Time flies so fast, and now October is here, with 2024 al...
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Time flies so fast, and now October is here, with 2024 already three-quarters gone. Looking back on September, I can hones...
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Answered!
This post is co-authored by Host Advisory Board members @Jue0 from Kenya, @Jennifer3225 from Canada, @Daniel1651 from Spain, and @Claudia331 from Italy. Learn more about the Host Advisory Board.
Claudia: For the past few years, Iโve observed group travel, family gatherings, and a return to home hospitality on the rise. In my hosting experience, my guests wish to have a good and relaxing time with other people, including family and friends, when they travel to different places.
Weโve also experienced recent social, humanitarian, and environmental emergencies. Especially in these difficult circumstances, I believe it becomes our responsibility as Hosts to make sure our guests have the most comfortable stay.
Jue : For me, hosting over the last eight years has been a gratifying and deeply fulfilling experience in my over five-and-a-half decades of life. I am thankful for having lived through it. Hosting families is my niche, and my heart goes out to those mothers and fathers with babies or young children who also need a holiday, just like all of us. Although it was many years ago, Iโve been in that situation too and know traveling with a toddler can be tedious and challenging.Children can become quite cranky, especially during long flights. I host guests who sometimes have combined flight and layover times exceeding 20 hours. This takes a toll on many, especially the young ones.
We make sure that our home is as comfortable, welcoming, and warm as possible. We also provide amenities for kids. Itโs incredibly gratifying to witness the childrenโs faces light up as they enter our home. Weโre delighted at the twinkle in their eyes when they seem to recognize their home away from home. We have little touches here and there, like some toys, and a small enclosed garden at the back where kids can play and explore.
I recall the COVID-19 lockdown period when I was unable to host in Kenya, where I reside. I had to resort to remote hosting by phone. A woman who was expecting her first child booked our home due to its proximity to hospitals, specifically the one where she was scheduled to give birth.. She wasnโt from Nairobi. So, we made sure the housekeeper checked on her and provided companionship. I also made time to call her and offered reassurance. When her delivery date neared, she was admitted to the hospital. We took the opportunity to spruce up the home during this time.
Their precious bouncing baby girl did return to us as a newborn guest after being discharged from the hospital. This is undoubtedly one of the most significant highlights of our hosting journey, especially during a challenging period all over the world due to the pandemic. To our delight, our guest returned a second and third time every consecutive year, although without the little one, whom she promised to bring when a little older.
We've discovered that many of our guests are returning guests.Our family niche continues to serve us as a powerful marketing tool through word-of -mouth recommendations. Some guests are even returning in their sixth year. Many came with their infants less than a year old and have returned with six and seven-year-olds to say hello and express their gratitude. Priceless.
Thank you, Airbnb, for the love. We couldnโt have achieved this without you. With grateful and full hearts, we have built lifelong bonds and precious relationships with these guests, some of whom have stuck on as family.
Jennifer: We recently hosted a lovely lady who had been a well-known icon in our community in Canada. She owned a high-end hotel and loved hospitality. But after her husband passed away, she sold the hotel and went quiet for over six years.
However, this spring, she reached out to me and expressed her readiness to return to the community. This was a moment of pause. She had spent many years here with her long-standing husband, the love of her life, and her children and grandchildren. Although alone, she came back as a guest and stayed with me. I wrote her a note to convey how proud I was of her, and during a quick cleanup, I noticed that my card to her was on the display shelf.
She was engaging in all the activities she used to do with her husband. She met new people, experienced lifeโs activities in a new light, and hopefully eased her loneliness by reliving her cherished memories. I observed that she smiled more, and her family came to visit her. A fully furnished home allowed her to return to her roots and be a part of the community she adoredโthis time as a guest, with minimal need to bring or take care of belongings. Airbnb helped make this experience and our relationship possible.
Daniel: A few years ago, a lovely couple, Diana and Slava, visited my accommodation in Tenerife, Spain. We formed a special connection that has kept us in touch over the years. We joyfully shared in the arrival of their daughter, Mariya, and also felt sadness when we learned about the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Understanding their situation, we swiftly realized they needed an option to leave the country and find safety. With the help of friends, we managed to secure a home for them under affordable conditions. Today, little Mariya is learning her first words in Spanish .
The anguish of having to leave your country and the loneliness that this entails are immense and nothing can compensate for this uprooting. However, as Hosts, and especially as friends, we try to mitigate that feeling by meeting often and integrating them into our circle of friends.
Claudia: We invite you to share your stories of how youโve made a significant impact on a guestโs experience and how it has helped you grow as a Host.
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