Key takeaways from CEO Brian Chesky’s message to our hosts

[Airbnb]

Over the past three weeks, we've held more than 50 online listening sessions with hosts from around the world, tracking every suggestion to learn where you’re hurting the most and how Airbnb can support you. 

Speaking from his home in San Francisco on Monday, CEO Brian Chesky announced three key initiatives and programs aimed specifically at helping our hosts:

1. We’re investing $250 million USD to share in the cost of COVID-19 cancellations.

We’re providing updated coverage under our extenuating circumstances policy for accommodation reservations booked on or before March 14 and with a check-in between March 14 and May 31, 2020. If a guest cancels an eligible reservation in this window, we’ll pay you 25% of what you would normally receive through your cancellation policy. For example, if you would’ve received $400 USD for a normal cancellation, we'll pay you 25% of that—or $100 USD. This cost will be covered entirely by Airbnb, with no impact to the guest. We view this as an investment in our future together.

Reservations booked after March 14 will not qualify for the COVID-19-related extenuating circumstances cancellations. Learn more at Airbnb.com/250MSupport.

2. We’re creating a $10 million USD relief fund for Superhosts and Airbnb Experiences hosts.

We know some of you are facing serious financial hardships, and we want to help. This fund will offer grants to Superhosts and Experiences hosts who need money to stay in the homes they live in. 

Our employees started the fund by raising the first $1 million USD, and our founders contributed the additional $9 million USD. Learn more about who is eligible at Airbnb.com/superhostrelief.

3. We’re making it easy for your previous guests to add contributions that go to you directly.

Just a few weeks ago, our global community was bringing more than 2 million people together every day. Collectively, you've made many millions of people feel at home. And thousands of them have told us how grateful they are for your flexibility—so we’re making it easy for them to help. We'll reach out to guests who’ve stayed with you recently and left 5-star reviews to ask if they want to send a note and a contribution in connection with a previous reservation. You will receive 100% of any guest contributions. 

This is just a start

We know many of you want—or need—to host right now, whether on the front lines or for people who live nearby. To help further support you, we’re also working on the following:

• Insurance options for you and your guests
• Programs to drive demand during the recovery period
• Airbnb housing for COVID-19 responders
• Cleaning guidelines and protocols informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 We will get through this together

Airbnb and our community are facing this challenging time together. We’ll continue working day and night toward solutions, and we’ll communicate regularly and transparently on the steps we’re taking to help you. We’re adapting in real time to the changing situation, but what doesn’t change is that when travel returns, your homes are the places where people want to stay.

At the core of our business is what is core to the human experience—that fundamental desire to connect and explore. It will take time to bounce back, but we will bounce back together. As always, thank you for being part of the Airbnb community, and thank you for all that you do to help us create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. 

[Robin4]

@Allison17 

You won't Allison, would you believe the scheme is invitation only!

If you have been a good little possum and not annoyed Airbnb, there is a possibility you may get an email with a link inviting you to submit your hardship case where it will be adjudicated .....much like submitting a claim for $15,000 damage a guest may have caused to your listing during a wild party event.

Airbnb will have worked this out, and put so many road blocks in the way, (just like their Host Protection Scheme) that all but a few Superhosts will come to the conclusion that it is all just too hard and will forget about pursuing it and spend their energy on finding ways to rebuild their lives.

I have seen too many promised hosting waterholes turn to dust along this Airbnb road to put too much faith in this one.

Cheers......Rob

[Susan17]

@Robin4 

"If you have been a good little possum and not annoyed Airbnb, there is a possibility you may get an email .."

Whoops.. that's me rightly banjaxed then, Rob!! ;))) 

[Robin4]

@Susan17 

I once talked my daughter into listing on Airbnb, she was after all based in a desirable location.....about 100 metres from Bondi beach-front in Sydney's eastern suburbs!

I was so over the moon with the run I was getting with Airbnb I felt I needed to share my good fortune with the rest of the world......much like Jesus spreading the word of God to the unconverted!

She started off just great, got $3,200 worth of bookings in the first 48 hours!

It had to happen, a guest ruined her bed and she tried to claim....the unfortunate thing about residing in a desirable 'back packer' area. The guest got sh*t-faced drunk one night, threw a pot-plant out of her first floor window onto the street below, and ended up slashing the bed through to the mattress with a knife! And for good measure carved an unmentionable word in the timber headboard.

She had followed my lead and put in an expensive bed which the 'guest' had rendered, unusable!

I thought I was pretty good at dealing with CX, but dealing with the resolution centre was probably worse than walking in and finding the bed destroyed! They ran her around for week after week and some months later, gave her compensation of $118.00.

At that point I vowed and declared I would never take a problem to Airbnb and I would never ask for assistance, there is just no point. It's our patch of water and we need to paddle our own canoe. I set up my own damage fund, allowed for it in my listing amount. By taking no notice of company offers, I know I will never be let down.

Yeah Susan, I think you might have burnt a bridge or two!

Cheers......Rob

[Fred13]

The word possum and @Susan17 just doesn't compute in my mind. 😄

Seriously, I am not into the piling on the 'big bad corporatiion' bandwagon, not because I don't agree, but more because I rather live in an idealistic and happy-go-lucky state of mind. Do I trust them - are you serious?

[Susan17]

Lol! I'd imagine it's a teensy bit easier to live in an idealistic and happy-go-lucky state of mind when you've got your own private island in paradise and have been a poster boy (literally) for the big bad corporation for years, @Fred13!  :)) 

I make you right with the possum comment though! ;)) 

[Fred13]

Me, Mr Corporate? I was culled to be one of them (or politician), but unfortunate I started to genuinely hating their guts during my last year of law school. 

@Susan17 If you were to see me nowadays, working like a 'slave' on this new upstairs studio on the island overlooking the atoll, I feel sure you be feeling sorry for me. Or maybe not. 😉

(The truth - I hired 6 people vs. 2 actually needed, to help locals that find themselves with zero income overnight; and I been sitting around in a director's chair giving orders and playing the role of the usual do-nothing-boss with the clipboard we always see at every road construction site we are always making fun of).

I do TRY to look at things philosophically and with this  particular situation I apply the fundamental Dale Carnegie question - 'What is the worse that could happen?". It is others less fortunate who I am thinking of; we are running food drives for locals here in Belize, yes their needs are that basic. All while I think of someone worth supposedly $4.1 billion dollars ($4,100,000,000) and wonder what the heck is he doing for others.

[Kalika0]

Yes it's very confusing I feel like I'm the ideal airbnb host.  I have 4 listings and have been a Super host since 2015 never missing a quarter.  This is my job.  That of course means you can never turn your phone off and have to answer the guests that sends an inquiry at 2 Am since you have to get back to them within a hour.  I have the flexible policy as I feel that helps airbnb compete with the hotels (where you can cancel free up to 24 hours ahead)..   And now this is the second time airbnb didn't have my back.  We are living on my husbands social security  and we all know that's not possible.  My 4 listings are two houses but either way with that and my flexible policy I am the proud owner of 25%  of NOTHING.

[Andrea1543]

The measures put in place are useless, indeed for us Italian hosts are an even bigger joke. The calendars are all empty between now and 4 months, they are measures that had to be put in place a month ago, not now. Nobody will be able to benefit from it, because nobody has active reservations yet, and even retroactive reservations have been canceled well in advance.

Let's not talk about the Super Host Fund, impossible to draw for professional hosts with many ads. Here we are completely abandoned.The measures put in place are useless, indeed for us Italian hosts are an even bigger joke. The calendars are all empty between now and 4 months, they are measures that had to be put in place a month ago, not now. Nobody will be able to benefit from it, because nobody has active reservations yet, and even retroactive reservations have been canceled well in advance.

Let's not talk about the Super Host Fund, impossible to draw for professional hosts with many ads. Here we are completely abandoned.

[Robin4]

Obviously there is a lot of emotion attached to the CEO's address.

I didn't watch it direct, but I did watch the recording of it early this morning which was contrary to what I had stated I would do here. 

I watched on the strength of the posts that were appearing here about it's contents, both positive and negative. If I am going to judge something, I need to know what I am judging!

In my opinion the address was calculated, it was well thought out, and every part of it was carefully scripted with the company 'number crunchers' in the background!

Lets look at the major giveaway......

1. We’re investing $250 million USD to share in the cost of COVID-19 cancellations.

This sounded well and good until the line about about half way through......"we’ll pay you 25% of what you would normally receive through your cancellation policy". Along with two thirds of Airbnb hosts I have a 'Flexible' cancellation policy so guess what.....that entitles me to 'Jack sh*t'....not a bloody cent!

I have been browbeaten into offering a flexible cancellation policy by Airbnb for the past 4 years. Even in the current  Covid link the company is still telling hosts to offer a 'Flexible' cancellation policy to guests. 

So the bulk of us will get absolutely no benefit from that bit of 'chest beating'!

2. We’re creating a $10 million USD relief fund for Superhosts and Airbnb Experiences hosts.

I am not going to lose my home, I am not after company handouts and there is no way I am going to put myself through the financial reconciliation hoops that will be required in order to gain the possible lofty sum of...... $138.40 from the available employee  'donation' fund! It feels like you are patting us on the head!

3. We’re making it easy for your previous guests to add contributions that go to you directly.

Has this company totally forgotten the world is in lock-down, most people are without a job at the moment, let alone have the spare funds to donate money to some host they might have got along with ok many months or even years ago. Seriously this is demeaning and insulting, not just to hosts but guests as well!

I will host on, I am doing a rolling fortnightly block-out of my calendar to prevent those 'screw the curfew system' guests from booking and I am independently taking bookings from support people in my area associated with the local hospital, those I can vet accurately. I currently have a 24 year old dental hygienist who has lost her job who I have given a 50% discount. Next I have a local ambulance officer who needs a few days away with wife from the rigours of kids and work duties. I won't make anything out of that reservation either but I feel good being in a position to be able to help.

Unlike Airbnb I currently run this business here as an avenue of humanity and help without the necessity to make a dollar. 

I actually got out of the video precisely what I thought I would get...............amen

Cheers........Rob 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Robin4 

I think you summed it all up PERFECTLY.

[Robin4]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 

I didn't quite sum it up perfectly Jess.....the thing I missed out was, the Superhost scheme is by invitation only, you can't apply for it! Your marble has to be drawn out of the 'prize-pool' bucket in order to be given the opportunity to submit a claim.

Those who are considering applying for this had better start getting in some serious training for the 100 metres Hurdles! 

Cheers......Rob

[Ann489]

@Robin4   well said....those were exactly my thoughts.  It was calculated--not the best delivery, unless Chesky was trying to drum up some sympathy with his bumbling and stumbling and sad puppy eyes.  

Luckily, I don't depend on the Airbnb income to pay my bills--it mostly goes to subsidize our daughter's college and our animal rescue, so we will be ok.    Since I also got sucked into a moderate cancellation policy, I will not see a dime, and frankly, I wouldn't want Chesky's "charity" anyway.    Going forward, I am not sure if I want to continue to be a part of a company as greedy, shady and guest-centric as Airbnb. 

Best of luck to you,

Ann  🙂

[Alex---Michael0]

Sounds like airbnb is paying for your post her! They overruled our policies and now see what they have done and offer 12,5%? Many hosts are going in bankruptcy while airbnb just gives out vouchers to guests, keeping there money. Thank you and amen!

[Wendy1078]

To all the complainers...Did any of you see this coming? Did any of you think we would have to think twice about the people coming into our homes? Is it Airbnb's fault? Airbnb is not cancelling your bookings, they are allowing people to make choices for themselves. You are not the only ones suffering losses. Brian Chesky's message is heart-felt and honest, and I thank him for facing the world and all his host partners to find a solution. 

[Amber1]

@wendy they are overriding an agreed cancellation policy. Other platforms did not do this..they stuck to the cancellation policy at hand.

A while ago I booked a trip to a 3rd world country. 2 weeks before I left civil unrest and protests broke out making it unsafe to travel. A travel warning was issued by the government. I called the airline asking to cancel and refund. 

There was that magic box for travel insurance that I most definitely did not check. They pointed that out, refused the refund and I accepted that I should have spent that extra $100 and protected my vacation.

Why then should the  cancellation policy we chose not apply when guests cancel this? There is an entire industry based on travel insurance.

The answer goes back to airbnb's extenuating circumstances as using hosts as travel insurance. We have been complaining about this policy and Airbnb's ability to apply it to just about anything on the guests behalf. Hosts have been complaining about this policy for ages and now we have reached the tip of the iceberg.

The solution to me is simple: start using a platform that offers guests travel insurance for an extra cost and sticks to the cancellation policy hosts have chosen. 

It's time for hosts to walk away from Airbnb.