A new way for guests to show you appreciation and encouragement

[Airbnb]

Hello everyone,

During this challenging time, we want to rekindle connections within our community and evoke memories of travel. Many guests have also asked for ways to support their favorite hosts. We’re delighted to share a new way for eligible guests to show appreciation or encouragement by sending personalized cards to past hosts who provided excellent hospitality during a stay or an Airbnb Experience. There is also an option to add a financial contribution that goes entirely to the host; Airbnb will not charge any fees.

How does this work?

There will be two parts to this program. 

The main part will be giving past guests the ability to send a virtual card with a personal message to prior hosts from stays or Airbnb Experiences they've rated 4 or 5 stars. In the coming weeks, eligible guests will receive an email from Airbnb informing them the feature is available. We hope these cards will make hosts smile, and bring a little joy to the guests, too. Here’s an example of a few cards hosts may receive.

The second part is that guests can attach an optional financial contribution to their card. 100% of the guests’ contribution goes directly to the host. Please note that the guests will not see any personal or financial information about the host other than their name, location, and dates of the past stay or experience. 

We heard from some hosts that they were concerned about the financial contribution element, so we've updated the program so hosts can opt-out of future contributions by going to their payments settings and turning the ‘allow contributions’ toggle to ‘off’. If a host receives a contribution they do not wish to keep, they have the option to donate an equal value to nonprofits, including those that are supporting COVID-19 responders. If hosts choose to decline future contributions, they may still receive cards if guests choose to send them. 

For more information - including how to automatically opt-out of future contributions, refer to our Help page. 

- Airbnb

*Have you received a card from a past guest? Share your story below!*

[Anonymous]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  Guests did not consent to having their addresses supplied to hosts. I think that would go down as a huge privacy breach. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Anonymous 

That could easily be fixed by AirBnb and would also repair other ‘security’ issues - like people being shot, or illegal parties. If they wanted to.

Subterfuge it is then...

[Anonymous]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

It the guest breaks the law, I'd expect Airbnb to provide their personal information to the police rather than to the host.

I don't see how you not knowing where to mail a handwritten greeting card is a "problem" that needs to be "fixed."  It may feel like a nice gesture, but as a guest this is not something I want from someone I barely know just because I rented their place on a holiday. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Anonymous 

I don't see how you not knowing where to mail a handwritten greeting card is a "problem" that needs to be "fixed."  It may feel like a nice gesture, but as a guest this is not something I want from someone I barely know just because I rented their place on a holiday. 

Sure it’s a problem. It’s a problem of trust, it’s a problem of respect and it’s a problem of manipulation and control.

You likewise would not want a faceless corporation you would know a lot less than a host you met, sending you an invite to like-by-eCard and add an optional donation to your one, ten.. or hundred holiday homes you have stayed in, I’m sure.

[Suzanne302]

@Anonymous Your advice is always spot on but I have to disagree with you on this:

"It [handwritten greeting card] may feel like a nice gesture, but as a guest this is not something I want from someone I barely know just because I rented their place on a holiday. "

I think it is a wonderful gesture! Heck, even if a hotel I stayed at sent me a thank you card I would most definitely try to seek out that hotel the next time I traveled.

Customer service is an ongoing relationship. Maybe "one and done" is fine for some, but companies that remain in touch stand out. And companies that attempt to put a personal touch on communication really stand out.

[Helen3]

I always collect contact details from guests I like and use it to keep in touch with them in compliance with GDPR.  

Maybe something to look at @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  if you want to stay in touch with your guests?

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Helen3 

Since discovering it was a UK legal requirement I have been doing that 😉

[Helen427]

hello @Ian-and-Ann-Marie0

Do you have your traditional Post Offices open to purchase essential stamps to place on envelopes to post mail?

I wish we did here in New Zealand. At the moment we can't even buy stamps from our local Post Offices, or it's agencies,  pay our electricity or car registration bills over the counter anywhere, however drive through Fast Food outlets like MacDonald's & KFC are open....

Try figure that logic out. 

Guess it shows how poorly our "systems" are and that those working in Civil emergency departments , hospitals and "essential services" operate together with where they have "Fast Food" partnership accounts at our health's expenses over and above mental health & social inclusion.

Another reason why using a Template designed for Civil emergencies like floods, fires, vehicle accidents and earthquakes shouldn't have been used in conjunction with our Public Health Acts for matters that perhaps are better addressed in a manner through high level terrorist specialists as the way things are been undertaken has adverse consequences to economic and basic legal rights, including our rights to hand write a letter or card and post it with a stamp on it for delivery locally or internationally - blocked borders = blocked international mail

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Helen427 

Post Offices are open for limited hours and they sell postage online to be printed and placed in various ‘drop boxes’ as well.

Ive not tried International post myself, but recently received a consignment from China. 

[Helen427]

Good on Your Head of State 😉 to keep them open.

Here they are only open for people to pick up parcels, post box mail is been delivered.

It's misuse of Public health / Civil Emergency systems that have been used & exercised here as to what's "essential".

The ones who wrote it are probably scoffing on MacDonald's as we write..

I'm sure that the current "Guidelines" that have been used on us world wide & those exercising control of them will come under scrutiny.

 I've never known Police to be held under the thumb by Health advisors as to what is and isn't lawful.

 I'm aware they have been directed by misguided academics who have created a panic demic.

 It's comparable in some ways to the New Zealand flag referendum that Police were glad to see the end of as it caused them no end of annoyance...indeed this current exercise is far worse..

[Robin4]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

Yeah Ian, I possibly should have clarified that a bit more...asking guests to send a virtual card to their hosts is just plain dreadful, as @Louise0  says, it's 'cringeworthy', and I did skip over the 'virtual' bit when I read that. Now looking back at it, 'virtual', just sums up Airbnb's thinking doesn't it......some reward for the least amount of effort!

And I have always thought card giving is something you do from the heart not because someone else thought it might be a good idea. 

When I send out these cards to my overseas guests,  I send real honest to goodness cards Ian......... I write in it, I put it in an envelope, address it, put a stamp on it and consign it to the letter box.......

To induce guests to send a virtual card is offensive enough....to then ask them to send money with it is about as poor a judgement call as I can possibly imagine.

Please @Airbnb can you have another think about this, you are making us all look like a bunch of unprincipled paupers!

Cheers.....Rob

[Susan17]

The most ironic - and hilarious - thing about this whole "initiative", is that all of a sudden, Airbnb is making such a huge hoo-haa about how awesome and amazing this opportunity truly is for hosts and guests to show our love, kindness and care for each other and how beautiful it is to nurture the strong connections we've built..  yet under normal circumstances, our guests are barely out the door, before Airbnb rushes to delete all their contact details from our accounts, out of fear and paranoia that we might actually keep in touch, form our own bonds with our guests, and cut The Firm out of any future bookings. 

So Airbnb strives to control when we must, and when we mustn't, have interaction with our own former guests. Something just a little too creepy and insidious about that. 

[Helen427]

@Susan17  Your last paragraph, my gosh have you over there in Ireland had the same monotone "You must wash your hands" " You must stay inside" "You must not have end of driveway parties across the street as you will spread droplets" " You must keep 2 metres away from other people" etc, etc COVID19 advertising every 10 minutes in the media and on radio to???

Those ads have driven everyone to despair and are no way to speak to any person, child, teenager or adult.

 They were talking about them on a discussion on talk back radio today how bad they are.

Is that what motivated you to write your last paragraph the way you have ??

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[Jennifer1421]

@Airbnb @Lizzie @Stephanie 

The contributions portion of this initiative should be an opt-in, not opt-out. It is just plain morally and ethically wrong to ask for a voluntary contribution on behalf of hosts who are unaware of this initiative and who have not specifically chosen to ask for donations.

With that said, I am pleased to see that an opt-out has been built in so that those of us who come to the forums and actually know about this initiative are able to proactively exclude ourselves from this disaster.

As @Anonymous has noted, this program is clearly nothing more than Airbnb trying to resurface the Brand (made especially obvious with the expanded "criteria" of 4 stars instead of just 5). While I have no beef with marketing a product, I'm not comfortable with being personally linked and referenced in the marketing materials. As I've noted in the "Opt Out" thread, though, I've likely given my right of objection away due to some dubious wording in the ToS that can be bent to encompass this new program.

In spite of the saccharine "community spirit" spin being put on this, the use of this platform, from either the hosting or guest side, is a business transaction. I really do not appreciate my past guests being approached to thank me for taking their money - regardless of how much value the product I offer represents. The whole concept of "kindness cards" is ridiculous, and smacks of paternalistic over-reach. My past guests are well able to get in touch with me if they wish, without this "come-all-ye" rigmarole. What an embarrassment.

[Lisa723]

@Jennifer1421 exactly.