Airbnb Host Community Tour

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Airbnb Host Community Tour

World.jpg

 

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you're all having a good week.

 

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming trip that Laura Chambers,  who leads the team dedicated to helping hosts succeed, and I will be making from April 2nd-12th.

 

The trip is a whistle-stop tour around the world, with stops in Tokyo, Sydney, Rome, London and Toronto; with the aim being to catch-up with as many of our hosts community and listen to your thoughts.

 

I will be posting here in the CC throughout the trip, telling you about the hosts we meet along the way and the topics being discussed. I hope you will be keen to contribute to the conversations.

 

In addition, you are also likely to be treated with many pictures of me sitting in different airport lounges. So, much to look forward to! 🙂

 

Keep an eye out for my posts.

 

Thanks,

 

Lizzie


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

48 Replies 48
Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Aw yes, I definitely feel very lucky @Tim-and-Holly0 and I really can't tell you how much I am looking forward to meeting more hosts in person. 

 

I hope you like the posts I will be sharing. 🙂

 

I hope all is well with you both. 

 

 


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

We're gonna miss you over here @Lizzie

 

Have a safe trip!

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Please follow the Community Guidelines // Volg de communityrichtlijnen

Susan17
Level 10
Dublin, Ireland

@Laura_RChambers

 

Why, though?? What's the point of this senseless - and no doubt costly - exercise? What are you hoping to achieve? Tokyo, Sydney, Rome, London and Toronto in 10 days? For what? To schmooze with a handful of strategically selected and carefully curated hosts, who'll maybe bring up a few grievances (that Airbnb is already fully aware of), but for the most part, will just tell you what you want to hear? Taking into account travel times, potential delays, transfers, jet lag etc etc, just how switched on and receptive can anyone even hope to be on such a ludicrously over-ambitious trip anyway?

 

Why doesn't the company save itself a whole lot of trouble and expense, and instead of palming us all off with the usual empty platitudes and glossy PR stunts, simply read, process, absorb and respond swiftly and appropriately to the thousands upon thousands of extremely serious and valid concerns and complaints, that members of its "valued host community" - from every corner of the globe, from every market and demographic - have posted right here in its very own official Airbnb Community Centre, day in, day out, for the past 3 and a half years? Is that not supposed to be the whole purpose of a brand-owned community set-up? (Apart from reducing costs by co-opting its host base as unpaid customer service agents/brand ambassadors/grassroots activists, of course)

 

How about saving the money for this trip and investing it instead into fixing all the "glitches" and malfunctions in the CC, that make it nigh on impossible for members to post content, search efficiently, locate current, relevant information, or even communicate with each other effectively? And instead of trying to control and manipulate what's posted in the CC, through stripping us of the Host Voice function, turning the heavily responded-to Airbnb Updates into long, rambling linear strings that prohibit engaged discussion, kindergarten-age censorship and an endless proliferation of puff-pieces, start listening to what your hosts are already telling you, loud and clear, over and over again. The information you claim to be seeking is right here in front of your eyes. No need to go on global wild-goose chases to find it. 

 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Susan17,

 

Thanks for your message.

 

As you can imagine, we have hosts based all over the world. Laura and her team are always in contact with hosts, listening both in person and here in the Community Center. The tour will enable hosts to meet with one another and also with Laura; and we will also be including as many CC hosts into this as possible. 

 

This doesn't take away anything from the importance of the feedback shared here in the CC on a daily basis. Laura is a regular to the Community Center and and my teammates and I ensure that community feedback is communicated across the whole of Airbnb. 

 

In terms of the CC features, we are aware that some improvements need to be made and we are actively working at the moment to address many of them as quickly as possible. I am very hopeful you will see the benefits of these over the coming weeks and months. Feel free to message me directly at any point to highlight anything you notice in the CC and I would be happy to look into this further and/or provide you with more details, if possible. 

 

Hopefully we will be able to visit Dubin next time, it would be lovely to meet you in person.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

@Lizzie 

Thank you for the response Lizzie, but we've seen it all and heard it all before. Too many times.  Until we're blue in the face. And not only does nothing ever change for the better, it just gets progressly worse. The evidence is all around us. 

 

Also, as I've mentioned several times before, please be assured that my comments in the CC are never directed at you (or the other admins) personally, but at the people responsible for the overall performance and running of the CC, and indeed, of Airbnb. 

 

As it wasn't possible for me to tag Laura Chambers directly, and my questions were specifically for her /Airbnb's consideration, perhaps you'd ask her if she'd be so kind as to address my concerns here herself. She never did get around to responding to the comments I did correctly tag her in the last time she "popped in" to the CC. Many thanks. 

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Susan

Susan, can I show you a picture!

IMG20180627121334.jpg

 

Last June Ade and I stayed in a 'disabled' facility in a country resort. The resort was beautiful having only recently been constructed and no expence had been spared. As with the rest of the property the bathroom met the code requirements for a disabled accredited facility....handrails, no steps.

Ade fell over in the walk in shower because the floor tiling was in high gloss porcelain tiles, and was like glass under her feet. I was asleep when this happened and she had to crawl to the bed to wake me to give her some support.

Why do I bring this up???

Lizzie and I, over a drink, talked about this specific incident and Lizzie saw the photos, talked to Ade and got a 'first hand' glimpse while she was here of the problems a disabled person faces just to get through each day!

There are many things that you cannot adequately convey in an email or a phone call......or for that matter a text! When the issue comes to you face to face, it has a far greater impact!

 

Susan, I respect you and what you have to say immensely, but I would ask you to consider that the dialogue that takes place over a face to face drink when someone says to me....."we are working on guidelines for disabled access, do you have any thoughts on this", is worth all the money that a trip like that would have cost!

Lizzie, Stephanie, Kirstie, Quincy, Gaby, Franscesca, Anna, May, Sergi don't work for Airbnb, they represent us to Airbnb.

You can 'shoot the messenger' but the problem still remains. 

I am sure much good will come from Lizzie and Laura tour....and I would ask you not to be too hard on the concept. 

 

Cheers......Rob

Susan17
Level 10
Dublin, Ireland

@Laura_RChambers

 

As Global Head of Airbnb Homes Hosts, with special responsibility for "core host" support, one would hope that Airbnb will at least book you into listings for this particular trip that do actually support core hosts, rather than supporting the "professional" and commercial operators that Airbnb is now flooding the platform with, and effectively pushing small, traditional hosts out of the searches, and out of business.

 

Hugely disappointing - not to mention, perplexing - to note that on a recent trip to Dublin, as a top level Airbnb manager who has publicly and repeatedly declared your mission as "helping core hosts succeed",  you chose to be a guest of a "professional" property management company with 26 listings, rather than booking with one of the many, many small, long-term, independent Dublin hosts who can't now get an Airbnb booking for months on end, (myself included), and who you claim to represent. Not a good look, Airbnb. 

 

 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Susan17,

 

Thanks for asking about this. 

 

I'm rather excited to be staying with hosts throughout the trip, in a variety of different homes and I'm looking forward to be meeting as many amazing hosts as possible. 

 

We are aiming to share more about this over the next two weeks here in the CC, so please do keep an eye out for my posts. 

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Hello @Susan17 ... I'm sitting here in the Singapore airport with Lizzie (on a layover!) and she asked me to drop in and say hi. Thanks so much for your thoughts and feedback. Some quick thoughts: I really do love staying with our core Airbnb hosts. In fact, when I first joined Airbnb last summer I stayed in a private room every week for several months (this was quite a big commitment personally for me, as I have 3 little kids at home ... but I learned so much from the experience and will be sharing some of my thoughts and learnings on here shortly). And you're right, I should have done that when I was in Dublin too! In terms of the trip itself, you'll be pleased to know that the vast majority of our core host product team is still back in San Francisco working hard on many of the requests and topics that come up here, and in the other channels where we listen to and engage with hosts. On top of that, it's also important for me to get out and meeting with hosts face to face around the world - we're able to go into so much more depth, and I'm broadening my learnings and perspectives (for example, none of the hosts I met with in Tokyo use the Community Center today). Finally - I'm so sorry to hear that you're not getting as many bookings as you'd like. If you would like to send me a direct message here in the CC I'll get my team to look into it and see if we have any thoughts or ideas. ~Laura

 

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Lead, Airbnb Core Hosts & Community

Here's my Community Spotlight!

What are your favorite notes from your guests?

 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello everyone,

 

I'm at the airport now...next stop Tokyo. 🙂 

 

I will speak to you soon. 

 

Thanks.

Lizzie


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Clara116
Level 10
Pensacola, FL

@Susan17  Hi, I've read and followed your post AND its pretty evident you have an axe to grind as they say over here. And you are sour, disgruntled and obviously have a multitude you wish to see different, changed and done differently. Most hosts do as well. 

I'm not so sure that your approach of hard push against @Lizzie  is the best or most effective way to go.  She remains cool, calm and very respectful no matter and I'd say she is amazing on that account for sure. She IS NOT Airbnb - she moderators all these thousands of post and is the peace keeper. 

 

Many of us have the same concerns, gripes and wishes but gotta say your approach will certainly not put me on your team. 

Maybe you know the terms about honey - vinegar and flies???

 

Do you think this is your best venue to vent or manage to further change for yourself and other hosts?? I do have my doubts. I don't have answers but you are speaking for yourself - not me.

 

As I wish for change - BUT NOT alienation.  Just needed to vent my thoughts. As your post was somewhat disturbing. 

 

best regards, Clara

 

@Clara116 

 

From my response to Lizzie....

 

"Also, as I've mentioned several times before, please be assured that my comments in the CC are never directed at you (or the other admins) personally, but at the people responsible for the overall performance and running of the CC, and indeed, of Airbnb"

Stephanie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi there everyone!

 

@Lizzie has posted her first diary entry from Tokyo! You can check it out here: Lizzie's Travel Journal Day 1.

 

If there's anything you'd like her to focus on in the coming days and locations, let us know so future journal entries can be more inline with those requests!

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Stephanie

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Please follow the Community Guidelines 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

Happy and safe travels, @Lizzie

So is that the map that all the Superhosts were supposed to receive last quarter, that I never got? 

Why is there a picture of a tipi on Mexico? The graphic artist might have educated him/herself a little before deciding what pictures to put on various countries. Indians in Mexico don't, and never did, live in tipis. 

@Lizzie 

 

I am still reading about your trip - only read for Japan - and I do not think as Susan from Dublin that the team can solve all the problems only from reading here, in the CC. I greatly appreciate your initiative, and I hope you will continue it - as nothing is more real than the real experience. Thank you, Lizzie for all your hard work and enthusiasm, you are so kind and always friendly!