A happy post for fellow home-share hosts

[Sarah977]

Amidst all the coronavirus/cancellation madness and hosts who've been waiting for months for paypouts, there are still good things happening. I wanted to share the review I got from my most recent guest. I hope you all understand that I'm not posting this to boast about my listing-rather, I just was so thrilled with this review because of its articulateness and the fact that it really shows appreciation and understanding of what a home-share is. You can probably tell that this was an amazingly wonderful guest.

" Absolutely stellar. A luxury space for one—a beautifully decorated, tastefully designed, inviting little room. The bed is divine. I loved the bathroom too, especially the shower 🙂 Sarah’s home is charming; she herself is as warm, entertaining and helpful as she is discreet—she lets you take the lead. The kitchen is big and easy to find your way around in. The house is far from the maddening crowd, but I walked to town easily and often. This Airbnb is the real deal: a real host, a real house share, a local experience. Highly recommended."

[Sheila22]

This is bizarre.  Who is on this thread?  Airbnb plants?  All Super Hosts get reviews like that (many non Super Hosts as well I'm sure).  What does this have to do with how Airbnb is raping Hosts right now?

[Sarah977]

@Sheila22  I can assure you I am not an Airbnb plant, nor are any of the responders here. What a bizarre thing to say. It doesn't have anything to do with the way Airbnb is dealing with the coronavirus cancellations and I never said it did. Nor did it have anything to do with the way Airbnb deals with hosts. If you actually read my original post, I was clear about why I posted it. Sure, Superhosts get good reviews, but the one I posted was an example of a guest who understands what home-sharing means and made that evident in her review. That doesn't happen all the time.

Sorry if you object to posting something positive.

[Sheila22]

So, then, what is your point?  It seems like you are stating this obvious.  Maybe the message you are sending should be, why doesn't Airbnb appreciate us as they should.  I'm kind of feeling like an abused spouse right now -- that is the relationship between Hosts and Airbnb right now, so maybe your comment is to amplify that situation, perhaps?

I don't know, it's your post, so just asking you -- what's the point of it?

[Sheila22]

I tend to think the majority of my Guest are excellent and appreciative. Many write wonderful reviews and understand the value of home-sharing.  I just think posting a comment like this when Hosts are being decimated by Airbnb (the company) is confusing.  Airbnb is demonstrating they place zero value on Hosts.  Your post seemed like an Airbnb attempt at some kind of 'sunshine and lollipops' spin at a time when their behavior towards Hosts is down-right abusive.  If you are not a plant, you might understand why it could appear that way.

[Sarah977]

@Sheila22  There are posts on this forum all the time from hosts who home-share, having a terrible experience with guests who booked and have zero idea of how to behave when renting a private room in someone's home. The guests ignore house rules, leave their dirty dishes in the kitchen expecting the host to wash them, as if the host is their personal maid, talk loudly on the phone at all hours of the night, oblivious to the fact that they are sharing a home with others who are trying to sleep, who exhibit no social graces and act like they wish the host would just disappear.

So I thought it would be nice to post something which demonstrated that there are guests out there who totally understand and appreciate what a home share is.

If you still don't see the point, there's nothing more I can explain to you. Many others here understood the point.

[Sarah977]

@Sheila22  As I said, this post had nothing to do with the way Airbnb deals with hosts, it has to do with the relationship between home-share hosts and their guests, and if you read my responses on other topics, you would know that "sunshine and lollipops" regarding Airbnb's policies and the way they treat their hosts is hardly my M.O.

[Paul1255]

@Sarah977 

I was just about to type a similar reply to @Sheila22 

I was the first person to reply to Sarah’s post.

I have had a massive loss of business through the current situation and policies and feel we have been treated unfairly- and the future at the moment is looking vey bleak to say the least.

But I put that to one side to congratulate Sarah on her great review, as did other hosts- some who challenge Airbnb on the treatment of hosts vocally and at every turn.

We can support eachother as hosts in a positive way, and still be angry at the current situation and the way Airbnb is managing it- it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

[Lawrene0]

I would say, @Sheila22 , that sometimes positive things are just positive, and not a sunshine-and-lollipops sham. We're all feeling the effects of the pandemic right now. I feel awful for those hosts with absolutely everything on the line. 

I feel awful for you.

@Sarah977 's post made me smile. She looked at the positive of guests who get it rather than the black hole of losing business. I wish it didn't make you want to lash out at her. There are lots and lots of negative posts to look at if you need. 

[Sheila22]

I wasn't lashing out at her, and I'm sorry that you feel that way, but it just seemed like an odd thing to post at this time.  I legitimately thought it sounded like some kind of PR deflection stunt from Airbnb.  And I wouldn't put it past them in light of how they are behaving right now -- how they are spinning this situation on every news circuit. 

[Sarah977]

@Sheila22  One of the things about human beings is that we have the capacity to see some positives when it seems that everything is disastrous. We have the ability to laugh even in the face of unspeakable horrors. We can choose to do this or we can choose to only be negative and only focus on the worst. Many people are suffering right now, but it doesn't mean we can't also appreciate the good things that happen, and doing so doesn't negate the validity of the bad things. 

[Sarah977]

@Sheila22  I see that you aren't a home-share host yourself, that you have 2 entire home listings. That may be why you didn't see the point of my post here. Home share hosts have seen their listings tank in searches, due to the proliferation of entire home listings, hotel listings,, etc and Airbnb's rhetoric about how all guests prefer Instant Book (which many home-share hosts won't use) and entire homes. So we have it a little rougher than you (aside from the coronavirus cancellations) and we have different challenges to face with guests as they are sharing the homes where we live. Highlighting a guest experience which makes it clear that the guest was a perfect home-share guest who appreciates what we offer was my point.

[Sheila22]

Listen, I'm sorry I thought you were an Airbnb bot, but the timing and tone of your message was so odd to me at this time while so many Hosts are being decimated by Airbnb.  I'm sure you are a great Host.  As you can see from my reviews I am a pretty great host too.  I'm confident the vast majority of Airbnb Hosts are excellent.  This is why it is horrifying how they are being treated right now.  Let's just leave it at that.  OK?

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Sarah977 

Thanks for sharing 🙂 

I personally think it's great that your guests recognize and appreciate you for being a home-share host based on what you offer; a real and true home stay experience. 

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977  thank you so much for sharing some good news. We have guests coming today and they were very appreciative we did not cancel their stay. I am hopeful we can continue with some positive vibes and thank you so much for putting that out there!