How hard is it to become a host?

[Anonymous]

https://skift.com/2021/05/13/airbnb-posts-1-2-billion-loss-and-turns-attention-to-expected-supply-de...

So I didn't find anything particularly new or interesting in this article until a little bombshell at the end:

"Chesky said Airbnb will announce its largest update to its platform in 12 years on May 24, when the company will unveil improvements to the guest experience, and an easier path to becoming a host."

The times when I've taken a chance on a new listing, I've always come away feeling like my experience as a guest would be better if it wasn't so dang easy to become a host. Not to say that there aren't some difficulties - navigating local regulations, hotel taxes, and STR insurance are all potential headaches for new hosts. But one can easily get a listing live without thinking through any of these things, and guests suffer when hosts start hosting without being prepared.

Did any of you face difficulties in your transition from non-host to host?

[Maggie-and-Norm0]

I’m getting off this platform as a long time host and only using the other platform for my 2 vacation rentals. I also plan on not using the platform for my own vacation stays since for the most part we have not been happy with places we stay, even though they had great reviews. I feel that Airbnb does not care about the host or the guests. I wish them well but I can no longer support their business practices.

[Kelly149]

@Anonymous I've signed up to attend "the announcement"... curious what it will be... some people might say that to work on keeping the hosts you have would be a strategy... just an idea.

[Ann72]

@Anonymous  They're not writing a thriller, so there is really no need to put us on edge like that.

I'm assuming one "update to the guest experience" will be this - https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Is-your-listing-up-to-date-to-take-advantage-of-the-new-guest/m-p/1447832#M21928 - available on May 24th.  This simultaneously "updates the guest experience" and makes even the most careless host's job easier.

I've always thought it was ridiculously easy not only to host but to become a SuperHost, so Lord knows what's coming.  I mean, Harry Potteresque cupboards under stairs are already a thing:  https://www.insider.com/brooklyn-airbnb-tiny-cupboard-under-the-stairs-2019-8#:~:text=Zoe%20Reeve%2C%2026%2C%20arrived%20at,viral%20on%20Twitter%20and%20Instagram.

[Anonymous]

@Ann72   That seems like another step toward streamlining things for large-scale property managers that doesn't have much benefit for traditional hosts. Kind of like the chat-bot that people have recently reported having to deal with on their check-in date. If these things are just the tip of the iceberg, I guess we can expect a whole suite of UX features to integrate more automation into the service workflow and inject more unwanted brand engagement into the stay. What could possibly go wrong?

I don't have any problem with making it easier for guests (and hosts) to have important information neatly organized in one place. But as a guest, I can't bring myself to trust information that hasn't been personally communicated by a host. I need to see some comprehension and know we're on the same page. I don't know if they still do this, but Airbnb used to put automated walking directions in the Trip information page on the app. That's how, as a guest, I found myself and a friend illegally crossing train tracks and pushing our way through thorny bushes to reach a house that was actually just a gentle unpaved path away from the station. I learned my lesson:  don't put your faith in the computer when you can just ask a simple question. I give visitors personalized directions when I know where they're coming from, and in return for the 2 minutes of effort I get to greet a relaxed traveler at my door, clothes untorn by thorns.

[Ann72]

@Anonymous  I also send guests my own directions, as the winding dirt roads in the dark can be confusing.  Your note about the thorny bushes reminds me of a post I saw here a couple of years ago - the guest insisted on following Airbnb's instructions instead of the host's and wandered the English seaside for some time before arriving...

[Melodie-And-John0]

OMG @Ann72 , the closet is beyond real, talk about you can sell anything if you can just find the right customer!  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Anonymous I struggle to see how it could be easier to become a host. We had no issues whatsoever when we started other than discovering that some amenities etc. only become visible once your listing is live.

I wonder if they will do what Homeaway did and offer to create the listing for a host by taking details from a competitors site.

[Sarah977]

@Anonymous  I didn't find it difficult. However, I didn't simply throw up a listing thinking it was easy. First I had a friend who had been hosting for years help me with advice and hands-on site navigation, I read through the TOS and all the Help articles for hosts to be clear on how it all worked, I spent many hours writing up the listing info and fine tuning it, and only then did I put up my listing.

I think the site was easier to use back in 2016 when I signed up. And if you called for explantion or advice, you got a native English speaker in their SF office who was knowledgable and helpful.

Now the hosting pages are full of what to me is useless info, features are hidden and buried in non-intuitive places, it takes 3 clicks to access what should be available in one, and there seem to be constant tech glitches.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Sarah977  @Anonymous @Airbnb 

I signed up in 2013. There were fewer items to pay attention to, as you said, Sarah. I also took the listing process very seriously.  As a lifelong business person (former corporate, 48 years entrepreneur)  I know how to write a brochure, pay close attention to details, and have written a brochure and procedures for a resort, including check in and check out documents, reservation confirmation cards, in rental house posted information, etc. I have a strong background in marketing, which influences how I do these things. Creating a listing is a "big deal" and should be. It is an advertisement and a contract. Saying one offers certain amenities and not doing so creates serious issues, so accuracy is vital.  Creating a guest space is another "big deal" and following through with maintenance and the daily duties of hospitality management is yet another. Business insurance, licenses (we had huge paperwork, inspections, large fees and public hearings to become legal), setting up quarterly occupancy taxes paperwork, and detailed policing of the entire property for any and all potential safety hazards. This is a business so setting up state and federal income tax bookkeeping and records is also important. Here in the US it is a separate Schedule C for this business. 

Innkeepers have legal obligations. When we took over management of the resort back when, we were presented with a book on Innkeepers Law.  I suspect that there are a great many well intentioned new hosts who might benefit from local research on this topic. 

[Christine615]

i signed up for the talk. I'm curious, but not hopeful he's listening to what we've all told Catherine Powell about our experiences with inexperienced get rich quick" dreamers, and the low quality guests who are looking for cheap hotel equivalents to cram in three billion bodies).

I noted the host in Florida that had rules that said "no parties, no events, only 6 people max" and is now in a lawsuit for the deck collapsing after the guest filled the house with partiers.

In a separate host focus group I said that they needed to train new hosts, verify listings, and demand full vetting of both guests and hosts before they're ever allowed on the platform. A simple background check of the on-line court systems can be enlightening.

[Anonymous]

@Christine615  The background check idea is appealing, though I have no idea how it could be scaled up to all 220 countries Airbnb operates in. 

I worry that what they're ultimately planning to do is quite the opposite of host training - rather, ramping up the "list first, maybe ask questions later" approach to seduce the most naive prospective clients. Ones who believe hosting is passive income rather than a job, and don't learn how things work or do their homework on all their legal responsibilities before taking bookings. Most guests who have experienced even one amateur-hour host like this will permanently perceive Airbnb as a trashy brand, to the detriment of all the really great hosts like you. 

Clearly the execs in this company believe that there is enormous demand for their product coming up, and are far more concerned with having the quantity to dominate the hypothetical short-term demand than the quality to sustain long-term viability. But some people don't know how to quit when they're winning - when a hotel chain needs more rooms it can always build them somewhere, but there's just a finite number of people out there who yearn to be Airbnb hosts and also have the time and surplus space to do so, and we're probably pretty close to the peak already.

[Elaine701]

@Anonymous 

Ready. Fire. Aim. 

🙄

[Christine615]

@Anonymous 

That's what I'm concerned with. That Airbnb is going to be perceived as a trash brand because it wants to improve it's bottom line but doesn't work to insure high quality guests and high quality listings (don't have to be expensive - just comfortable and clean).

It's interesting that I joined the Clubhouse App earlier this year. It was (may still be) invitation only. There were high quality discussions and knowledgeable people. I remember a room where someone mentioned they had trouble getting a job in their field. A VP of a production company reached out to them and said "call me and I'll get you connected." There were people starting rooms to help other people learn about industries and get feedback.

Then people on Reddit and other platforms began selling their extra invitations and those people joined and began selling their allotted invitations and now it's hard to find a good discussion room because of all the fakes on the platform trying to sell fake products or knowledge.

There's a lesson to be learned there.

[Elaine701]

@Christine615 

Airbnb is losing public credibility all the time.

Their problem isn't that they're so much worse than other platforms (the others are equally bad and/or worse in many respects). It's that Airbnb started out with enormous respect and credibility, and therefore, high expectations. They were like the Apple of STR.

The downhill slope is much steeper for Airbnb than say, VRBO, because VRBO has never been known as a "quality" platform. In fact, they're now spending hugely to build a brand "quality" perception in an attempt to displace Airbnb. In contrast, it's an UPHILL battle for VRBO. 

But despite still having top quality brand marketing, behind the scenes, Airbnb product quality is clearly deteriorating. have to suspect that it's in no small part, due to its increasing focus on quantity over quality. The favoured hosts are no longer the ones who take pride in delivering a great product, but those who capture as many bookings as possible (i.e., corporate managed cookie-cutter apartment buildings, priced to appeal to a much broader market). And that doesn't exactly mesh with what Airbnb claims it is.

Airbnb is increasingly appealing to those who prioritize price over quality. And consequently, hosts delivering quality product are diversifying to other platforms, sometimes to smaller, quality oriented boutique platforms ... to avoid the declining quality of guest that Airbnb is increasingly attracting. 

It's like if Apple were to become the top seller of cheap knockoffs of those 50$ no name smartphones. But still claiming they're the "quality" brand. It doesn't take long for people to notice.