cancel free of charge.
This is putting us in a very bad position.
It adds to the panic and causes the customer to doubt when they were more than happy to proceed.
It’s an easy way out for them, when it need not have been offered.
Please respond with a reason that you have offered to take the place of the travel insurance companies who would normally deal & handle this. hosts wouldn’t be disadvantaged in this way.
Concerned airbnber

[Thomas977]

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2020/03/16/coronavirus-airbnb-refunds-sore-spot-hosts-lo...

[Rebecca181]

"It’s also important to note that Airbnb will not collect any fees or benefit in any way from any reservations canceled under this policy. We’re in this together." (from the article, above).

So Airbnb is not keeping the booking fee, as others stated here? Confused...

Per their statements  here, Airbnb also makes it look like hosts were "generous" and graciously 'chose' to refund all of the guest monies.

Oh, really?

[Susan17]

@Rebecca181 

Hey lady! How are you doing? Keeping safe,, I hope! x

See my posts on pages 1 and 2 here.. 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Service-fees-and-our-extenuating-circumstances-policy/td-p/...

Also here - 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Airbnb-Played-Us-Like-Puppets-Brian-Chesky-Financial-Scam/t...

And see Bruce's (from Eugene, Oregon) comment here (I've posted about this too but just can't find the thread right now)

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Welcoming-HotelTonight-to-Airbnb-your-questions-a...

[Susan17]

@Rebecca181 

PS...

Also, in the vast majority of the media articles relating to the 100% refunds, the terminology that has been used, has been, "The company will issue full refunds...", almost as if they're footing the bill for the super-generous refunds, rather than almost bankrupting much of their host base. 

The media outlets are being swamped with reports from furious and distraught hosts though, and they're starting to see the light...

Forbes - Airbnb Coronavirus Cancellations: Guests Cancel For Free, Hosts Pay The Costs

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2020/03/15/airbnb-coronavirus-cancellations-guests-cancel-...

USA Today - Coronavirus: Airbnb Refunds A Sore Spot For Hosts Losing Money

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2020/03/16/coronavirus-airbnb-refunds-sore-spot-hosts-lo...

[Rebecca181]

Doing well so far, @Susan17, thank you for the links!

[Michael303]

@Susan17 thank you for posting these links!

[Lydia94]

Hi Michael, you hit the nail on the head. I also told Airbnb that a guest traveling long distance for a long time has travel insurance and I believe the guest is dobble dipping. I also like to share with other hosts

that way before Airbnb I invoice my guests with my paypal account and I still do for my private bookings.

My policy with paypal is strict the same like with AIRBNB. Paypal has more respect than Aibnb and honore the agreement - no refund for cancellation.

I also like to share another concern I have for a long time, that hosts get paid 24 hours after the guest

arrives even so Airbnb has the money in most cases for a long time, some of my guests 6-12 months.

If Aibnb files bankrupcy tomorrow, all host will work for free because we can not put a guest out on the street. Airbnb has to pay us 48 hours before the guest arrives.

Just remember what happen to all the guests around the world when the oldest and largest travel agend in the world THOMAS COOK filed bankrupcy. 

Airbnb has to honor our contract - strict is strict - and you have to pay. If Airbnb wish to refund the guest do it with your own money, but not the money of the host.

[Michael303]

@Lydia94 UGH! This is beyond painful. You are correct I have 5 reservations/ guests that have full travel insurance that I’ve gotten a full refund from Airbnb and are asking me to fill out paperwork from their travel insurance companies. Double Dipping!? We have all gotten stabbed in the back. And to add insult to injury, I am getting cancellations for June and July 2020. We get hurricanes in the golfWe get hurricanes in the golf of Mexico every year so I require a guest in my house rules to purchase travel insurance. No exceptions. The guests must agree with my House rules before they can Gulf of Mexico every year so I require a guest in my house rules to purchase travel insurance. No exceptions. The guests must agree with my House rules before they can book. On top of that this is my FIRST communication with every guest, every booking. 

Hello (Guests Name)

We would love to host you! I am approving you now.

I will send you complete Check-In information a few days before your arrival date using this AirBnB Messages inbox. Please contact me through AirBnB Messages (via website or the much easier mobile app) if you have any questions about your upcoming visit to New Orleans.

Thank you for choosing us!
Michael

*** Please follow all AirBnB suggestions (see link below) and make sure to purchase TRAVEL INSURANCE to protect your trip! ***

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/241/i-m-a-guest--what-are-some-safety-tips-i-can-follow

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Michael303 

What a shame that Airbnb don't suggest buying Travel Insurance at that link..

[Michael303]

thanks for the heads up, they definitely changed the language on that page. I will post the original I have it saved on my laptop.

[Cormac0]

I'm  just wonder how many hosts on here still think their employed?

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

As farcical as the cancellation policy is proving to be...

Lots of Hosts are posting here. Not all Hosts have a Strict cancellation policy. In normal circumstances without a strict policy many guests could cancel at very short notice without penalty. Is this very short notice cancellation policy a gamble on behalf of Hosts as I feel it offers little protection to Hosts' continued income streams?