Airbnb Plus

[Angela608]

Just listened to the new updates for Airbnb on their FB Live and feel discouraged as a Host.

I don't have an emaculately designed modern home with features that "WOW" guests. I have a humble space for budget seeking travelers in a very expensive city (San Francisco).

Is Airbnb weeding people out instead of including everyone?

[Matthew285]

@Pat-And-Mike0 what are the restrictions for the cancellation policy for Airbnb Plus listings?

I read through the requirements and could not see where they restrict the cancellation policy.

[Rebecca181]

@Pat-And-Mike0 I think ABB will find they have trouble holding on to Premier properties that are being managed with a professional mindset with these lenient 'strict' cancellation policies. I know of no other booking sites that have such generous policies when it comes to cancellations. Although I do see that property managers listing on ABB have access to a 'Super Strict 30' and 'Super Strict 60' cancellation policy. I assume this is not available to 'Plus' hosts? If not, I wonder why?

[Pat-And-Mike0]

Am not a Plus host.  I do not think that we will be offered that in Grenada, Caribbean.  Our apartment has all the Plus requirements and more.  Do we want Plus?  Not sure!

[Jiw0]

I agree the cancellation terms are not appropriate currently.

Specifically that terms are the same for a booking made a week before arrival, and a booking made for almost a year into the future. 

Someone just booked my place for January 2019.  If they cancel a couple months ahead of time then that's fine, I don't really need 50% becuase I'll get rebooked.   But then moderate terms are far too lenient: they could keep my calendar blocked for almost a full year and then cancel with just one week left for a full refund.  That's crazy.

[David-and-Dona0]

I have moderate cancellation and I always get another booking in high booking times in the rare event someone cancels.   Also, we live in a "touristy" place. 

[Pat-And-Mike0]

That's ok for people living in the US.  However, that does not work in the small islands of the Caribbean.  People generally book about 2 - 3 months in advance so if someone cancels a week before they arrive, there is almost no chance of getting another booking.  Our tourist season here is Jan to March - April.  We need to get as many bookings as possible in those months.  June to December is the low season here and we may be lucky to get 1 booking for each of those months.

[Jeremy100]

Plus acceptance rate - 65%.  I should not be penalised on the basis of turning down a booking when the potential guest has poor reviews and or when it is a third party booking.

[Orla16]

Same problem. Plus requires a 95% acceptance rate. We take 100% of reservations that meet our listed requirements but we have only a 77% acceptance rate because we frequently get requests from people with animals (our listing not being animal friendly).

When we decline a reservation we marked it as unsuitable on the airbnb form and explain the reason for refusing the request.

Airbnb has data that would allow them to calculate the acceptance rate based only on reservations match the listings requirements. The 95% acceptance rate is not something a host has control over. 

[Tim406]

As long as you’re offering your space honestly and for a fair price, my experience is that the vast majority of guests have reasonable expectations. My home is old and quirky, but that’s what I feature. Don’t try to be what you’re not.

[Matthew285]

@Tim406 I agree with you.

Our place is somewhat old and the furnishings are simple and sparse.

As long as the guests know that going in, they can be happy.

On an amusing note: one artist in San Francisco used to have an Airbnb listing he titled "Ugliest Dump in the World". It is not active now, but obviously it was neither ugly, nor a dump.

You can read about it in these two links (the 2nd link has pictures)

http://sfist.com/2016/02/26/artist_merkley_sf_haight_cool_airbnb.php

https://www.bringfido.com/lodging/255842

[Narelle7]

Dear all

This is my latest email to Air re my listing being considerd for plus, is anyone else having this issue?  

Dear Air tram

As a Superhost and someone who has been providing 5 star accommodation for more than 18 years (well before Air BnB) I am beyond frustrated with the requests for “fixes”.

Can you please review my application and you will see that I submitted in February (as soon as this was announced).

My issue is as soon as I achieve a “fix” at some expense and time a another “fix” is required!  This is getting ridiculous! 

If someone could come and inspect my property they will see that the design is superior and adding more will not make the place any more appealing to guests- please see reviews.

Even more frustrating is the fact that if I go to my listing I cannot locate the list of further required fixes!!

Thank you

[Wendy117]

How insulting and depressing!  Airbnb invited my expanded listing to be considered for Airbnb Plus. At that time I had 100% 5 star.

I have just received an email stating  ‘we estimate it would need considerable updates to be ready for the program’ and maybe I can apply again later if I up-level my home.

Before I listed on Airbnb I did a complete renovation – new TIMBER floors, brand new second bathroom, new taps, fittings and toilet in original bathroom, new kitchen and appliances, four new air-conditioners, double glazing – the list goes on.  I wanted to keep the 1900 character of the home so renovations were expensive – I had to remove all skirtings to lay the floor, repair the plaster wall damage done doing that, I also made sure bathrooms etc all had the traditional picture rails etc to match the era of the home.

No, it doesn’t look like all of the high rise apartments that are a dime a dozen and the same in every city.  It does look like a typical Australian 1900 workman’s cottage that has been extensively renovated and that is what I wanted, and fortunately many guests are also looking for a stand-alone cottage as well.

Is it a coincidence that I just received my first all 4 star review before the rejection?  Same story as most, although they were hard work guests for me, they were very happy and thought they were giving me a good score.

This is Sydney NSW where the State Government have just announced they will be passing a bill that unless the owner is present on the property, short term letting will be limited to 180 days per year.  It will not affect me, but many of their Airbnb Plus listings may not be available in the future.

[Wendy117]

I would like to withdraw my previous comment.  I should do my homework before getting emotional 🙂

On closer inspection of Airbnb Plus homes in Sydney, they really are beautiful homes. Although I believe my home is lovely, I do not believe the location or style is an Airbnb Plus level.  At first inspection I had thought they were competing on price, but it is just clever pricing on the search and when you put in dates and guests numbers they are more expensive.

As yet, there are noAIrbnb Plus homes in my local area, but I am sure that will change, and I  expect they will be beach side or city central, or designer with art works etc- something special. 

My local area  caters for a different type of guest, more budget conscious, so  am hoping there will not be too much impact from AIrbnb Plus homes.

[Bronwen3]

Agreed, they want me to install a kitchen in a 2 room guest suite, which would also mean I could only let out my place for 90 days a year as it would be complete self contained and there are limits on the number of days it could be let for as in London , that sort of stock is needed for normal tenancies not holiday lets.  I aslo felt it is a ruse to charge you for new photographs.  Must have boosted the cash flow I'd say.  I am not happy either.  They may find that their business decreases not increases as a result of these changes. 

[John-and-Tim0]

Some thoughts:

You will never be all things to all people - this is an unacheivable goal as a host.

Continue to do what you do to make your home inviting, safe, and cozy.  Guests will get it.

The reviews guests leave is your currency (and boy are there threads in here on this subject!).  SH status has never been a make or break factor for us when booking as Airbnb travelers.  It's the reviews.

There's a freedom in not dwelling on if I am this or that or fearing you are less becuase you don't exactly fit someone else's construct.  Be yourself.  Be proud of what you do and how you do it.  

happy hosting!