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. 

[Gene12]

Same situation. 5 properties. $0 for me. 

[John4673]

Airbnb only wants to clean their image by changing the cancelation policy to whatever they think it better for their company. The ones who have more loses are the hosts with airbnb washing their hands and only wanting to look good in front of clients. They haven't even studied any options with hosts. Other platforms changed their cancelation policy to one that doesn't make the hosts lose so much. 
Airbnb never looks for us, the hosts, they only look for their company and clients. Always trying to give clients back all they ask for, negotiating with us and treating us like we are nothing. We always have to deal with people trying to take advantage of any situation.
Most of the hosts need this income and many people will have very hard times because airbnb did something not fair. We can't take all loses from this virus.

Airbnb will never appreciate the hosts as we deserve.

[Gene12]

Can someone PLEASE chime in and tell me - was there ANYWHERE an official announcement from AirBNB that they are extending their covid-19 extenuating circumstances policy to May 31st? Did I miss it?  Brian said NOTHING in his video message. Yet, the transcript says it. This is such a low blow to "partners", Brian. 

[Sarah977]

@Airbnb  So Mr. Chesky apologized for not including hosts in the loop or decision-making process when it came to the original COVID policy, and yet he came up with this new policy, also without consulting hosts. Reading all the posts on the forum isn't a substitute for getting together with a core goup of hosts and hashing over possible solutions before coming up with further policy. 

There was no consultation or prior notice of these new policies before they were presented as a done deal. So what is the point of apologizing for not including hosts in the decision-making proces if you are simply going to continue to not include them? 

Mr Chesky, you are like a teenager who apologizes profusely for staying out past curfew, in the hopes of avoiding a parental punishment, only to stay out past curfew again a few days later.

Crocodile tears.

[Liz412]

I’m so disgusted 

[Susan17]

They had 50 "listening sessions" though, @Sarah977! That probably counts as "consultation" in the weird and wacky world of Airbnb. I'd be willing to bet my firstborn though, that not one single host in any of those listening sessions suggested, "Hey! Here's a cool idea! Please message all our past guests and beg them to send us a few charitable handouts to tide us over" ;)) 

[Sarah977]

@Susan17  It's "You talk, we listen (actually we pretend to listen, we're good at that, all the while thinking about how we're going to spin this), then we go ahead and do what we were planning to do in the first place."

[Susan17]

@Sarah977 

They may be listening.. but they sure ain't hearing! 

[Mike8]

I have lost just over $11K in rental from March - May 2020.  My policy is such that I will receive some stipend though it will be a meager sum from a company that realized over $90million in profits on $2.6Billion in income in 2018.   In fact, it won't even come close to what they made from me hosting (via fees) in 2019.  How about providing reimbursement of 25% of lost rental income to ALL hosts who lost rentals due to COVID 19; not just 25% of a fraction?  It may be time to make the complete transition to VRBO/Home Away.  

[Alexandra13]

I have a moderate cancelation policy in all of my apartments —as recommended by Airbnb—so the CEO's offer is completely misleading - it is no offer at all, 25% of all bookings should be paid to all bookings, independent of the cancellation policies. 

[Liz412]

What an incredibly misleading message from the CEO. 25% on the policy? airbnb has been sending messages to hosts for years now asking them to consider changing their cancellation policies to be more flexible and now they are penalizing those who did? What would have been a lot more respectful coming from Airbnb is to pay their hosts 25% of all cancelled bookings. Many many hosts rely on this income as their livelihood within a short time rental business. Airbnb chose to give every single dollar back to their customer and even waive their fees? Even the airlines are not refunding us our money. I’m very disappointed with how hosts have been treated during this crisis. This 25% promise has turned tens of thousands of perspective income into a few hundred dollars, or for many hosts: zero. 

[Alex---Michael0]

Please keep in mind that it is even worse. 25% percent are a maximum of 12,5% of the booking amount as they only reimburse 25% of the cancellation fee. On top, airbnb is keeping the money of the booking fees by only giving out vouchers for your next stay!

[Alba160]

I am not surprise at all of Ms Chesky's plan to help us, hosts. He and his team just proved again how evil, souless and greety are. Great job Mr Chesky, but  even if i was "elegible" (i am not) for your peanuts, i would decline "your help" (read, money that you stole  from me) because i bet it comes with strings attached..."giving away your rights to be part  of any law suit).

No. I already know better. You are forever crocked. 

[Nicky109]

I have just had a guest try to cancel for a stay starting on the 15th May and she is being told her only option is credit for a future stay with Airbnb?  I thought guests were still being offered full refunds.  Anyone else hearing the same?

[Gene12]

I had a guest try to cancel an April 24th booking and I, the host, was given an option to "keep it". That's what I did, and then got a message from the guest about the new revised policy. What a clusterfk all around....