Brian who is the founder of Airbnb felt in his heart he had to help both hosts and guests during an unthinkable situation which has caused the loss of life to thousands of people in many countries and this should be the focus of our current conservation.
Thinking from your heart as we know is not the same as thinking from our brain, mistakes are sometimes made which can cause further aggravation and confusion to the very people who need financial help the most. The Airbnb CEO at the time of making decisions to support the crisis and the platform to enable strangers to invite travellers into their homes was obviously under a lot of stress when rolling out the various help benefits to hosts who have unexpectedly lost a great deal of income and in many cases all of their future earnings for the next 12 - 18 months.
What can Brian Cheskey do to alleviate the anger felt by those hosts who lost out on the promises from the founder of Airbnb. First, you have to consider why Mr Cheskey decided to compensate hosts for their losses caused by millions of cancellations caused by Covid-19. Mr Cheskey did not have to do this, but he went ahead and set the wheels in motion causing a firestorm among his most ardent admirers, that being the hard working Superhosts and ordinary hosts who became reliant on the money paid to them each month from Airbnb.
Instead of helping to support the most important part of his business, he has now alienated the integral driving force to his business, that being the Airbnb host who relies heavily on the income derived from renting out their property. It’s no surprise, this is only a temporary feeling and which will soon be forgotten once the world has recovered. Nevertheless, we need to thank Mr Cheskey and send him our gratitude and those who did receive some help, then you are the lucky ones.
Anyone who feels left out and cannot understand why they were not considered, I suggest you send a letter, pointing out the contradiction as when a guest cancels their booking because they are unable to travel, then that is the reason. It does not matter what type of cancellation policy you have. It’s like saying, “sorry folks the bar is closing, but all those who have blue eyes can stay”
The final word is about logic, but in a pandemic, there is panic.
Keep Safe
Andy
