Stopping hosting on Airbnb - Now I can say what I really think of Airbnb

[Mike-And-Jane0]

Dear All,

After 5 years of hosting we have decided that our house is a little too big for us so we have sold it (along with the apartments in the West wing). This weekend will be the last time we host Airbnb guests so I thought I'd say a few things about our Airbnb experience:

Pros: 

We have garnered 303 reviews at an average of 4.93 so I guess we did a lot right.

We hosted through Covid times and actually had our best year ever once Airbnb recognised that essential workers needed somewhere to stay outside of unsafe hotels.

We met many great people from almost every continent in the world. Sadly we missed out on Antartica but I guess very few guests come from there.

We made a fair amount of money.

We used 3 Superhost vouchers for non-stays in Ukraine to support hosts there in their time of need.

Cons

We had to cancel on one guest when we got Covid but Airbnb did apply extenuating circumstances as it was in the early days of Covid

The cleaning can be hard work (oh and the Airbnb cleaning protocols post Covid are daft).

There is some stress associated with wondering how the guests will leave the place but in fact we only had 1 damaged carpet that just needed us to rearrange the furniture to hide a melted patch.

Airbnb Customer Support never let us down but we did have to have a couple of robust conversations when they (illegally) tried to deny a guest a full refund for a guest Covid cancellation.

So will we be back??? It is entirely possible as our down-sizing journey has been difficult (so we are renting for a while) as so many places have outbuildings that we could convert into Airbnbs. If we are not careful we will end up with a bigger place than we have today!

And will I stay on the CC??? Oh I think so - Its way too much fun to comment on people's posts especially if they are advocating illegality. I do wonder if @Quincy might allow me to keep access to the Host Circle though otherwise I'll miss out on half the fun.

And will the apartments continue? I believe they will (and with Airbnb) but that, of course, is up to the new owners.

Mike

[Frances3408]

@Mike-And-Jane0. I have enjoyed and personally benefited from your great advice. Good luck with your next adventure!

@Quincyplease ensure continued Host Circle access for @Mike-And-Jane0 . As someone who has listings off at times I still like to contribute nevertheless.

[Kia272]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Wow! You kept that on the downlow until the last possible minute! 

Wishing you good luck and and great experiences in this next phase of your lives. 

Please don't leave the CC- you are needed. 

Kia

[Ana2038]

@Mike-And-Jane0 , you will be missed. Wishing you the best in finding your next home.

[Till-and-Jutta0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 I will miss your posts and comments 🙂

[Quincy]

Hi @Mike-And-Jane0, it's sad to see you leave the Airbnb scene (for now , hopefully)! Regarding your access to the Host Circle board, this is something I will have double check!

[Laurelle3]

@Mike-And-Jane0 sorry to see you leave the Hosting life with all you good advice. We hope the someone who has bought your home will give it the love and life that you shared with all the Guests that stopped by.

I hope you have a break, enjoy a holiday and to continue to share your good tidings and experience on this page. 

I have to say thank you and we were hoping one day to meet you in your well looked after garden.

Take Care in your next adventure.

Laurelle from Downunder

[Joelle43]

Hello @Mike-And-Jane0 

Well I wasn't expecting that!  Had to double check it was really you posting - you dark horse🤣

I'm glad you're not abandoning us on the CC because as a Brit myself, I would miss your English humour!

I wish you and Jane fun adventures in your next steps wherever they might take you ...

The very best to you both

Joëlle