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]

@Lisa600  hi, very very upset about this stressing situation caused by Airbnb.

this morning i receive an email from guest

scandalous, Airbnb offers guests, even for dates in May, to ask the host to REFUND 100%.

(sorry is in french)

Daisy demande un remboursement intégral

DaisyMay 20 - May 23 · 2 voyageursSPACIOUS & STYLISH CENTRAL SEMI-LOFT, FREE WIFI

Daisy préfère ne pas voyager en raison du coronavirus (COVID-19).

Nous comprenons que de nombreux hôtes et voyageurs peuvent se sentir mal à l'aise d'héberger des voyageurs ou de voyager en ce moment. Le bien-être de notre communauté étant notre priorité, nous autorisons temporairement les voyageurs dans cette situation à demander un remboursement intégral aux hôtes.

En tant qu'hôte, vous pouvez accepter d'annuler la réservation sans pénalité et accorder à Daisy un remboursement intégral. Nous rembourserons les frais de service. Sans réponse de votre part avant le Mar 18 à 7:12 AM, la demande expirera et la réservation restera active.

GOOGLE TRADUCTION

Daisy requests full refund

Daisy May 20 - May 23 · 2 SPACIOUS TRAVELERS AND CENTRAL SEMI-LOFT STYLE, FREE WIFI
Daisy prefers not to travel due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
We understand that many hosts and travelers may feel uncomfortable hosting travelers or traveling at this time. As the well-being of our community is our priority, we temporarily allow travelers in this situation to request a full refund from the hosts.
As a host, you can agree to cancel the reservation without penalty and give Daisy a full refund. We reimburse service fees. If you do not respond before 7:12 a.m. on March 18, the request will expire and the reservation will remain active.

[Lisa600]

What the!!!! Have Airbnb left hosts completely outside the loop!

[Ann25470]

I received a similar email this morning...infuriated 

[Michael303]

@Adriano78  - Lo siento, amigo. Toda la situación es horrible para los anfitriones. Iré a verte a Seville cuando todo termine. Por favor perdona mi español.

[Adriano78]

@Michael303  thank you dear, you are welcome in Sevilla, i really hope also to return in your nice city one day.

[Vad254]

Please sign http://chng.it/Sj9nRW7VDn

[Cormac0]

@Michael303 

I suspect that getting insurance companies involved will expose the con that Hosts are self employed people as apposed to employees of Airbnb like Uber driver in France, where the highest court in the land has made a pronouncement that these driver are in fact employees.

You have a problem client/host?  you can't just kick them out without consequences and input from

Airbnb etc. so who should pick up the tab for the damage?

With the insurance companies involved there would have to be a clear line of reasonability and benefit

[Adriano78]

@Michael303 @Simon198 @Vad254 @all

please can anyone can confirm that?

https://www.facebook.com/airbnbautomated/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARC6hcmwj8_QDzSlCE7c1LwXyUu-J-zX0n6-RgZ6ZC...

James R I received my first cancellation. I’m in a remote part of Arizona. Got this from a guest yesterday.

“Hi James,
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stay at your place after all because of the incident affecting Pinetop-Lakeside.”

I asked him what incident he was talking about with the coronavirus because there is absolutely no cases in our county or the county next to us. He then replied that he never wrote that but it must’ve been an automated message from Airbnb signing his name as if it came from him personally. He just saw that there was a button on his page that he could push if he felt like canceling and using the coronavirus as an excuse.

Anyhow it canceled and took the complete just shy of $1200.

I just messaged him to see if they gave him a credit or give him his money back in full.

**Update
Here is his response just now.

“Hey y'all,

When I clicked the Covid button they put in, it said full refund. Essentially everything was placed back except for $100 that I'm not sure what it went to.”

Ugh and my cancellation policy is on strict and has always been.

Alfonso Pal I got 37 cancellations with the same messages. I was surprised and I call one of the guest because he stayed with me before. He said this is an automatic messages they didn't wrote anything.

Today someone asked me for two nights at one location and she said the app was not letting her to book and refer her to book a hotel. The conversation desapear from my inbox after she try to send me a screenshot.
This is ridiculous, we have 48 properties on Airbnb and they are treating to us like nothing.

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[Adriano78]

https://www.facebook.com/airbnbautomated/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARC6hcmwj8_QDzSlCE7c1LwXyUu-J-zX0n6-RgZ6ZC...

James R I received my first cancellation. I’m in a remote part of Arizona. Got this from a guest yesterday.

“Hi James,
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stay at your place after all because of the incident affecting Pinetop-Lakeside.”

I asked him what incident he was talking about with the coronavirus because there is absolutely no cases in our county or the county next to us. He then replied that he never wrote that but it must’ve been an automated message from Airbnb signing his name as if it came from him personally. He just saw that there was a button on his page that he could push if he felt like canceling and using the coronavirus as an excuse.

Anyhow it canceled and took the complete just shy of $1200.

I just messaged him to see if they gave him a credit or give him his money back in full.

**Update
Here is his response just now.

“Hey y'all,

When I clicked the Covid button they put in, it said full refund. Essentially everything was placed back except for $100 that I'm not sure what it went to.”

Ugh and my cancellation policy is on strict and has always been.

Alfonso Pal I got 37 cancellations with the same messages. I was surprised and I call one of the guest because he stayed with me before. He said this is an automatic messages they didn't wrote anything.

Today someone asked me for two nights at one location and she said the app was not letting her to book and refer her to book a hotel. The conversation desapear from my inbox after she try to send me a screenshot.
This is ridiculous, we have 48 properties on Airbnb and they are treating to us like nothing.

[Thomas977]

Please sign http://chng.it/Sj9nRW7VDn

[Ange2]

@Lizzie @Quincy  

Do Airbnb plan to address the severe negative impact this is having on hosts?

I think a post or newsletter to hosts is in order, don't you? Airbnb being a 'community' and all that implies.

Thank you

p.s. An explanation would be appreciated re:  message so many hosts are getting that guests should book a hotel instead!

[Ange2]

@Michael303     At the very least Airbnb could have the decency to address hosts in a newsletter regarding the impact it has on them as hosts and what it is doing / will do/ is not going to do, for hosts.

[Michael303]

Nothing, AirBNB have said absolutely nothing in all of our back-and-forth... Just the same baloney about hosts and guests being protected by their cancellation policy!? How are hosts being protected exactly?!

[Chrissy74]

The worst part is they pushed the NONREFUNDABLE program. Every time I logged into the app, it suggested I add the NONREFUNDABLE travel rate to my guests.

Well, I took the bait, and was really nervous when guest were getting such low rates - wondering if it is worth it and if I will still reach my financial goals.

Then, when someone has to cancel a NONREFUNDABLE rate, Airbnb doesn’t think twice and the customers said sorry to me, but they weren’t sorry leaving me with no money when they knew they should be paying because they had the NONREFUNDABLE rate. 

[Adriano78]

Airbnb does everything to encourage the hosts to cancel their reservation.
Maybe Airbnb has become a charity organization??!.

Airbnb encourages canceling even reservations for the month of June and May!.

I advise Airbnb to close their website permanently.

the only thing they do well is to massively encourage  (email, newspapers, twitter,facebook...)  guests to cancel the reservations and refund guests at 100%.

[Simon198]

Just marketing on the backs of the host. They are the company who helps and people really thinking this comes from Airbnb