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!*

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Thank you once again for your feedback. I know many of you feel frustrated with this program and I'm very sorry to hear this.  I've said it before, but your previous feedback had a great impact on the development of the opt-out button. I know many of you want the feature to be stopped entirely, but there are many people within the Airbnb community who like the sound of the feature and so we have to find some sort of balance on this one. Of course, we are at an early stage with the feature going live and so feedback is still very much important, so please be assured that I am continuing to gather it (although I imagine many of you have opted-out of this already). 

As promised, we are hosting a listening session due to the feedback given here:

Listening Session UPDATE:

For those of you who are interested in seeing the way the Kindness Cards works for both hosts and guests, as promised here we are hosting a Listening Session this week (May 5th, 6PM UK time). This walk through will be with a member of the Airbnb team who has worked on the program and there will also be an opportunity to give further feedback. View details here. 

I hope many of you can join the session and if many of you are unable to attend at this time, but would like to, please let me know. 

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Sarah977]

@Lizzie  There should be an ability to opt out of all  of it, donations and cards. Why isn't this an option? What business does Airbnb have in forcing this on hosts and their guests?

[Eileen0]

@Lizzie 

I've read this thread very late and personally I'm horrified.  I agree with @Sarah977 - can't I opt out of all of this?  Why not make it like the Christmas cards that we used to have years ago.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

We should not need to ‘opt out’ of this spammy email exercise, we should specifically be requested to ‘opt in’.

Worldwide hosts far outnumber hosts visiting this community and for them, as us, using our accommodation names and/or host names is a breach of privacy.

Scamming guests to send hosts kindness cards when they are blatantly not wanted is just more than creepy! Asking for donations for hosts in compensation for the losses AirBnb imparted is sheer hypocrisy.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

After switching 'off' the Guest Contributions under my account settings:

ACCOUNT > Payments & payouts > GUEST CONTRIBUTIONS

as informed previously by @Robin4 , this action worries me.

This is not an opt out for this "kindness card" fiasco.

I want to make it quite clear and I want it registered somewhere that I/We do not want our personal details of any description being sent by email to guests in association with this promotion in any way.

With the complete lack of an opt out to this promotion anywhere I am making our request as clear as possible in the place where this promotion is being handled.

Furthermore, I would request @Airbnb @Lizzie @Stephanie that failing a preferred specific opt-in button being provided that a specific opt out button is provided and all hosts are informed of its whereabouts before sending emails on this matter.

Thank You.

[Joan23]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Airbnb @Lizzie Hi Ian and Marie. I am with you 100% on this, especially since I only found out completely by accident yesterday that these begging letters were being sent, and promptly opted out of the begging bowl feature. Can I ask, when did you become aware of it? I am sure thousands of hosts must still be in the dark about it, or there would be a flood of complaints. I just cannot understand the rationale behind this scheme. I have lost a lot of money on cancellations, as have lots of businesses. To date I have not received begging letters from my hairdresser or my local restaurant, I mean, really!!

[Lizzie]

Hey @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 and other contributors here, 

Thanks again for your feedback, I really do appreciate you all sharing your initial thoughts on the feature and I do hope we can get to a place where we all feel happier–especially with everything going on at the moment, the last thing that anyone wants is to cause more frustration. 

So going forward with this:

•  As you know we have the listening session later today, which is also a further opportunity to hear how it works and provide feedback. I hope many of you can make it (to recap, feedback is still being gathered from the CC and other community channels so it's really important)
• I'll try and create a recap of the session, with key things
• I am continuing to gather the feedback shared in this thread and elsewhere regarding to this feature and highlight your concerns and also your requests and feed this back to the team

I hope this is helpful.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Joan23]

@Stephanie I am shocked that Airbnb is event contemplating sending begging letters to previous guests on my behalf, and doubly shocked that I only found out about this seedy scheme by accident, when searching on another topic in the Community Forum. How do I find out if any of my previous guests have been sent a “contribution” request on my behalf? As I would like to message  them to apologise and make clear this was done without my knowledge or permission. I am quite serious on this @Stephanie , if any guest has been sent such a request on my behalf, I absolutely want to know. I have just this minute disabled the begging option on my account settings, but this should never have been added without my express permission. 

[Robbie54]

This feels like part of some weird religious sect, not Airbnb. My problem isn't with who comes up with these ideas my problem is with the many Airbnb managers who think it's a great idea and it should be implemented. You're really trying too hard Airbnb. Slow down, take a deep breath etc etc...

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

We had a really useful Listening Session last week and a huge thanks to those of you who attended @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0, @Lawrene0 and @Eileen0. 

I just wanted to come back here to say we haven't forgotten about the recap and screenshots I mentioned. There has been a slight delay on getting this due to the announcement last week, but I'l get back to you as soon as I have more information.  

Thanks so much for your patience.

Lizzie

[Brisas-Kukulcan0]

Thanks @Lizzie . One question, when is this program supposed to begin? I assume I'll also receive some emails about sending kindness cards since I'm not only a host but also a traveler but does Airbnb have a timeline for when these emails are going to start being sent out? 

[Joan23]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0, @Lawrene0 and @Eileen0. I see you attended the Listening Session. Was anything of interest discussed or resolved? Am thinking in particular about the “contribute” feature.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Joan23 

I wish I could say @Joan23 but the first thing you get told is that the group is "Private & Confidential". You will see by the disclosure of host attendees that it was an intimate affair with Airbnb representatives outnumbering hosts. I could tag them, but it would be inappropriate.

[Airbnb]

Hello everyone, 

Thanks to those of you who joined the Kindness Cards Program Listening Session on May 5th. For those who were not able to attend, below are some of the visuals we shared in the session that provide information many of you had asked about. 

Here’s how the guest experience works: 

1. Eligible guests will receive an email inviting them to send a card:

2. Guests will be taken to a page where they can choose their previous hosts of experiences or stays with four or five-star ratings. Guests will then select a card design and, if they like, add a note.

3. Guests can also include an optional financial contribution to eligible hosts who have not opted out. 100% of the guest’s contribution is passed on to the host, and Airbnb will not charge any fees.

4. After the card is sent to the host, the guest will receive a confirmation email that includes a copy of the card. Hosts are not required to respond to the card.

For more information, read the Guest Help Center Article and Host Help Center Article.

We hope this clarifies the experience a guest would have when sending a kindness card to a host. The main focus of this program is to introduce a new way for eligible guests to show hosts appreciation or encouragement. We hope these cards will make hosts smile, and bring a little joy to the guests, too.

As always, we appreciate your feedback and time.  

Airbnb

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Dear faceless @Airbnb administrator.

Obviously none of you want to put your seal on this.

There is a gaping hole in this process. It is the complete lack of ability for a host to completely omit their details from any emails sent to past guests. And you are assuming that all hosts would be onboard with this tacky promotion by automatically opting them in.

My feedback for you to appreciate is:

Where do I make it quite clear that I/We do not want our personal details of any description being sent by email to guests in association with this promotion in any way?

Nowhere in your link to the Host Help article is any method to opt-out identified.

These listening groups are mis-titled. It doesn't seem like any listening happened at all, and an utter waste of time in the process.

@Lawrene0 @Eileen0 @Joan23 @Robbie54 @Sarah977 @Mike-And-Helen0 @Robin4 @Susan17 @Louise0 @Donald28 @Katrina79 @Juan63 @Colleen253 @Ute42 @Helen3 @Anonymous @Jennifer1421 @Helen350 @Jean-François73 @Yadira22 @Jessica-and-Henry0 @Melodie-And-John0 @Sandra126 @Trace386 @Brisas-Kukulcan0 @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0