Room Rentals on Travelocity, Expedia, etc

[Suzanne302]

So, I'm starting to see homeshare room rentals on sites like Travelocity.

As a matter of fact, when you sign up, it says you are automatically listed on all partner sites including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Trivago.

Has anyone looked into this further? I'm just wondering what the experience was like...

[Ann72]

@Suzanne302 @Kimberly54 @Jessica-and-Henry0 @Linda108 I put one listing on Homeaway, which automatically lists it on its partner sites like Vrbo and others.

After reading your message I decided to search my town in Travelocity under "Vacation Rentals."  And there was my Homeaway listing.  With a description that, although correct, I didn't write.

It's my understanding that Travelocity, like Kayak, draws all the possibilities together.  But it doesn't appear to draw from Airbnb.

@Suzanne302, you say "when you sign up, it says you are automatically listed on all partner sites including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Trivago."  When you sign up where?  

@Kimberly54, what was the real estate company that listed your place?

At everyone, do we constantly have to troll the internet to discover what random sites our places are showing up?!?

[Kimberly54]

@Ann72  Zillow.

I thought Airbnb was secure--I created a literal virtual tour through my lovely home.  I did this out of TRUST.  Not FB, right? 

Airbnb policy (I'd have to look up the section--(I sent a message to the CEO, who had one of his minions respond in diet-vanilla) states--this is a paraphrase--that if they think that your listing can increase their market attractiveness, they can use it.  If you'd like, I will actually dredge it out of my correspondence. 

I can not troll the internet.  I already know that the tour of my lovely house is out there, and there is nothing I can do about it.  Airbnb told me to get the real estate company to take it down.

Who do I trust now?

Best,

[Ann72]

@Kimberly54 Good Lord.  So Zillow is "offering" it as a rental?  If people try to rent it through Zillow, are they re-directed to Airbnb?  Because how else would they pay or you get paid?  And how in the world can Zillow claim no involvement?  If it's on their site, and you don't want it to be there, surely there's a way to get it taken down?  Nuts!

I've never heard so many unauthorized changes to one account - although search around here and you'll see all sorts.  That is REALLY frustrating.  But you write so well it's certainly entertaining to read.  🙂

[Ann72]

@Kimberly54 Also - if they think your listing can increase their market attractiveness, they can USE it?  Actually, that doesn't surprise me.  I'm sure it's something we agree to by signing up with them.  But I would have concluded that meant they can use it in advertising and promotion.  Not by plunking it on an unrelated site.

[Kimberly54]

@Ann72,

"With a description that, although correct, I didn't write."

Yep.  My description (the nice ones) was mostly mine, but not the whole of it.  Someone else was involved.  Zillow said that they took it down.

Once again, who do I trust after a breach like this?

From the Terms of Service we all agreed to, here is the escape clause:

1.5 To promote the Airbnb Platform and to increase the exposure of Listings to potential Guests, Listings and other Member Content may be displayed on other websites, in applications, within emails, and in online and offline advertisements. To assist Members who speak different languages, Listings and other Member Content may be translated, in whole or in part, into other languages. Airbnb cannot guarantee the accuracy or quality of such translations and Members are responsible for reviewing and verifying the accuracy of such translations. The Airbnb Platform may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties for merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

That's a cut-paste from our "Revised" agreement. 

Holy smokes, since Apple, has ANYONE ever read the fine print--especially when it comes to our homes?  And the issue of TRUST?  And what the heck happend with that discrimination-thing with Israel?  For goodness sake!  Oh, dear...  Ann, you've gotten me started!  

Let's just calm down and talk about giraffes in San Diego.

*)

[Ann72]

@Kimberly54 !!!!!!!!!!!!!

So our listings can not only be used basically however they feel like it, but when they're translated, whatever is lost in translation (like house rules and other important things) is on us.  We're supposed to go around and check every translation.  Because we can do that.  We speak all the languages.

Okay, embarrassingly, I only heard about the Israel thing yesterday.  And I'm really disturbed.  If I had a spine, I'd remove my listings from Airbnb immediately.  What Airbnb is doing is unconscionable, anti-Semitic, and none of their business.  Does Airbnb operate in any of the 49 countries ruled by dictators that Freedom Report listed in its 2018 report?  Yes, it does, in quite a few of them.  And yet they're taking a stand against Israel.

Much happier to talk about giraffes.

[Kimberly54]

@Ann72, forget everything in that para except the FIRST SENTENCE. 

1.5 To promote the Airbnb Platform and to increase the exposure of Listings to potential Guests, Listings and other Member Content may be displayed on other websites, in applications, within emails, and in online and offline advertisements.

Second issue:  Israel is a big deal to me (reverse discrimination???).  This was a BIG part of our Airbnb contract.  Who will be next?

Best,

[Ann72]

PS:  I went and did a Google search for "vacation rentals Blue Hill, Maine."  Chose the 4th ad result, hometogo.com, and found all three of my listings.  The listings all indicated where you could find the best price, and the two that are only listed on Airbnb showed "Best price: Airbnb."

Also got this pop-up.  Have not gone further.

[Ben551]

Near as I can tell Expedia are the parent company who own Travelocity, so by listing with Expedia (the parent site) you will be automatically listed on the following affiliates as a kind of “link back” to Expedia, if the particular website allows for your type of listing:

1. Travelocity
2. Trivago
3. Homeaway <—- it’s own group
4. VRBO
5. Hotwire
6. Wotif
7. ebookers.com
8. classicvacations 
9. vacationrentals.com
10. Lastminute.com.au
11. Hotels.com
12. Egencia
13. orbitz

HomeAway is the other big group, and is affiliated with VRBO, Stayz, Bookabach, Homelidays... etc.

Booking.com appears to be standalone, but allows you to sync with other website listings through a built in channel manager.

Oh and a new one popped up called Agoda - no clue how this fits in.

Airbnb however, is affiliated with... wait for it... just Airbnb, all by itself 🙂

Clear as mud right?!? I think with so many of these websites now, this is why people are turning to sites like Lodgify to consolidate and control all the madness. These types of sites offering a “change your listing in one place” are far less intimidating for new hosts, which I think is one of the reasons why Airbnb is still doing well even without a huge, complicated affiliate network.

My business plan is this:

1. Launch on Airbnb (single platform where less can go wrong)
2. Build reviews and learn the hospitality biz slowly and surely
3. Connect and exploit intelligent pricing tools
4. Launch my own website (like Lodgify) and Sync to Airbnb as a single channel
5. Get comfortable with own website + Airbnb link approach
6. Add other Sync channels gradually, like BDC or Homeaway, if I need to

I’m up to step 4...

[Suzanne302]

@Ann72  and for clarification anyone else who is confused, I am specifically talking about ROOMS, not entire house rentals.

There are several options for whole house rentals that have been out for some time. As far as I know, however, there have been no other mainstream sites (by mainstream I mean sites the majority of people know about) that can faciliate a "room only" listing in your home.

I'd love to hear from someone who has a room listed somewhere else. Entire house rentals are another category, and, while lovely, are not relevant to those who share their own home.

[Ann72]

@Suzanne302, I realized that after - please forgive my enthusiasm for yakking.  🙂

[Suzanne302]

@Ann72 

No, you hit on another really good discussion, actually! Just not the one I was talking about!

[Kimberly54]

@Suzanne302, yes this is really a ROOM discussion.   I would also be grateful to anyone else with experience in the "Room only" category. 

I'm not sure if I will be allowed to participate in this forum if I deactivate my property, but I'm seriously on the edge and would like to sit on that edge and watch how this falls out.  That Zillow somehow got my entire house tour (linked to my street address--and what else that was supposed to be completely confidential until a confirmed booking?)... 

I really need to re-think this.  Dang it!

Thanks for all of your input,

[Alon1]

@Suzanne302 

re: 'I'm not sure if I will be allowed to participate in this forum if I deactivate my property.'

You will so long as you don't delete your Profile.

(i.e  Anyone can participate with an Airbnb account. )

[Alon1]

@Kimberly54 

previous comment to Suzanne, actually to you. Pressed on wrong name

re: 'I'm not sure if I will be allowed to participate in this forum if I deactivate my property.'

You will so long as you don't delete your Profile.

(i.e  Anyone can participate with an Airbnb account. )